4 years later....

Junaid loosened the tie of his black suit, as he surveyed the area around him. He was walking towards the squad cars that had blocked off the entire street.

Krystal City was a well-developed metropolitan, and a fast-growing business and technological capital.

But like any other city, it had a dark side too.

It was the part of Krystal City, that was a hub of all illegal activities.

The street was deserted, except for a lone street lamp illuminating the entire place.

“This way sir,” an officer directed.

The warehouse was like any other.

Empty and dilapidated.

A perfect place for a killer to steal the lives of his innocent victims.

The walls had a thick layer of dust over them, the light-yellow paint peeling off in many places.

Junaid had to cover his eyes due to the sudden glare of the lamp above his head.

The warehouse was dimly lit with lamps hanging from the ceiling, all around the large room. They just barely illuminated the area below them, blacking out anything that was out of its circular radius.

Junaid slowly walked down the long corridor towards the one place he dreaded the most - the crime scene.

He was dreading what he would find there. The same dread that had gripped him, five times before.

The lamp hanging in the centre of the warehouse, shone on the crime scene.

Junaid stopped a few steps away from it. He didn’t want to disturb anything. He wished to be in any other place, except here.

Officers were scattered all around the place, searching for clues, bagging pieces of evidence, taking photos of the crime scene.

He wanted to avert his gaze and look at anything, but her.

He couldn’t.

Junaid had seen much more gruesome scenes, during his service in the army, but nothing came even close to the scene that was glaring back at him.

He looked at the dead woman lying on the surgical table.

Her face was pale, the blood had long drained out of it.

Her lips were parted, and were a light shade of blue. Her eyes were still open. Wide open. They were staring at the lamp above.

Her hands where hanging out next to her body. Deep red marks circled her wrists.

She was wearing a blue hospital gown. A green cloth had been placed on her stomach, exposing a rectangular part of her skin. The cloth and her gown were now a dark shade of crimson, with some places already turned black.

Blood was still dripping out of the clean cut made on her belly.

The blood had formed a small puddle near the foot of the table.

Junaid eyes fell on her baby.

The baby had been placed between the woman’s left arm and body. An unborn baby. It had been wrapped in a pure white blanket. The baby’s skin was a ghastly shade of blue and wrinkled. It had a tiny nose and thin lips. Had Junaid not known, seeing the tranquillity on the baby’s face, he would have thought that it was in a deep, peaceful slumber.

His gaze returned to the woman’s face. He just stared at her eyes. He could still see the pain them, even though he knew that it was not possible.

Suddenly, a gloved hand reached over to the woman’s eyes and gently closed them.

“That’s the least we can do,” a male voice said.

Junaid turned to face the young medical examiner standing next to him. He gave him a weak smile.

“Did you find anything, Mark?” Junaid asked.

“Nothing much. All I can give you is the time of death. She was killed a couple of hours ago, somewhere between 12:00 to 14:00 hours,” Mark answered.

“What about the baby?” Junaid’s voice was barely audible.

“The baby was a girl. She was just two months away, from being born. She was seven months old,” Mark answered. He was shaking his head. “No one deserves this.”

“I don’t understand, what is this guy trying to prove or why is he going after pregnant women!” Junaid let out his frustration. The officers closest to him and even Mark were startled. He just couldn’t take it anymore.

“Sorry,” Junaid said out in general before turning to Mark. “I’ll meet you at the precinct.”

Mark gave him a sympathetic nod before getting back to his work. He was waiting for the coroner, to take the body over to the forensic lab.

As Junaid stepped out on the pavement, a cold breeze blew into his face.

Unlike others, he enjoyed the cool of the night. He found it soothing.

But today, he was feeling uneasy. It was as if someone was watching him.

Out of habit, he tilted his head backwards and checked at the rooftop of the building on the opposite street. No one was there.

Casually, he turned to his left and glanced down the street, also checking out the curb next to the warehouse.

It was empty.

He slowly started turning to his right. But before he could fully turn, he heard the shuffle of steps and someone backing into the alleyway.

Something tucked around the waist of the person, glinted when it caught the light.

It was a gun.

“Hey! Stop!” Junaid yelled, as he took off after this person.

Junaid had to jump over big garbage bags lying strewn around, as he ran through the narrow alley. He thought about firing at the runner, but was unable to get a clear shot.

No matter what or how much Junaid yelled, the runner didn’t seem to slow down. Instead, he picked up speed.

Junaid lost his footing and had to grab onto the huge dumpster to steady himself. He was almost about to fall on the trash bags.

Junaid looked around for something, and his eyes settled on the lid of a small trash bin. He swiftly picked up the lid and threw it in the direction of the runner.

The lid hit the runner hard in the back, causing him to topple forward. He was desperately trying to grab onto the trash bags around him.

Junaid was quick on his feet and a few seconds later had the runner in cuffs.

He secured the runner’s gun and started checking his pockets. He found large pouches of white crystalline powder.

“Meth,” Junaid muttered, as he helped the runner to his feet.

~

“Oh my God! You finally found the murderer!”

Junaid smiled at the dramatic outburst of his junior, Officer Jenna Santiago.

“Unfortunately, no,” Junaid said, as he handed the runner to Jenna. “He’s just a drug dealer. Get him down to Narcotics. Once they are done with him, interrogate him. I want to know everything he knows.”

“Sir,” Jenna answered, escorting the runner to the holding cells.

“And, ask them to check all the surrounding warehouses, too. I’m sure they’ll find something in one of them,” Junaid said.

“Who knows how many kids they might find in there,” Jenna hissed, as she shoved the runner in the direction of the cells.

“Lieutenant, a word,” a firm voice called out.

It was Captain Clarissa Hale. She was standing outside her office, with her hand resting on the door handle. She was dressed in a cream coloured suit, her strawberry blond hair pulled into a tight bun, with a few stubborn strands poking out of it.

A few minutes later, Captain Hale was sitting behind a mahogany desk with Junaid sitting in a chair across from her.

“I need to discuss an important matter with you,” Captain Hale said, her hands resting on a brown file in front of her.

Junaid nodded his head for her to continue.

“Today, was the sixth murder in three months. And we are still nowhere close to catching this psychopath. And this case is slowly becoming a national issue,” Captain Hale continued in a grim tone. “That’s why, I think it’s time to get another officer on the case. To help you. The Mayor agrees too.”

“We are doing our best. It’s not our fault that any lead we find turns out to be a dead end,” Junaid said, a tinge of hurt in his voice. “I am doing everything I can. We all are. I know I’m new to this. But do you feel I’m not capable enough to solve this case?”

“Your capability has nothing to do with this case. You have proved yourself time and again, and everyone knows that,” Captain Hale answered. “You just need all the help you can get.”

“And who is he.” Junaid asked.

“She,” Captain Hale corrected. She pushed the file towards Junaid. “Abigail Parker.”

Junaid opened the file and stared at the photo of a smiling girl, before reading further.

“Five promotions in three years. Medals, citations. Wow,” Junaid was impressed, “But... there’s no latest information about her... Why?”

“Because she took up a desk job at the District Attorney’s Office, three years ago,” Captain Hale answered.

“Why?” Junaid said on disbelief. “What happened three years ago?”

“All I can say is that it was really bad. And that it broke her,” Captain Hale had a distant look in her eyes as she said this.

“But why her?” Junaid asked.

“Because she’s the best we have.”

“Did she accept the case?”

“No. She isn’t returning any of our calls, mine or the Mayor’s office,” Captain Hale answered. “That’s why I am sending you to convince her to take this case.”

“What if she doesn’t agree?”

“I don’t know,” Captain Hale said. “I just hope you manage to convince Abigail.”

Junaid gave her an affirmative nod before getting up to leave. Just as he reached the door, he turned back.

“One more question,” Junaid asked. “Did you get anything on S.H.A.D.O.W.?”