CRIME BOOK 101

My Hand For You

The camera shutter dominated the scene. 

Sam approached Emma, who had arrived earlier, as usual. A charred body was discovered by the construction foreman that morning as he started his shift, hanging from the end of a crane, still with a bit of smoke wafting from its blackened form. 

Several police officers had to use special safety equipment to retrieve the body. Even after managing to get close, they still struggled because the chains binding the body were still hot from the remnants of the fire. 

Sam shook his head. 

"Wow, they’re really innovative, aren’t they? Committing murder in such a spectacular way, incredible. Is this some kind of competition?" 

Emma took a deep breath; she had been wearing her latex gloves for a while, but the poor body was still hanging there. 

"You think this is some kind of competition, Boss?" 

"Well, if not, then what? Every week there’s some bizarre and increasingly brutal murder, as if the killer is trying to up the ante on their inhumanity."

The area was cordoned off with police tape, and several officers were stationed on various floors below the roof to prevent construction workers from getting too close; everything there would become evidence for that brutal murder case. Sam was just about to leave when his phone vibrated in his pocket. 

"Wow," he thought, checking who was calling him. It was hard to believe what he had done that morning to deserve such an honor. Clearing his throat with a shout before answering the call, he said, "Ahem! Testing, testing!!" 

Sam moved closer to the freight elevator in the corner to take the call. "Hello?" 

It was Dakota on the line. "Yeah, I think I can be there in a bit, um..." Sam glanced at his watch. "I can get there in no more than twenty minutes. Okay, seeyou there." 

Emma frowned as she saw Sam approaching with a beaming smile. "What's up, Boss? You look so happy. Did you just win a lottery?" 

"I'll leave you here then. Let me know if the body is taken down and checked." 

Emma was too late to stop him as her coworker entered the freight elevator with a few officers heading down. "Hey, come on! The others haven't arrived yet; I'm all alone here!" Emma shouted, but Sam waved goodbye without looking back. 

"Just a minute, Em." 

****

A group of students was gathered in front of Dakota's office door. The police had marked off the area with yellow tape. His assistant, Dina, and several students from his fans club were searching every corner for anything suspicious. 

Dakota sat on the corner of the sofa, a bit away from the table where several police officers had already begun their work. Dina approached him. 

"Professor, since there are no more classes today, we suggest it might be safer for you to head home." 

Dakota lifted his head.

Not long after, a few students approached—Daniel, Ray, Susan, Emmet, Dina, and Laura, among others who were joining his fan club. He never actually suggested anyone create a club in his name, but Dakota's rising popularity had gotten so out of hand that he could no longer control the influx of admirers, even from outside the university. They even set up social media accounts dedicated to him.  

"Thanks, guys."  

The forensic officer had secured some evidence and documentation.  

Soon, Sam appeared from the door. Some of the students left to continue with their business.  

"Dax," he called out to Dakota.  

The young professor looked up as Sam approached him and then headed toward the table where the cardboard box containing the package was still sitting. A forensic officer slowly began to take out its contents.  

It was a severed hand belonging to a woman, still complete with slender fingers painted in bright red nail polish and a silver ring with a purple stone on her ring finger.  

The officer placed it on a plastic sheet next to the box and took a photo.  

Sam stood there, taking a deep breath.  

After days of searching for that hand, it had turned up in an unexpected place, belonging to the victim that immediately came to his mind.  

Aris, one of his team members, handed over a letter in an envelope that had been placed in a plastic bag, left open.  

The handwriting was neat, with a lipstick mark at the end of the note, which read just a few lines: "To my dearest Dakota, my hand will always watch over you. Kiss, Love."  

Sam moved closer to Dakota again.  

"Is there anyone you might suspect? That package was deliberately sent to your office, so the sender is likely someone close to you or someone who usually keeps an eye on you here, especially since you still have an office at headquarters."  

Dakota furrowed his brow in thought and shook his head.  

"No one."  

Soon Thomas appeared from the door. The man widened his eyes to see what was on Dakota's desk.

"Woo Dakota, is this going on your monthly online shopping list? Halloween is still a while away, right?" Sam tossed his plastic bag over Thomas's shoulder.  

"Shh, this is important. What case are you guys working on that has someone threatening Dakota like this? Shouldn't you be thinking?" Thomas frowned.  

"Hmm, aside from researching the 'Copycat Erick' serial killer, there's nothing else, I think your team knows what we're working on too."  

"Yeah, I heard you even went to a super high-security prison to visit him. Isn't that a bit dangerous? You might be fine, but what about Dakota?"  

"Well it's all under control, nothing happened there"

"Next time don't take him there, you know how every eye looks at him as if he was a bunny who is so delicious to be eaten"

"You are just too much, He's not a kid anymore"

"Well, he is!"

While they were talking near his desk, Dakota was still frowning, deep in thought. That handwriting—it felt so familiar for some reason. But could it be? He had a photographic memory that wouldn’t fail him, yet now he was starting to doubt his own memory.  

"Heh."