Unwanted Wings: Detective AU

Chapter 3

The building was gone. The evidence was gone. Everything was gone. The only thing they had to go on was the crime scene pictures. Nevertheless, Cassidy and Maxlie still walked the perimeter. They kept an eye out for anything suspicious, however nothing came about.

"I'm not sure what else we expected. This murder happened over two years ago. There's no way any evidence would still be here." Maxlie pouted.

"The circumstances are not quite what I expected, I'll give you that." Cassidy let out a sigh, shaking her head. "Let's head to the newest crime scene and work our way backwards. I've worked cases long enough I should have suggested that first."

"It's alright, Sarge. I'm sure we'll find something at our next stop."

"Unfortunately, that's only because some poor girl died." Cassidy's features furrowed.

"Uh, yeah. I guess you've got a point. My bad, Sarge." Maxlie rubbed the back of her neck.

Climbing back into the Impala, Maxlie gripped the brown leather steering wheel cover. The windows were cracked as it was unusually warm for the fall. A motorcycle blurred past, earning an eye roll from Cassidy.

They turned down an alley next to a bakery. The area quickly changed, becoming littered and graffitied. The Impala rolled to a stop next to a little building. Before turning the car off, Maxlie ensured the windows were closed. A slight red hue passed over her cheeks as she caught Cassidy's gaze.

The door's window was boarded up as the glass had been busted in. A worn paper stating Do not enter! along with some other words was placed on the door frame. Cassidy recognized it as a police investigation warning. The paper had been torn, as if the door had been opened after the crime scene had been processed.

The door was indented near the handle, someone had forced their way in. Cassidy's ear flicked, alert, as she signaled to Maxlie to be quiet. Maxlie gave a brief nod, pulling her gun from her shoulder rig. Cassidy pushed the door open, Maxlie made her way in first. Maxlie surveyed what used to be a living room and kitchen as Cassidy took the upstairs.

The bathroom was filthy, grime building up on every surface. The appliances were covered with mold as a few syringes filled the sink. An odd smell filled the air, musk and filth lined with a heavy chemical. Sparing a glance to the tub, Cassidy noticed a random assortment of glassware. She didn't linger long, needing to check the last room.

She gave a quick once around the room before calling out, "All clear!"

"All clear here!" Maxlie shouted from the foot of the stairs. "Comin down, Sarge?"

"I think you should come up." Cassidy placed her hands into her coat pocket, eyeing the old bedroom.

A twin size mattress lay askew next to a window that overlooked the alley. It was covered in various stains, blood being the most prominent. The carpet seemed to have not been cleaned since it was originally installed. A splotchy outline of more blood soaked around the mattress.

Maxlie appeared next to her, placing gloves onto her hands. "There's lots of evidence here, why wasn't any of this bagged?"

"It was, or at least the blood stain was sampled and taken into evidence." Cassidy knew Maxlie would become aggravated by the truth, but she would have to learn how to handle herself eventually.

"Sarge?" Maxlie's face was red, attempting to hold in her anger. "Why the fuck wouldn't they treat this like any other case? I know they didn't know it was connected but... Fuck. It's the first thing they teach you!"

Cassidy let out a sigh. "I know, but what's done is done. All we can do now is try to find the person who did this before they hurt anyone else."

Maxlie's features softened slightly but she kept a dead stare at the mattress. "Yeah, we'll get 'em."

"Did you see anything downstairs?"

Maxlie shook her head, turning to face Cassidy now. "Nothing other than some trash and questionable supplies."

"They've got more in the bathroom. Why don't you start bagging the things you found downstairs? I'll do the same up here. Then we'll do another walk though."

"You got it, Sarge." Maxlie unenthusiastically walked down the stairs.

Cassidy placed all of the items in separate evidence bags, having needed to grab a box from the Impala's trunk before continuing. Carefully, she organized the glassware into the box, finishing the items of question in the bathroom.

She left the box and scanned through the bedroom once more. The stains told a story, no doubt similar to all the other places they would visit in connection to the case. Cassidy didn't want to draw conclusions about the women and their lifestyle, but looking at it from this perspective was hard not to.

Something shiny caught her attention. Settled next to the mattress was a silver button. After placing it in a bag, Cassidy examined it closely. It had a swirl pattern along the edges and formed a unique cross-cross in the middle.

Cassidy grabbed the box of evidence and headed back downstairs. She ran into Maxlie who had also finished collecting her evidence. They placed the boxes next to the stairs and began their final walk-through.

"I found a cereal bar wrapper in the sink. But I'm not sure if it will be from our guy." Maxlie wasn't able to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

"There was a button near the mattress. It could be nothing though." Maxlie's face lit up at the mention.

"That could be something! I'll be all over it, Sarge. I'll make sure we figure out what the button goes to and how old it is and-"

Maxlie was interrupted by the ringing of Cassidy's phone. Cassidy gave a sly smile at her enthusiasm, glad that she was no longer upset. However the smile didn't last long.

"This is Cassidy."