Fighting Harvest

Chapter Five

Luck wasn't on the detectives' side, as no evidence came up during the autopsy of the body parts found in the dumpster besides Derrell's restaurant, not even the clothing scraps held any clues. Darrell was no help to the investigation, nor were the two construction workers who had recently been detained for possession of illegal substances. Nothing seemed to turn up, so maybe their redemption case was all for naught, contemplating on giving up... until a report had been made on a similar-looking bag that washed up beside the local park's pond.

A casual fisherman called the police once he discovered a washed-up trash bag, filled with body parts. Notifying Anthony and Clyde as soon as possible to investigate further into the matter, hoping that this was a new lead, a new opportunity for concrete evidence they could use to find out who was causing all these murders.

The two detectives arrived on site, as the area around the pond was blocked off with yellow caution tape wrapped around neighboring trees, as curious civilians watched on park benches from afar, thankfully unable to see the contents within the bag. The witness who reported the findings was currently hyperventilating beside one of the officers, shaken up clearly as he never expected his day to start like this.

Anthony and Clyde walked across the grassy terrain, Clyde was somewhat hesitant to approach the bag as he remembered what he had seen in the one similar just days before.

"Do you think you could handle this from here? I.. um, I think I should question the witness" Clyde made up an excuse to avoid seeing the bag, which Anthony agreed on as he knew how badly it affected Clyde, who still was unable to sleep soundly these past couple of days.

"Sure, you go do that, I'll investigate the body and find any more clues" Anthony allowed Clyde to run off, as he glanced towards the washed-up bag, as the plastic material was stained red, but somewhat faded due to the pond water it once resided in.

Clyde smiled softly as he left Anthony's side to approach the witness, moving slowly to not startle the young man who looked like he'd seen a ghost, and technically he had.

"Excuse me, sir. Clyde Moore here, Homicide Detective.. Could you please tell me what happened here?" Clyde calmly asked, watching as the man struggled to get his words out.

"Do I.. do I have to?" He asked, ignoring the strands of red hair covering his face.

"I know it's hard to explain, but any information can help us figure out who did this.. ok?" Clyde reasoned, keeping his warm smile on his face, as the bags under his eyes were still ever-present "If we can find who did this, then they will never do it again.. do you understand sir? May I have your name as well please" He patted his pockets, pulling out his trusty notepad, as he never leaves the house without it.

The man took a deep breath to calm down, recollecting his thoughts as he prepared to explain what happened "I'm John, John Camble... I came out here to do some fishing and.. oh gosh" John struggled to get his words out, closing his eyes in hopes everything could just go away "I saw a bag on the shore, and I.. I thought it was trash, and.. maybe I could find something to keep, but when I opened it I.. I-" he shook his head, glancing down at Clyde who patiently listened "I saw a face!!" He called.

Clyde understands the man's fear, as he felt the same way when he saw the first bloody bag. "I know it was difficult to see that sir, I understand.. but is there anything else you'd like to share?" He wrote down the man's story, or at least the important parts of it.

John swallowed thickly as he shook his head "No, I don't know anything else, I sort of blanked out after seeing that" he admitted, which Clyde supported and even tried to comfort the man.

Anthony cautiously approached the trash bag, kneeling as a familiar scent overwhelmed his nostrils, almost the same as before but now with the hint of swamp water hidden in the mix. Ignoring the stench, Anthony worked on opening the bag to peek inside, viewing the gruesome sight before him.

The bag held the same contents as the previous one. A decapitated head, but this time the face wasn't smashed in, able to possibly identify who the victim may be, but Anthony still found it revolting. Cut-off hands were also present in the bag, as the fingertips were somewhat burned though not completely. Amputated feet were also found within the bag, but they held little to no clues, Anthony believed he found more than enough evidence to help aid his investigation further.

The smell and sight started to become too much for Anthony as he gagged lightly, closing the bag and stepping away to breathe in the fresh air, holding his sleeve to his mouth to prevent himself from throwing up. Five years working as a detective still wasn't enough time to become fully desensitized to dead bodies, as they still disturbed Anthony, but it was his job to view them.

Glancing over at Clyde who was comforting the witness, Anthony sighed softly before joining them in conversation.

"Anything Clyde?" Anthony asked as Clyde shrugged.

"Sort of, mr Camble here was kind enough to explain how he came across the bag"

"Yeah? And I believe we could use its contents to identify who the victim is" Anthony spoke casually, forgetting the fact that the witness was just inches away, listening into the conversation.

"This isn't happening, right? N-nobody's out there cutting people's heads off, right?!" John freaked out, Clyde gave Anthony a look before reassuring John that he was going to be ok.

"Not while we're around.. eh eh, sorry about my partner, he kinda gets carried away" Clyde gave a hint toward Anthony to keep his mouth shut, but Anthony couldn't care less as he had the job of body checker, while Clyde acted like a mother to some grown man.

The officers took care of the evidence they had found, carefully transporting it to the office to be checked over by professionals, helping to identify who the parts belonged to.

"Darren Johnson was found yesterday morning by Detective Weaver and his Assistant Mr. Moore..." a news reporter explained live on television, hoping to spread awareness over the situation

"the witness claimed to have been fishing at the park's beautiful pond when he came across a trash bag containing the parts of Mr. Johnson. A gruesome sight indeed although officials have yet to capture the culprit responsible for these horrific crimes" The station showed a photo of what Darren looked like in life, a man in his late twenties, a heavier set dude with braided hair and many different types of jewelry which included rings, bracelets, necklaces and even earrings.

"If anyone knows anything about Darren.. who he's related to or who he's connected with, please contact Detective Weaver at-" The station flashed a number across the screen which was connected to Anthony, hoping to find any information on Darren from loved ones or friends, even enemies if possible.

"Again, if anyone has any information about Darren Johnson, please contact the number below... any help is greatly appreciated to stop the criminal behind this heinous crime" the reporter wrapped up that segment, now mentioning something light-hearted to ease the minds of those still watching, which led into something political regarding the mayor who ran the city of Savannah.