Love is Merely Madness ~ Book 1 ~ Batman Begins

Chapter 7: Rattle the Cage

Chapter 7: Rattle the Cage

Disclaimer: read chapter 1

"What do we got?" Two homicide detectives entered the apartment, receiving a brief from the uniformed officer.

"Two bodies. Neighbors complained about the music being too loud," he pointed at the CD player in the living area. "The landlord comes up here to address the issue, only to find the couple dead in the bedroom."

"Flass," the sergeant addressed his partner to pay attention. The bearded detective moved to the kitchen, helping himself with a bowl of cereal. The sergeant didn't bother to reprimand the man's insensitivity for he had grown used to his behavior, wasted his years looking the other way.

"What?" Flass shrugged nonchalantly, speaking with his mouth full. "It's not like the owner is alive to eat it. Food shouldn't go to waste."

The sergeant detective huffed as he squeezed his strained eyes for a moment. The uniformed officer guided the detectives through the living area and into the crime scene. The sergeant had taken the time to observe the details before going into the bedroom: dog food in a red plastic bowl, the water bowl empty, mousetraps with molded cheese on top in every corner, Shakira quietly jamming in the background, the sticky notes on the fridge. Photos stocked on the shelves, most involved a Hispanic family (two loving parents with their son and daughter), one showed a boy hitting the baseball with his left, and some involved a collage of a smiling young woman in her late twenties hanging on a wall.

Flass opened the door to the bathroom, the opposite direction to the bedroom, whistling at the sight of the unused, scented bubble bath coated in rose petals. He would've taken his shoes off to dip a toe inside, and most of the officers wouldn't mind it one bit. The commissioner did have one-on-one discussions with Flass regarding his body odor.

"Here you go, boys," the uniformed officer gestured to the bodies inside lying on the bed, cuddling together—blood pooling from both parties' heads.

"Damn!" Flass nearly choked and spilled his cereal. "Why buy tickets to see the play when you could easily get the real deal right here?" That comment earned harsh glares from his comrades.

"Which one is the owner of this flat?" his partner asked.

"The man," the uniformed officer responded. "The landlord said his name is Diego Martin. The woman next to him is his girlfriend."

"Was," Flass corrected, accidentally knocking down the burned-out candle jars surrounding the bed.

His partner leaned towards the uniformed man in a whisper, "Munroe, would you mind bringing the landlord up here? I want to take his statement?"

The officer ignored the sergeant detective as he glanced at his partner, instead, almost like he was asking Flass permission to follow the other man's orders.

"I don't think there's any need for the old man, Gordon?" Flass slurped the milk from his spoon. "This case looks pretty open and shut to me—classic case of Romeo and Juliet. Guy dies, girl dies. The end."

"I'll make a deal with you, Flass," the sergeant detective spoke calmly with a hint of irritation in his tone. "You keep eating your cereal while I do all the work."

Flass raised his eyes at him, nearly intrigued, "Including paper?" Gordon rolled his eyes and agreed to bear the labor. The burly detective motioned Officer Munroe to go downstairs to fetch the landlord.

Detective Gordon carefully stepped over the mess and squatted down on the left side of the bed, staring into the teary eyes of the male victim. His soul may have left his body, but the expressions in those eyes remained - fear, pain, and remorse. His lifeless arm draped around the woman who was lying supine on the bed. Her wrists were chaffed from the binds, only her right hand broke free.