Chapter 4. Crime Scene

“Hello, Miss,” said a prudish voice.

The police had arrived at the scene of the homicide. Nancy was still in shock.

Nancy flinched, narrowing her eyes at the one standing before her, making out a profile of a man dressed in a black suit. His shadow hovered over her.

“I’m Detective Sam,” he said, flashing his badge. He slid his badge back into his suit. His eyes were fixed on Nancy. “I was told you were the one who saw the victim first.”

Nancy was still grieving. She emitted a sudden, forceful hacking sound to release air and clear irritation in her throat. “Yes,” she squeezed out, feeling sad and subdued by the incident. The janitor had been one of her closest friends at Cast News since she got her job. He was an easygoing man who always looked out for the people around him.

Detective Sam breathed a sigh of relief. “Do you mind telling me anything else you saw?” he asked in a concerned tone.

He had just arrived at the scene. The officers who responded to the dispatch call had filled him in with the details, but he still wanted to hear it from Nancy’s mouth. Perhaps something was missing.

“There’s nothing more to say, Detective,” she said in a crackling little voice. Nancy couldn’t help anymore. She needed to continue her grieving. Her face was distorted with sadness. Standing to her feet, she moved away from her desk to avoid any further questions from the detective. Hearing more questions upon questions made her want to sob more.

Detective Sam watched as she walked out of the newsroom. He understood her feelings and knew he needed to give her some space.

***

Nancy walked down the hallway. As she approached the spot where she found the janitor, she tried not to look, but something caught her eye. Chalk outlines marked the place of the janitor to provide context for photographs of the crime scene. The janitor’s body had been moved after CSI officers investigated the scene for possible clues, and evidence was collected.

She came to a halt, staring at the outline of the janitor’s body. A sob escaped her lips as she automatically gagged. This wasn’t her first crime scene. Some time ago, she had been assigned to an investigative journalist to help gather stories from a crime scene. This was different. A man who had been good and always told jokes. She hated to see him maimed. A deep, untold question had been going through her mind: “What animal did this?”

“Hey, Nancy,” a voice said, startling her.

She flinched. “Rick?” She stared at him weirdly, as if she had seen a ghost. He had been gone all day, which made her think the animal had gotten to him, too. “Where have you been?” Her voice was filled with concern and curiosity.

“Why the tears?” he muttered, staring with concern.

Nancy snorted and quickly wiped her tears. “The janitor is dead,” she barely squeezed out.

“I heard,” he said in a distorted, crackling voice. “You shouldn’t…”

His words were pushed back to his throat. “Your clothes,” Nancy said, pointing at him. “This wasn’t the clothes you wore to work this morning. What happened?”

Rick had been dressed in a blue suit when they both met in the morning. She looked confused as to why he was wearing different clothes from what he had in the morning. It was a plain black shirt tucked into black jeans instead of his fancy blue suit.

“Oh! About that…” he said, putting up a fake smile. “There was a burst pipe in the men’s room that messed me up. So I rushed home to change.”

This was a reverse case. The janitor’s blood had stained him. He couldn’t wear the same clothes stained with blood back to work. That would be a huge issue. He hated what Daryl made him do. His bloodlust was still getting the worst out of him.

“Oh, I see.”

Before Nancy could say another word, she heard someone yell out to her. When she turned, her gaze was drawn to Detective Sam, running toward her, waving his hand in the air like a lunatic.

There was still unfinished business he had with Nancy.

Detective Sam approached and stood next to her as he opened up to speak with desperation. “I’m sorry for bothering you, but I still need…” He paused for a while as he switched his gaze to Rick. “Do you work here?” he asked with curiosity. He was sure he hadn’t seen him while he was questioning everyone at Cast News.

“Yes,” he answered politely. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“I must have missed him,” Detective Sam thought. He thrust his hand into his pocket and pulled out his badge. He flipped it open and raised it a bit for Rick to have a clear view. “I’m Detective Sam with the New Orleans PD. Do you mind telling me where you were during the time of the incident?”