Seduce Me to Death

3 - Not Sisters

Gabriel knew the woman was still alive.

Of course, she couldn't possibly tell this belief to anyone else. For several years, she had tried to deny the fact that Clara Constantine was still alive. That annoying woman has long been a thorn in the flesh. She should have died peacefully. Even if she was still alive, she should have respected her life by not doing things. Gabriel had already given her one chance. She should have made good use of the opportunity by not showing up again.

Therefore, when Gabriel crossed the police line outside the room, she did not expect to see that scene. On the bed, laid a young girl in a pool of blood. His stiff body formed a very strange cross. Pearls were scattered among the red blood. As if that wasn't enough, on the white back wall there was a bright inscription written in blood: Canto XXV - Dante.

"There's no silver D's nearby," Adam furrowed his brows, "Very strange. This is the first time I've seen Dante's name written so clearly on a crime scene. Is he really Dante? But, if he's a copycat, there shouldn't be a need to show off so openly, right?"

Gabriel didn't answer Adam. She took out his cell phone then typed the words on the wall into the search engine: Canto XXV – Dante.

"What do you think?" Adam asked, "Jack Herring is definitely the prime suspect. But the writing on the wall is quite odd. Jack doesn't admit to having written this either."

Of course, he didn't admit it! Even if he did, he wouldn't admit it either! Gabriel groaned in annoyance. She bit his lip. Her mind was a mess. Knowing Jack Herring's involvement alone gave her a headache. When she arrived near the scene, she was already greeted by dozens of journalists who surrounded her like hungry piranhas. Their questions overlap. They also jostle and push each other. The cops who escorted her struggled to clear a way for Gabriel to enter the building.

Now, add that weird lettering and initial D. Who is the one who idly writes at the crime scene? How did he get in? Is he the real killer? But Dante wasn't a casual killer. He worked neatly and cleanly, famous for his dagger killing. Not even a copycat dante can do all this. One way to tell these imitators is by looking at other weapons marks or strangulation.

"Gabe, do you hear me? Earth to Gabriel, hello?" Adam waved his hand in front of Gabriel's face.

"I'm not deaf," Gabriel answered impatiently. She put on her gloves and stepped forward to examine the scene more thoroughly.

"This is a report from the forensics team," Adam handed a folder into Gabriel's hand and the woman accepted it without a word. She matched the report with the circumstances at the scene. The report is quite detailed and describes the condition of the victim clearly. There was not even a knife wound on the victim's body.

Why is there Dante's name on the set then? Gabriel came back closer to the blood writing on the wall. Her hand reached out to Dante's name on it. There's a scratch on the D there, a neat cut that looks like it was marked with a knife.

Gabriel felt her blood pressure suddenly rise. Her intuition told her that Dante must be involved in this. Unfortunately, she has no evidence. Even if she wanted to track down Dante, she certainly couldn't afford to do it alone. All of Dante's investigators either disappeared or died in a freak accident. The only thing she knew was alive was....

***

" .... Clara Maria Constantine! Congratulations! Let's welcome the recipients of this year's dedication award! Let's give a big round of applause!"

Applauses broke all over the field. The NSM officers who are currently holding the ceremony in the middle of the field raise their hands to the head, saluting. They wore black uniforms with colorful epaulets and high boots. Seeing how dashing their family and relatives were, several people in the stadium seats wiped away tears of emotion.