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~Prologue~
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Leo searched her room once again. The Chief told him to give it up, after all, even the police technicians couldn't find anything relevant here, and that he is wasting his time, which could be devoted to solving another case. However, Leo did not want to listen to anyone. Maybe it didn't make any difference to them whether she was alive or dead, but he couldn't accept that she had disappeared like that without a word. His partner would surely tell him if she'd just decided to drop it all and rest somewhere far away. After all, they were friends, the best friends. They had no secrets, he told her everything, she told him as well, so why would she leave somewhere without saying goodbye? He did not believe the version of events that the Chief and the rest of his colleagues were trying hard to push. Each of them had already believed it, because there were no signs of kidnapping or murder, and the fact that she had not taken anything with her meant nothing to them, and they explained it in different ways. Besides, Leo knew very well that they didn't care about her, that's why it was so easy for them to believe she just run away. But he did care, because his partner was the only person he could fully trust.
Leo searched the bed, the wardrobe, every drawer of the desk one more time, flipped through all the books, looked under the bed, the rug, even each of the four Kalanchoe flower pots that she loved so much... There had to be a trace here, something that will show him where she disappeared and why it happened. He was losing his mind more and more with each passing second. After all, she could not leave without clothes, books, computer or telephone. Neither did any money disappear from her account, and checking the computer and telephone clearly indicated that she had not ordered any tickets. Yes, she might have had cash with her and bought the ticket in person, but she would have had to enter her details anyway, and checking the airlines didn't get any results. The police chief also found an explanation for this - she just did not leave the country and hid somewhere in the UK, hitchhiking, also left her computer and phone just so that no one would track her. Maybe that was a fairly logical explanation, but Leo couldn't believe she would leave him without any goodbye or explanation at all. No, that was definitely not what happened. He had a clear feeling the truth was quite different, and Leo had always trusted his instincts, which was why he could solve many complicated cases and was such a good detective after all.One thing he had to admit - the last few months have been really strange, like some kind of crazy ride. Sometimes Leo regretted that they had taken this damn case - if it hadn't been for that, then maybe all of this wouldn't have happened and she would be here. Yes, it was all inexplicable, weird, and seemed to have something supernatural about it, but Leo was one hundred percent guided by reason and still resisted believing that something like this could be real. Yes, she had assured him that it was all real and existed, but he was more likely to believe that his partner had gone a little bit crazy because of stress and simply had some kind of delusions, than that something supernatural was really going on here. Leo had never seen what she saw, had never heard whispers like she did, and that was the strongest indication that his partner was losing her mind. Yes, he had one strange dream in which there were the creatures she talked about... But that meant nothing, it could have been the result of her constantly telling him about it, and that's why he was dreaming about those creatures. But despite everything, the strange thought had crept up to his mind, that maybe they had taken her? Or maybe she went with them of her own free will? But why? He didn't believe that she could do anything wrong to make these creatures angry. It was also hard for him to believe that she would want to go away with them. Finally Leo shook his head, wanting to banish these absurd thoughts from his head. After all, there are no such things, they don't exist, so he shouldn't think about it. Leo was pretty sure someone had either kidnapped her or, worse, killed. Of course, he prayed fervently that it would be the first option, because then he had a chance to save her. But even if... Even if something worse happened... Leo had to find her anyway, even if it was her dead body. Visiting the grave will be better than not being sure what is happening to her and where she is. It was only two weeks after her disappearance, but if she was in any kind of danger, each day of delay could reduce the chances of finding her alive and in one piece. Besides, Leo said her mother and grandmother that he don't believe what the rest of the policemen were saying and promised that he would find her. Leo wanted to find her not only for himself, to get back his friend, but also, or above all, for her family. It was very difficult for him to go to Penarth and meet Mrs. Moore and her mother, the more so because he had to give them such bad news. Seeing their tearful eyes, Leo promised himself even more eagerly that he would find Esther, no matter what. He couldn't give up and just turn back from this path. Leo was sure he would find some clue eventually, he was a detective after all, right? This was what he was good at - finding clues that would solve a case. And this one was undoubtedly one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult.Leo turned her room upside down and again found nothing. Resigned, he leaned his left hand on the door of large, dark brown wardrobe, but soon was overcome with fury, squeezed his right hand into a fist and pounded with all his strength on the wall in front of him. The wallpaper was almost completely ripped off, and you could see the gray bricks, but Leo didn't think about it, he was only awakened by the pain of hitting one of the hard bricks. He grabbed a hand and hissed for a while. When the pain eased, it was only then that Leo looked back at the wall and saw that one of the bricks - probably the one he had hit on - had moved slightly. When Leo looked at it closely, he noticed immediately that the brick was not sticking to the rest at all, so he grabbed it and took out. First of all, this brick was at least half narrower than the other bricks. However, Leo immediately understood why it was like this when saw a bundle in the brick hole, so he put the brick on a nearby desk and reached deeper into the hole, pulling out something wrapped in a gray cloth. Leo unwrapped the slightly dusty cloth, and then saw a black A4 notebook. Putting the piece of cloth on the same desk as the brick, he turned the notebook over in his hand. Finally, Leo sat on the edge of the bed and untied the ribbon that held the front and back covers. After opening the notebook, he saw his partner's personal details on the first page.- "It must be her diary or something like that."- Leo thought.- "Then maybe there's something here, some clue..."- he realized after a short moment and immediately turned the page, slowly reading what was written on the next one.Related chapters
The Scarlet Angels Chapter 1: Esther's Diary (Page 01 to 03)
"Sparkling angel, I believedYou were my saviour in my time of needBlinded by faith I couldn't hearAll the whispers - the warnings so clearI see the angels, I'll lead them to your doorThere's no escape now, no mercy no moreNo remorse 'cause I still rememberThe smile when you tore me apartYou took my heart, deceived me right from the startYou showed me dreams - I wished they would turn into realYou broke the promise and made me realizeIt was all just a lieSparkling angel, I couldn't seeYour dark intentions, your feelings for meFallen angel, tell me "why?"What is the reason? The thorn in your eye (...)Could have been foreverNow we have reached the endThis world may have failed youIt doesn't g
The Scarlet Angels Chapter 2: Esther's Diary (Page 04 to 05)
There's a story I've heard when I was a girl. My grandma told me about it when I heard about the serial killer who's been going around our neighbourhod. I was so scared while going out, even during the day, and waited eagerly for police to catch him. Then my grandma told me a legend about 'The Scarlet Angels' - a group of Heavenly creatures, who deals with the greatest sinners - abusers, rapists, murderers or terrorists - especially those who escape from being punished by human laws. She said that even if people won't be able to catch such a criminal, 'The Scarlet Angels' will get him sooner or later and make him suffer as much as victims did, and such person will be begging to die, regretting the escape from human law's punishment. It was kind of scary, but also very comforting even tough I was a very resonable person and didn't belive in supernatural. After many years I totally forgot about this legend but since I chose to be a detective who chases the worst criminals, I guess
The Scarlet Angels Chapter 3 - The 'Mad Dog' Case: Part 1
It all started at the end of 2019, specifically on November 30. It was then that, in a single-family housing estate on the outskirts of Cardiff, a neighbor, concerned that her friend from the neighborhood had missed their appointment, decided to visit her at home. After a long, ineffective knock and call, a woman noticed that the back door was open, so she went inside and found her friend lying in the bedroom on the bed, covered in a pool of blood. Of course, the woman immediately notified the police.The murdered woman was Martha Jones, a slim blonde of medium height, at the age of 25, according to witnesses, she had lived in this district for several months after she graduated with honors and her parents bought her a house as a reward. She worked in downtown Cardiff as a secretary in her father's law office and was generally liked, sometimes only her female colleges, jealous of her beauty, spread rumors about the girl's countless love affairs. At least that's what girl's clos
The Scarlet Angels Chapter 4 - The 'Mad Dog' Case: Part 2
Of course, the Criminal Investigation Department of the South Wales Police police in Cardiff did it's best to find some kind of starting point. The pressure was especially intense when another victim was found almost a month later, the day before Christmas Eve, on December 23. It was Marie Williams, a 49-year-old woman of medium height, slightly overweight, with chestnut-colored hair. Her body was found in a garbage container placed under the building where her apartment was located, in a narrow passage between buildings. She was wearing a coat, dress, high-heeled shoes, and an expensive purse lied down next to her. Her hands were tied with a thin rope that resembled the one on which to hang laundry. Her wrists were bound so tightly that quite deep wounds were formed on her skin. Otherwise, the injuries were the same as the previous victim's - a slashed face, gouged eyes, bitten off pieces of flesh, and a whole bunch of stabs made with a sharp weapon. As for the rape, yes, there wer
The Scarlet Angels Chapter 5 - The Amazing Duo
In 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 ch
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
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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.
