Behind The Veil

CHAPTER 1

═════════◄••❀••►═════════
In the dimly lit streets of the city, the echoes of police sirens filled the night.
A new crime scene had emerged, another gruesome chapter of the infamous serial killer who had haunted the city for the past years.

The serial killer has mysteriously disappeared 5 years ago. Now back again. The case had grown notorious, not only because of the killer's ruthlessness but also due to the killer's perfect ability to leave behind no trace of evidence.

Each time, the scene was as clean as it was terrifying, with no fingerprints, no DNA, not even a hint of who might be responsible. The killer's identity and gender remained a mystery.
This latest victim, like the others before, had been found in their own home, the locks unbroken, the windows undisturbed. It was as though the killer had simply appeared and vanished, leaving only death in their wake. The media had dubbed this figure 'The Phantom' a shadowy specter that could strike anywhere, at any time.

Standing at the edge of the taped-off area, Evangeline Ashford, also known as detective Ashford.

She stood tall, her 178cm frame casting a long shadow on the pavement as she walked around the perimeter of the crime scene. Her black wavy hair, with its perfectly straight bangs, framed her face as she stared intently at the house where the latest victim had been discovered.

Her brown eyes, usually sharp and calculating, now carried a weight of frustration that had been building for months.

Detective Ashford watched as forensic teams combed through the house. The dim light cast long shadows on her face, her sharp eyes betraying a mix of frustration and determination. She had been on the case for 7 months now, she took charge in the case after the killer's high-profile victim, a politician whose death had sent shockwaves through the government. Despite her genius, the kind that had solved seemingly impossible cases before, The Phantom had proven to be a different kind of challenge.

She pulled her coat tighter around her, her mind racing as she reviewed every detail she had gathered. Yet, despite all her efforts, the puzzle remained incomplete. She knew the killer was taunting her, each new crime a reminder of her inability to catch them.
"Nothing again," she muttered under her breath, her voice tinged with a rare hint of desperation. She rarely let her emotions show, but this case was different. It was personal now. "Not a damn thing..."

A young officer approached, his face pale. "Detective, we... we've gone through everything. No prints, no fibers, not even a single hair. And the same scalp on the neck again."

The scalping. It was the only consistent clue The Phantom ever left behind.

Each victim, no matter their background or status, had a precise incision along the back of the neck, the skin carefully removed as if it were a signature.

To Evangeline, it felt like the killer was mocking her, leaving just enough to remind her that they were always one step ahead. The crime scene was unnervingly quiet, the forensics team having finished their initial sweep. The air was heavy with the scent of antiseptic, the smell of blood already cleansed from sight, but not from memory. She could almost picture the scene. The killer's cold, methodical approach, the way they must have held the blade with such precision. Yet, despite all her efforts to understand, the motive behind the scalping confuses her. Was it for fame to signature it is done by the "phantom?"

She paused near the entryway, her fingers grazing the doorknob. "The neck... Always the neck," she murmured, her voice low and filled with a mix of curiosity and dread. Evangeline clenched her jaw, her eyes narrowing. "I must admit they're too good."" she said, her tone bitter.

The officer hesitated, sensing the tension. "What do we do next?"

For a moment, Evangeline didn't respond. She stared at the house, as if hoping the walls might whisper the secrets they held. Finally, she exhaled, her breath visible in the cool night air. "We keep looking. There has to be something they've missed, something small, something overlooked. No one's perfect, not even The Phantom."