Evelynn's eyes widened as she realized what she just did, and quickly took a step back, picking up her phone from the counter. "I gotta go." she muttered and hurried out of the house. "Wh- Evelynn, wait!" Lorenzo called after her, but to no avail. Shit.
Lorenzo jogged over to the door and looked out, but she was already gone. He got his phone out of his pocket, opened the tinder app and called her. Ring, ring, ring. Call denied. Shit. Lorenzo stared at his phone, the screen reflecting his own confusion and frustration. His mind raced, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Evelynn had seemed fine—more than fine—until she suddenly wasn't.
He tried to call again - and again, and again - but she denied the call every time. With a groan, he dropped his phone on the counter. What the hell do I do now?
To distract himself, Lorenzo heads to the latest crime scene - a younger girl, about Elaine's age- Stop, don't think that. Same as the other victims, back slashed, left in a ditch somewhere.
Lorenzo carefully stepped over the body, dipping a q-tip in a pool of blood before securing it in a ziplock bag. Just as he was about to stretch his back to look for other details, he spotted something - a little yellow piece of paper, a post-it. He picked it up and attempted to read it - it was a little smudged, and there was a bit of blood splatter on it.
Dear Lorenzo,
You're getting too close. Back off now, or the people you care about will start paying the price. This is your only warning.
- Fallen angel
Lorenzo's eyes widened as he read the note. Oh fuck.
He grabbed the few samples he'd found - along with the post-it - and got in his car. While driving, he called Harris. "Hey, kid. What do you need?" "Captain Harris." Lorenzo nodded a greeting, even though Harris couldn't see him. "I was just at the latest scene, with the younger girl." Harris chuckled, "Ah, good. You find anything useful?" Lorenzo nodded, "Yes, but that's not what I called about. I found a note addressed to me, it said to stop digging or he'd go for my family." "It's probably just some youngsters messing around the crime scene, kid. You're our most forwarded detective, after all." Lorenzo frowned, "If that was the case, wouldn't it be outside the tape? There's supposed to be guards around at all times." Harris' laugh echoed through the car, "Kids are clever, don't take it too seriously." "Alright. Well, thanks. I'll be over the office to leave some samples soon enough." "Sounds good, kid." Click.
Fucking bullshit. Lorenzo dialed Elaine's number, bringing the phone to his ear once again. "Hey, dad. What's up?" Lorenzo took a deep breath, Elaine's voice calming him somewhat. "Hey, love. Is Lori still over?" "Yeah, why?" "I'll call you again tonight, but for now I'm gonna need you to head over to her place. Pack for a few days and tell her mom to send a bill for food and all that." "Dad, what? You can't just-" Lorenzo cut her off, "I know; I know. I don't have time to explain, just get to Lori's place. I'll call you later." Elaine sighed, "Fine. Love you." "Love you too darling." Lorenzo smiled before hanging up. Lorenzo's grip on the steering wheel tightened as he ended the call. He glanced at the rearview mirror, checking the road behind him out of habit. It was clear, but the tension in his chest wouldn't ease. He had been in this line of work long enough to know when something felt off, and this was one of those times. Harris' casual dismissal of the note was unsettling. Kids might be clever, but this felt personal—too personal to be a prank.
He flicked on his blinker and took a turn towards the lab. He needed to drop off the samples and run them through the system, but his mind was elsewhere, racing with a thousand thoughts. If this was a real threat—and his gut told him it was—then whoever was behind it knew more than they should. They knew who he was, who his family was, and that knowledge made them dangerous.
