The Murder Show

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1

Detective Maya Bishop climbs out of her car, the cold and dull Seattle mid morning leaving a crisp chill in the air. She walks confidently up to the crime scene tape across the front of the alleyway. Holding up her badge to the officer as she approaches, she looks at him stating in an authoritative tone. "Detective Bishop - Homicide".

The officer nods as he lifts the tape allowing her under where she surveys the scene in front of her. Taking in the forensics work on going, she notes her partner crouched next to the body as she makes her way over to her.

"Hey Bishop, thanks for joining us." Detective Andy Herrera quips.

Maya rolls her eyes, ignoring the barb as she crouches next to her, looking over the body of a woman. "What do we know?" She asks.

Andy stands, causing Maya to follow as she looks down at the body, seeing the obvious cause of death - the gaping wound across the front of the woman's neck - "Apart from that her throat was slit I mean." Maya adds before Andy can make any more quick witted remarks.

"Caucasian female, likely early to mid thirties, COD is the throat wound, but check this out..." Andy leads Maya round the side of the body, pointing down. "A piece of blue ribbon tied to the victim's wrist."

"Hmm ok... Any reason to believe it wasn't put there by the victim?" Maya asks.

Andy shrugs. "Not sure at the moment, she couldn't have tied it herself but of course that doesn't mean someone else couldn't have put it on her at her request." They continue looking over the body, when Maya crouches down to get a better look at the torso.

"Hey Herrera, have forensics lifted the shirt up at all?" Maya asks craning her neck to get a better angle at the partially hidden mark.

"Not sure why?" She replies.

Maya looks up at her. "I think there's a pattern in the blood under here, look at this curve in the blood on her belly... it's not like... natural. It looks intentional, like maybe they have drawn or written something in the blood." Maya says, brow slightly scrunched in thought.

"HEY HUGHES..." Maya yells, getting the forensic analysts attention.

"What's up Bishop?" Vic Hughes CSI for the Seattle PD asks, making har way over.

Maya points to the torso area. "Have you guys processed the victim yet? And if so, have you lifted the shirt?"

Vic shakes her head. "We've done initial processing, but the scene was the priority before evidence gets blown away or god forbid washed away if it starts to rain - you know what Seattle is like!"

Maya nods. "Can you open this shirt please, it looks like there might be something under here, like the blood pattern leading under the shirt may be intentional..."

Vic leans forward nodding as she checks the shirt for any trace - finding none - before unbuttoning the loose fitting casual shirt carefully moving the fabric to the side. "Shit." Whispers Vic.

"What the hell is that?" Andy says, looking at the pattern.

Maya frowns looking at it intently. "I think it's supposed to be a snake?" She suggests almost as a question. "You see the curvature, the S shape and the head here, with this thin line being the tongue." Maya says, indicating various points of the pattern as she spoke.

Andy's eyes widened slightly. "A snake? That's fucked up... Why the hell is there a snake drawn on her torso?" She wondered out loud.

Maya stood up out of the way as Vic started to photograph the patterns. "Beats me. Definitely weird though. So what else do we know? I mean from the looks of the wound and the general lack of blood this isn't where she was killed?"