TW | MENTIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT

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A week goes by, and every elevator ride is the highlight of my day. Most of them go about the same, too: I step out of my apartment—sometimes Dex does as well, and sometimes he's waiting for me, but I'm never first—and we walk down the hall together. The conversations we have during this time and during the elevator ride vary, but I'd hardly even consider them as that to begin with.

Dex leads the conversation, every time, and what he talks about is usually along the same lines: our work. Updating me on the investigation, asking me if I have gathered the newspapers for him yet, which I really need to do. I just also need to go through them first, because I have no idea what could be in there that would get me in trouble, but I don't want to take any risks.

Anyway, that's how it goes, every single day, and I wish I minded it. Well, I suppose that in a sense I do, just not in the way I should. I hate talking about my own criminal case, and I absolutely hold no fondness for how much it seems Dex wants to catch this person. He doesn't outright say it, but I can see this spark of passion in his eyes any time it's brought up. A determination.

It is to be expected that I would dislike this aspect of our conversations. However, I should dislike far more than just that. I should hate talking to him at all, I should be avoiding him at all costs. He's a cop, one slip up around him and I'm probably fucked. It's so risky, but I can't seem to find the strength to end it.

This is because I'm putting it off. I have decided that I am allowed one friend, even if he is a police officer. I will of course end this friendship if things go too far, or get too serious, but I've decided to let myself have this. For now.

I don't find out any new information during this week, and neither does Dex, and our conversations don't stray outside of professional topics. This is good. This is progress.

Then, after eight days of peaceful routine and beginning to really look forward to talking to Dex on our elevator rides, I receive a phone call.

When I get it, we are walking down the hallway together, though all we've said to each other thus far is a greeting. Then, my phone begins buzzing, and I frown. When I pull it out and find Kristy's name staring back at me, I know I have no choice but to answer. So, sighing, I take the call, still walking with Dex.

"Hello?"

"Camilo!" She says in a sing-song voice, sounding way too chipper for what the situation probably entails. I assume she's calling me for a reason, though, so I keep my patience. That's never been too difficult for me, anyway, though.

"Camilo, can you— okay. On your way down here, can you stop and grab us coffee?"

"Okay. Bye."

"No. No, ask me why."

I frown, glancing at Dex out of the corner of my eye, who is frowning in curiosity. Judging by the look on his face, he can probably catch most of what she's saying. When we finally enter the elevator, he can absolutely hear every word.

"Why?"

"Because we're gonna be here all night."

"What are you talking about?" I ask her, annoyed at how cryptic she's being, mostly because she's doing it on purpose. She's trying to build suspense or something, being purposely vague so I have to ask questions. She's done it before.

"Fine, fine," she has the audacity to sound annoyed. I resist the urge to roll my eyes, positive the woman does this stuff on purpose. She's always loved to irritate me, for whatever reason, and has grown quite talented at it over the years.

"I think we might have a new serial killer on our hands." She tells me, and I raise my eyebrow. Dex tenses beside me, confirming the fact that he can hear her. "Not just that—a copycat. I mean, if you can even call it that."

"A copycat?" I ask her, annoyed interest now fully transformed into genuine interest. What? There's only one widely known serial killer in Hadena, so there's only one possibility of who this person could be copying. "A copycat of The Doctor?"

"Yep! I don't think this one is out of admiration, though..." she continues, and the elevator is slowly getting closer and closer to the ground floor. This conversation is beginning to drive me crazy, because every single thing this woman says only brings on more questions. Luckily, she doesn't make me request specification again.

"Honestly, if I were to guess... I'd go so far as to say this guy probably hates him. Or, at the very least, wants a rise out of him." Dex is interested as well, clearly not having heard anything about this. I can tell by the way he's leaning towards me, whether he realizes it or not, to hear the conversation properly.

"Ask her why," Dex reminds me in a whisper, when Kristy doesn't specify. He doesn't understand her game of suspense and bullshit, which I've grown used to over the years. Of course, she seems considerably more interested in this than she has anything else throughout the years, but still. I'm accustomed, and nobody can make light of a grim situation like this woman.

"Because," Kristy continues, which tells me she probably heard him. She also probably recognized his voice, if she's willing to specify at all. That's bad. "Well, you know how The Doctor usually goes after criminals? Like, bad guys?"

I hum an affirmative, really not liking where this conversation is headed. After a moment, the elevator reaches the ground floor, and Dex and I exit. We only walk as far as the lobby—which is thankfully empty—before stopping.

"Yes," I reply, pursing my lips. I can already tell that this is a big deal, and I barely know anything about it. A copycat would be bad enough, but one that seems to hate me? This is not good.

"Alright, well, this guy's victim was Iris Ashley."

That changes the entire tone of the conversation. I know that name. Dex knows that name. Just about everybody in Hadena knows that name, because Iris Ashley was a huge human rights activist, and did a lot of charity work. The amount of food drives and donations of all kinds I've seen with her name on them are countless. She is a high profile Hadena golden girl, almost the face of the city.

She's also a genuinely good person. Nobody can argue with that, not when her good deeds have positively affected the city itself on such a massive level.

Dex and I look at each other, but he looks much more disturbed than I am. Honestly, I don't even know what I'm feeling right now.

"Iris Ashley? Activist Iris Ashley?" I specify, though I have no idea exactly how many other relevant people with that name could live in Hadena.

"Yep. Dissected."

I already know that whoever this copycat is did not dissect her correctly. I already know he did a shit job and I'm going to disagree with everything about it. Nobody can do my job like I can, and... and there's something else about this that bothers me.

I don't go after good people, especially not the woman who single-handedly reduced the food and homelessness crises in this city to almost nothing. This isn't because I see myself as some sort of vigilante, it's because nobody gives a shit when drunk asshole Jim goes missing. The copycat must think it's some sort of moral thing, and I wouldn't blame him. It's a common misconception in how the general public regards The Doctor Of East Hadena. Hell, there are entire groups that agree with me.

He went after someone high-profile, which is a supreme fuckup in the way of a serial killer. It's common sense. Someone is going down for this, and I highly doubt he works with forensics experts. I highly doubt he was as clean about this as I am, so we're gonna find him. No question, and the thought gives me some comfort.

Still, this entire thing pisses me off. "I'm on my way."

I can't help the irritation in my voice, and I'm not looking at Dex, especially at Kristy's next words. "Ok, hurry up—oh, and bring your boyfriend. He'll want to see this."

I don't have the emotional capacity to feel embarrassed on top of my anger, so despite the fact she just pulled that shit, it's hardly at the forefront of my mind. I just hang up the phone, positive she's cackling to herself at the moment, and take a deep breath.

When I get my hands on this fucking copycat, it's all over, I swear to god. I may not be big and strong, I may not be able to physically overpower most people—especially men—but there are a couple things I am good at. For one, I'm excellent with the element of surprise, but I'm also fantastic with knives. I've never wanted to cut one person into pieces more than I do at this very moment, jaw clenched and phone clutched in a vice grip.

"I'll go get my partner, and I'll meet you at the hospital?"

I snap out of it at Dex's voice, turning to look up at him and finding him with a comforting smile. He must think this got to me in a different way, must think I'm upset about Iris herself, that her death has made me sad or angry or something. Nope, I'm pissed off someone's trying to copy me.

"Yeah," I reply, giving him a strained smile in return, realizing we started walking again at some point. A moment later and we reach the parking lot, stopping in the outside sheltered entrance, right before the sidewalk meets asphalt.

"See you there."

I'm already walking away by the time Dex answers, but I'm hardly paying attention to what he says. The subway station is pretty close to my apartment complex, and I make the train just in time, as per usual. Wow, I really need to get better about my timing. One of these days I'm gonna miss it, and then what? Of course, Decari doesn't aid in that, but whatever. Some sacrifices I'm willing to make.

The ride to the hospital and the retrieval of coffee are a blur, I'm deep in thought the entire time as I contemplate what to do about the situation. I eventually settle on not thinking about it, because it's not getting me anywhere, until I actually see the body.

Except, when I see the body, I don't feel any better.

"So, basically, we think it's a copycat because she's completely dissected, in a very similar way to The Doctor's victims," Kristy is telling me, and I'm listening, but I'm also kind of distracted because Dex still isn't here. Considering the fact I took public transportation and also had to stop for coffee, I'm surprised. I guess he had to make a pit stop too, though.

"However, there's a huge difference, because she appears to have at least been physically abused before she succumbed to her injuries. Evidence thinks there might've been a sexual assault, but we can't be sure until the autopsy." Kristy continues, and yeah, this copycat must have something against me. Not only did he hurt a genuinely good and well known woman, but he abused her as well. I don't do that—anything like that.

"The Doctor doesn't do that," I notify her of something she's already well aware of, so she knows I'm still listening.

"Correct," she nods her head, and I hear the door behind me open, signaling someone else just entered the room. "The Doctor appears to be solely interested in dissection, the only injury any of his victims sustain is varying trauma to the head. He does not take anything from them. So far the investigators believe it's a copycat as well, for the same reasons I told you: the social status of the victim and the excessive violence against her beforehand. Also, if there was an assault, he'd have likely left DNA. None of this is in line with any of The Doctor's cases."

Once Kristy finishes with that, she looks over my shoulder and smiles. Presumably at the people who walked during our game of catchup. They are identified when she speaks, "hello, detectives."

Oh.

I turn around and find that Dex has just entered the room with a woman. She has caramel, freckled skin with her dark hair hanging in loose waves past her shoulders. She appears to be around thirty years old, and when I look at her, she's already meeting my gaze.

"Hello," Dex replies, taking a step forward. I turn my gaze over to him and find that his eyes are already on the body. He looks disturbed, and I don't blame him. The copycat was violent through every step of his process, including the dissection. I'm unsure if Dex and his partner would be able to recognize it to that extent, though. "Do you mind catching us up, as well?"

Kristy does so without hesitation, seeming strangely hyper. That could have something to do with the coffee I just brought her, though. When she finishes the entire spiel, she excuses herself—presumably to retrieve some things for the preparation of the autopsy, which is actually my job. Once she has left the room, Dex's partner speaks.

"So, you're Camilo?"

I look over at her, and find her face devoid of emotion. She's around the same height as me, maybe a little shorter, and is meeting me with a level gaze.

"Yes, nice to meet you," I tell her simply, and Dex has never once mentioned his partner. I knew he likely had one, since he's a detective, but it never crossed my mind to ask about her.

"Nice to meet you," She replies blandly. I just glance at Decari, unsure if I'm reading the situation wrong or if she's always this cold. "I'm Lucia."

She is not holding out her hand or anything, so I don't either. This entire exchange feels weird, and I can't help but to glance at Decari, confused. Have I met her or something before? She just feels unreasonably reserved. Maybe I'm just looking into it too much, I don't know.

"We should have the autopsy done by tomorrow," I notify Decari, who nods, giving me a polite smile. He's not acknowledging his partner's strange behavior in any way, so I just assume she's always like this. I have no idea what kind of personal vendetta she could possibly have against me, but I also don't care that much. I just feel kind of awkward.

"At the soonest. It'll take us a while, due to the... complexity."

Decari and his partner leave a couple minutes after I tell them that. They wave bye to Kristy on their way out, and I walk over to help her with the supplies.

She was right, this is going to be a long night.