Chapter Sixteen: Linda:

She’s been dead for two weeks. Throat slit from ear to ear. She sat up in her favorite armchair. For two weeks, no one noticed a thing. Neighbors in the apartment began to complain about the smell. They called the police to do a welfare check. It was probably nothing at first. This fifty-eight-year-old woman barely got out anyway.

The manager had to unlock the door.

“I have been so swamped with personal problems lately,” she said. “I haven’t had time to check on everyone in this apartment.”

“I understand,” Edwin said. The manager held her breath as she unlocked the door. The smell hit them in the face as the door swung open. That poor manager threw up in her mouth. Edwin could already guess what happened to Linda. He didn’t have to go all the way in to find her. There she was. The body was between mummification to decaying. Maggots ate at the wound on the throat. Her eyes were glazed over with her mouth wide open. The cigarette was down to the butt between her fingers in her right hand. The manager gasped as she backed up. Edwin whipped out his phone.

“911, what’s your emergency?” the operator asked.

“I’m Officer Edwin. Send over back-up at 628 Mango Street at Robin Apartments,” he said. “We’ve got another body.”

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By the time Daniel arrived on the scene, a crowd gathered around the parking lot. Already, the crime scene tape was being put up. The detective had to push his way through the small crowd. Edwin stood at the bottom of the stairs. The body was taken away to the silent ambulance. It took one look at the building before Daniel put the pieces together.

“Was it…?” he began to ask. Edwin nodded once.

“Damn,” his partner said. “How long has she been dead?”

“Two weeks, tops,” the cop said. “Hey.” Daniel glanced up from his thoughts. He saw a worried look on his partner’s face.

“What?” the detective asked. Edwin shuffled his feet as he tried to form his words.

“What is it?” Daniel asked.

“You don’t think that Travis is next, do you?” his partner finally asked. Daniel had to think about that for a moment. He had to drop his shoulders.

“I would be lying if I said no,” Daniel admitted. “But I doubt she would go after him right away. He doesn’t even know where she exactly. They don’t have a good relationship.”

“What’s our next move?” Edwin whispered. His partner looked at the crowd staring at them. He shoved his hands into his pockets and took a deep breath.

“First, we’re going to get rid of this crowd,” Daniel whispered. “And then, we work from there.”

“Right,” Edwin said. The cops walked over to the crowd still looking on. The whole time, Daniel’s mind went back to Celeste.