La Façade des Plumes

Chapter XVII - Personal Agenda

11:00 am

They all stood around the green car, shielding their noses. Zack's body was still strapped in the driver's seat, soaked in his blood. The heat wasn't kind to the decomposition process. His body looked as if it was melting while the smell traveled on for yards. One of the investigators walked away, hand over his mouth, in an effort to not throw up his coffee. The taste of caffeine and cream taunted him. Eventually, he surrendered to his nausea, puking in a nearby trash can. The others kept their distance from the car, but the wind carried the smell anyway.

Standing in the shade, one of them watched nervously. He drew a puff from his cigarette, tapping the ash on the end. He kept a keen eye on what was left of Zack's throat, exhaling the smoke as a shiver crept down his spine. A detective hid his face within his shirt, inhaling his cologne before joining his sergeant under the shaded area. He gulped the excessive saliva in his mouth, "What are you thinking, Sergeant?" The sergeant drew another puff from his cigarette, "I'm going to need another pack by noon."

Their eyes shifted over to the news vans. Quickly, they set up their equipment as the news lady freshened up at the last minute. "They're going to want to talk to you," the detective stated. "Why me? Where's the lieutenant?"

"At another murder across town. I heard from a couple of guys that the body is similar to this one." The sergeant took a deep breath, staring at the tree branch above him. He watched the smoke dance around the rays of sunlight that bled through the leaves.

Pinching her nose, the woman looked toward the sergeant, waving at him. "You don't think they're back do you?" the detective asked. The sergeant returned his eyes to Zack's sliced neck. "Sanchez?" the detective asked again. Sanchez's face became grey while sweat rapidly perspirated from his forehead. "You can't come back if you never left," Sanchez whispered hesitantly. He put out his cigarette against the tree bark before putting it back in the cigarette box. "What are you going to say?" the detective asked. Adjusting his cowboy hat, Sanchez walked away.

"Earlier this morning, a call about a body came in around 5:30 am. A man by the name of Zack Brown was found dead in his car. The San Antonio Police Department's Major Crimes Unit is still actively investigating the crime scene while the restaurant remains closed for the next couple of days. The second body, who still remains unidentified, was found only an hour after Zack's" the newswoman said. The camera panned to Sanchez. He pulled his hat down to shield his eyes. Although his mouth was dry, he licked his lips, trying to ignore the feeling of his clothes sticking to his sweaty skin. "He was-...uh found with three-...uh lacerations across his throat. We... We are still unaware of the motive and...and events leading up to his death. As of now, we aren't releasing any more details. Thank you," Sanchez explained.

Nasir stared at the wall-mounted TV, expressing an unimpressed look. "You would think If you were going to say something on the news, you'd try not to sound so abrupt and awkward," her British assistant commented. She nodded, "Especially for a police sergeant."

Nasir hummed in random phrases. "What are you thinking?" the British man spoke. She kept a keen eye on the TV, rippling her fingertips on the desk. "He defends his contracted kill and rattles the police in their cages." He stood, watching her with his hands behind his back, curious of her thoughts. "Eric, I feel I'm always the one to answer these riddles. Why don't you give this one a shot?" she replied, turning her chair to face him. Eric dropped his head, scratching the back of his neck. "It's okay, there are no wrong answers here. Tell me, why does an assassin kill off a random bystander and let his main target run free? And more importantly, why does he leave his work behind, especially when he knows it'll out himself and the rest of the House to the police?"

"Perhaps, he's acting in a territorial way. Saving the prey for himself by removing obstacles to stick to the original plan."

"Alright, but why stick to the original plan if you're purposefully adding a setback into the equation?"