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“There’s one connection between all of these,” I say to myself. “The way in which these xaphan were executed, but there’s not much to go off of there.”
I had already inquired if there were any murders of a similar nature here and to no avail.
Think! There must be something I can figure out from all of this…
That’s when the idea hits me like a punch to the face.
“I know! Instead of looking for similarities, I’ll see if there are any outliers among these cases.”
Even the professionals slip up and leave something behind. In my knowledge, I’m aware that they do some things differently at the start of their killing spree, while they’re still trying to figure out their signature mark.
I step closer to the table, planting a finger on the first murder recorded. I pick up the pictures, cross examining them with those of the other murders.
There is one stark difference, something that hasn’t yet been noted by any intelligence agents at either of the embassies.
“This first kill… it’s nowhere near as clean as the others. The later murders seem more calculated, more precise, whereas this first one is more like pure, unadulterated rage.”
What could have been the cause?I think to myself. It’s clear that this first murder was done to let off some steam. In comparison, the others seemed to be carried out in steps, as if the killer created their own guide to follow.
Why so messy with this first murder?
“Hmm… an emotional tie, perhaps.”
It’s the only thing I can think of. I request a file on the deceased, reading the xaphan in question was connected to the execution of a human woman, apparently a spy for us.
I pull another file on the human woman, finding another mysterious connection as I read how this lady claimed to be working for a xaphan by the name Zephon.
“Zephon… why does that name sound so familiar?”
Stroking my chin in deep thought, it takes me only a minute to connect to the dots, recalling that Zephon is the name of the xaphan overseeing this case at their embassy.
“Hmm, best not make any assumptions. I’ve heard far more believable alibis and cover stories. Could be another xaphan with the same name.”
Sighing, I throw the files down on the desk, running a hand over my head in frustration.
“I can feel there’s something here that should be jumping out at me, something obvious…”
I glance over the reports but to no avail. Hunching over the desk, I mindlessly run my eyes over the pictures again. I’d be unsurprised if I saw eight gruesomely murdered xaphan in my dreams tonight, given the amount of times I’ve seen these pictures already.
My eyes come to rest on the picture of the human woman, and then it comes to me. Gasping, I pick up the picture, rubbing my eyes to check I’m not hallucinating.
“This woman… She looks like Elia!”
23
ELIA
“It had to be done.”
That’s what I keep telling myself every time Azron pops into my head, and each time my heart breaks a little more. I’m not sure just how much more it can take before it shatters to pieces. Being broken is something I thought I was used to, but I never expected to be hurt to such a degree again.
And yet it’s self-inflicted… But I had to cut him off.
Letting go of Azron, or at least trying to, is proving to be perhaps the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do, second only to getting through my mother’s murder.
I’ve never been the type to tell fibs to anyone, not even myself. I don’t fabricate some lie to make it all feel better. I don’t tell myself that I don’t want him, because the hard fact is that I do. More than anything, in fact.
I can’t risk being with him any longer. It’s not at all the smart thing to do.Curse this world, all I want is to just forget about all of this and do the ‘not smart’ thing… But that’s just not how it works.
