Wren Winters, 22 years old, stared at the corpse while standing with the crowd. They all had the same shocked, fearful, terrified faces. Yeleners had long forgotten the possibility of a murder. Yelen- the country of 0 crimes, they said. Yet in front of them, there laid the break in the system, totally not an accident.
The body laid full of bruises, its clothes stained with dirt and blood. However, he wasn't bleeding. His yellow construction jacket laid some meters away from him. The damp soil of last night's rain revealed the marks of struggle. The footprints scattered around, showing the slides and trips and falls.
Wren hadn't expected to see this. Nobody did. She had just come for a morning walk in the dawn. So had all the others, she felt. She had seen this small crowd and approached them. Now, she had it. A case for her brother. She smiled even though horrified.
A woman behind her started to sob. Wren turned to her.
The woman looked at her face than began frantically, "I have sent for the police. Don't you worry dear. The police should be here soon."
"But how is this even possible. 8 years without a crime and then this? There was no sign of even the smallest thefts these days!" An aged man said.
Then followed the murmurs of many others.
"How much pressure do you wish to give the government? The young king has tried to do his best already to keep us safe. I am sure they will hang the murderer soon."
"Well, what if this was an accident?"
"Yeah, why would someone come to the construction site alone at night, even though they are a worker? Also, does anyone know this man's name?"
"Lord save us! The murder that even the government couldn't stop!"
Wren walked away without a word as soon as she heard a boy shout out from a distance followed by the police. "Mother I got them!" he called out to the woman.
The woman ran to him and hugged him, trying to calm herself as much as him. Wren watched and gave a bitter smile before turning away.
She rushed to her home at the end of the road. Her leather boots splashed through the tiny pools of rainwater on the black, gleaming cobblestone road. She pushed away her short brown hair that fell to her eyes every few moments. One hand was on her chest, feeling the racing heartbeat. Excitement for finding a case for Orion or the fear at the scene she had started her day with or the way she was running-- she didn't know which one made her heart thump that fast and loud and nor did she care.
She finally arrived at the bookstore. She went through the doors that were marked with a hanging board saying CLOSE. She went to the door at the end of the room beside the counter. She opened it revealing the narrow corridor. Taking off her shoes and keeping them in the corner, she first entered the kitchen to greet Mrs. Honey good morning and then give her a bad morning with her most recent news.
The soft clang of the cups and plates welcomed Wren.
"Back from your walk already?" She asked, sipping her tea.
"Yes. Is Orion awake?"
"Is he ever? At this time?" She giggled.
"Well, he better be today. It's a crazy one! You know that construction in the southern part of our town? Someone lies there dead today-"
The woman choked on her tea. She cleared her throat.
"Accident, right?! They have bad safety measures there, right? Right? Oh no, not a murder. Don't look at me like that, Wren. Our town has a killer roaming around. But- I- You can't- I won't let you out okay dear? It's not safe anymore. It's just like the beginning of those Dolvian days."
Wren pressed her lips. Dolvian days. It was like a killing spree 10 years ago. The tribal people in the midst of the forest of Yelen had created an uproar among the people, killing in every town. The king, at that time, was ruling in the most unforgiving way. Deaths every day. Innocent people caught and hanged with no evidence. He had been losing support from his people. The sudden attack from the tribes didn't help either. It all cooled down in one year after much sacrifice. The sacrificed included the death of the old king. The new young prince was sensible enough to not go down that path. He had turned to a constitutional monarchy, given people new rightful laws and freedom and gained much support after the program of the zero crimes. But they never explained how they achieved it.
All they said was, "We will punish severly if we find the truly evil ones. We can see them all." Of course that's the only thing they could say. Yeleners somehow were shocked at the decreasing rate of crimes that year. Soon, there were no crimes. That was the start of the no crime country from 8 years ago. However now there was a break in the system.
Wren closed her eyes.
"It was a murder, Aunt Honey."
Aunt Honey. That's what the siblings called the generous landlady who had raised them as her own kids for 8 years after that fire that killed their parents.
"Oh and you are just so cool about it? No roaming around the streets from now on. Just stay in the bookstore. Your customers will come and go. You will keep earning. What else is needed? Oh I need to plan. I can't let another Dolvian storm break us all."
She had lost her husband and kid in those days.
"Well, your tea." Wren signalled.
Aunt Honey sighed. "Already cold."
Wren shrugged. She went to the stairs to go to her brother. She suddenly halted.
"Also, Good Morning to you, Aunt Honey! "
There was no reply, just a disapproving grunt.
She went upstairs.
Walked to Orion's bedroom.
Slammed the door open.
Orion jumped from his chair in shock, his pen falling from his hand to the floor. His shocked face turned to anger.
"What's your obsession with slamming open the doors?!" He snapped.
"What's with you not sleeping today?" She snapped back. It was shocking for her to see him awake so early. He rolled his eyes at her strange question. She scowled.
"I brought a good news for you." She said slowly, scanning his table. Orion was up early to reopen his search for clues of his parents. Old newspapers and letters laid scattered. She frowned. He can't stay unemployed, repeating the same thing with no real goal.
"No news is good for me."
"Grumpy Old Man. There's a murder. Southern area. Outside gates of that construction site."
His ears perked up with interest. She smiled proudly and continued it with the details she had observed and the theories she had made.
"The body laid resting to a tree. It was a worker. At night. Alone. Super weird. Must have been called.
Skid marks was around the body. He was either running frantically in the dark, slipping again and again or fighting with the murderer.
There was blood on his jacket but not blood flowing out his body. I don't think it was his. The killer must have already been injured. "
She stopped and looked him into the eyes. "RS? "
He shook his head. "Shouldn't be. They won't do a thing so easily detectable. They are a secret organization remember? I doubt these small town police even know about them. It should be someone else. But how come someone break through the Red Scorpion's system. Eight years... "
"So?"
"I don't know. I have to check it for myself. You are not reliable you know."
"Brother, I just gave you details better than-"
He stood up and picked up his coat had been hanging on his chair for a week now.
"-any civilian– Wait, is that even clean?"
" Not dirty either." He shrugged. He left for the crime scene while she decided not to watch that scene again.