For Love *ON HOLD FOR SCHOOL*

Chapter One

San Francisco, Fort Point Rock

12:38PM

Jessica's Pov 

Jessica Langing stood looking at the fifth body discovered in the past year near the Golden Gate Bridge. The victim's body parts scattered the shoreline. She gazed at the pale, lifeless eyes of the severed head before her. Her partner, Nick Pope, joined her with a grim expression. "Another one," he muttered. Jessica turned away, feeling no remorse for the deceased. She had investigated this man for the brutal sexual assault and murder of a 12-year-old girl two years prior. Despite the two years of effort, he had walked free due to a technicality—his Miranda rights had not been properly read by one of the arresting officers. Jessica recalled the devastation of the victim's family, the shared anger, and her own sense of failure.

Frowning, Jessica looked at Nick and voiced her thoughts, "I believe we were right. He's targeting individuals we've investigated. Nick, this poses a significant problem for potential retrials. Some of these people could have been serving life sentences behind bars instead of being found dead." She had wanted a few of these individuals to suffer, to rot in prison for the rest of their lives. Death seemed too lenient. What troubled her most was the fact that among them were individuals who were still good; they had just made terrible, irrational mistakes driven by heated arguments or moments of rage. Jessica had experienced similar anger herself, but she knew acting on it was wrong. "I want him bagged immediately before that rainstorm comes in," she ordered sternly to the task manager of the evidence technicians. He nodded solemnly, aware of the repugnant task that lay ahead.

Nick and Jessica marked various shoe prints near the body, having one of the technicians follow to take photographs, both on the sand and on the incline leading from the road down to the waterline. Jessica remained silent, lost in her thoughts. This case was taking its toll on her, with no leads to follow except for shoe prints and a few incomplete fingerprints that could belong to anyone. "We'll catch them, Jessica... Have you been getting enough sleep?" Nick asked, deliberately avoiding eye contact, knowing she might snap at him like she did when he asked about how she was doing. She disliked being treated as if she were fragile. One mental breakdown, and suddenly, everyone walked on eggshells around her. It felt like half of her team had lost trust in her since that day. She had been forced to take time off and had been assigned a therapist whom she was obligated to see, lest she lose her position as head detective at the station. "You sound like my therapist. Stop..." Jessica sighed, realizing how harsh her words sounded. Nick was a close friend who had supported her through numerous personal challenges, even attending the police academy together after meeting in college. She looked up at him, offering a tired smile. "I probably get as much sleep as you do," she admitted truthfully before refocusing on the task at hand.

Later that day, the rain did eventually ruin their crime scene. Luckily, the techs had gathered all body parts and clothing left in tattered pieces around the grassy hill. Nick and Jessica returned to their shared office, exhausted from the fieldwork and disappointed by what they might have missed. They began filling out paperwork on the day's events and made calls to the hospital morgue, requesting expedited processing for their victim. With a heavy sigh, Jessica glanced at the time. It was already past 6, and she was once again late for her therapy session. She had promised Dr. Crown, her therapist, that she would be punctual last time they spoke. Muttering under her breath, she swiftly packed her belongings into her briefcase. "Nick, I have to leave. I'll take some of this paperwork home to finish tonight so you're not stuck doing all of it," she said hurriedly, earning a curious look from her partner. "Is there a fire lit under you? I'll see you in the morning," he replied, refraining from asking further questions, although it wasn't a secret that she attended therapy. "Tell Monica I say hello, and I'll get back to her about that girl's day soon," she added. Jessica had been responsible for introducing Nick to his wife during college. Her roommate at the time had turned out to be a perfect match for him, and the three of them became close very easily. "Oh yeah, that's what I forgot to ask," Nick laughed, watching her leave. Once the office door closed, a small frown creased his face, reflecting the concern he felt for his friend. This job was challenging for everyone, but they had known that from the start.