Solving for Myself

Chapter 12: Smoking Gun

The two Cops got out and approached Carson who was still wearing his mask and said"You know why I stopped you?" Carson said"Why" and he said, "This van was reported stolen a week ago, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to detain you until further notice; please step out of the car".Carson nodded and stepped out while Stella climbed up front and did the same. Both detectives were placed in handcuffs and put into the back of the police car quickly and without a fight. When they got in one of the officers identified himself as Stewart and said" I'm sorry I had to do that but we needed to do that in case anyone was watching. Anyways the chief authorized us to take you to the station where you'll stay until you finish the paperwork".

Stella frowned and said, "Why didn't you tell me about this part of the plan, jackass". Stewart chuckled and said"Because he didn't know either...the chief asked us to scout that area for the van and then tail you for a bit before pulling you over, arresting you, and then bringing you to the station. He figured that if you two couldn't be seen entering the precinct as detectives then he could get you in as criminals".Stella smiled and said"Well I'll thank him when I see him later". After arriving at the precinct, Stella and Carson were marched inside in handcuffs and brought into the chief's office and when he saw them he immediately cracked up laughing. He said, "well damn, we got Bonnie and Clyde here in real life now...oh man I never thought I'd see the worlds greatest detectives in irons...oh that's rich".

The chief laughed for a bit longer before releasing the two and reviewing the hard drive with the two detectives and what they found was chilling. They found out that Joshua lived so lavishly because he was a high-ranking member of the cult. He became a high member due to being blind which is thought to be a curse given by their almighty deity, Jahy as punishment for the sins of humanity. They also believe that the priest was a messenger whose very being was arranged by Jahy and that he lives solely to serve him and carry out his work for him until he is able to return and cleanse this lost world. Included in the files was a book of teachings called"The Great Jahy but what caught the detective's attention was the church's crest on the cover of the digital book and the priest's name on the inside cover.

As they scrolled through the book, things got even more disturbing as it included cleansing rituals, definitions of sins to be cleansed, and even certain ways that each who has sinned, must be killed. The book noted that LGBT individuals were #1 on the list and it detailed that once the person was "cleansed" their sex organ must be removed and brought to the Altar and burned as punishment and to remove the dark energy around it. Liars and stealers were next on the list and it detailed that their tongues and hands must be slit and the entire body is to be completely burned on the Altar. The list continued for quite a while and the further they read, the more unsolved cases in the police's database came to mind.

Carson grabbed the computer and scrolled through the emails looking for keywords" Trans, patient, hospital, and found over 100 emails from Damien's wife; Ella which validated his hunch. It wasn't until he opened one that he knew he was right as the email he opened had a list of patients and what he found in common with them all was that their sexual orientation was not straight. Carson dug deeper, to the oldest email he could find; which was archived by now, and found a list his wife sent, containing 7 of the initial victims that were murdered and had their genitals dismembered. Carson yelled"Bingo...this is exactly how they've been doing it and that's another reason why Damon is paid so handsomely".

By now, Stella had gotten a laptop and was correlating data from the missing person archives and the murder reports and had found several matches in correlation to the way the victim was killed and how they were dismembered afterward. She came to the conclusion that this wasn't just the LGBT murders they were responsible for but they were also responsible for many other incidents that were glossed over as well which put the total number of murders in the hundreds. Based on the undeniable evidence, It appears Damon's wife was abusing her job to find suitable Victims and then Damon passed the information along. The victims were stalked; their routines and lives observed and then they were alone, they were murdered or kidnapped.

It was a shocking revelation but it finally put an end to the case or at the least, highlighted a reason for this cult to be removed from the area. It had taken a long time and several detectives but finally, the case was solved. It took a few hours but thanks to the help of the chief, the reports were filed and the other agencies were notified. All that was left to do was for the FBI to storm the place but unfortunately, someone else lurking in the shadows, had other plans. As the sun began to set, most of the day shift went home minus the chief. With the case now over, Carson had dropped his guard and went out back for a smoke and to secretly call his mother. Although he enjoyed being able to talk about something other than crime but those several minutes out back were something he was about to pay for dearly.