SOUL

Marie Johnston

Two days after the discovery of Jane Williams' body, the precinct was hit with another grim report. Leo was at his desk, poring over crime scene photos and notes, when Harris walked up, his face unusually pale, eyes grim.

"We've got another one," Harris said, his tone heavy.

Leo's head snapped up. "What happened?"

"Marie Johnston," Harris replied, passing over a file. "Thirty years old, single mom. Works at a preschool here in town. She was taken from the school parking lot, broad daylight. Kid was left in the car, crying when staff found him."

Leo flipped open the file, scanning the details. Marie's photo showed a woman with kind eyes, smiling, holding a young boy in her arms. He felt a cold knot tighten in his chest as he read. "Jesus," he muttered. "When did this happen?"

"Yesterday afternoon," Harris said. "But they didn't realize she was missing until evening, when her son's dad came to pick him up and found out she never came home. They checked the security footage, but the guy covered his face, hooded, gloves... the works. They couldn't make out anything clear. He's smart."

Leo's mind raced. "Same guy," he said, mostly to himself. "It has to be."

"That's what I'm thinking," Harris said. "Same MO, same timeframe... He's got a type, and he's picking them out ahead of time."

Leo glanced at the timeline he had scribbled on a notepad next to him. Seven days. That's how long Jane had been missing before they found her. The body showed signs of torture, but the actual dismemberment happened on the seventh day. "If we're right, and he's sticking to the same timeline, we've got five days left to find Marie. Otherwise, we'll be getting another call to a crime scene, just like last time."

Harris's jaw tightened. "You think we can find him in time?"

Leo didn't answer right away. He hated how bleak it sounded, but they didn't have much to go on. They'd combed through the scant evidence from Jane's case, but nothing solid had come up. The only potential lead they'd had was Marigold Murphy, and she had been unreachable since the night she called about the knife. He'd been trying to track her down for days, but it was like she had vanished.

"I don't know," Leo finally said. "But we have to try. We need to go back through everything—every lead, every scrap of evidence, no matter how small. And we need to find Marigold Murphy. She knew something about Jane's case an hour after we discovered the body, so either she has a rat inside the force or she's apart of all of this."

Harris grimaced. "You're still chasing that crazy lady? She's probably hiding because she knows we're onto her."

"She called in a tip, and she was right about the weapon. That's more than we've got from any other source. I'm not letting this lead go."  Leo snapped, more forcefully than he intended.

Harris raised his hands defensively. "Fine, fine. I wouldn't waste my time with her, I've been down this road before but it's up to you boss"

Leo ignored the comment and glanced back at the file. He hated feeling like they were always a step behind, reacting instead of anticipating. But he couldn't shake the feeling that Marigold had more to tell them—if only he could find her.

"What about the footage?" Leo asked, trying to refocus. "Did anyone see Marie struggling? Did she put up a fight?"

"She's seen walking to her car, looking normal. Then there's a skip in the footage, and when it resumes, she's gone, and the car door's open. The kid's still in the back seat, crying. Whoever took her planned it well, in and out, no wasted motion." Harris sighed. "He's getting more confident."

"Check the area around the school," Leo said. "Look for any other cameras, even if they're a block away. If he scoped out the parking lot, he would have driven around first, maybe parked somewhere nearby. We might get lucky and spot a vehicle."

"I'll have the team on it," Harris said, though he sounded doubtful. "But we still need more than just a few blurry images of a guy in a hoodie."

Leo knew he was right. They were grasping at straws, hoping to find a connection that would give them a break. But the clock was ticking, and if they didn't act fast, Marie Johnston would end up just like Jane—brutalized and left on display, a grim message from a killer they barely understood.

"We'll find him," Leo said, more to convince himself than anyone else. "And if there's anything else out there that can help us, I'm going to find that too."

Harris glanced at him, his expression skeptical but resigned. "If you're going after Marigold Murphy, be careful. For all we know, she could be leading us into a trap."

"I'll be careful," Leo said, but his mind was already elsewhere. He needed to find Marigold, and soon. Because if Marie had only five days, they were already running out of time.