Secrets within

Chapter 2

Leon stared at his computer tirelessly filling the paperwork littering his desk. He went through file after file of all his cases logging evidence and completing the work he was months behind on. He ignored the looks from his coworkers and the signs they had all recently placed around the office thinking the apocalypse is near thanks to his 'sudden' change. He sighed when he glanced at his last two files left unlogged and then toward his partner jill that was sitting in the desk in front of his own. "Jill where is the evidence on the 'Mayner' case?"

Jill looked up from her fast pace typing to reach into her own stack of paperwork and hand him a slim folder labeled 'Mayner'. "Here but remember that the chief wants us to look around town on the newest case and see what people have to say about the newest killings."

Leon nodded his golden blonde hair slipping free of its ponytail and falling into his eyes giving them the appearance of veiled jewels. "Fine but we need to call in some other guys to cover more area and find a few witnesses if we can."

Jill huffed but nodded and returned to her paperwork all the while wondering what had happened to her brash partner.

Thirty minutes later

Leon and Jill made their way to the area of the latest murder in the small broken down area. Unlike the last victim this girl was in high school. She was a young Latino girl working her way through school. She worked two jobs to support her two younger siblings and invalid mother. She was exactly like the first victim her body torn apart as if pulled by a giant child the only part of her that remained intact was her face. It like the other victim's was clear of any blood with an expression of terror forever etched onto young features.

Leon sighed at the senseless death while he looked carefully over the scene staying close to the edges while the forensics took evidence and pictures. He glanced around the room noting absently that she was on the debate team, thanks to a trophy near her night stand. He growled lowly to himself as he made his way to where the family waited crying for their lost family.

He spotted the children first. They looked exactly as their older sister did with dark brown hair, mocha colored eyes and lightly tanned skin. The kids were twins according to the family registry. The oldest was named Angelica while her brother was named Ricco. They were in the sixth grade and already he could tell that they had been close to their sister.

He looked at the mother who was curled like a child on the sofa between her children. She bore dark brown hair with streaks of graying locks. Her face was wrinkled with age and sickness. Her eyes closed as she sobbed her heart out for her oldest child. Leon sighed as he crouched in front of the trio. Calling out gently he grabbed Angelica's attention first.

She turned her tear stained face toward the gentle voice hoping in her heart that it was all a dream. When she looked her grief stricken brown eyes met compassionate blue that seemed to radiate strength and grief for what they had seen. A soft male voice broke her from the daze she had entered at meeting the others eyes. "Angelica can you hear me?"

She nodded getting a sigh of relief from Leon. He smiled at her before speaking again. "Little one I need to know what happened today, can you do that for me?"

She nodded mustering her courage to help the one before her. She spoke in a quiet voice hiccupping as she told all she knew. "Alicia was supposed to take us to the festival today with mama but she got sick. Hicc she was coughing a lot and said her chest hurt a lot 'sniff' her face was really red n she kept having nightmares lately."

"Can you remember anything else that was unusual about her that's happened recently?" Leon gently questioned the family. Angelica nodded and was about to speak when a loud sob broke out fresh tears spilling down her face.

Leon handed her a faded handkerchief as she started crying again gaining Ricco's attention from away from their mother. He looked no better than his twin but he took a breath and continued from where his sister left off absently petting his mother who refused to stop sobbing and open her eyes. "Alicia had a mark on her arm that looked like a tattoo n when I asked her about it she said she didn't have one. I even pointed it out to her but it was as if she couldn't see it at all."

Leon nodded gravely before replying, "Can you remember what it looked like?"

Ricco nodded and gestured for leons note pad. Leon handed it over without a thought to the notes already in the small booklet. He watched as the child drew a flower bud surrounded by a strange symbol a creature stood behind the flower tail wrapped delicately around the flower stem. It looked like the creature was pulling the flower into its open mouth. Taking a closer look at the picture once Ricco gave the booklet back he noticed that behind the creature rested a moon that was shaded completely as if were meant to fade into the background of a night sky or the moon was hiding like a chameleon.

After he took time to talk a little more with the kids he found nothing more from what they had told the other officer when asked about how they found their sister. Leon walked a little away from the family and grabbed his cell phone flipping the lid and dialing the chief's number by heart. It took only two rings before the chief answered the phone. "What can I do for you Leon you're supposed to be at the crime scene not calling me."

Leon sighed running his tan hand through his hair. "Chief I got a favor to ask."

The chief listened as Leon explained his plan while asking for a cleanup crew so the family wouldn't have to clean the blood and other parts from their walls. The chief agreed as long as Leon handled the bill payment when it came. Leon agreed and shut off the phone knowing that the crew would be there within a few hours after the forensic team took the body parts and other samples. He walked back to the family ignoring the other officers that were now in the room. He once more knelt in front of the family of three and smiled with the barest hint of teeth. "I need to know if you have a place to stay for a day or so."

It was the younger twin Ricco who answered this time. He nodded before speaking, "we can stay at Monica's house. She is a friend of my mom's from work and always invites us to stay over when she's there."

Leon nodded giving the kids a small gesture of respect that they were able to keep it together enough to help out with the investigation. "Alright then I want you two to pact up some clothes while I talk to your mom okay."

They nodded climbing from the couch and toward the opposite direction of their late sister's room. Leon turned narrowed cobalt eyes to the still woman growling under his breath. Gripping her shoulder in a light hold he shook her gently enough not to hurt her but hard enough to get her to look at him. "Mrs. Santiago I need you to get it together. I know you have lost a child but you have two more that need you and they need you now."

Maria uncurled herself and stared at the detective as if he were some new creature she had never seen before. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself opening her eyes to keep from picturing her daughter's body strew across the room. She focused on the golden haired American crouched before her. His eyes were like blue diamonds cold and warm at the same time. She gathered her strength and spoke for the first time since finding her daughter that day. "You will find him won't you? The one who did this to my daughter."

Leon nodded watching as this frail woman seemed to transform into what she once must have been. A strong Woman who took nothing for granted. He gestured towards the crime scene and explained to her the plans he had made with his chief. Assuring her that she would not have to clean the room and if needed they had the numbers of several cheap apartments they could move to. She listened and told him that she would take the offer of cleaning the room but not of moving as it was her family's home and many of them had been born and died within.

He watched as they made their way to a taxi and away from the scene not once taking notice of a pair of cold black eyes that peered from the darkness of a window across the street.

~ End