Status: In Progress
The Masks That We Wear
Prologue
Prologue
“The closing years of life are like the end of a masquerade party, when the masks are dropped.”
~Cesare Pavese
Detective Myles White looked down at the body lying at his feet. He was silent, and anyone that looked at him would say he was expressionless as well.
“What do you think?” Questioned his partner; Detective Sarah Watson.
She pulled out a cigarette and placed it between her lips, before sparking a match on the brick wall at her side and lighting the smoke.
“Not much to think, is there? It’s the fifteenth body in two weeks. Two weeks.”
Myles was frustrated. He wanted answers about these… unusual murders. He used the term ‘unusual’ lightly; these murders were plain weird and frankly quite odd.
Myles used the current body as an example. It was of a young woman, she had been murdered on her way home from working at a small, family restaurant. A co worker had found the woman when coming outside for a smoke.
The young woman was positioned up against the wall, sitting with her ankles crossed and her hands folded neatly in her lap. There was no blood on her clothes, or the clothes of any of the other murder victims.
They had been killed by getting choked, as Myles could see by the red rope burn around her neck. Everything above her neck, though, was covered.
By a mask.
To be specific, a beautifully painted masquerade mask. The kind that people wore to balls and parties in the movies, though those parties didn’t exist much in real life, except around Halloween time.
They knew who was committing the murders. A gang calling themselves ‘The Masks’. Their MO was placing a masquerade mask on each of their victims, as well as positioning them, most commonly leaning against something with their hands in their lap and their legs or ankles crossed.
“Well, we just have to wait it out. I mean, it’s just a gang of kids, right?” Sarah said, and Myles raised an eyebrow at her.
“Just a gang of kids committing brutal murders, yes.”
Sarah narrowed her blue eyes at him, flicking her blond hair over her shoulder. She crossed her arms over her coat and leaned against the wall, looking down at the body.
“How much more can a group of kids do, without leadership?”
“That’s the thing… I think they do have a leader.”
Sarah looked confused.
“Come again?” She said, and Myles shook his head.
“I thought these kids were just committing random murders, but, I don’t think that’s right. They must be following someone’s orders, I mean, what teenagers would position their victims and place a mask over their face?”
Sarah gave him a look.
“That’s what you’re supposed to be finding out.” She said, and Myles crossed his arms.
“That’s what we’re supposed to be finding out. We, not just myself. You’re my partner.” Myles said, and Sarah shrugged.
“Well, I’m doing much help, because I have no idea what to make of this. It’s confusing, and frankly just plain weird.”
Myles nodded.
“We just have to find more clues…”
“The closing years of life are like the end of a masquerade party, when the masks are dropped.”
~Cesare Pavese
Detective Myles White looked down at the body lying at his feet. He was silent, and anyone that looked at him would say he was expressionless as well.
“What do you think?” Questioned his partner; Detective Sarah Watson.
She pulled out a cigarette and placed it between her lips, before sparking a match on the brick wall at her side and lighting the smoke.
“Not much to think, is there? It’s the fifteenth body in two weeks. Two weeks.”
Myles was frustrated. He wanted answers about these… unusual murders. He used the term ‘unusual’ lightly; these murders were plain weird and frankly quite odd.
Myles used the current body as an example. It was of a young woman, she had been murdered on her way home from working at a small, family restaurant. A co worker had found the woman when coming outside for a smoke.
The young woman was positioned up against the wall, sitting with her ankles crossed and her hands folded neatly in her lap. There was no blood on her clothes, or the clothes of any of the other murder victims.
They had been killed by getting choked, as Myles could see by the red rope burn around her neck. Everything above her neck, though, was covered.
By a mask.
To be specific, a beautifully painted masquerade mask. The kind that people wore to balls and parties in the movies, though those parties didn’t exist much in real life, except around Halloween time.
They knew who was committing the murders. A gang calling themselves ‘The Masks’. Their MO was placing a masquerade mask on each of their victims, as well as positioning them, most commonly leaning against something with their hands in their lap and their legs or ankles crossed.
“Well, we just have to wait it out. I mean, it’s just a gang of kids, right?” Sarah said, and Myles raised an eyebrow at her.
“Just a gang of kids committing brutal murders, yes.”
Sarah narrowed her blue eyes at him, flicking her blond hair over her shoulder. She crossed her arms over her coat and leaned against the wall, looking down at the body.
“How much more can a group of kids do, without leadership?”
“That’s the thing… I think they do have a leader.”
Sarah looked confused.
“Come again?” She said, and Myles shook his head.
“I thought these kids were just committing random murders, but, I don’t think that’s right. They must be following someone’s orders, I mean, what teenagers would position their victims and place a mask over their face?”
Sarah gave him a look.
“That’s what you’re supposed to be finding out.” She said, and Myles crossed his arms.
“That’s what we’re supposed to be finding out. We, not just myself. You’re my partner.” Myles said, and Sarah shrugged.
“Well, I’m doing much help, because I have no idea what to make of this. It’s confusing, and frankly just plain weird.”
Myles nodded.
“We just have to find more clues…”