**Violence Against Women**

-Detective Mike Riggs-

I sit at my desk doing the only thing that I don't like about my job: paperwork. I'm knee-deep in it. I gave strict orders not to be disturbed for the next few hours unless it was an emergency and no other detectives were available.

Of course, I hear a knock on my door. Really? "Come in."

Officer Kent sneaks his head into my office. "I know you didn't want to be disturbed, but I believe you will want to hear about this."

I sigh, "You might as well tell me since you already interrupted me."

I don't hide the irritation in my voice.

Kent informed me, "They found a body at the East Harbor."

"Okay... are there no other detectives available?" I inquire.

"Yes, there is, but I thought you would want this case," Kent replied seriously.

Now, I am curious. "Go on."

Kent takes a deep breath. "The victim was completely naked in a ravine at East Harbor. She has blonde hair, blue eyes, and bright red lipstick."

My heart drops to the fucking floor. I stand up and come around the desk. "Give me the details."

***

I arrive on the scene, and it's chaos. People are everywhere.

I walk over to the nearest officer. "Please get these people further back. I don't want them to fuckup my crime scene."

"Yes, sir." The officer quickly moves back the people.

I got to the yellow tape and ducked underneath it. I walked over to the victim and immediately noticed some differences between this victim and the others. Her beaten face was terrible, and she would most likely not be identifiable by those close to her.

Our serial's signature of mutilating her breast and genitalia is evident. I can see that the bruises on her neck look like finger marks. Seeing the petechial hemorrhages in her one eye, not swollen shut from the beating that she took, leads me to believe that the cause of death is like the other victims: strangulation.

He's never touched their faces before. It was personal; the unsub knows this woman. I have a feeling that when we find out her identity, we'll finally have our killer. We haven't had a case here or in Philadelphia in almost three years. I was unsure if the unsub moved away, died, or had another reason for not killing in so long.

The coroner soon joins me. "I was hoping that this guy left Baltimore."

He looks at the victim. "What the hell? It's not his MO. He's never punched a face like this. Do you think this woman is a victim of a different unsub that just so happens to like blonde and blue-eyed women?"

"With bright red lipstick?" I ask.

He rubs his chin. "You got me there."

"Besides, everything else about this murder points to our guy," I add.

He inserts a probe into the victim to get her body temperature. "She's only been dead for two to four hours. I would guess that the cause of death is strangulation. I'll know more when I get her on the table. Are you ready for me to take her?"

I shake my head. "Let me ensure the forensic team gets what they need first. Then you can take her. Give me a call when you know something."

He smiles. "I always do."

I grin and stand up. I let the coroner do his job and approached the forensic officer. "Did you get her body photographed and processed yet?"

"We got all we need from the body." He confirmed.

"Do me a favor and let the coroner know she'd good to go," I request.

"Will do," he agreed. "We'll finish processing the scene once they remove her body."

"Sounds good. I'll be back over in a minute." I leave and return to the lead officer I spoke with when I arrived. "Thank you for taking care of the spectators. Have you come across any witnesses?"

He points over to a young couple standing apart from the crowd. "Those two standing over there were the ones who called it in. Everyone else is just spectators after the fact."

"Great, thanks." I nod my appreciation.

I walk over to the couple he pointed out. "Hello, I'm Detective Mike Riggs. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

The young man speaks up. "We don't mind at all."

I smile at him to calm his nervousness, hopefully. "What time did you come across the body, and how did you find it hidden in the ravine."

The boy looks down. "Um... we were looking for somewhere to have some privacy."

I look from one witness to the other. The girl turns bright red. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen," said the boy.

"Sixteen," replied the girl shyly

I run my fingers through my hair. Babies. I have babies for witnesses.

I clear my throat, "Okay, I now know why you went down there; what was the time that you found the body."

They look at each other.

"I'm not 100% sure, around 10:00?" The boy shrugs.

"Yeah. It was a little before 10:00," the girl agrees.

"Wait... shouldn't you two be in school?" I inquire when it hits me that today is a school day.

They look at each other, and I can see the panic in their eyes.

"Listen, you're not in trouble with me. Okay?" I say in an attempt to ease their minds.

"Are you going to tell our parents?" they say in unison.

I think for a moment before answering. "Where do you live?"

"We live at Spinnaker Bay apartments," the boy answers for both of them.

These two are just a few blocks from their home.

I ignore the parent question for now. "Did you see anyone leaving the area?"

The boy looks at the girl. "I didn't see anyone; that's why I chose to go down there."

The girl blushes red again.

"Did you touch the body in any way?" I ask.

They both look disgusted. "No way!" the girl says adamantly.

The boy spoke up, "I called 911 right away. We couldn't get away from her fast enough."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the coroner and his assistant place the body in their van.

"Thank you for your help. Please give the officer your names, addresses, and phone numbers before you leave, in case I have more questions." I wave over to the officer.

"Yes, sir, we will," the boy says, and the girl nods.

The officer comes over. "Please get their information."

I look back over to them. "Then you can let the kids go."

I see the relief in their eyes. "No more skipping school, and thank you for calling us even though there was a chance of you two getting into big trouble. You did the right thing."

They nod at me, and I turn around to take a look at the crime scene once more. The forensic team is just finishing up, just like the other murders, with nothing left behind by the killer. It appears to be nothing more than a dumpsite.

*****