Lucianhadcursedthe"BeautySlayer"tenthousandtimesover.Societywasalreadyshortonresources,andthislunatichadgoneandwipedoutsomeofitsbrightest,mostbeautifulyoungwomen.Topstudents,goodfamilies,flawlessfaces—gone.Ifevenoneofthemhadbeenspared,Lucianwould''vetakenherhomeandtreatedherlikeagoddess.
Ifheevergothishandsonthatbastard,hewouldn''tshowmercy.Hell,ifhehadthechance,hewouldpullthetriggerontheexecutionhimself.
Butafterthat,the"BeautySlayer"vanished.
Lucianandhisteamtriedeverything,evenbaitinghimwiththeirmoststrikingfemaleofficers,butthekillerneverresurfaced.Thevictims''families,friends,andcolleagues,noneofthemknewwhothegirls''lastcompanionshadbeen.Theyhadsimplylefthomeforschoolorworkandneverreturned.
Thecasewentcold.Tenyearsofdustgatheredoverthoseforty-ninenames.
Atleastnomoreyoungwomendiedatthatmonster''shands.Still,whilethekillerhadstoppedstealingsociety''sbest,Lucianhadn''tfoundawomanworthsettlingdownwithhimself.
Theonlythingthe"BeautySlayer"hadeverlefthimwasReya.
***
Thatday,Lucianhadbeenthelastoneleftatthecrimescene.
Therewasn''tmuchlefttoinvestigate.Theseniordetectiveshadalreadydonetheirwork.Thebodyjusthadn''tbeenmovedyet,supposedlysohecould"gainexperience,""applyhisknowledge"and"contributetothecase."
Thetruthwaslessglamorous:thecoronerwasstuckintraffic,sotheylefthimtheretobabysitthecorpse.
Thegroundwasamess,trampledwithfootprintsfromgawkingvillagers.EvenSherlockHolmeswould''vebeenuselesshere.
内容未完，下一页继续阅读