Letters of the Phantom

Chapter 1: The Phantom's warning

Chaos lingered in the autumn air. The rain fell hard on the rooftops of Mapleville, a small but quiet community that had been overwhelmed by a sudden wave of terrifying murders over the course of two months.

As the rainfall continued into the dark hours of the night, Detective Jake Caldwell sat at his desk inside his office at the police station, rubbing his temples in distress. He had analyzed every piece of evidence so far to no avail. The town of Mapleville had seen better days. In the span of two months, five young women had been brutally murdered.

He stood up and walked toward the evidence board, where a photograph of each victim stared right at him. He felt as though the photos were haunting him. He stared at the young women's faces, and the feeling of dread began to consume him as he thought about the victims. All must have held dreams, hopes and aspirations that came to a bitter end- innocent lives stolen by a ruthless serial killer.

Fanny Thompson, police chief of twenty five years, paced around his office frantically. "We need a clue. We have no leads, no suspects- nothing." Fanny's demeanor was highly unusual, for her usual confident and authoritative voice was laced with worry and anxiety.

Detective Caldwell was about to speak- when an officer barged through the door abtuptly. "Guys! You gotta see this!" He said, sounding panicked.

Detective Caldwell looked gravely concerned. "What's wrong?"

The officer quickly handed Detective Caldwell the big yellow envelope. Inside, was a letter messily written with blue ink. Fanny leaned in to take a closer look. They began to scan through the letter- quickly realizing that this was no ordinary letter.

The truth is hidden deep beneath the surface. I will die with it- and all of you will go to your graves still wondering who I really am. I will consume your every thought, and you will think about me until your last breath. As you continue to desperately search for answers I will always be one step ahead of you. Five pathetic lives lost- and for good reason. Yet, no suspects are in your custody. You have not only failed those women- but you will continue to fail many more. Your investigation is laughable at best. I will continue to slip through your fingers like vapor.

You may think you know what makes a killer- but you couldn't be further from the truth. I don't kill for the thrill, I kill to dispose of those who are deemed unworthy. Those women weren't as innocent as you think. We all have our secrets, and those women were no exception.

As you desperately scramble for clues, I continue to kill those who trigger my need for vengeance. My voice will consume your thoughts at every waking moment. You pathetic and incompetent detectives cannot see what is two feet in front of you.

Consider this letter a warning. If you do not release this letter to the media within the next five days, blood will be on your hands. Make no mistake, for I will use the very same machete to kill again if you push me too far.

Even when you think you are close to uncovering the truth- I will be watching you.

-The Phantom

Fanny's eyes grew wide and a horrified expression flashed on her face. "We need to get this letter to Ethan as quickly as possible. He will be able to analyze it for fingerprints!"

Jake nodded, he could feel himself shaking from the rush of adrenaline. "You're right. Get this to Ethan right away- and wear gloves- it has already been contaminated by our fingerprints! "

The other officer grabbed some gloves from the cupboard and quickly snatched the letter to go find Ethan, shutting the door behind him.

"We need to gather everybody up for an urgent meeting- this isn't just a taunt, it's a threat." Detective Caldwell said, realizing the severity of the situation.

Fanny nodded. She began calling up everyone to the conference room for an emergency meeting. As dozens of officers sat in the tiny room, Fanny began to speak.

"Listen up, everyone. We have gotten a letter from someone claiming to be responsible for the five murdered women."

The room was quickly filled with whispers. Detective Caldwell's voice pierced through the murmurs, bringing about silence. He began to speak.

"Five murders in only two months. But, this letter changes absolutely everything. If anything, it could be the clue that we have been longing for."

One officer sitting at the very back of the room interjected. "How do we know this letter isn't a hoax? What if this is just some kind of sick prank?"

Detective Caldwell paused for a moment. "Ethan is checking the letter for any fingerprints. The letter seems to be a solid lead, its author was able to identify the type murder weapon that was used on all five victims- and that information has never been released to the public- in other words, whoever wrote this letter knows details only the killer would know."

There was tension evident within the room due to the gravity of the situation. Fanny had made a copy of the letter to show to everybody. Many officers asked questions that had no answers.

"Why would he want us to release the letter anyway?"

"Were any fingerprints found on the letter?"

"What if he or she isn't bluffing, and hurts someone again if we don't listen to their demands?"

For the first time in over a decade of his career, Detective Caldwell seemed stumped.

"Listen, I know a lot of you have questions on what this letter possibly means. Fanny and I don't have all the answers yet. But one thing is certain- Fanny and I will not allow this so called 'Phantom' to have any power over us. We will not give into any of his demands- and if the weight of his words hold true, we will catch him before he hurts anyone else."

When the meeting had ended, everybody had gone home, leaving Fanny and Detective Caldwell in his office.

"Fanny, I need you to look into hiring a partner to help me out. We need all the help we can get."

Fanny nodded. "Will do. We are gonna catch this guy- I know we will. You've solved every case you have ever taken on and this will be no different, I am sure of it."

Detective Caldwell smiled. He felt motivated and determined. He was certain that if they all came together, they could finally unmask the identity of the Phantom. Regardless, he couldn't shake the feeling that the Phantom was somewhere out there, waiting for the opportunity to strike again.