The New Detective

CHAPTER 10 : Bloodlines and Hieroglyphics

Samantha's POV

The morning started like any other - coffee, paperwork, the team teasing me about Voight again - until Trudy Platt stormed into Intelligence with a file so thick it looked like it belonged in a museum.

"Voight," she said, dropping it on his desk with a thud, "you're going to want to see this."

He opened it.

His expression changed instantly.

The room went quiet.

"Walker," he said, "in my office."

My stomach tightened. "What's going on?"

"Now."

I followed him inside. He handed me the file.

The first page made my blood run cold.

Ancient Egyptian symbols.
Hieroglyphs.
A ritual circle.
A body posed like an offering.

My heart dropped. "No... no, this can't be-"

"You recognize this?" Voight asked.

I swallowed hard. "Yes."

He studied me. "Why?"

Because I'd seen these symbols before.
Because I'd studied them.
Because I'd grown up with them.

Because this wasn't just a case.

This was personal.

---

No One's POV - The Reveal

The team gathered around the board as Samantha flipped through the photos - symbols carved into walls, ritual patterns, puzzles left behind like taunts.

Ruzek frowned. "This looks like... a museum exhibit gone wrong."

Atwater added, "Or a cult."

Burgess whispered, "Or both."

Voight looked at Samantha. "Explain."

She took a breath. "These symbols... they're Ancient Egyptian. Not the common ones. These are from a lesser‑known dynasty. Ritualistic. Rare."

"How do you know that?" Ruzek asked.

Samantha hesitated.

Voight stepped closer. "Walker."

She sighed. "Because I studied it. All of it. Language, culture, writing, rituals. My brothers and I... we were obsessed as kids."

"Brothers?" Burgess asked.

Samantha nodded. "I'm a triplet."

The room froze.

Ruzek blinked. "You're a what now?"

"A triplet," she repeated. "Two brothers."

Atwater grinned. "This just got interesting."

Voight's jaw tightened - not in anger, but in surprise. "Why didn't you mention this?"

"You didn't ask."

Ruzek whispered, "She's got Voight there."

Voight ignored him. "Where are they now?"

"Detectives," she said. "Alejandro's in New York. Mateo's in Miami."

Burgess raised her eyebrows. "Whole family of cops?"

Samantha nodded. "Mom's a lawyer. Dad's a captain."

Ruzek let out a low whistle. "That's a lot of badges in one house."