𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐑, coffinshipping

𝒐𝒏𝒆, you with the coldheart

almost like fate, it seems as though the two were destined to clash at every turn. they have never gotten along, not once in the months they have been stuck together on this jigsaw case. one by one their team had been picked apart and still, hoffman and strahm were constantly at each other's throats. as the leading investigators on the jigsaw murders, you would think they would at least try to get along for the sake of everyone involved. however, that didn't seem to be the case.

talking things through was out of the question, the only time they actually spoke to one another was when someone died or it became mandatory. neither enjoyed it. so you could imagine the annoyance and eagerness that came with the next found body with a puzzle piece etched into its flesh.

strahm wanted nothing more than to catch the killer and put an end to this senseless bickering once and for all. he arrived on scene with a variety of police cruisers parked outside a rundown warehouse. blinding red and blue blended into each other as the flashing lights guided him to the crime scene.

with no functioning power, it was hard to find his way down the endless hallway so late at night. the rays of distant flashlights told him where to go as another squad of police arrived on scene. the potent smell of rotting corpse told him this was an older body that the killer had left weeks in advance.

upon entering the room, he saw the bloody mess left behind. dried maroon was left hardened down the side of the table. the victim lay restrained to the cold metal table with a pendulum hanging overhead. his intentioned dangled from his split open torso. what an awful way to die.

some police couldn't bear to look at the sight before them, most sucked it up. but one didn't seem fazed in the slightest. his eyes stone cold and unfeeling as his gaze met with the decomposing corpse that had yet to be covered. the detective lacked any kind of remorse, and that was one of the abundance of reasons why strahm despised working with such a heartless prick.

as he approached the body and where hoffman stood unmoved, he brought along a cloth to cover the victim's face. hoffman shot a disapproving glare at the man who'd disrupted his line of slight.

"you shouldn't stare, it's disrespectful," strahm says, teaching the detective about proper crime scene etiquette.

a photographer flashed photos of the deceased from all angles while the police scoured the crime scene for any clues. the videotape left behind at the scene was played on the screen for all to see.

strahm approached the split open body, looking at the jigsaw piece that had been cut from his flesh. after time and time again seeing the same mark engraved into the victim's bodies, it became apparent what the mark looked like.

"another jigsaw murder," hoffman stated to the rookies in the back who chose to stand clear of the corpse. strahm couldn't say he blamed them. he's seen many decease in his time working as an agent, and it still makes him nauseous every time they find a new one.

his finger traced along the outer edges of the missing piece, something didn't seem right. "no." strahm objected, "this one isn't a jigsaw victim. the other piece was removed with surgical-level skills and equipment. "look at the lines, they're slanted on the corners." he said with the utmost confidence.

hoffman stepped closer to inspect the wound, his eyes squinting at the smallest error in the mark. "nonsense, everything about this trap and its location aligns with the killer's patterns." he argued. disagreeing with strahm like have always done. and every time his snappy comments would never fail to get an annoyed response from the other agent.

"that's a load of bullshit, any psycho who watches the news could have copycatted our original killer," strahm says, standing from his crouched position next to the body. he faced his fellow detective who already seemed to have his mind made up. completely discarding the option of another killer on the loose.

"you have no idea what you're talking about." hoffman pointed out. this only caused strahm's blood to boil, further aggravating the already irritated agent.

"did we listen to the same tape? just look at his hands, they are totally crushed beyond repair. he did as the tape asked him to so why is he dead?" strahm hissed, looking for some type of explanation from hoffman since he seemed to have everything figured out. though the other stayed quiet, knowing that he couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation for it.

a smug look consumed the agent's face. "get your head out of your ass for once." sure, strahm may have been a bit rusty after taking some time off on medical leave. but he could never forget what the mark looked like. the piece had carved itself into his memories from the first day he saw it.

hoffman scoffed, his eyes narrowed in a less amused way. he leaned closer to the agent who didn't do so much as flinch as he whispered in his ear. "you have no proof."

hoffman knew he was strahm's key suspect, and the detective couldn't blame him for thinking that way. but the lack of evidence was stacked against him, which in turn favored hoffman.

the same question has been stuck in the agent's mind since they wheeled him out with a pen lodged in his throat. he caught a glimpse of hoffman before being rushed into the ambulance. for the first time, he showed the smallest trace of emotion. for the first time, he looked scared.

"how did you leave that building? because i sure as hell know jigsaw wouldn't just let you walk out without some broken bones." his tone rang with judgment. a good portion of their team was killed in that building, and he was supposed to die as well. so it made no sense how hoffman could leave without so much as a scratch.

hoffman took a small step back, noting the unmoved expression on the agent's face. "are you accusing me of something agent? why not just come out and say it." he asked, not loud enough for any of the surrounding police or photographers to hear. there was no evidence.

strahm bit his tongue, as he watched a smug grin appear on the detective's lips. they both knew he was backed into a corner.

strahm knew hoffman was working with the killer, but couldn't prove it without undeniable evidence to back it up. it was checkmate.

"that's what i thought," he said, patting strahm on the shoulder before walking past him. the agent let out a shaken breath he didn't realize he had been holding in. there was no comfort in knowing the last member of his team alive could turn out to be a ruthless serial killer. and he was the next target.