Two teenage siblings had been reported as runaways by their mother. A week later the older one was found dead and disemboweled in a shallow grave in an abandoned lot.
It had been thought that an argument between the older sibling and the mother caused such action, taking the younger one with her in an attempt to hurt her mother.
A frantic woman was the image she showed at the police station as she begged for help.
“Lizzie is the tough one and I know she’ll survive out there but Kim, she’s so young and so naive, she’s a fragile child and she’ll be sitting duck out there.”
We saw the pain and desperation in her voice but we cannot truly fathom the depth of her emotions.
A task force was soon formed and after a week we did find their children but not in the way we wanted.
Kim had to be carried towards the ambulance with her hand grasping a candy wrapper as the grass touched our skins in an irritating manner. We tried to avert her gaze away from Lizzie’s corpse but the way they held no shine in them told me that it was too late.
Silence held the tongue of the girl when she was found in a numb like state hiding in the tall grass, not far from her sister’s body. Judging from her bruises though, it was evident that whatever horror she had experienced was enough to bring trauma.
The way she rejected food aside from sweets was the puzzle I was itching to solve.
Breaking such a news like this was never easy. The father abandoned a business trip in another state and took the first plane home as soon as he was informed of his missing children.
Tired eyes of the man greeted us as we came bearing the awful truth. He scanned our faces for any hint of hope but they held none.
The couple sat on the couch as they faced us, hands clapsed together as if their lives depended on it. My partner and I shared a glance, signalling that it was time to tell them.
Anguish filled our ears then as the father crumbled on the floor, asking God why this happened.
We were prepared for this scene. The tears, the anger, and the yells. What we weren’t prepared for and will never be was what the mother softly uttered
“At least its not my favorite child.”
Her husband then screamed at her to take it back but the lady kept on insisting that at least Kim was still alive.
“Do you even hear yourself right now?!”
The man asked in an angry tone, his skin turning red.
“We just lost our first born who we’ll bury soon and this is what you say?!”
A crack formed on the mother’s smile as a single tear rolled down her cheek. She took a deep breath composing herself, cleared her throat before replying with.
“I don’t have a daughter to bury coz my child is still alive.”
The husband only wailed louder at that as his wife fought the urge to accept the death of their girl.
Whether she said that out of denial or of guilt, we only know either way that she was hurting.
Psychological help was given to both the couple and Kim. The little one was in still so much shock that when her parents were finally allowed to see her it was as if no one existed. It was as if Kim, despite being present, had died too.
Smoke filled the night air as I found our department’s psychiatrist taking a break outside the hospital after her session with Kim.
“I can’t get to her. “
She greeted me with tears in the rim of her eyes.
“This is unprofessional and I shouldn’t get affected I know, but I haven’t done this for long…and I have a sister too.”
I nodded my head in understanding as I knew the feeling of being fresh in the field as well but unlike her, I was an only child. I could only offer a light the moment she pulled another stick from her case.
Its tragedies like this that made me thankful that I never had siblings.
I know I wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Interviews lead us to the last locations on the night the girls disappeared. Local folks spoke of their worry when they saw the girls all by themselves as these places were known for insidious things, but as many do, they decided to mind their own business in the fear of falling victims to gangs.
One man showed bravery though, spilling the truth that we didn’t want to clean up. When asked why he was so open he calmly stated that he had seen too much already, closing his eyes for the final time would be a favor.
“Voilence over territory started in my youth.”
The old local said as he ignited his cigarette before leaning on the hood of his truck.
“You don’t wanna mess with these shady people because they are protected.”
The way he said the word “protected” had an insinuating tone, indicating that we knew about the crime cover ups by the law enforcement themselves.
“You know the case of Juanita Jerez?”
I crossed my arms then as the wind blew softly on my bangs and replied
“Yes we are aware. It’s a cold one.”
A chuckle left his mouth, shaking his head along as he eyed me from head to toe.
” They turned her into a mule for rejecting a member. We know who did it but as I’ve said, they’re protected. Untouchable and formidable coz the mule money went straight to your leader’s pockets.”
My partner and I exchanged looks, we were aware of the corruption in our work but our focus was not on that.
“You better be careful out there miss.”
I sought the old man’s eyes, demanding for the impact of his answer.
“Because I’m a woman?”
It was then that his face turned sullen. He straightened his posture in a way that he hoped would deliver the seriousness of his message.
“No. Because sometimes, the boys in blue? they bait their own.”
A cctv from a gas station showed the girls buying snack with Kim dropping a candy bar that a stranger kindly picked up. The tape also reveled that the sister’s had been followed by a different person. The perpetrator was soon apprehended and taken in.
In the midst of speculation about gang involvement, it turned out that the suspect was part of neither. He spoke of how one taste of an illegal substance can cause a domino effect and that working alone and clean was so much better.
Upon questioning he confessed that he kept the siblings in his trailer until such time that Lizzie fought back while ordering her sister to escape.
“We’re you planning to traffick them?”
My partner asked, leaning forward in an effort to drive the question home, his jacket long discarded.
A malicious chuckle echoed in the room as the suspect struggled to give an answer.
I felt bile rise up when the man stated his reason for beating up the girls, a sick grin occupying his face.
“To tenderize the flesh.”
The next words from his mouth though were as disgusting as they were terrifying.
“But take note…”
He uttered as his eyes went back and forth between my partner and I.
“I only placed her there coz don’t like the taste of dead meat. I never took her organs. I came back to the site the next day coz I had a change of heart, like, maybe her flesh wouldn’t taste so bad after all but she was just…empty.”
I left the interrogation room that night with my appetite dying along with my faith in humanity.
A steaming hot cup of coffee entered my sight as I sat behind my desk, slowly contemplating the next moves. The hot drink was much delight as my stomach refused solids. My partner and I knew that something more gruesome was awaiting us, not only in this case but in the unveiling of the vile truth that was shrouded with the mantra to protect and serve.
“What that old man said…baiting one of our own? Kelly’s shooting after a failed drug bust…it was one example wasn’t it?”
Honey colored irises searched mine for agreement to which I gave in a single nod.
“It’s best not to meddle in that coz if they sense that we’re starting to be curious, we’d be sitting ducks.”
His curly waves bobbed along with his head as we finished our cups, knowing we were lions in the pit of snakes.
Further investigation revealed another suspect as new evidences were found in the crime scene, nailing a grain of truth from what the man said.
It was the autopsy that gutted me though.
Reports stated that the organs were taken not long after Lizzie’s death, meaning someone had been watching and waiting for their turn.
Someone who was a human scavenger.
A black box was dropped off in front of our office building. Security was on high alert on tracking the sender and the bomb squad was soon called for assitance. No amount of training was enough for what they found inside was something their skills couldn’t handle.
The contents were that of organs, some whole, some in parts, all preserved in a glass container. It didn’t take long to figure out who they belonged to for the note revealed something that turned our stomachs inside-out.
“Dear little girl…how did a part of your sister’s heart taste?”
Everything had become a whirlwind that we had failed to notice the second person in that cctv footage as we were too focused on who was suspicious and not on who seemed innocent.
It was the kind stranger all along…a man who was part of the feared gang.
Both men pleaded guilty, saving us the time for pointless banter. The first one said his admission with such glee that even the judge looked disgusted. The second man uttered his in a monotone voice, it was as if he was bored being in the courtroom.
A celebration for solving the case was offered by our chief, my partner and I would’ve been delighted if not for what we had unconvered during these last few months. The other reason for our unease was that they wanted to toast in a bar that was at the heart of the violent town.
They decided to go without us but my partner and I took a different vehicle to survey the place and to our surprise the old man was there, leaning again on his truck. He caught our gaze a while later and with a stern look he shook his head side by side as if telling us not to enter.
We followed his warning and our guts and in didn’t come as a surprise when the news broke of a brawl that involved bullets in that very bar. To the public’s knowledge it had been a case of the good versus the bad guys. I felt the prick of reality whenever I thought of the real possible reason for the shootout though.
Maybe the commotion happened because my partner and I never went because we weren’t invited to be celebrants…we were invited to be baits.
Nothing was ever the same after that. My trust in my colleagues disentigrating with every smile they threw my way as my self preservation stood high.
Kim’s family was barely functional….they were barely people. I could only include them in the prayers that my old neighbor would offer to say for me.
Just as when my partner and I thought that we could take a breather, that we could stop looking over our shoulders, the news of the old man, who had been a great help, perishing rang in our ears.
The way his body was formed to mimic a rat was beyond horrific. Sharp pieces of his bones were stuck in the place of his front teeth while his right arm was attached to his backside, fashioned to look like a tail.
And just like Lizzie…he had been disemboweled as well.
We could barely look at the scene for aside for him not deserving this kind of ending, we knew what was coming next.
More months passed and the consequence of our actions finally came in the form of boxes left on our doorsteps.
We didn’t need to guess what they held inside…we’ve seen this before. My partner’s call that day spoke of the fear that simmered in me as well as we had received the same note that contained the question.
“Between the two of you who do we open next?”