Seattle, known as the "Emerald City," was a city on the Pacific coast,
Even though it was at a high latitude,
Because it was on the leeward side of the Olympic Mountains,
The huge mountains blocked the cold air and monsoon winds from the Arctic Circle,
And because the coast received abundant ocean vapor, and the North Pacific Warm Current passed by the coast,
It formed a temperate oceanic climate with mild and rainy all year round.
Even though it was cloudy most of the year,
But such a climate also cultivated the natural landscape of Seattle's vast green fields and lush trees.
The blue sea surrounded the emerald Seattle,
It also made this place a tourist destination that people flocked to like ducks.
Unfortunately, winter was not the peak season for tourism here,
November to March of every year was the season with the most rainfall. Bruce stopped the car and walked to the beach with an umbrella.
A cordon had been set up there,
And because of the weather, a shed had been set up. Bruce quickly walked to the shed and saw the body on the ground at a glance.
This was a young woman,
Her whole body was covered in wet sand, and her lifeless eyes were wide open. She lay on her side on the beach in a somewhat twisted posture,
Her neck was tilted,
There were also two wounds on the exposed neck, and dark red blood flowed out from the wounds,
One of her hands was holding the gold necklace around her neck,
She put it to her mouth as if she was kissing it,
The other hand was palm up, five fingers tightly together, and stretched out in a direction over the top of her head.
Bruce put away the umbrella and put it aside,
He squatted down and put on his gloves,
He pulled out the thing in her hand along the necklace. The small gold ornament hanging on the necklace was about the size of the fingernail of his index finger. Bruce looked at it carefully again, not sure what it was. Maybe it was some kind of bird, with a pair of wings on both sides and a simple slender stick in the middle. Maybe it was an angel? After all, it was hard not to think of her as praying.
Bruce looked in the direction of the victim's hand. There were some low buildings at the end of his line of sight. He raised his head and asked the police officer standing beside him, "Where is that?"
The officer looked at it and smiled. "Agent, you've never been to Seattle before, right? Over there was the Riverside District. The area between Pier 70 on Broad Avenue and Pier 50 on Main Street was the Riverside District. It was a very unique tourist attraction. The former wharf warehouse had been transformed into a shopping center. There were all kinds of shops inside. One could also take a yacht or a passenger boat there for sightseeing. It's very lively over there, unlike here, which is an undeveloped coastal area. Tourists rarely come here. "
Bruce thanked him and felt like he was overthinking it. The location of the victim's finger might not have meant anything, but this victim was dumped in a deserted area, unlike the previous three victims, who were directly dumped on the road in the city. Wasn't this the murderer trying to say something?
Back at the police station, Bruce shared his theory. "I think the victim's lack of resistance was due to some kind of belief."
"Faith? Most religions have something to do with conquering the fear of death. "Reid narrowed his eyes." But … "
"It's difficult to reach the level of sacrificing one's life for it, especially for young people. These victims were highly educated and should have believed more in science. Even if they had faith, they wouldn't have been so fanatical." Bruce continued, "I know that, but from the scene, this is the most reliable guess."
"The location of this victim's body was completely different from the previous three. Is there anything else at the scene?" Hotch sat at the table and asked. The information of the latest victim was spread out on the table.
"The cause of death was the same as the previous three. There were no signs of struggle, the bag was beside her, and no valuables were lost. It was easy to determine the victim's identity from the ID in the bag. There's just one thing. "Bruce sat in the chair opposite Hotch and pointed to a photo of the latest victim on the table." Her hand was pointing in the direction of the Riverside District. I'm not sure if this has any meaning. "
Hotch immediately informed Garcia to check the location of the bodies and the Riverside District in recent months to see if there were any noteworthy cases that might be related to this case.
JJ walked in, her face grim. She placed a folder on Hotch's table. "This case happened in the small town of Forks near Seattle. There was a similar case more than a month ago, and this one was found this morning. They were all found in the depths of the forest by travelers."
Bruce leaned closer to take a look. There were deep scratches on the bodies of the two victims, two bloody holes on their necks, and bruises on their necks.
"Why wasn't the information submitted to us together with this one?" Hotch pointed to the victim's file from a month ago and asked solemnly.
"It happened in different places, and the cause of death was different. Although there were two wounds on the neck, the cause of death was asphyxiation. There was no sign of excessive blood loss," JJ explained. "But this morning, there was excessive blood loss."
Hotch looked at the file and raised his head to look at Bruce. Bruce immediately stood up and said, "I'll go to Forks."
"Da, Vid went to the victim's house to ask about the victim's relatives. He'll be back soon. You …" Hotch paused and said, "I'll go with you."
The black SUV sped down the road. It was almost always rainy in Seattle during winter. Driving out of the city, Bruce looked ahead. A little further away was shrouded in a thin mist. Only the straight road in front of him seemed to lead him all the way to the gray horizon.
Amused by his sudden thought, Bruce glanced at Hotch beside him. "Do you know the legend about vampires?"
"What legend?"
"Vampires. In most novels and movies, vampires are fantasy creatures that drink blood to maintain their vitality. They are nocturnal and have supernatural powers."
"You believe in this?"
"It doesn't matter if I believe in it or not, but I suddenly thought that if belief alone doesn't make sense, the murderer might have given the victim the temptation of eternal life and turned her from a human into a vampire. In many works, when a human dies, the blood of a vampire in their body can be turned into a vampire. "Bruce's voice was calm.
Hotch didn't say anything, but Bruce could feel his disdain.
Seattle was about an hour's drive from Forks, and with Bruce's driving, the distance was reduced by a third. Seeing the road sign, Bruce turned the car onto another road and drove into Forks, a town with a population of less than 3000.
He parked the car in front of the town's police station. There were only a few officers in the station. Soon, the sheriff who received the news came over. "Hello, I'm Sheriff Moreton."
"I'm Agent Hotcher, and this is Agent Jones."
"Do you want to see the victim's body first or where the victim was found?" Sheriff Moreton was in a hurry, but he soon realized this himself. "Sorry, you've come a long way, so you'd better rest first. It's getting dark, so you can go to the crime scene tomorrow."
"Do you have the forensic report?" Hotch asked.
"Er, there are no specialized forensic doctors in town, and we lack the relevant equipment. It was done by a doctor, so he might not be very professional."
When the report was delivered, Hotch frowned. "Take us to see the body."
The sheriff personally led them to the morgue. There was only one body in the room, and before they asked, the sheriff said, "The victim from more than a month ago was a resident of the town. His family said that he was harmed by evil and requested that his body be cremated and buried."
"What about this one? Can you confirm her identity?" Seeing Hotch's pale face, Bruce hurried to ask. This was the female victim that they had seen in the information that they had found this morning.
"No, she doesn't have anything to prove her identity, and she's not a resident of the town."
"What animal left these scratches?"
"It's a wolf. There's a wolf pack deep in the woods. However, with the development of tourism in recent years, many tourists have started camping in the woods near the town. Wolves have moved deeper into the woods, and it's getting harder to see them. The last wolf attack was eight years ago. "
Bruce looked at the scratches on the victim's neck. "Was the cause of death due to excessive blood loss? Or was it suffocation like the last one? Are there any traces of saliva on the wound? "
"Sorry, that can't be confirmed. Last night's rain … damaged many of the wounds."
Hotch looked at the body and took out his phone to make a call. He then said to the sheriff, "I've already informed the FBI in Seattle. The body will be transferred there for examination. Now, take us to the crime scene. "
"Now? But it's getting dark, and the woods might not be safe at night. "The sheriff was hesitant.
Bruce looked at the time. It was almost four o 'clock. "Let's go quickly. After another night of rain, nothing will be left at the scene."
The sheriff found a local hunter to lead the way. The hunter used to be a police officer in town before he retired, and he was very familiar with the woods. The car drove through the small path in the woods.
"Our town's main industry was logging, and this road was opened at that time. In recent years, tourism has gradually become the town's main industry, and fewer people use this road," the old hunter said enthusiastically. "You have to solve the case as soon as possible. Due to this case, there have been fewer tourists coming to our town recently. Because of the many rivers around the town, this is a good place to fish in the winter."
Not long after, they reached the end of the road. "This is as far as the car can go. We'll have to walk further in, but it's not far from the crime scene. We'll be there in ten minutes."
After they got out of the car, the old hunter led the way. It was drizzling in the woods. Bruce went back to the car to grab an umbrella and opened it to catch up with Hotch. He walked beside him and held the umbrella over their heads.
"I remember there was more than one umbrella in the car." Hotch looked at the umbrella that Bruce was holding.
Bruce blinked. "I only saw this one." Hotch didn't say anything else. Bruce thought he saw a smile in Hotch's eyes, but he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination.
Even though it was a big umbrella, it was still a bit small for two tall people. Bruce could feel the friction between their clothes. The wind blew, but the winter rain didn't feel cold at all. It brushed past their faces, leaving only gentleness.
Looking at the people around him, Bruce curved his lips. He hoped that the road would be longer. They walked through the woods and heard the sound of water getting louder and louder.
"There's a waterfall up ahead." The old hunter turned back and smiled at them. "It's one of the most beautiful scenery around here."
The sound of water grew louder and louder. Not long after, the old hunter suddenly screamed. He threw down the umbrella and pulled out his gun.
Bruce looked in the direction the old hunter was pointing. In the woods ahead, there was a person fighting with five wolves. The person didn't have a weapon, but he was agile and didn't seem to be at a disadvantage. Not only did he dodge the wolves' attacks, he also occasionally counterattacked with a punch, causing the wolves to howl.
Hearing the sound, the person seemed to float back a few meters and left the battle. When he turned around and saw the three of them, he revealed a sinister smile.
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