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Post by Felicia Campbell on Sept 23, 2016 21:29:24 GMT -5
"Merlin's beard," Felicia gasped under her breath. "Is this consistent with the other attacks? And are we sure this isn't the work of a vampire?"
Vampires, at least, were predictable and far easier to track. They could easily deploy the Ministry's Magical Creatures containment unit for that. But somehow, the idea of dealing with a flesh-and-blood psychopath seemed infinitely worse.
When the victim's next of kin was mentioned, Felicia frowned deeply. It was almost becoming routine to have to tell family members that their loved ones were not coming back. But it never got easier. And Felicia hoped it never would.
"We can talk to them together, if you want," she told Grayson.
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Post by Grayson Steele on Sept 23, 2016 22:31:13 GMT -5
"No." Grayson said simply, the file had more detail from the medical examiner, the girl had been cut in many places, but specifically ones that would lead to the most blood loss, the body had then been cleaned.
"The torture is consistent and there's this..." Grayson handed Felicia a set of photos, one from each of the girls. There was an "M" carved onto each body confirming what they all feared, it was a serial killer.
"He hid it initially with a charm, but the M.E. was able to discover it."
When the interruption came Grayson closed his eyes for a moment. He knew first hand what it was like to get that call. He insisted on handling the families personally, and was caught by surprise when Felicia offered to come with him. He nodded once.
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Post by Felicia Campbell on Oct 7, 2016 17:56:23 GMT -5
Felicia felt nauseous as she looked at the pictures. She had not dealt with serial killers in the past, but she had obviously heard about some in the past. Everyone knew of Jack the Ripper, and it terrified Felicia to think that someone like that might be out there. This one seemed unpredictable, which meant literally any woman could be a victim.
She would have to talk more with Grayson, to see if there were any patterns or connections or anything that might make it easier to predict his next move or figure out his identity, but for now, they needed to talk to the victim’s family. It made her ache inside, remembering how she had felt when Gia had been killed in the battle of Hogsmeade.
She followed him silently into the interrogation room, where they would have to give these unfortunate people the worst news they would likely ever hear.
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Post by Grayson Steele on Oct 8, 2016 2:24:53 GMT -5
Grayson didn't know about Felicia's daughter, not that it was a great conversation point, but it would have been something they could both understand. No parent should have to bury their child.
The problem with giving the news that someone's child was dead, was that there was no "right" way to give it, even worse so many officials often gave the news in a "terrible" way.
Grayson had worked the case that involved his family, he heard of the death from the killer, it was first hand. But truthfully, nothing made it easier.
He walked with Felicia toward the interrogation room and held the door open for her before following her inside, "Mr. and Mrs. Young, thank you for coming to the station."
"Is this about Penny?" the woman - Mrs. Young - asked. She was an older version of her daughter, still very pretty, and very concerned.
"Yes Ma'am. I'm afraid it is."
"Is she alright? Is she..."
Grayson's eyes told the story, news that no parent should receive. Mrs. Young let loose a wail and fell into her husband's arms.
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Post by Felicia Campbell on Oct 9, 2016 18:42:44 GMT -5
Felicia shouldn’t have come in here for this. She regretted it almost immediately, when she saw the girl’s mother looking so worried. And when she realized, without Grayson even saying the words, that her daughter was not OK, that she’d never see her again… It hit home for Felicia in so many ways. She gripped the back of a chair, partially to steady herself and partially to hide the fact that her hands were shaking.
When Gia died, Felicia hadn’t had a husband to cling to. In fact, she’d had no one at all to even talk to about it, because as far as everyone knew, Gia was not her daughter. Everyone thought she was Felicia’s niece. So while they expected her to be sad, somehow they didn’t expect her to be devastated, as though losing a niece wasn’t bad enough.
But the worst part was that Gia had died not knowing the truth. She had never known that her Aunt Felicia was actually her mother. And now Gia’s life and the truth of her identity was just a painful secret that Felicia had to carry alone in silence.
“We’re so very sorry for your loss, ma’am,” she said, her voice breaking just a little. “We give you our word that we are doing everything we can to find out who is responsible.”
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Post by Grayson Steele on Oct 10, 2016 2:17:34 GMT -5
Grayson was grateful for Felicia's words, as the woman's pain was affecting him deeply. He kept it together fairly well but he wasn't immune to scenes of devastation. Still he gave the news time and again, and it was this look of pure anguish that drove him harder in the case.
"Please take all the time you need." Grayson said gently, " We'd like to discuss any friends or relationships your daughter might have had, anything that may have seemed odd to you about her behavior, anything at all."
He knew what he was saying. He had said these words before to other families. But he knew it didn't make a difference, they couldn't hear him. They were lost in a place where nothing made sense.
"We understand if you need some time and would like to be alone. If we can be of assistance in anyway, or if you recall anything that may be linked to the investigation, any officer will be happy to help, and my personal information is listed here." he said setting down a card.
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