Lethal Beauty

Prologue

[TW: This part contains content that some might find disturbing, reader's discretion is advised]

⛧☾༺♰༻☽⛧

Beautiful and yet cruel

Exquisiteness next to ferocity

I barely remember it,

Yet,

The memory of him was haunting...

Trepidation and gloom were the only two emotions that formed as they watched the non-porous bag designed to contain a human body being lifted carefully to transport the corpse by the forensic team.

Delbert Anthony Northwood, a man in his mid-forties with wide-set eyes and a rounded belly appeared even more older, frowning at the scene. He took one long look at the body bags then the crime, marking his mind with every corner of the interior with neat and flowery wallpaper.

The bodies were found in separate rooms upstairs; one partially in the bed the other lying on the floor...

This inner-city suburb was relatively quiet and even if it was near the city, crimes of this gravity were almost nonexistent. With that being said, citizens who lived here lived fairly independent lives and were free to come and go whenever it pleased them.

Delbert was greeted by a phone call from his superior and was ushered by his assigned partner to witness a strange scene. The house was a regular one and inside was nothing special, with rooms fully furnished, kitchen and bedrooms and everything, and the residents who occupied the property kept it spotlessly clean.

Even now, he couldn't see a single dirt or even a drop of blood that if not for the presence of the law enforcers, he would think that someone from the department was making a prank out of him...

"Detective, thank you for coming." A young female detective walked toward him and shook his hand. This was Judiel Nyman and was new to their department but not new to homicide. "Sorry to bother you with the anniversary dinner date with the wifey."

"Ah, don't worry about it," Delbert waved a hand, not interested in her apology since this was part of their job. He signed up for this. "Talk to me, what do we have?"

"Three victims. Two dead, and one survived. All female."

"Living together. Relationship?"

"They are not really related," Judy went on when the older detective didn't say anything. "Sofie Callahan is the only one who survived. She was a patient in an asylum thirty years ago and suffered from paranoid schizophrenia when her parents died and she lived in this house with these other elderly women Myrna and Lory, for almost ten years."

"Hmm..."

"Sir, it's a very weird one. I can't fully grasp the---"

"How weird?"

"It's uhm, it's better if I show you..."

Intrigued, Delbert followed as the woman led the way to the stretchers where the body bags had been placed and watched as she drew back the zipper to one of the bodies.

He was expecting to see a very gruesome body but to his surprise, he had only seen a skull. No face. The whole body was intact though but the complexion was so pale, almost ghastly white. What was even more befuddling was the fact that there was no blood present. Not even a drop.

"There was no blood anywhere..." he also muttered about this, still staring at the body.

"No, sir. Not even a trace. Everything is..."