LOGINShare
Part 17: The Symbol Killer
Last Updated:
2021-09-17 13:54:12I can feel my heart pounding so fast as I hold onto my laptop bag as tight as I can. I'm excited and nervous for Officer Douglas to see what I prepared for him---the exact location where the symbol killer is. And if everything goes well today, they can finally arrest the man.
I keep holding my breath inside this crowded elevator as I feel Clayton slowly putting his arm around my waist. I gestured him to stop, trying not to give in to his soft touch. But he just smiled.
"I was worried about you, you shit." Brenna slams her hands on my desk. "You didn't call. Didn't leave a message. You got me thinking you were dead!"
We were given a short break and I decided to spend it by clearing things out with Brenna. Clayton, on the other hand, went out with some of our workmates for a couple of drinks, which includes Wilson (and I'm kind of surprised he joined them).
"Where were you last night?" she asked as she sits beside me, still giving me
Related chapters
The Detective Tag Part 18: Good Night
The entire S.W.A.T. and The Detective Tag firm will be in charge of the arrest tomorrow morning. I'm nervous. For sure that it'll be a huge event to look forward to. And to be honest, although I felt proud for doing my part, I still have this fear lingering inside me.Arresting a dangerous man like him is no joke. Especially since he never hides privately. Based on what my tracker says, he's always out in a public place. Not because he wants attention or anything. But because it can be an advantage to him.A police can come up to arrest him anytime. But in a public place, he can grab any person within his reach and threaten the officers so he can escape.That's what I think.But I don't want to stress or think about it too much. I know that whatever will happen tomorrow will happen. And even if it turns out bad or successful, he's still going to face his crimes, either way.I put the salt down as I busily attempt to ma
Last Updated : 2021-09-17The Detective Tag Part 19: The End Of Chase
While I stressfully stare at my laptop screen, I suddenly feel the gentle touch of Clayton's hand on my lap as he focuses his eyes on the road. I smiled at him, trying to ignore the fact that I'm nervous.Today is the big day. The day we get to arrest the man who killed with no detailed agenda or motive at all. I remember Officer Douglas offering me this case. He told me before that there were no lead suspects back then.I can say from experience that it's much harder to trace a criminal down if you're clueless of what their truest motive is. The reason why finding the killer took quite a lot of time is because he wasn't killing for revenge or anything obvious.If it's a revenge act, you can tell it easily. Just trace down the people associated with the suspect and you might find the real motive there. But to kill more than two people for an imaginary cult is a different problem.I never would've known how to really work properly a
Last Updated : 2021-09-17The Detective Tag Part 20: Perfect Denouement
The most crucial part of what happened that day came to an end after what seemed like two days. After the man was arrested, they immediately brought him inside an interrogation room where the security was extra tight. And suddenly, his name and face was all over the news and television screens: DEAN CHAPMAN, now commonly known as The Symbol Killer. That sort of became his name for the media. So many families of his past victims protested outside the police station and outside the building of our firm, seeking for justice by requesting Chapman to be sentenced to death. I don't know what my preference is about that issue. A part of me believes he deserve death for doing such horrible things to innocent people. But then again, death is too kind for him. I think that a life sentence is more of a proper punishment for his crimes. You know what happens once they arrest a wanted killer. He gets to be the frontpage of every newspaper. He gets to be
Last Updated : 2021-09-17The Detective Tag Part 1: Monday Disaster
I can't believe it took me three years to realize that being a detective is a curse. When my father first told me about it, I didn't believe him. Why the hell should I, anyway? All I needed to do was to chase down criminals and study their traces. For such a long time, I only thought about clues, forensic puzzles, and crime interrogation. Now, fuck it. It's my fifth bottle tonight. And I probably wouldn't stop until I knock myself out. "Damn, girl!" Brenna exclaimed. "I didn't know this is how miserable your life is." I bit my lower lip and replied with a shurg, opening another bottle of beer in front of me. Today was a hell day. And for the past few weeks, I thought of nothing but my job. I have no idea if there's any deed I can possibly do to make Officer Rankin think that I deserve to get that promotion. Each time I pass by his office, there was nothing but a slight smirk coming from under his moustache. He's probably been thinking how unfit I am for that damn position.
Last Updated : 2021-09-12The Detective Tag Part 2: Experience
"It's Monday, for Christ's sake!" Officer Rankin slams the table with both hands, looking at me with pure disappointment and probably annoyance in his eyes. I nodded softly and look around, only to see that everyone's been staring at me for five minutes now. Straight. "I know," I gently replied. "I'm sorry. I just... didn't mean what happened. I was stupid last night." Then total silence finally embraces the room. Brenna keeps giving me an apologetic look and gestured me to come towards her now. Officer Rankin is always like this. Not only to me but to everyone. And I understand that he wants to discipline us the right way. I'm not going to argue with that. "You need to keep up, Officer Culkin." He pointed at me. "This isn't some sort of an internship. You're a professional detective, for crying out loud." I tried to keep those words inside my head for the next few hours. I've been arranging all the case I'm handl
Last Updated : 2021-09-12The Detective Tag Part 3: Call It Confusion
I keep going back over and over to what Officer Douglas just told me earlier. Instead of going to bed early, I ended up making a warm cup of coffee while staring into an empty space of my kitchen wall. This is ridiculous. What I meant by gaining a new experience is for me to finally show them what I'm capable of. Alone. As a detective. As a professional worker, seriously. And by that, having someone to work on a case with is the LAST thing I'd want. I wasn't able to fully say yes to what Officer Douglas told me about. But certainly, he knows I don't have a choice. It's either I accept this case or I continue to sit on my damn chair all day and read new cases about robbery and sick kids painting private vehicles with spray paint. Who would choose the latter, anyway? But at the same time, I am damn confuse. I want to do something for myself and my career so badly. I'm trying to make a point that I can do whatever the other office
Last Updated : 2021-09-12The Detective Tag Part 4: All Or Nothing
After I stare into the very soul of the mirror inside this bathroom, I wash my face down the sink for the third time. I keep checking at the door just to see if anyone would come inside. I just couldn't bear the idea of having someone here with me when I feel so surprised and a bit embarrassed. Out of all the possible men in this God damn state, why does it have to be the same person that I met through accident? It'd be okay if it's someone I don't know or who doesn't know me. But I feel like things are only getting worse for my career. "Are you crazy?" Brenna said on the other line. "Get out of the bathroom. They're not looking anymore." she added, referring to our co-workers who were staring at me earlier. "He's out there," I told her. "Clayton already settled. He's on his desk." She let out a short sigh. "Seriously, Sam. What are you? A kid?" I rolled my eyes for a short moment. She's not wrong, t
Last Updated : 2021-09-12The Detective Tag Part 5: Another Victim
I look out the window of the cafeteria. It feels calming to see raindrops falling down the glass. Everyone seems to be busy walking down the street. And here I am, sitting across someone I genuinely dislike, trying to avoid his gaze every now and again. "We should start." Clayton sighed. "It's been thirty minutes, Samara. The rain wouldn't go anywhere." Now a bit embarrassed of the immaturity I've been showing him, I turn to look at him back and finally open the folder that's lying down the table this whole time. "Fine." I said. "I'm sorry." He took out a pen from the inside pocket of his coat and handed it to me. "So this murderer," he began. "His main targets are usually those who live in secluded houses---where neighbors are practically nonexistent." I nodded. "Yeah. And... it says here," I flipped a few more pages. "He's killed five victims so far. No clear signs of motive." It's be
Last Updated : 2021-09-12
Latest chapter
The Detective Tag Part 20: Perfect Denouement
The most crucial part of what happened that day came to an end after what seemed like two days. After the man was arrested, they immediately brought him inside an interrogation room where the security was extra tight. And suddenly, his name and face was all over the news and television screens: DEAN CHAPMAN, now commonly known as The Symbol Killer. That sort of became his name for the media. So many families of his past victims protested outside the police station and outside the building of our firm, seeking for justice by requesting Chapman to be sentenced to death. I don't know what my preference is about that issue. A part of me believes he deserve death for doing such horrible things to innocent people. But then again, death is too kind for him. I think that a life sentence is more of a proper punishment for his crimes. You know what happens once they arrest a wanted killer. He gets to be the frontpage of every newspaper. He gets to be
The Detective Tag Part 19: The End Of Chase
While I stressfully stare at my laptop screen, I suddenly feel the gentle touch of Clayton's hand on my lap as he focuses his eyes on the road. I smiled at him, trying to ignore the fact that I'm nervous.Today is the big day. The day we get to arrest the man who killed with no detailed agenda or motive at all. I remember Officer Douglas offering me this case. He told me before that there were no lead suspects back then.I can say from experience that it's much harder to trace a criminal down if you're clueless of what their truest motive is. The reason why finding the killer took quite a lot of time is because he wasn't killing for revenge or anything obvious.If it's a revenge act, you can tell it easily. Just trace down the people associated with the suspect and you might find the real motive there. But to kill more than two people for an imaginary cult is a different problem.I never would've known how to really work properly a
The Detective Tag Part 18: Good Night
The entire S.W.A.T. and The Detective Tag firm will be in charge of the arrest tomorrow morning. I'm nervous. For sure that it'll be a huge event to look forward to. And to be honest, although I felt proud for doing my part, I still have this fear lingering inside me.Arresting a dangerous man like him is no joke. Especially since he never hides privately. Based on what my tracker says, he's always out in a public place. Not because he wants attention or anything. But because it can be an advantage to him.A police can come up to arrest him anytime. But in a public place, he can grab any person within his reach and threaten the officers so he can escape.That's what I think.But I don't want to stress or think about it too much. I know that whatever will happen tomorrow will happen. And even if it turns out bad or successful, he's still going to face his crimes, either way.I put the salt down as I busily attempt to ma
The Detective Tag Part 17: The Symbol Killer
I can feel my heart pounding so fast as I hold onto my laptop bag as tight as I can. I'm excited and nervous for Officer Douglas to see what I prepared for him---the exact location where the symbol killer is. And if everything goes well today, they can finally arrest the man.I keep holding my breath inside this crowded elevator as I feel Clayton slowly putting his arm around my waist. I gestured him to stop, trying not to give in to his soft touch. But he just smiled."I was worried about you, you shit." Brenna slams her hands on my desk. "You didn't call. Didn't leave a message. You got me thinking you were dead!"We were given a short break and I decided to spend it by clearing things out with Brenna. Clayton, on the other hand, went out with some of our workmates for a couple of drinks, which includes Wilson (and I'm kind of surprised he joined them)."Where were you last night?" she asked as she sits beside me, still giving me
The Detective Tag Part 16: Smitten
The first thing I thought about when I got home was to take a bath. A long fucking one. A bath that would take all the negative energy away. Energy that I got from that stupid piece of shit who actually thought about abducting me.I didn't think about phone calls. Texts. Or anything else.During the course that I was inside the house with that man, I've been gone for two days straight. I didn't have any idea that it lasted that long. I guess I fell asleep too hard that I woke up after a long time.There was a huge sense of fright, anxiety, and courage in me all at the same time. But I was too confused of my situation that I couldn't think straight about how I really feel.I don't know if the man escapes again. Or if he's still lying down the ground. It's been four hours since I drive away and I couldn't care less about his situation.It's almost midnight. I'm tired and I want to fucking rest.-
The Detective Tag Part 15: Last Offering
"Stay away from me."Those were the first words that came out of my mouth when he pushes me hard against the wall. His hands are tightly tied on both of my arms, making me unable to move."Who the fuck sent you here, huh?" he asked, voice covered in utter frustration."Let..." I could barely speak. "Let me go!""Tell me!" He raises his voice.I can feel his hot breathing on the nape of my neck. I tried moving my legs in attempt to kick him from the back, but his knees are pinning me in my place."Okay," I replied, catching my breath. "Okay, I'll tell you. Just let me go."If there is one thing that my detective school didn't teach me, it's about luring criminals and making them believe you're one of them. I'm not confident that this trick could work. But I know it wouldn't be bad to try."I promise I wouldn't do anything." I added. "Just let me go.""You think I didn'
The Detective Tag Part 14: A Pitfall
The loud beep of my alarm clock jolted me awake in an instant. It's Friday and today's the day of my personal investigation without having Clayton with me.Only Officer Douglas knows about this. I pleaded him last time not to tell anyone about it. Not even Brenna, especially. Because I'm certain she'd let Clayton know about it the moment she learns I'm doing this alone.I've been trying my best to avoid replying on Clayton's texts these past few hours. I know I might accidentally bring something up that he shouldn't know about. It's safer for him to be clueless about my plans.Besides, like I said, I don't want him to get hurt because of me. Not for the second time. I feel guilty enough already for what happened that day."This is Samara Culkin," I put my phone into a loud speaker mode and grab my fresh pants on the bed, wearing it in a swift manner. "Yeah. I'd like to order a cup of coffee. I'll pick it up when I get there."
The Detective Tag Part 13: Revisit
"Three days is a long break, Dad." I said, putting my white nail polish down the desk as I let my toenails dry for a few minutes. "Besides, he's probably searching for his next victim. If I could only fight back that day, Clayton would've caught the man easily. It's my fault."After spending the entire evening with Clayton yesterday, I managed to find enough time to call my father and tell him about what happened. I couldn't help but repeatedly blame myself for the failure I caused that day."Everybody makes mistakes, Sam." My father sighed. "And worry about yourself! There'll be plenty of cases around. But you wouldn't solve any of them if you aren't okay."And as usual, he's right. But the weight and burden still remains on my chest.We talked for a few more minutes, having a simple conversation about how he managed to cook his favorite pasta today. He's cute. Always is and always will.My father told me about how he
The Detective Tag Part 12: Orange Skies
The Detective Tag firm immediately found out about the case Clayton and I were handling together when a report from different police stations broke out.Initially, it was only supposed to exist between Clayton, Officer Rankin and Douglas, Brenna, and me. But now they all know it. Everyone. And unfortunately, Amanda and Tin has been giving me the worst look since this morning.As soon as the police came to us yesterday, Clayton was immediately sent to the hospital. I made a choice to go home instead of coming along with him. That way, the hospital staffs would give him more attention and eventually attend to his wounds quickly.I was given the chance not to attend work today and spend time at home. But I feel as though that would mean special treatment. I didn't want to be excused because I got hurt. In fact, I should be penalized for letting the suspect run away.I woke up early this morning and drive my way to work. Everyone here
