After tossing back my third cup of coffee in frustration, a stack of unsolved case files on my table stared at me as my phone buzzed. It was my partner, Nick Thomas.
“Where are you?” I blurted through my teeth. He should have been back to the office an hour ago.
“Uh, I'm at a crime scene…Sinclair mansion. I was driving by when I heard gunshots.”
“Oh, crap. Nick.” I massaged my temples, a headache looming in the back somewhere.
“I know, I know….but this one feels….I think we can solve this one real quick. Will you come down?”
An exasperated sigh and I was on my feet, picked my car keys and badge from my drawer and headed out. My adrenaline was kicking in. “Fine! I'm on my way.” I ended the call, paused and dialled Nick back.
“Yea, Parker?”
“You haven't called forensics yet, have you?”
“Was just going to.”
“Good. Don't. I'll handle it.”
“Jeremy won't like that. Who do you have in mind?”
“Thanks to Jeremy, I have five unsolved cases on my table! Nah, not anymore. I'll give Reeves a call.”
Nick was quiet for a moment. Jeremy might be the deputy head of the CSI unit in my town, he wasn't getting much done and the unsolved cases were not looking good on my record. I wanted to try something or someone new. “Anne?”
“Yes, Anne Reeves. Trust me Nick, she'll help us close this one fast. I'm on my way.” I ended the call so Nick didn't come up with a million reasons why that move might not be a good idea. We would never know until we try it, eh?
The patrol team had set up a perimeter with caution tape to keep people away from the Sinclair mansion. As I approached, Nick walked up to me with a scowl, and raised the tape for me to walk through. “Reeves is here with her twin. Other officers won't shut up about it. Where have you been?”
“Calling in a favour with two press people—”
“Wait, what? Parker!”
I sighed and patted his shoulder. “Have I ever steered us wrong? We need this win. Trust me.”
He nodded and walked with me into the mansion. Being a rookie that I handpicked from his class before graduation to be my partner, I was fortunate he followed my instructions, although not without questioning the sensibility and feasibility of them.
A body on the marble floor of the kitchen was covered with a white sheet. I raised it, had a look and wished I didn't. It was Rebecca Sinclair. Pity.
Evidence markers were laid out on different points on the floor so we followed the trail to the master bathroom upstairs. There stood Anne Reeves, the best forensic analyst who often collaborated on high profile cases with her identical twin, Ava O'Malley, a psychologist. While my superiors would definitely have my head and my pay cheque for this extravagance, I didn't care. I needed a win.
Anne glanced up and smiled at me. The black dot beside her nose set her apart from her twin. Her brows furrowed at the sight of Nick beside me. I motioned for him to wait outside the bathroom.
“Glad you made it here on time,” I said, shaking the two women's gloved hands.
“Glad you caught us at a free time,” Anne replied with a smirk. I chuckled and noticed Ava gasped, moving towards the Victorian clawfoot bathtub in the centre of the opulent bathroom.
Anne gestured that we move close to her sister. This was my first time working with the two ladies and I was about to witness how they solved cases so fast. My eyes darted between them both then halted when Ava's eyes turned glassy, like she had drifted elsewhere.
“It's this bathtub,” she whispered, running her hands on the edge of the tub.
“Tell me, Ava. What do you see?” Anna asked, positioning her writing pad to take down notes. I froze, glanced between them again and everything clicked into place. The sisters solved their cases with such remarkable efficiency aided by psychic insight.
I was going to say something when Anna scowled at me, placing a finger on her lips. I snapped my lips shut.
Tears slowly streamed down Ava's face as her hands continued touching the edge of the tub. “It's a bathtub of tears…It all happened right here…he…he cleaned it up afterwards.”
I didn't expect my first high profile case to put me in front of the cameras but this one did.
We arrested Austin Sinclair, the business magnate, for the torture and murder of his trophy wife in the bathtub.
I swore to the twins to keep their secret.
I hope you enjoyed reading this short story. It's inspired by the Freewrite #dailyprompt word “bathtub of tears”.
Thank you for visiting my blog.
Image 1: Sammy Sander
Image 2: Vika_Glitter
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This story is so interesting! The characters and their interactions make it really engaging. I liked how they solved the mystery together. The twist with the bathtub was surprising! Great job!
Found your post from #dreemport
What a heartwarming comment! Thanks so much for reading. I'm glad you enjoyed this story. !LADY 🙂
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It is beautiful how you can take me on this crime scene journey like I was there life and witnessing everything happening.
The Twins sure know their onions and for you to pick them to help with the case was a smart call.
#dreemerforlife
Thanks so much for your fine comment! I'm glad you enjoyed reading. The twins are my favourite characters in this story. !LADY
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I can imagine an entire range of books with these characters. That was a fun prelude. Fun read.
Cheers from a fellow #dreemerforlife
Ah, you've given me an idea of a series featuring these characters! Thanks so much for reading. !PIZZA 🙂
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I enjoyed reading your story. It's really interesting.
Always a #dreemerforlife
Thanks so much! 🙂