Cold Corpse

Chapter 8- Frozen

1989, October 22nd

"Do you know the case of Ed Gein?" Query by Andee, pinning a piece of ripped off paper from one of her notepad on the wall. She twirled a red string around the head of the pin. The string was led from pin to pin trying to connect the current deaths of the people. "Oh god, is that the guy who skinned someone alive and wear their skin?" Sasha brushes his ash-like hair away from his face. Andee leisurely nodded her head. "Edson handled this investigation back then. He once told me about this. He also talked about human skin as a product that he wanted to make one. I thought he was only joking." She clasped her hands behind her back and swirled around.

The doorbell made the two detective flinched, it rung too many times. The sound of the bell sounded weary as the battery was getting harsher. Sasha was already on his feet and drew his self-closer to the door. He swung the door open and was acknowledge by Sheriff Nolen. "Oh, Nolen. What brings you here?" Andee brought herself to the door when she heard her brother's name.  "Bad news... Remember the coffee shop you two were under cover?" The two detective looked into each other's eyes and back to Nolen. "Well, it was shut down after the police discovered something gruesome." Sheriff paused, taking off his beige hat. "They boiled human skin and added it to people's coffee. ​Hundreds of residence are already sick and taken to the emergence room." Andee without any further words, swiftly snatched her hanging fuchsia coat behind the door and clutch on Sasha's forearm, he hissed in pain still feeling the burn on his skin. "Slow down, Andee." Complained by her partner "I'm sorry, Sasha. I don't want Edson to be one step ahead of us."
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The silver painted car drifted to an empty parking lot and a vehicle of a police officer parked next to it. Andee got out of the car to be greeted by police taped almost every edge of the shop. There were traffic cones surrounded the premise so no other cars would be disturbing them. One of the police officer hand cuffed Mr. Fred accusing him for the skinning and murder over twenty men and women. Andee approached an officer who shoved the overweight man's head on the car hood, his belly jiggling ready for his belt to burst any moment. "Take it easy, fellas." She leveled her hand on a police officer's chest. "I'll take it from here." She insisted but the Police didn't budge. "Sorry, detective Hortox but I have direct orders from Chief Superintendent Moore." The poor ex doctor wheezes in exhaustion. "You look familiar to me." He utter to say to the detective. "Yes, I am. Because I was an undercover agency in your shop." Her auburn orbs met with the ocean like eyes. "Yo... you are Annie, Am I correct?" She nodded in response as the police officer pulled him back on his feet. "Listen to me," His eyes started to water "I didn't kill any of those poor souls. I couldn't. I'm not that kind of person. I didn't even know why there's a basement down there." Andee's eyebrows arch as she heard an unfamiliar place. "Wait, basement? There wasn't any basement when I searched around." She squinted her eyes and turn her back. "Where is it located?" She button her coat and slightly tilted her head. "It's in the bathroom." 
Andee made her way in the coffee shop and Sasha run along. "So, what are we up to?" He asked, walking beside her. "A basement. Apparently, it's been under our nose and we didn't even see it. This is probably where the killer was hiding." The shop look completely different, it looks like a tornado pass by. All the pots had been smashed and soil would be all over the place. The painting of the cheerful pictures had been stepped on multiple times. The tables and chair had been turned over. Broken shards are in places of floor and counter. It was a heartbreaking for the two detectives since they worked here even they were different people.

They walked passed the forensic team, wearing safety goggles and gloves. Their navy blue coat would be dangling on their body. Andee and Sasha arrived in the basement. It was dimmed and cold. Dust would be circling around the air. Thankfully, the forensic team provided enough light to see the horror show, they are in for the front row. There were bodies hanging on a hook, like a pig you would see in a butcher shop. Their skin had been fully removed from their cadaver. Some of the body were on the floor but their arms and legs were unattached. There were flies hovering on the dead bodies and munching on their food and even laying eggs on each torso they drop on. Andee stepped forward on a blood pool on the ground. She made small splashing sounds each time she step. She almost slip but Sasha managed to catch her on the act. "Careful, Dee. We don't want you to be bathing you in blood." They both laughed but Andee immediately ceased when she remembered one of the killer's text. She shoved it on the back of her mind and jerk herself away from Sasha. "Thank you." She muttered out. A sterling bucket was sitting next to Andee, she peeked what was inside. She was welcomed by random people's faces stitched together. 

One of the forensic team, Vera, tossed two pair of gloves for each detective. "We don't want any of the evidence to be tampered again." Vera complained, walking back upstairs. Two of them slide in their rubber pale gloves. Andee's attention was caught when she saw a refrigerator from the distance. She carefully walked towards it. The door was in complete stained of dried blood, the color of the refrigerator faded. She sway it open and there it was.

A jar full of eyes gazing upon her, dark shaded finger nails, and intestines was forced to be fitted in one small jar. Teeth were swimming in an ivory water and some of it were even fresh plucked out from the owner. Andee slammed the door formulating and clinging of the jars noise. She went from curious into a complete disgust expression painted on her face. "Andee... I think the killer is smarter than we thought. Look at this." Sasha called out, he held the freezer's door open as his eyes was fixed what's inside. Andee marched over where Sasha was and looked down in the freezer. Their eyes went broad, frozen like the body inside of the freezer.

The body was tangled, bones were broken looking like a piece of doll. So lifeless. His natural skin faded into a dull grey color. His body is fragile now that he's frosted. His eyes were nothing but a black socket. He was still smiling but with missing teeth. A letter was sitting on top of his body "You underestimated me."
"He was so young." Andee claimed, salty water came bursting from her eyes. "Whoever did this to Clifford will be saying hello to an electric chair. They will pay."