𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐀 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥

Chapter 1

A/N: Guys this is my first story so it may not be all that good, so please bear with me! Also a little secret but I'm probably gonna make up some town/suburb names in New York because I don't live there and I know absolutely nothing about the city 😭. So don't be confused if there's a mention of a suburb or town that you don't know. It's probably made up.

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Another case. Here I come.

I walk to the police department on an early morning on a Monday. I hated having a case on a Monday. My brain would always already be jumbled up and new cases would just make it worse. But I can't really do anything about it, can I? I'm a detective and I gotta do my job.

"Mornin' Samantha!" Bob, the 75 year old front gate's security guard of the department calls out to me as I walk through them.

"Morning Bob. And it's Ava, not Samantha!" I say to him with an amused grin as I watch him chuckle and say something about old age and bad memory.

It's true. He has such a terrible memory that it's almost funny. The police department tried to retire him, but he says he wants to do this job until his last breath apparently and the police chiefs got emotional about it and just kept him as the guard. 

Though we do have another guard with him at all times.

Just in case life support betrays him.

As soon as I enter the department, I'm practically submerged in all sorts of files about a new murder case that happened in a small suburban town called West Soufra.

"It's... bad this one." Lieutenant Brian says with a sigh as he walks over to me with a couple of folders in his hand.

"What's going on? I was told there's a case I have to work on but other than that, I got no other information." I say as we both sit down at a desk.

"Rafael Santino. Twenty-four year old. Background is Spanish. Lived alone since sixteen." Brian reads off one of the folders in his hand. "Murdered twelve people that lived in his neighborhood in one night."

My eyes widen in surprise. This Rafael guy killed twelve people in one night?? Who the hell was he?? Some sort of psychotic serial killer??

"Oh this is more than just bad, this is fucking horrible. When did this happen?" I ask quickly as I go through Rafael's files.

"Around a week and a half." Brian answers with a grim look on his face.

"And I'm finding out about this just now?" I ask with a raised eyebrow. "I should've been informed sooner."

I hear Brian sigh as he rubs his temples in exhaustion. "I know, I know. But there's been quite a lot going on lately and it just slipped out of my mind. It's stupid I know."

"So where is this Rafael?" I ask as I put his files down and interlock my fingers together.

"He's at a solitary confinement center right now, but authorities are going to be bringing him in around a week right here. In this department." Brian answers as he takes a long sip out of his coffee.

2 weeks in solitary confinement does not sound ideal at all. But this guy also murdered twelve people. Compared to that, this punishment seems like nothing.

"His court hearing is in around a month. There are still officers investigating his house and trying to find anything like a knife or a gun or something he used to kill all those people." Brian explains. "And that's where you come in. I'm going to remove the other officers off this case and you will be the only one on it. There are quite a few other cases to work on for the other officers and I'm sure you can handle this alone, right?"

I nod. It's always exciting getting to work on a case alone. No nagging seniors. No inexperienced and afraid newbies who'll only slow you down. Just you. Alone.

"Is there a picture of him? He doesn't have one in his file." I say. 

I'm curious to see what this guy looks like. Brian did say that he's only twenty-four, but he could look like he was completely high on drugs, be bald, have missing or rotting teeth. Typically what an insane psycho looks like. It's cliche, but it's what they normally all look like around here.

"Yeah, sure thing. We haven't put his picture in his files yet so here you go." He hands me Rafael Santino's picture.

My eyes nearly pop out of my sockets when I lay eyes upon his face. The only word I can think of to describe him would be sexy. In the picture, he has soft black hair with a few volumed curls and beautiful night black eyes. The top few buttons of his t-shirt are open, revealing his toned, muscular chest.

But of course, he's a murderer. I shouldn't be thinking like this. And I need to be focusing on my job, not hot men. But it isn't a crime to think someone's hot, right?

"Damn, Brian! This is him??" 

"Yep. I was pretty shocked myself. And I mean, if he wasn't a psychotic killer I wouldn't mind taking him to bed myself. And I'm speaking as a perfectly straight man." He says matter-of-factly.

I shake my head in slight amusement before I give him back the picture. Ok. It was time to get back on focus.

"When do I start investigating his house?" I ask, already eager to get into work.

And I think Brian can sense my excitement because he chuckles and responds with, "Tomorrow in fact. Today I'm going to give the officers there right now a different case to work with. So you can have this case all to yourself."

I give Brian a big smile. "Thanks!"

He nods before sinking back into his chair and looking at other important files. That's my queue to now leave him the hell alone, which I will do as I get up and exit the department.

I decide to go to the coffee shop literally right across from the police department. I'm greeted by Rosmerta, the kind old lady that makes some of the best coffee I've ever had in my life.

I sit down at a secluded table and am brought the coffee within a few minutes. I notice Rosmerta eying old man Bob at the department's security gates. I raise my eyebrows in amusement.

Maybe I could set those two up. 

I may be a detective with no time for my own love life, but that doesn't mean I can't set other people up, right?

I finish my coffee and leave a tip for Rosmerta as always before walking out of the coffee shop and back to my car. I can't wait to start the Rafael Santino case tomorrow. 

So right now, I'm going to go home and look through some files and reports that the other officers have made.

Then the real fun starts tomorrow.