The cigarette butt lay still smoldering in the soft, new fallen snow futilely tyring to hang on to life already doomed. The ashes of the now extinguished fire rolled through the air with the innocent snowflakes now tainted by the crimes of man. Carley Peterson stood in her signature stance. One foot turned toward the crime scene the other at the square. Her arms partially folded her sleder hand softly stroking her chin. Carley ran an independent detective service out of a home she had converted into an office. Her assistant Joan stood by Carley's side with a small notepad watching and listening intently waiting for her employer to speak. Carley had no patience for keeping track of her own notes. Organization wasn't one of her strong suits. This particular arson case bothered Carley deeply because of its direct connection to a serial murder case she had been working on for a little over a year now. The police had long given up on chasing the deranged man that was terrorizing the people of Pennbrooke. The connection between these two cases that disturbed Miss Carley Peterson so much was that the man that had perished in the arson fire was James Mason, the man that had been the only suspect in the serial murders. This fact was only disturbing because another murder fitting the MO of the sadistic torture that was roaming the streets of this once peaceful city. The media had dubbed the phycopath the Piccolo Pete after the firework because of the chemical residue left on the victims. James Mason had, had access to a number of chemicals that would have been nearly impossible for a member of the general public to obtain. He was a chemist for a government company whose operations were closely guarded. The officials in charged seemed to like playing things close to the chest. Carley picked up the now cold cigarette butt with a pair of tweezers before the police could take it away locking her out of what could be a vital piece of evidence. She carefully placed the butt inside a plastic evidence bag and handed it off to her assistant. Carley gazed around the charred home noticing that the fire appeared to have been set from inside the home. "Lets go home Joan, I've seen what i need to see," Carley muttered. The drive back to the office was chaos trying to maneuver around the news vans , police cars, and other emergency vehicles. After forty five minutes of trying to make a fifteen minute trip Carley and Joan finally made it back to the office that Carley called home. "Go ahead and head home for the night," Carley said to Joan in a slightly abrasive manner. Joan smiled taking her boss's response casually knowing it was just a lack of sleep that had hardened her mood. Carley pulled the cigarette butt out of its protective environment something caught her attention that had escaped her before. There were faint lipstick smudges on the butt. A deep red that seemed somehow familiar. As she ran through the possibility's of where she had seen that shade of lipstick before sleep deprivation got the better of her and she fell to sleep. Carley woke to a loud knock on the door. Startled she attempted to straiten her disheveled hair as she strode across the room to answer her waiting visitor. She opened the door. Two men in uniform stood on her porch. "Hello Miss, Peterson. I am detective Swanson and this is my partner Leroy. We have a few questions to ask you may we come in? Confused Carley nodded her head self consciously wondering what had brought these two gentlemen out to her home to question her at such a late hour. "Sorry about the time Miss, Peterson but this is a pressing matter. We just need to clear up your whereabouts for tonight around 2a.m." Puzzled Carley replied. "I was here sleeping, I fell asleep while i was working on a case. What is this about detectives?" Detective Swanson looked his partner in the eyes briefly with a look of discomfort before answering. "There is a significant amount of evidence that you are connected with the murder of Joan Sharp and several other victims attributed to Piccolo Pete." " I don't understand?" Carley mumbled "Joan was murdered? She was just here tonight helping me wrap things up for the day." The officers made eye contact once again looking increasingly worried. "We are going to need you to come with us Miss, Peterson. There are some things you need to see.........." Memories of violent attacks came flooding back into Carley's mind. Memories of what seemed to be another life. She nodded her consent and allowed herself to be taken into custody. "I think I'd like a lawyer," were the last words anyone heard her utter out loud as she was loaded into the back of the detectives squad car. As Detective Swanson drove away he looked in the rear view mirror at the abandoned shack where the body's had been discovered. It had been under careful watch for sometime waiting for the killer to make their appearance. Tonight the people of Pennbrooke could sleep soundly. Piccolo Pete had finally been apprehended.
The End
By: Matthew Lynn