Lucky 7

Chapter 6

It was horrendous. The body had two bullet holes at the side, and the clothing were all torn up. The skin and meat were all cut into strips as blood pooled under the body. The person must be killed recently as blood was still spilling out. The fingers and toes were all cut off, signs of torture before the death. The body was mutilated beyond recognisation. Although the person was not carrying any ID, the neighbours told us it was Veronica Lime, a cashier at the nearby supermarket. Claire Homeson, the head forensic pathologist, told me that she would send the autospy report at soon as possible. I nodded.

Just then, a breathless voice came up beside me, apologising. Mackie was sorry for being late. I put on a stern face. "Mackie, we usually don't tolerate lateness, but since this is your first time at a crime scene, we will allow it." Mackie nodded bashfully. "Put on gloves, a cap and boots. You know why, right?" I asked. She grinned at that. "So that we will not leave any of our DNA that may work against us in court!" "And...?" "We will not be identified as killers wrongly just because our DNA is there! And also not to disturb any possible signs of who the killer is!" I smiled warmly. My star pupil. "You are my favourite pupil, you know?" I told her, putting my hand on her shoulder. She pouted playfully. "I'm your only pupil, Detective," she replied. I laughed and turned around, motioning dor her to follow me into the room where the mutilated corpse of Veronica lay.

I glanced at Mackie. A flash of nausea and shock went past her face. "Don't worry; you will get used to it...I think," I told her. She only nodded weakly. Poor thing. I walked closer to the body, no longer afraid. The neighbours told me that she had a boyfriend, she texted while driving, and had several speeding tickets as well. I checked with the patrol officer. It was true. Lime's family lived in North Carolina, but she moved to New York to study. Here, she met Timmy Green, hence once completing her studies, she did not go back to her home, but landed a job as a part-time actor and part-time cashier. She earned quite a little money, especially from the acting job.

Then it came to me. Jack Morgan was a millionaire. Veronica Lime was well-to-do, earning more money than the average person. Could money be the cause of their deaths? However, my joy in the discovery was short-lived. Nothing in the house looked out of the ordinary. Just to make sure, I asked Clarissa Black, who was in charge of the investigation. "Wait...Let me check...Yes, nothing in Morgan's house was touched, except the props used for the murder. Why?" Black confirmed my thinking. "Jist ruling out money being the cause of their deaths." I saw light suddenly dawn on Clarissa Black. Looked like she did not think of that possibility. I allowed myself a small smile, and turned away.

All of sudden, I remembered Morgan's friends and wife telling us that he was a speeder in the road. Maybe speering was the connection? I told Mackie about the theory. "Yes, Detective, I thought about it, but why would a killer kill for this reason? Money is the most likely reason," she reasoned. I agreed that she was right about the speeding part, but told her why money wasn't the cause of the deaths. She looked impressed, but in her expression, there was also a mix of fear and shock. "Remind me never to become a murderer, Cap," she laughed nervously. I laughed along with her, relieved about thinking she actually wasn't the murderer. And I might be all 100% right.