Leila of the Concrete Jungle [Book Three]

String 'Em Up

  The precinct was incredibly busy today as it had been the past month due to the rise in gang wars. The usual gang that lurked in this area had finally been taken down, and the surrounding groups thought the 'unruled' land was free real estate and were trying to move in. Phones were ringing off the hooks while officers were trying to process paperwork and deal with the hookers and drug dealers brought in.

  "Not today, Tony. I just got a call." I raised my hand to the man leaning on the edge of my desk. He was holding two coffees, and I already knew what he wanted to ask because he came every day with the same question since he transferred.

  "I can come with you! Wouldn't want this wonderful coffee to go to waste, would we?" He stood back up as I picked up my gun and slid it into the belt holster. "Not to mention you haven't been assigned a new partner yet since your last one retired."

  "Keep your mouth shut and stay out of my way." Sighing, I rounded my desk and dodged the cop dragging a gang member in cuffs past. I could hear the man following behind me and dug in my pocket for my keys when I stepped out of the building.

  "So, where to today, detective?"

  "Get in the car and you'll see." Unlocking the car, I slid into the driver's seat while Tony took the passenger side. He was older than me by a few years but acted a lot like a rookie still. Buckling up, I started the car while he was putting the coffees into the cupholders.

  "Is it gonna be gory?"

  "Maybe."

  "....Should I have brought coffee?"

  "Definitely."

✧☾✧

  "Detective Muller." I flashed my badge to the cop keeping the public back, and he raised the yellow tape.

  "Gang-related?" Tony questioned while falling into step beside me.

  "Possibly." I rubbed my nose before entering the warehouse where forensics were tagging everything and taking photos. "Watch your step, Gonzalez." Waving my hand to the man, I then pointed to the floor splattered with blood.

  "Oh, wonderful...."

  "So, this is your case?" A blonde woman with a pixie cut asked me with a raised brow.

  "It is now. What have you got for me?" I jerked up my chin in a gesture and she sighed while shaking her head.

  "Looked like the usual gang fight at first."

  "At first?" Tony put his hands on his hips.

  "Let her finish, old man." Crossing my arms, I gave the cop my full attention.

  "Well, you know any gang that does this? Is there another faction moving in we don't know about yet?" She pointed with her pen to the ceiling, and we looked up to follow her gaze. Over twenty bodies were strung up from the rafters by their ankles, all naked and skinned. A quick glance around, and I found the pile of skins being bagged as evidence by a few people in bio suits at the back of the warehouse. Most of the blood on the floor had come from the bodies up above rather than the ones shot dead on the ground.

  I paused for a second before looking back at the blonde cop.

  "What all have you found?"

  "Nothing aside from stray shells, illegal firearms, drugs, and the, uh....skin." She gave me a sympathetic smile. "Good luck. We haven't really found prints other than on the guns and drugs, either."

  "They seem to like giving you the hard ones." Tony popped off, but....I had a feeling I already knew the culprit behind this crime. Scratching my shoulder, I looked at the bodies hanging overhead.

  "I want reports of everything forensics finds, any and all witnesses sent my way, and try to identify as many of these bodies as you can. They may have been gang, but they still have families that should be notified. If anyone here finds something unusual, send it to me."

  "Unusual?" The blonde rose a brow again.

  "You'll know if you see it. I'm gonna do a quick walk around." Glancing at Tony, I then walked off, being mindful of the numbered evidence on the ground being photographed. Tony stayed back with the cop to talk to her while I let my eyes wander over the warehouse.

  Near the back wall, I spotted five holes about 7 to 8 feet up and looked higher to see more intermittently going up all of the way to a broken window near the ceiling. Looking right, I saw a pipe running up the wall that went through to the outside just by the window. Rubbing my hands together, I hoisted myself onto the pipe and began to climb up before I heard Tony shouting my name.

  "Leila! Leila, what are you doing? Get down from there!"

  "Calm down, old man." I called back, not even slowing as I got higher and higher. When I reached the window, I leaned as far over as I could to look. Whatever had broken it had cleared out all of the glass, and I could see the broken shards laying on the roof outside.

  Gripping the window sill, I grunted and swung myself over, dangling from it before pulling myself up with my upper body strength.

  "Leila! Oh, my God!"

  "You clearly haven't been here long." Someone else popped off from below while I climbed through the window, my boots crunching in the glass. Crouching, I checked the busted window and saw no traces of blood, just dirt, dust, and a spider. Raising my gaze, I drew my gun out of caution as I looked over the roof.

  Carefully moving away from the broken glass, I found that it was awfully quiet up here. Flicking the safety off as I rounded a ventilation unit, I saw nothing but sky and the tops of buildings. I didn't find anything after walking the entirety of the roof, but that didn't necessarily mean nothing was there.

  I looked over the edge of the building to the street below to see the mass of cars in the street and people on the sidewalk. My head suddenly whipped around and I raised my gun when I heard something crunch.

  "Well....ain't that interesting?" I mumbled before lowering my weapon upon seeing that there wasn't anything behind me despite knowing I hadn't been hearing things.

✧☾✧

  Back in the car, Tony was quiet at first while I was drinking my coffee and driving back to the precinct. However, he began to drum his fingers on his thigh and glanced at me.

  "So, uh, did you find anything? Up on the roof, I mean."

  "Broken glass."

  "Why did you even go up there?"

  "Curiosity."

  "Where'd you learn to climb?"

  "Childhood." Taking a drink, I set the disposable cup into the cup holder. "Any other random questions you wanna ask?"

  "Yeah. Why do people at the station call you Bitch with a Badge?" He hesitated to say it, but that only made me chuckle more.

  "Two reasons, actually." Turning the corner, I raised two of my fingers from the steering wheel. "I'm like a dog with a bone if I catch a scent on a case."

  "And the other reason?"

  "I'm blunt and sarcastic. Some people find that bitchy. Thanks for the coffee."

  "....You workout, right?" Tony questioned, and my brows raised while my eyes remained on the road. "I heard somewhere that partners that workout together coordinate rather well."

  "We're not partners, Gonzalez. You in my front seat is temporary."

  "For now. Hey, you might like having me along!"

  "Funny." I smirked while pulling into the precinct parking lot. "I go to the gym on 5th. If I happen to see you there....I'm not opposed to havin' a workout buddy."