Taken Away

CHAPTER 4

I spent the rest of the night searching and looking for any information related to the "heartless killer" I dug through countless articles, pouring through the comments to find any details that might provide a clue or insight into the case. I took another sip of my coffee, looking at the notes and the newest information I had gathered on the case. After hours of searching and researching, I felt both mentally and physically drained. I spent some time analyzing it, trying to find a connection or a clue that had been overlooked. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't see the big picture, and the case was beginning to feel like a maze with no way out. "Shit, that computer better have our answers," I mumbled under my breath as I stared at the bulletin board. I was beginning to grow frustrated, my eyes darting around the map of locations where the victims were found, the pictures of the victims, the letters placed on their wrists, and the sticky note with the word "SAVE." Everything pointed to the same person, the heartless killer, yet no details provided any insight into who this killer could be, let alone where to find them. As the night set in and the room grew dark, I felt a subtle heaviness falling over my mind I took a deep breath and tried to shake off the fog that had formed over my mind. I would not let this get to me.

The next day, I found myself sitting at my desk, going through my notes from the previous night. the office was busy and chaotic, with people moving around and the sound of keyboards and phones ringing. As I was deep in thought, Joshua entered the office holding Lia's laptop. "I've got it," he smiled. "Alex finally managed to crack the password, and he's been looking through it ever since." "Fucking finally," I replied as Joshua placed Lia's laptop on my desk and turned it on. I leaned forward in my chair, The laptop took a few moments to load, and my impatience was growing with each passing second, The laptop's desktop has all of the normal features of a computer, including folders, a browser, chat messages, and more. I clicked on the message icon and the laptop opened up a window with the various messages Lia had sent and received. I scanned through the list, looking for any information that might be useful or relevant to the case. Some of the messages are from Hannah, talking about their plans for the weekend, As I scroll through the messages, I notice several messages from a person named "Leo." I clicked on the most recent message from Leo, which opened on 3/29, and I scrolled through the messages a little further and noticed that Leo seemed to be the only male in Lia's chat box. I read through more of the messages, noticing how Lia and "Leo" started talking on the dating app Tinder and eventually exchanged phone numbers. "That's literally how it started," I replied, realizing that Leo could very well be the heartless killer we've been searching for. He found his victims through Tinder and lured them out under the guise of a date. I continued to scroll through Lia's messages, noticing how Leo was good at playing with his words. His texts come across as sweet, and he has a way of making Lia feel comfortable and at ease. As I continued to read through Lia's texts, I noticed that she struggled with her life and mental health. She seemed to be in a dark place, and at times, her messages were full of hopelessness and despair. As I keep reading, I also discover that Leo is the only person who truly understands her and offers her emotional support throughout the conversations.

It quickly became clear that Lia had been dealing with a lot and feeling alone and isolated. Leo is the only one who has shown her kindness and understanding, which is why she's so drawn to him.

"Let's check her search history," Joshua says, moving toward Lia's computer.

I turn my attention back to the laptop, where Joshua has opened a web browser and is searching through Lia's browser history. As I watched, I noticed that there were several searches for mental health resources and topics related to depression and anxiety in Lia's history. "Look at this," he says, indicating the screen. There, in front of us, is Lia's Tinder profile open on her computer. As I looked at Lia's Tinder profile, I suddenly felt a sense of dismay come over me. I turn to Joshua and share the news.

"Leo's profile is gone," I said. "He deleted it." "He deletes his account after he kills," I said with realization. This could explain why we can't access Lia and Leo's conversations on Tinder, but it also raises a new set of concerns. It means that Leo is potentially more cautious than we initially thought. He's smart enough to plan his murders and cover his tracks by deleting his profile after he kills. That means we have to be extra cautious as we investigate and follow up on these leads.

At 11 o'clock, we called Lia's best friend, Hannah, to the investigation room to get more information. Hannah arrived shortly after we called her, looking both shocked and concerned. We thanked her for coming and asked her about Lia and her relationship with Leo. "She never mentioned him," "Whenever I was in the dorm she was always on her phone," Hannah stated, thinking back to the times when she and Lia would spend time together. As we continue to press her for information, Hannah's face falls even further, and it seems like she's on the verge of breaking down. We try to comfort her and assure her that we will do everything we can to find Lia and find out who "Leo" is. "Lia would never meet with someone she met online alone," she continued, her voice shaky and unsteady. "And especially not without letting me know about it first. She was always careful and smart about dating, not one to just meet up with anyone. And yet, here we are."

Hannah's words convey a deep sense of guilt and frustration, all tinged with grief at the sudden loss of her best friend. "She wasn't the first victim who fell into his trap," Joshua replied, leaning his elbows on the metal table. "Did Lia tell you she had been suffering from depression?" I questioned Hannah, Actually, no," Hannah replies, looking down at her lap. "I know that Lia has been dealing with a lot lately, but to be honest, I didn't realize how bad it had gotten." After we asked Hannah more questions, we decided to call Lia's parents to see if they could provide any information that might help us uncover more details about Lia's relationship with Leo. Unfortunately, the conversation with Lia's parents leads us nowhere. They claimed that Lia had never mentioned anyone by the name of "Leo" to them either. It seemed as if Lia was keeping the entire relationship a secret, and her family had no knowledge of it at all.

As we made my way back to the office, I felt the frustration of the case growing inside me. "I have to solve this," I told myself, "I'm not going to give up." I could feel the tension and stress building up inside of me, but I knew that losing my cool and becoming frustrated would only make things worse. I take a deep breath and try to clear my head of any negative thoughts. We heard a knock on the door, and the Chief entered with a look of urgency on his face. "What is it, Chief?" Joshua asked, standing up from his desk. "We received a call this morning from someone claiming to be a witness."