Flirting With Murder

Chapter 2

Sonya rose up from the couch like the undead. The clock beside her read 4:30 a.m. She rubbed her eyes and gave her checks a light slap; lack of sleep was catching up to Sonya. There was only so much coffee she could drink. She was on a first name basis with most of the baristas in Seattle. Sleep would have to wait a little longer. A case was waiting to be dissected and her brain was ready to claw through its leads. Also it was rare to for detective Chung to come to Sonya. Chung never gave her a case. In fact, Chung was adamant that Sonya never got a case. She had a complicated relationship with the SPD, and more specifically Susan Chung. She didn't appreciate using "wrong ways" to do the right thing, and Sonya lived in the gray lines. Detective Chung wasn't sure how Sonya made an appearance at Seattle's crime scenes. It was a mystery she has never solved, mainly because she is so busy chasing Sonya off those crime scenes. Turning on the lamp beside her, the banging on the door persisted, syncing itself with the steady rhythm of the raindrops.

"Coming."

She made her way to the door. Sonya was greeted by a deadpanned Detective Chung. Dressed in her usual attire of a pant suit, topped with a London style trench coat, Chung looked straight ahead. Sonya could only imagine how it pained her to ask Sonya for help, but what fun would it be if Sonya let this moment pass without being smart.

"Well, I'll be damned. The day has come! Detective Susan Chung is presenting me with a case."

Sonya couldn't help from smirking. Chung took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. Sonya knew it was probably best not to heckle Chung, especially this early in the morning and especially because her divorce was weighing down on her. She had bags under her eyes and her pantsuit was wrinkled, compared to its usual pressed look. Being a single mom didn't help either. Sonya wondered if Chung's visit was her sleep deprivation speaking and if she snapped her fingers, she would wake up and tell Sonya she's made a mistake. Sonya softened a little. If anyone can understand life of a single mother, it was Sonya. As much as she tried to hide it, Gemma Lahiri struggled to be a single parent. Sonya still remembers hearing Gemma cry in the middle of the night because her business was close to closure. She eventually had to get a part-time job at Walmart, despite her reservations of the corporate world, while Sonya ran the store after school. Sonya hated being reminded of that time. It made her feel even more guilty about postponing visits with her mother.

"Don't get so excited. I just thought, it would be a nice change to know your whereabouts during a case, rather than hunt you down later."

Hiding behind Chung's shadow, stood another figure.

"We got a call about a new body."

"We?"

"Yes, me." The figure appeared from behind Chung. He stood at about six foot, sandy blonde hair that was parted at the side and swept neat. With piercing blue eyes, and a casual smirk that seemed like instinct. Or practice.

"Jack. Nice to meet. I've heard great--" He stretched out his hand.

"Lahiri, Detective Walden." Chung walked through the front door.

"You have to forgive Detective Chung's abruptness, she's not one for small talk. Seriously, you should hear her talk to men who hit on her. Plus, I can't imagine her putting great next to my name." Sonya reached out her hand. "Sonya. When did you start?"

"Last week. I used to work for the Coupeville Department. I needed a change of pace."

"Ugh, Coupeville. It sounds like it was dull. Needed excitement?"

"Well. I am standing in your apartment." Walden was looking Sonya straight in the eyes. "And I may have replaced the words 'pain-in-my-ass' with 'great.'"

If Chung wasn't in the room Sonya would have been hypnotized. His voice was soft but deep. His eyes looked like a haunted ocean. Anyone would have fallen in his trance. If Sonya didn't know better and was a normal twenty-three year old woman, she would have let herself fall for his charms, just for a moment. But that's if she didn't know better and if she was normal. Walden was most likely someone who enjoyed watching people mesmerized by his charm.

"Walden you can flirt later. We have a case." Chung's voice pulled her back. He'll probably battle Sonya in wits again and she will indulge.

Sonya made her way to the couch where Chung was already seated. She opened two files and placed them on the coffee table by date. The first file included the death of Sara Walsh, and it pushed the gears in Sonya's head to turn. A beautiful blonde who had dreams of a white-picket fence and being an all around trophy wife. She was found on the floor of her bedroom, laid at the foot of her bed, and her body looked staged. She was wearing an authentic set of pearls and a 5 carat engagement ring, so clearly the perpetrator wasn't after her valuables. Possibly revenge? Or an act of passion? Chloe Hastings, the following victim, was murdered in a similar fashion. She was wearing her valuables laid across her bedroom floor, and blood was nowhere in sight. The scene was completely clean. Sonya had been keeping tabs on this investigation. The murders seemed odd to Sonya. Not because someone like Miss Walsh or Miss Hastings got murdered, but how they got murdered.

"Strange, isn't?" Chung and Sonya were staring at the crime scene pictures of Sara and Chloe. They were ordinary socialites. The type of ladies who have the cook bake cookies every Sunday evening, then walk out of the kitchen to the family room filled with guests, and say "do you like them? I baked them myself." They organized committees, played hostess, and danced on ballroom floors. Why is are they victims of murder? High society women are each other's enemies and their weapon is sabotage, not murder. The most important point is their position. The placement of the bodies said it all. These homicides are not done by a mere amature.

Walden sat next to Chung and across from Sonya. He looked at the two of them unsure of their silent understanding.

"Why? Rich people make enemies."

"Their precisely placed." Sonya and Detective Chung answered simultaneously and looked up at each other. Chung was first to look away and clear her throat. She turned to face Walden.

"She is a rich woman and they only attack other rich women. But murder is a stretch of revenge."

"And her placement." Sonya poured herself coffee she made yesterday morning and heated up in the microwave. Then she moved Sara's crime scene photo closer to Walden. "Sara's hands are crossed over her stomach and eyes are staring upward. There is a slit across her neck but no blood. It's clean. An amature would leave a trace; it would be messy." Walden's eyes squinted and his eyebrows were furrowed. "These are professional."

"Okay, a pro hits a rich lady, so his motive has to be money?"

"No." Chung gave a deep sigh. This was the first rookie Chung trained. There was a reason for that; Chung didn't have a lot of patience. Although, Walden didn't pay any mind to Chung's sardonic expression. He kept his eyes on the images. Chung had been met with an interesting match, and Sonya was interested to see how this partnership played out.

"Not a lot of murders in Coupeville, huh?" She laughed softly before answering Walden. "She's wearing Calvin Klein, pearls, and an engagement ring worth more than your income. It has nothing to do with money. Murder of the wealthy involves a jealous family member or friend, desperate to receive inheritance or a title, and I'm not one for misogyny, even in murder, but those victims are usually males."

Chung's phone buzzed. An officer notified her that the forensics team was on the new crime scene. Chung gathered the files, then her and Walden made their way to the door.

"Heather Stevens is the new victim. She lived in Cottage Valley. Forensics team is doing work now, but she died the same way."

Sonya turned to Chung. It seemed Chung was on the right path. She really didn't need Sonya. Sonya stood up. Sonya's ego couldn't resist; why did Chung call her after all the times she tried to kick Sonya off cases?

"Just out curiosity, it seems you have a good grasp of the case. Why call me?"

"Because when you're not being a pain in the ass, you are useful. Be at the crime scene in thirty minutes." With that Chung walked out the apartment. Sonya turned to Walden who was about to walk out as well. With a wide smirk, he said, "I think she's warming up to you. See you in thirty."

Walden closed the door and Sonya was left alone once again.