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MidReal Story
Shadows of the Killer: A Rookie Detective's Hunt
Scenario:I am solving a serial killer mystery
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Chapter 1
I had been a detective for just over a year when I was assigned to my first major case.
A serial killer was on the loose in our city, and he’d already claimed three victims.
The police force was on edge, and the public was in fear.
My partner, Mark Johnson, and I were called to the latest crime scene—a dingy motel room on the outskirts of town.
The body of a young woman lay sprawled across the bed, her throat slit from ear to ear.
Her eyes were wide open, staring at the ceiling as if she couldn’t believe what had happened to her.
I’d seen some gruesome things in my time as a detective, but this was by far the worst.
I swallowed hard and forced myself to look away from the body.
"Who found her?"
Mark asked one of the officers who was standing near the door.
"The maid," he replied.
"She came in to clean the room and found her like this."
He shook his head.
"No one’s come or gone since she found the body. We’ve been canvassing the area for witnesses, but no one seems to have seen anything."
I am a rookie detective.
This case is my first major assignment since I graduated from the academy eighteen months ago.
My partner, Mark Johnson, and I were called to investigate this murder because the department is short-staffed and they need all hands on deck to catch this guy before he kills again.
The tension in the police force is high, and everyone is on edge.
Not only because there’s a serial killer on the loose, but also because our city’s residents are terrified and we’re under a lot of pressure to catch him before he strikes again.
As a new member of the force, I am eager to prove myself and make a name for myself as a good detective.
But I am also fully aware that this case could be my last if I don’t solve it quickly and efficiently.
My partner, Mark Johnson, has been with the department for over twenty years.
He’s a good cop, and he’s taken me under his wing since I joined the force.
He’s been very patient with me, and has taught me a lot about investigative techniques and how to be a good detective.
I’ve learned so much from him, but I know that I have a lot more to learn if I want to be as good of a cop as he is.
When Mark and I arrived at the scene, one of the forensic scientists was already here going over the room for evidence.
Her name was Sarah Lee, and she was petite with short brown hair and glasses.
She was very smart, and she paid attention to every little detail when analyzing evidence.
I’d worked with her before on other cases, so I knew that we were in good hands when she was on the case.
"Who do we have here?"
Mark asked as we entered the room.
Sarah looked up from where she was crouching beside the bed.
"Female victim, early 20s," she replied.
"Looks like she was strangled. No ID on her yet, but uniforms are canvassing the area for witnesses."
I walked over to take a closer look at her.
Her long brown hair was splayed out across the pillow beneath her head, which had rolled to one side exposing her neck.
"I don’t know," Mark replied grimly.
"All I know is that we need to catch this guy before he kills again."
I took a deep breath and tried not to let my emotions get the best of me as I thought about this case: it was only my first major assignment as a detective, but it was one of the most gruesome murder cases that I’d ever seen in my life.
Each victim had been found with their throat cut from ear to ear, and they’d all been posed in sexually suggestive positions after death.
It made me sick just thinking about it—and even though I’d never met any of these women before, their faces and their screams haunted my dreams every night.
I couldn’t imagine what they’d gone through during their final moments on this earth.
The victims were all different ages and ethnicities, and they’d been killed in different parts of town—some at home, some at motels or hotels.
There didn’t seem to be any pattern or connection between them that we could find, which only made our job more difficult.
But if there was one thing that Mark and I agreed on, it was that this guy needed to be stopped—and fast.
If he wasn’t caught soon, he would kill again…and we couldn’t let that happen on our watch.
I stared at the body one last time before turning away and heading back out into the hall with Mark.
