Between Limestone Ruins

Chapter Twenty-One

Walker's police issued SUV was greeted at the Royal Military College gates by two armoured vehicles with a full escort. After proving their identities and leaving their car at the front gates, an entire parade escorted them on their walk through the campus. 

Despite the grey, drizzly weather, students were running drills in the pavilion. Otherwise the campus was quiet, and they passed by the old limestone buildings towards the residence building, around which the last piece of remains for their latest victim rested. The old limestone seemed to whisper as as they passed by as if history watched for the next chapter to be added to its pages. Waiting for something monumental to change everyone's lives. 

The Canadian military was efficient and had already roped off the scene. Several official looking men were surveying the restricted area. Walker took point as they approached the scene. 

 For June, the rain was particularly bone-chilling as it mixed with the lake-effect wind to pierce through their clothing, straight to their cores.

"Agent Walker, RCMP."

"General Gordon, we're happy to see you came so quickly," the most official looking man greeted Walker with a handshake.

"This is my partner Dr. Morris and our chief coroner Dr. Samson." 

Hannah smiled at the upkeep fib. She wasn't a doctor. Not yet at least. She also wasn't Walker's partner, but she enjoyed the sound of it too much to complain.

Gordon shook their hands and waved them under the rope.

"This way, detectives."

Their latest victim's head sat on the shore of Lake Ontario, looking more like a movie prop than a piece of a human being. Her skin was grey and ghastly, but Hannah noted, dissimilar from the other remains that had been left in the river or washed up out of the lake.

"It wasn't dumped in the water," she said it as a statement but was hoping someone would correct her. 

This guy did not sneak into a secure military college to dump a head in the night, did he?

"Good catch Hannah," Doc responded. 

He was already gloved up and on his knees in the mud. Hannah wondered briefly how often the man replaced his pants; in the last 48 hrs she had seen him kneeling in both muddy puddles and a dumpster full of guts.

"This guy snuck on campus to place a head behind the residence building? Why?" the general asked in disbelief. 

General Gordon practically had smoke coming out of his nose. His security had been breached and he was livid. The shade of purple Gordon's face was turning seemed unreal.

"He wants to know we can't get to him. Put the head in plain sight, somewhere he shouldn't be able to access-" Walker trailed off.

"He's showing off to piss us off," Hannah simplified. 

"...it might also be a nod to your military background, Walker," she added.

"Hopefully his arrogance is his fatal flaw," Doc mused. 

"Fatal flaw? What kind of bullshit is that?" Gordon wasn't impressed by their brainstorm techniques.

"Meaning we hope he gets so boastful he makes a mistake," Doc clarified simply. "And that mistake leads us straight to him."

"If only we were that lucky," Walker muttered.

"Don't be so pessimistic, Agent Walker," Doc said. "A head means a face and a face means an ID. That's at least somewhat of a lead."