The Symbologist

Chapter 12

It was quite late at night and Sergeant Carla Lostin was at home going over some case files for the tenth time that night. That was when she received a call from a very distressed Jones. Carla had never known Jones to express emotion of any sort. She was your classic stoic, poker-faced DI who solved every single case in the blink of an eye.

"DI Jones? Is everything alri-" Carla didn't get to finish her sentence.

"Apologies for disturbing you, but I'm going to need you and DI Sugars over ASAP. I called the ambulance but they said she's gone," Jones burst out, talking faster than humanly possible, "The commissioner already called a team over to investigate but I decided to call you so you could be over sooner."

"I'm sorry, has there been another murder?" Carla asked, concern etched into her features.

"Not just any murder, my mother."

...

"Sir, there is no symbol carved into her stomach like the previous victims...." Carla observed, "But she's wearing a purple crop-top."

While DI Sugars and Sergeant Carla Lostin investigated the crime scene and speculated the body, DI Jones and the commissioner were having an important conversation.

"Commissioner, with all due respect, I propose to be put back on the case," DI Jones said with sparking determination.

"DI Jones, I have no doubt you will solve the case efficiently and well. Unfortunately, you are emotionally attached to a victim and have just suffered a loss, which can cloud your judgement. Furthermore, you were alone in the house when your mother was murdered," the commissioner explained calmly.

DI Jones knew all that was true; she knew her word wasn't enough, but still, it was her mother, "You don't truly believe I would murder my own mother."

The commissioner looked DI Jones in the eye, "Did you?"

"I understand, commissioner," DI Jones nodded with acceptance. She knew the commissioner didn't believe she had done it, but she also knew he was the one who had taught her the strict rules and values she abides by. Now was the time where she had to gather herself and stick to those rules. Those rules were a part of what made her the incredible DI she was today.

"Good," the commissioner, who had taken his cap off earlier, walked away and put his cap back on, "Get some rest, DI Jones."

Jones nodded and left the crime scene. A friend had agreed to let Jones stay at their place. As Jones got in her car and started the engine, she realized she was now a bystander, watching the investigation unfold but having no power over the outcome. Or, she thought, she was now a suspect. It was true, she was alone at the house with her mother. From the looks of it, Jones had killed her own mother. She was the serial killer. However, there were a few questions circling inside Jones' head. Why was there no symbol carved into her mother's stomach? Perhaps the symbol was somewhere else on her mother's body? And how did the murderer come in undetected, kill then dress her mother, and get out undetected? The murderer had around an hour to do all of that. They were very skilled, as Jones, one room over, didn't even hear them, and Jones was a trained police officer who had risen through the ranks to the position of DI. Suddenly, it hit her. The windows! They had been open, wide enough that the killer could've gotten in and out without opening it any further. Jones closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the headrest as she came to a stop at a red light. How would tonight have turned out differently if she hadn't opened the windows?

As the night went on, Jones realized that question would become echoes of regret for many, many years to come.

Back at the station, Sergeant Carla Lostin was going through victim Leanne Hample's belongings from the crime scene. So far, nothing of particular interest popped up. Carla picked up the last plastic bag. It contained a necklace. Carla looked at the necklace from a couple of angles. Putting the necklace down, she picked up a picture of the symbol carved into one of the victim's stomach. Why wasn't that symbol on Leanne? Suddenly, Carla gasped. With shaky fingers, she picked up the bag containing the necklace and held it up to the symbol in the picture.

They matched. Perfectly.

The symbol was never missing. It was on Leanne Hample the entire time. Was this necklace where the killer had gotten the idea for the symbol? What did the symbol mean? How did the killer know about this necklace? Did they happen to see it when they were walking by or...was it someone Leanne knew? An image of Jones dressing her mother's corpse in a purple crop-top sent shivers down Carla's spine. If it was Jones, why did she not stay on the case to control the outcome? Plus, Jones and her mother seemed close...or were they? Was it all an act? The heart attack too? No, the hospital had records of that.

Carla groaned. The pieces just didn't seem to fit together. She remembered reading mysteries when she was younger. Whenever the detective finally revealed who it was, it just seemed to fit perfectly, the pieces just seemed to all come together. This was Carla's first case as a Sergeant. She felt important but also wasn't so sure of herself and her ability to solve a case. Was how the pieces just came together with the right killer in all the books she'd read only in the books?