Destined

III

4:04am

He gripped his hands tighter on the steering wheel as he drove west down the icy road on Interstate 290, getting as much caffeine as possible into his system and as quickly as he can.

The harsh winter heightened further throughout the night as indicated by the blanket of snow outside that only made him want to crawl back into bed and pretended that he hadn't seen Dawson's dozen of missed calls.

Does all murders have to happen this early in the morning?

No one in their right mind should even be awake at such hour before dawn.

They should be at home, sleeping.

He should be at home, sleeping.

They should be with their family.

He doesn't have a family but he still should be at home, sleeping. He shouldn't be here, out in the cold.

As shallow as it may sound, he doesn't really care much for this new murdered victim. He/she should've known better than to mingle in Garfield Park at dusk. Nothing good ever happens at that park after midnight. Other than drug deals gone wrong, junkies overdosing, Garfield Park was nothing more than a halfway house.

4:21am

Jay yawned, pinching the bridge of his nose, shaking the headache that was growing at the back of his head as he walked up the path to the cordoned section of the 184 acres park. CSU and states' medical examiner were running around the vicinity, snapping pictures and looking for possible evidence.

He was greeted by equally exhausted patrolmen as they lifted the yellow crime scene tape in order for him to pass through. He was surprised to see Adam already standing there with the rest of the team.

"Hey." he breathed. Shoving his hands in his coat pockets as he approached Chicago's newest victim.

"You're late." Adam chuckled and he sneered at his colleague. He still can't get over the fact that Adam's here before him. Usually he's the early bird.

"Where's Voight?"

"He's somewhere..." Atwater turned around, scanning the scene for their boss. "Over there. He's with the responding officers."

"So..."

Looking at the icy white corpse, the cause of death, at least, wasn't a mystery - stabbing. One of the most enthusiastic stabbing he has ever seen to be exact.

The woman's black jacket had more holes in it and in her than Swiss cheese.

The killer was definitely male to be able to exhibit that much force and was ruthlessly and merciless with his killing.

16

Jay had casually counted, on the spot, the amount of holes on her body while the M.E. explained how this wasn't a drug deal gone wrong as Adam had suggested.

First, method of killing was not consistent with a drug deal gone wrong. Dealers almost always carry a gun.

Second, shooting the victim would've been much easier in terms of strength, time and it would've made less of a mess.

Third, most stabbings are most likely a crime of passion, where the killer commits the act against someone because of sudden strong impulse such as sudden rage rather than as a premeditated crime.

But who brings a knife around with them?

What was she doing at Garfield Park in the middle of the night?