The Blood Red Roses

Chapter 4: The Rose's Secret

 The note he had found at Sarah Parker's apartment burned in his pocket, its words echoing in his mind. As he stepped into the bustling precinct, Blackwood felt a renewed sense of determination. They were close; he could feel it. They just needed to follow the trail, no matter where it led. Gathering his team once again, Blackwood briefed them on the latest developments. The note, the fingerprint—it was all starting to come together.

"We need to find out who this killer is," Blackwood said, his voice steady and determined. "And we need to find them fast before they strike again.".

"But how do we know it's multiple instead of just one killer?" asked Detective Ramarize.

"All that we know so far is that this person lives in the dark and is comfortable in the shadows, and that he or she leaves a bloodred rose on their victim after they are done with whatever they are doing, said Detective Ramarize.

The room erupted into action as Blackwood's team set to work, their fingers flying over keyboards and their eyes scanning over the evidence spread out before them. They combed through every detail, following every lead, determined to uncover the truth. And then, just as he was about to give up hope, something caught his eye—a name scribbled in the corner of a photograph. He looked closely at the scribbled name, and then he said the name aloud.

"Rebecca Stone," Blackwood said, his voice barely above a whisper.

The room fell silent as Blackwood's team turned to look at him, their eyes wide with anticipation.

"I need everything on this Rebekah stone: where she lives, who she lives with, what she does for work, and who her late contact is. We are on the clock here, guys. Let's get some answers, people. We are on the clock as we speak right now, he said.

With a renewed sense of purpose, Blackwood and his team set to work, digging into Rebecca Stone's past, uncovering every detail, determined to bring her to justice. But as they delved deeper into the investigation, they soon realized that they were up against a cunning and elusive adversary—one who would stop at nothing to evade capture.

As the sun dipped below the horizon and the city was once again shrouded in darkness, Blackwood knew that they were in a race against time. But with each passing moment, they were one step closer to uncovering the truth behind the blood-red rose.

Once again, it was getting dark out, the smell of blood lingered in the air, and the fog was starting to spill in the little city. Detective Blackwood was tired of long days of work as he packed his file case with the evidence and was heading home to his family for the night.

"How was work, dear? asked Mrs.Blackwood as she was preparing dinner for the family.

"Usually, we have some clues but few leads, with barely any names but only one name so far: Rebecca Stone."

Then Mrs.Blackwood stood still as that name was mentioned as if something struck a nerve of some sort. That's when he knew there was more to this story than meets the eye As Mrs.Blackwood regained her footing, she carefully set the food down on the table and sat next to her husband.

Listen to me, dear. Please be careful where you go with this because that name is never to be mentioned in this house again, or else wish to invite priests in here to bless this place, she said, then she stood back and brought an old album that looked like it had seen better days.

"Here is why I want you to be careful when mentioning that name: did any of the victims have a rose left behind?

"Yes, do you know anything about that or what does the rose mean he asked.

"It's just a calling but a symbol of death If there is one, there will be more No one knows where she is or what she is, only that her name is Lila Sangre, aka Rebecca Stone. She is also a descendant of the most skilled witches and, as such, earned the name The Velvet Vixen, she said.