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Chapter 5 - The Amazing Duo
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2024-10-29 19:42:56In March 2020, after another lack of breakthroughs in the investigation, the 'Mad Dog' case was transferred to a pair of young detectives from Criminal Investigation Department of the South Wales Police police in Cardiff, Esther Moore and Leopold Evans, who formed the so-called 'Amazing Duo'. Due to their young age and rather short work experience, at least compared to their older colleagues, they did not get the case right away. However, when it turned out that none of the senior detectives was able to move the case forward, the investigation was handed over to them. The Chief had high hopes for Esther and Leo, as he had always been pleased with the results of their work. However, the 'Mad Dog' case was perhaps the most difficult in the time, and he was unsure if they could handle it. But seeing the determination on Esther's face as he spoke to them in his office, the Chief became sure that transferring the case to them was the best idea he currently had.
- See? This is our chance to really show them all what we are capable of.- Esther said, slightly clutching the paper folder with file in her hands when they sat at their desks.- We've already shown them many times.- Leo answered in a slightly bored voice.- After all, they call us an 'Amazing Duo' for a reason.- he noted.- I know.- Esther rolled her eyes.- But we've never received such a difficult case before. Even the senior detectives were unable to solve it, and the rest don't even want to try.- she continued.- Imagine what will happen if we manage to catch 'Mad Dog'. Immediate respect, probably also a bonus, maybe even some kind of award... Not to mention the gratitude of the public. We would become like celebrities.- she added with a slight smile.- Firstly, I have the impression that they gave us this case only because it is impossible to solve and if we fail, the Chief will be able to say that the murderer has not been found because we are young detectives and we lack experience.- Leo spoke up.- Secondly, even if we somehow manage to catch this psychopath, I sincerely doubt that it will change anything. They'll congratulate us, maybe we'll get some little bonus, the public will talk about us for a week or two and then move their attention to a celebrity scandal or something like that.- he sighed, looking at her.- Ah, really... Leo, why do you always have such dark thoughts?- Esther asked him slightly resentfully.- I know that most of our colleagues are self-righteous assholes, and the public changes their focus every now and then, but would it hurt if you believed in people at least once?- she added a bit sulky.Leo, seeing her face expression, couldn't help but smile. Esther might not be the typical beauty, but while pouting like this she looked really cute. Esther was his sweet little sister, and he liked it very much, because he grew up in a house with only father and brothers, his mother died while giving birth to the youngest of them. By age, Leo was the third of five siblings.- I admire your enthusiasm and faith in people, the more so because you, as a woman, had to go through many more difficulties than me. I don't know how, after it all, when they put logs under your feet, you can still have faith that they will really appreciate you one day.- Leo admitted, looking at her with clear amazement on his face.- I know my approach can be depressing, but I find it more realistic. In my opinion, it's better not to get your hopes up too much, you will feel less disappointed afterwards. And if everything will turn out like you say, it will be a nice surprise.- he added at the end.- Well, if you put it this way...- Esther thought for a moment.- It might actually be a better strategy.- she admitted, looking at him with a smile.- And thanks for your awe, Leo. You know, my mom taught me to believe in good, no matter how much evil I'll see. She always told me that even the worst person can change. People have a molecule of good in them and there are events that can awaken it.- Esther pointed out, widening her smile.- Wow.- Leo concluded.- Maybe I told you that before, but I've never met a detective with such a positive attitude towards the world and people. It's highly possible that you are one of a kind.- he added with a little amusement.- Thanks.- replied Esther.- And now let's go back to studying the files, there must be something here that will help us catch the 'Mad Dog'.- she added hopefully.~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~Months passed, more victims appeared, and there was practically no progress in the investigation. Previously, confident and enthusiastic, detective Moore had gotten more and more nervous, slowly being convinced that her partner, Leo, was right after all and this case was impossible to solve. When being alone, Esther often sat at her desk and cried at the helplessness she felt. Were they able to do anything else to stop this psychopath? Or will he be killing more women while remaining elusive? Will they ever catch him?It was already September, and in a few months it would be a year from the first murder. By that time, 9 women had already lost their lives, being brutally raped and tortured before their death. As a woman, Esther felt even deeper sympathy for the victims and the fate that befell them. It also seemed that the sole motive of 'Mad Dog' was 'punishing' each of these women because they had 'a rich social life'. Yes, they could be called promiscuous, a few of them cheated on their partners, but that didn't mean they deserved to die, and on top of that in such a brutal way.Leo was worried about Esther, seeing exactly how determined she was to catch this killer. He was afraid that if they really wouldn't find him and put behind bars, his partner might break down. And Esther was not only his partner, but also a friend, a little sister. His heart sank as he saw the sadness and exhaustion clearly visible on her face. He tried to comfort her with little success. Leo knew very well that he was not the best comforter because of his introverted nature, so it was difficult for him to show his feelings, he had more pessimism than optimism, and therefore could not successfully lift someone's spirits. In their 'Amazing Duo' it was Esther who was able to lift the spirits of others easily, she always had so much faith and hope. He couldn't imagine that this energy would ever run out, but apparently the 'Mad Dog' case made Esther lack all this faith and hope.It just made it clear how difficult this case was - it could take the hope of someone as optimistic as Esther. But that's why Leo wanted them to achieve some sort of breakthrough in their investigation. How long will 'Mad Dog' cover his tracks so perfectly? Leo wanted to believe that at some point he would make a mistake. Like many serial killers who are not caught by the police for a longer while, so they feel overconfident and become less thorough. May it be so in the case of the 'Mad Dog'.Related chapters
The Scarlet Angels Chapter 6 - Breakthrough In Investigation
It was September 20, another rather gloomy day, full of work. The evening was slowly approaching and Esther was sitting at her desk looking through the files of the last, so far, victim of 'Mad Dog'. It was a 55-year-old woman, mother of three. Yes, it was revealed that she was cheating on her husband with a man some 20 or so years younger, but that by no means excused the murderer. By what right this man punished women, and in such an inhumane way? He not only raped them, cut their faces, gouged out eyes and bit off pieces of flesh, but also had to stab them with a knife at the end. In many cases, victims died long before the last step, so why the hell did he stab dead bodies? Either he couldn't tell if someone was alive or not, or just didn't care. She sighed heavily, resting elbows on the desk top and hiding face in her hands.- Esther, are you okay?- she heard a familiar voice above her.- Of course not, Leo.- Esther replied sourly, looking up at her partner, who was s
The Scarlet Angels Chapter 7 - The Arrest
The door was locked and attempts to force it down were also unsuccessful, because the door turned out to be really strong, so one of the policemen had to shoot the lock. They finally entered and headed towards the living room, from where the man's screaming came. Before they got there, however, they heard something like a gust of wind, quite strong one, because it had reached the hall, and they could hear the sound of breaking glass in the windows. And when they finally got to the living room, there were indeed glass everywhere, and the windows were broken. There was a blonde-haired man lying on the floor, and his physique matched the 'Mad Dog' description, but he appeared to be unconscious, so Esther approached him slowly, and Leo followed her like a shadow.- Look for the woman.- he turned to the other policemen, and they immediately scattered around the apartment.When Leo and Esther were next to the unconscious man, she crouched down beside him, still holding the gun i
The Scarlet Angels Chapter 8: Esther's Diary (Page 06)
The 'Mad Dog' case was undoubtedly the most difficult I have dealt with. He brutally raped all his victims, either directly or through some mechanical devices, slashed their faces, gouged eyes, bitten off pieces of flesh, and at the end stabbed countless times. Therefore, on this day, September 20 2020, when we got this call and finally caught him, I felt a great deal of relief and joy. However, what he was talking about then re-confused my mind. The 'Scarlet Angels'... I heard clearly - that's what he called those 'creatures' he saw before we came. My mind responded automatically to that term, so I had to ask him more about it. After all, so far I have not met anyone who has mentioned this legend, and certainly not that had seen it with his own eyes. Knowing the legend and what these Angels do, one would think that as a detective, often detaining very dangerous criminals, I should constantly hear from them about the 'Scarlet Angels'. And yet, it was only at the detention of 'M
The Scarlet Angels Chapter 9 - First Interrogation
When Esther and Leo arrived at the police station, they left the police car in the parking lot and led 'Mad Dog' inside. He was immediately taken to a cell, where he was to wait for the first interrogation, which was to take place on the same day. First, Esther and Leo prepared the documents needed for the interrogation, and handed over to the laboratory the items found on the man - a dagger and a rope. Samples of his DNA and an imprint of teeth were also collected, both before and after his metal jaw was removed, after which it was also included in the evidence. Until the results were obtained, which were to check the similarity to the traces found on the bodies of the dead victims, the detained man was to remain in a cell at the police station. As these tests has been classified as urgent, the results should be delivered in two days at the latest, the next day at the earliest. Before the results came out, however, Leo and Esther were to interrogate the suspect, as so far this stat
The Scarlet Angels Chapter 10 - The Evidence
The next day, police reached Laurens Vermeulen's place of residence, which he was renting, and made a search. A lot of vibrators were found there, which 'Mad Dog' probably used to rape his older victims. Besides, pieces of ropes and leather belts matched the appearance of those with which the victims were tied were also found. In addition, an album of photographs of the victims taken from different angles and during several stages of torture was discovered, many of them showing alive or half-alive victims. The laptop was connected to a printer, which contained paper ideal for printing photos. It all explained why, in the inner pocket of his jacket, Laurens Vermeulen had a small digital camera, which came out during more thorough search conducted on the police station.Meanwhile, Esther, not mentioning it to anyone, not even Leo, made her way to the would-be victim's apartment where 'Mad Dog' was captured. However, she had no intention of looking for traces related to the killer
The Scarlet Angels Chapter 11 - Second Interrogation
The 2nd interrogation of Laurens Vermeulen, nicknamed 'Mad Dog', was conducted this time by Leo. Esther herself gave it into the hands of her partner, because she didn't know if the killer's words would make her feel bad again. Leo was certainly less sensitive to such a sick talk. The only thing she feared was that Leo would lose his temper, but he assured her that was much calmer now. In that woman's apartment he reacted in this and no other way because of meeting 'Mad Dog' face to face for the first time and was still frustrated by the long months they had spent looking for this man. Now Leo was just glad that they have him in their hands, and lots of hard evidence, so interrogations were now just a formality for him. Besides, although in the beginning the man had mentioned the 'Scarlet Angels' more often, even to the cell guard officers, he hadn't mentioned a word about them for two days. And it seemed that Leo was most irritated by this 'crazy talk' about supernatural beings. Es
The Scarlet Angels Chapter 12 - Entering the Mystery
After work, Leo wanted to go with Esther for a drink at the bar to celebrate their success, but she excused herself with a headache and quickly returned home. The feather hidden in her pants pocket was bothering her and she wanted to examine it as soon as possible. Could it really belong to the legendary 'Scarlet Angels' or was it just that the woman who lived in that apartment once had a parrot? For at first glance, such a red and quite large feather reminded her only of this bird. But on the other hand, how big feathers could a parrot have? The one she found was the length of her hand, which was small, but Esther had never found a feather as large as this part of her body.Once in her apartment, Esther quickly took off her shoes, and tossed the coat carelessly on the couch in the living room. She quickly found herself in bedroom, where her laptop was. Esther turned it on quickly and waited impatiently for the system to boot up completely. Then she took a picture of the scarle
The Scarlet Angels Chapter 13: Esther's Diary (Page 07)
The next day after the arrest of 'Mad Dog', as not all lab results came, I decided to leave the police station for a moment under the guise of going to lunch and I went to the apartment of the would-be victim, in which he was arrested. I wanted to look around there myself, without any prying eyes around, because I wasn't going to look for anything closely related to this serial killer. I was looking for traces of the presence of 'Scarlet Angels'. According to the testimony of a woman and of the 'Mad Dog' himself, he saw legendary creatures in the living room of the apartment. And if you consider that they are real, they may have left a trace. Of course it wasn't certain, but I thought it was worth checking out. And it's good that I decided to do it, because behind the couch in the living room I found a large feather in a deep shade of scarlet. When the rays of the sun fell on this thing, it seemed as if the feather was made of a thousand tiny rubies, such a glow emanated from i
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The Scarlet Angels ~Epilogue: Part 2~
Leo, after reading Esther's diary, didn't know what to think about it all. He sat down on the edge of her bed, resting the notebook on his lap. If he would take her words seriously, especially from one of the last entries, it seems that Esther's grandmother, Eloise Moore, might be right. However, this did not convinced Leo's skeptical mind. Less important now was what was putting Esther in danger, for even if it existed, now probably wouldn't be able to find her since she disappeared. However, Leo still wanted to know what exactly had happened and where Esther was now. And what was he able to do to contact her in some way... But on the other hand, if all of this, by some miracle, was true, what could he possibly do to find out what happened and how to contact Esther? Therefore, the more he wanted to reject this version of events, because it took away his opportunities, and he really wanted to find her, to see her one last time, even if it was in a coffin.He finally got up, clo
The Scarlet Angels ~Epilogue: Part 1~
Esther slowly regained consciousness, feeling some very bright and warm white light around her. It was an extremely strange feeling, besides, it felt as if she was lying on an extremely soft mattress, pillow and and was covered with an equally soft duvet.- Esther, wake up.- she heard a woman's voice nearby, and then opened her eyes fully, realizing she was lying on a bed of some sort. Esther got up, sitting down, and looked to the side, noticing that on the chair near the bed there was sitting a tall, slim woman with blonde hair, pale complexion and dark blue eyes without pupils, then she also saw two huge scarlet wings. She was similar to the figure on the Laurens Vermeulen's drawing, but her facial features were a little bit different.- You know who I am, don't you?- the woman asked calmly, and contrary to what Esther saw in her dream, she was moving her lips while talking.- Yes... I mean, I think so.- replied Esther, looking at the female angel uncertainly.- You
The Scarlet Angels Chapter 47 - The Last Entry: Esther's Diary (Page 21)
Today, on November 20, when I write all this words, I was supposed to go to work normally, the more that Leo wanted to participate in the 'Mad Dog' trial as an observer, and the Chief agreed that he would be late for work only on condition that I would be on the station, alone for a few hours, taking care of the work for both of us. Unfortunately, not only did I have nightmares full of some devilish creatures at night, but also woke up in the morning with a terrible headache. My head felt like it was about to explode and no pills helped me, I also felt terribly tired, as if someone had sucked all my energy out of me. Therefore, I was forced to call the station and take a day off, and even added that I might have to go to the doctor and take a sick leave, because I seriously thought about it. Then I silenced my phone completely, leaving it on the table in the living room. I didn't want anyone to disturb me, besides the noises only made my headache worse.
The Scarlet Angels Chapter 46 - The Last Entry: Esther's Diary (Page 20)
After an argument with Leo, being at home became a bigger nightmare. It was only in the last week of vacation that I finally managed to go to my mother and grandmother in Penarth, and to this day I regret that did not go to them right after returning from a week's vacation near the Cardiff Bay Wetlands Reserve, because it was only in my family home that everything seemed get back to normal. There were no more whispers, no shadows seen in the corner of my bedroom at night, no nightmares. When it was time to go back to Cardiff, I didn't want to get on the train. I chose this type of transport because while leaving home I didn't feel strong enough to drive a car.When I was back in my apartment, I immediately felt the dark atmosphere that had been with me from the moment I entered that search engine again, trying to find this website about 'Scarlet Angels' and a user 'the_scarlet_truth'. I started to seriously think that maybe this was all some kind of punishment for messing
The Scarlet Angels Chapter 45 - Desperation
From November 20th, when Leo reported Esther's disappearance, until the end of December 2020 there was an investigation into the case, and although the Chief transferred the case to other detectives, Leo was still conducting a private investigation on his own. It irritated him that his colleagues could not find any clues and answer the question of what happened in Esther's apartment that night, and most importantly, where she was now and whether she was still alive or not. However, the case was extremely difficult to solve, as the locked door and the keys being in the apartment prevented anyone from entering, also no fingerprints were found except Esther's and Leo's. The detectives for a moment admitted the possibility that Leo could have had done something to Esther, but the time between him finishing his work and when he called the station was too short and made it impossible for him to do something and then get rid of any traces, including the body. Besides, everyone knew that Le
The Scarlet Angels Chapter 44 - Disappearance: Part 2
When Leo went to the police station, he found out that Esther had called the Chief of Police and said she was feeling unwell and could not turn up for work today. Unable to take it out on her, the police chief spilled his frustrations on Leo, telling him to speak to Esther about it. Leo agreed, of course, and as soon as he got to the office he called Esther, but she didn't answer. It worried him a lot, but he tried to explain to himself that maybe Esther just needed some peace, she was feeling bad after all, right? That's why she took the day off, reportedly even mentioned going to the doctor, so it must have been serious. Unfortunately, Leo became even more worried about that, and he couldn't concentrate properly on his work, and he had twice as much today because had to do Esther's part too. In addition, every now and then someone came to the office and asked him about the court case he was in, even though the media was already dealing with this topic everywhere. That's why Leo re
The Scarlet Angels Chapter 43 - Disappearance: Part 1
Esther woke up in the morning with a huge headache. She had the impression that her head was about to burst, and the pills she took were not helping at all. Esther also felt terribly weakened and saw in the mirror that was terribly pale and had huge dark circles under her eyes. She knew very well that today Leo wanted to appear in court on the 'Mad Dog' trial as an observer, and Esther promised the Chief that she would show up at work so that he would calmly let Leo be a bit late. Unfortunately, Esther felt terrible and knew she couldn't even get dressed, let alone drive or focus on work. Therefore, half an hour before the beginning of the duty, Esther called the police station saying that she would not show up at work today for health reasons, and if necessary, would go to the doctor and take the sick leave. Esther knew the Chief would not be pleased and will surely scold Leo instead of her, but she had no choice.Esther remembered having nightmares at night, but was terrified
The Scarlet Angels Chapter 42 - The Punishment
Laurens Vermeulen was not happy with the sentence, but there was nothing that could be done about it now. He was legally convicted, without the possibility of appealing the sentence. The only chance he had to regain his freedom was to apply for parole after 25 years in prison. Laurens hoped that after that time people would forget about him and that he would be able to safely get it, because he intended to behave properly so as not to worsen his situation. Laurens was afraid enough of the other inmates he would meet in prison, because if the word will spread that he had raped his victims, the others surely won't leave him alone. But the worst part was that Laurens could still hear those damn whispers - they constantly talked about the fact that imprisonment would not be his only punishment, and that they would stay with him forever, to remind about the grave sins he committed, the suffering he caused to the victims, their families and loved ones.Laurens was transported to pris
The Scarlet Angels Chapter 41 - The Final Trial
On November 10th the forensic opinion finally reached the court, and after a careful examination of it, the date of the next hearing was set for November 20th. Esther and Leo were not called in this time, but Leo wanted to appear in court as an observer at least. Esther, back from her vacation, concentrated completely on her work. She looked a bit better than before, but not as well rested enough for a person who had 3 weeks of vacation. Leo found out that Esther had finally visited her mother and grandmother in the last week of her vacation, but he hadn't talked much to her. The atmosphere between them was still tense even though they theoretically apologized to each other for their behavior.- Esther?- Leo spoke to her as they sat in the office.- Yes?- she shot him a quick glance before turning her attention back to going through the files of their current case.- Would you like to come to 'Mad Dog' trial with me as an observer?- Leo asked a little bit shyly.
