Chapter Four
The scoutship arrived at the Capella system and headed straight for the planet. All investigators owned scoutships because of their speed. It allowed them to get to a crime scene quicker or give chase to a suspect. Rick, in his own scoutship, the L.S.S. Thrapshire, observed the many Luxury Liners about and was reminded just how popular this planet really was.
Capella Spaceport, this is the L.S.S. Thrapshire requesting priority landing, commanded Rick. Being a member of any law enforcement gave you priority to land if the situation called for it (with some exceptions), so you didnt have to wait while an emergency was occurring on the planet. Rick knew that his ship was fitted with a transmitter, just to confirm his authority, so he was allowed to make his request without causing any trouble.
L.S.S. Thrapshire, this is Capella Spaceport. Authority confirmed and landing priority granted, but youre going to have to wait. We have no vacant landing pads. We will keep you updated.
Roger, he said, frustrated.
Rick pulled his ship into a closer orbit and waited.
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Officer Darlop was there to meet Rick as soon as he disembarked. Ricks copilot also disembarked, but headed straight for the bar. Rick ignored him and began asking Darlop questions straight away.
Whose been taken this time? he asked.
Lauren Willen. Darlop simply replied.
Wheres the crime scene?
Not far, we could walk there if we had to, Darlop said. Rick hoped they didnt. He wasnt in the mood for walking.
Why did you ask me to come personally? Couldnt you just send the findings back to me or something? He didnt bother to cover up the tone of annoyance in his voice. This had been bugging Rick ever since he left. He had seen the first crime scene. He had the basic idea of what it would look like.
Because you need to see this one for yourself. Just reading about it and seeing the pictures wouldnt help. The way Darlop said this made Rick believe him.
Were there any witnesses?
No, but neighbors reported hearing a blaster being fired. However, in our initial inspection of the house we found no traces of blood.
Interesting, Rick said, almost sarcastically. Part of him really didnt care.
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Rick began to care a whole lot more when he arrived at the house. Outside the house, many men and women in various uniforms had gathered. Some were unpacking equipment, others already had it laid out on the ground. And, of course, there was the press. Rick silently groaned inside his head. He hated the press. He always found them annoying.
Rick and Darlop made their way through the throng towards the house. Why arent they doing anything? Rick inquired. People were standing outside a crime scene doing nothing, and that puzzled him.
Theyre waiting for you, Darlop said. Youre in command of these people for today. But first, you should take a look inside without these people in the way.
Rick was already at the door: unlocked and open, just like the first time. He walked through, and Darlop followed. There was nothing out of place. No sign of any fight or struggle at all. Now Rick knew why he had been called over.
He went back outside to take command. Okay people, he yelled, I want every surface, and every defect in those surfaces, to be inspected for even the smallest bit of evidence. Lets go! And with that, about twenty people headed for the door, and went into the house.
But Rick stayed at the door, and grabbed one of the passers by. He told her to try the door for fingerprints. However old fashioned fingerprinting seemed, only fingerprints would turn up on a door. She had only just begun to work when someone else approached Rick. Weve found a scorch mark on the wall, the young man said, almost excitedly.
Rick smiled. So there was something after all. Show me.
Chapter Five
The remainder of the forensics group filed out slowly. It had been a long day, but they had finally figured out the chain of events that had occurred during Laurens kidnapping.
Rick walked through it all for Darlop. He started at the window. Okay, the kidnapper smashes the window open, probably with the blaster hes holding. Now, its late at night, so where would this guy head to?
The bedroom, Darlop replied.
Right, but he cant see all that well in the dark and he doesnt have any alternate source of light, so he turns on the lights, Rick indicated to the lights that where on. They still had everything as it was. The kidnapper continues around the house, switching on lights as he goes. Rick moved around the house, pretending to turn on lights. Darlop followed close behind. Finally, he comes to Laurens bedroom, and opens the door. The lights are still off in this room. He turned to face Darlop. He was enjoying this, and Darlop was also learning from the experience. Why?
This stumped Darlop. I honestly don't know.
Have a look at the bed, Rick hinted, and grinned.
"The sheets are all over the place. There was a moments silence while Darlop looked at the bed. She ran for it.
Yes. Lauren must have woken from the excessive light and realized there was someone else in the house. And have a look at the way the sheets have fallen. Lauren rolled off the bed away from the door. So now Lauren is hiding from the intruder out of his line of sight. The intruder doesnt like this and heads for the far side of the bed. Rick moved the way the real perpetrator would have. Rick continued, Hes forgotten completely about the lights. Anyway, once the guy reaches the bed, Lauren tries to make a break for it. She bolts for the door, but our man is prepared for this and aims his blaster. Rick made the shape of one with his finger and thumb, just as a child would. But he doesnt want to kill Lauren, for some reason we still have to find.
Darlop took over. So he takes one shot at her leg, but misses.
Bang, Rick said, as he aimed his finger at the mark on the wall.
Darlop tried to keep going. It explains why the mark is so low... But he found he couldnt. But why did she eventually get caught?
Because Lauren hasnt had a chance to get a good look at this guy, but when she hears the blaster go off, she realizes hes armed and gives up. He leads her to the front door at gun point, Rick and Darlop headed to the door, and he forces her to open it, explaining only her fingerprints on it. They both head outside and leave to some unknown destination.
Rick started to head out the door, but Darlop had one more question. I want to know, why was there a struggle the first time?
Rick had known the answer from the moment he arrived, and he answered the question immediately. Because this guy is learning. When he went to get Stromp, he charged in while Stromp was still awake. He learnt from that and now he gets them while theyre asleep. Who knows, maybe the next one will be even better again. That is, unless we catch him first.
I hope you do, Darlop said.
Darlop then began to escort Rick back to the space station, satisfied that a crime scene with little evidence had been explained. Although he too had come to enjoy piecing together this puzzle, Rick was not as satisfied as Darlop. He had hoped that there would have been some evidence to narrow down the suspects, but he had found none.
Chapter Six
While Rick Cholten watched the whole investigation develop on site, Heather Nerrott watched it all on the holo-vid at home. She was a little calmer than she had been, because whoever was taking everybody was moving away from Levo, and for once she let the idea that they wouldnt come after her into her head.
Of course, she was wrong, and she knew it. But she thought that it would be a while before they would come back to Levo and that should be some excuse to be calmer.
She was wrong again. She had no idea what was about to happen.
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This new line of thought made Heather feel less and less fearful as the hours dragged on, (unlike the past few days when her fear had been very strong) and as she lay in her bed, she felt she could sleep without fear and have a good nights sleep for once. There had been one or two nights when she hadnt slept at all. She smiled to herself. It would be a change to get a good nights sleep, and that would be a change she probably needed.
Heather suddenly realized the potential of these thoughts. She had a refuge from this relatively new fear. It was a way to get to sleep. When ever she was afraid she could pull out the false thoughts she had discovered and invented, and she felt much better. Heather pulled up these thoughts from her subconscious for the last time that day, and she suddenly realized how much sleep she must have lost.
Letting fatigue sweep over her, Heather shut her eyes. She listened to the peace and quiet of darkness, letting this help her get to sleep as well. Then the silence was shattered when she heard the window beside her bed smash into thousands of fragments. She felt a few pieces of the window on her face and she quickly brushed them off, mostly because of instincts and reflex. Only when the last fragment had been removed would she open her eyes.
When she did, she turned her head slightly, only to see the silhouette of a person holding a blaster in their hand. She had heard the investigator say this guy was learning. When she wondered and asked herself how much he had learnt, the answer came swiftly and rather painfully when she saw the blaster, being held by the barrel, come very quickly toward her head. The impact knocked her unconscious.