Chapter 80: Family Massacre, Another One Happened Last Night

Chapter 80: Chapter 80: Family Massacre, Another One Happened Last Night

"She’s a really good artist!"

Perhaps Beau’s defiant expression made Captain Wright smile, but he didn’t take it seriously.

He still had a lot of work to do and didn’t have time to indulge a child’s antics.

That’s right. Even though Beau was physically an adult, she had the mind of a child, and in Captain Wright’s eyes, that made her one.

"That’s great. Why don’t you draw it first, Beau? I have other work to take care of, but I’ll come back to look at it later, okay?" Captain Wright said. After a few more words, he checked with the two elderly people beside him, and once he confirmed they hadn’t heard anything, he pressed a few candies into Beau’s hand and called the young officer over to leave with him.

The current task was immense and time was short. They had to survey the crime scene as quickly as possible.

If it rained again, the last scraps of evidence might be washed away completely.

Captain Wright and the young officer left in a hurry.

Beau, who was exceptionally perceptive of others’ emotions, looked at the candy in her palm and pouted. "He doesn’t believe Beau."

Beau’s grandmother stroked her granddaughter’s head, comforting her. "The nice officer is busy with work. Why don’t you draw it first, Beau? When you’re finished, we can take it to show him, how about that?"

Right on cue, her grandfather pulled Beau’s personal sketchbook from his shoulder bag.

"Okay!"

Standing in the doorway of his living room, Vincent Logan watched Beau being coddled by her grandparents. He glanced at his own mother lying on the sofa and sighed in resignation.

’What a mess!’

"Most of the residents here in Quillan are locals, but the deceased family moved here from another area a few years ago.

According to their neighbors, the family of four were kind and good-natured. They always greeted everyone they met and were known for their generosity. They would lend a hand to anyone who needed it, so they had an excellent reputation throughout the village.

As for their other relationships, we’re still investigating." As soon as Captain Wright arrived at the entrance to the crime scene, a records officer approached, holding the latest investigation report.

’They were kind people who never had any conflicts with anyone. It’s hard to imagine why they would meet such a tragic end.’

"What’s the situation at the scene?" Captain Wright asked, taking the report from the officer and scanning it as he spoke.

The records officer hesitated. Thinking of the scene inside, they were momentarily at a loss for how to explain.

"Hmm?"

When no answer came, Captain Wright looked up, puzzled.

"It’s gruesome. The bodies... they can’t even be pieced back together. And there are no traces of anyone else. The killer must have been thoroughly prepared—no fingerprints, no hair, nothing." The officer’s mouth felt dry, a bitter taste rising. The scene inside was just too horrific.

Captain Wright nodded. After pulling on a pair of shoe covers, he handed the notebook back to the officer and stepped inside.

The bloody footprints in the hallway were a shocking sight. On the adjacent white walls were several scratch marks, smeared with trails of blood.

’The victim must have been trying to claw their way up the wall as they fell,’ he thought, ’trying to escape the demon behind them, only to perish at its hands anyway.’

The destruction continued into the other rooms; they had been completely ransacked. With the exception of the very last room, nearly every piece of furniture had been demolished.

"Found anything?" Captain Wright asked in a low voice, approaching the department’s medical examiner.

The medical examiner carefully placed a mass of tissue from the floor into a plastic evidence bag and held it up to Captain Wright. "There are remains from at least three different people in here. Separating them completely is going to be a massive undertaking.

However, based on the evidence at the scene and the wounds on the bodies, the killer likely used a tool that functions as both a blunt and sharp weapon. Something like an axe."

After placing the bag on his assistant’s tray, the medical examiner led Captain Wright over to a bloody footprint. "This is the clearest and most complete print we have. The footfall is long and wide, indicating a powerful gait with distinct heel-strike and toe-off phases. The pressure is uneven, weighted toward the outer edge.

It’s a classic male footprint. Based on the length and other data, we can deduce he’s a well-built adult male, over six feet tall. Both his physical strength and conditioning are at their peak."

Furthermore, the attack was decisive and the methods brutal, not ruling out the possibility of a revenge killing.

Captain Wright rubbed his chin, staring at the bloody footprint before him and then at the carnage behind him.

The pressure mounted.

’He’s mentally sharp and in excellent physical shape. He left no traces besides the footprints, and he probably has his own vehicle, making him highly mobile.’

For the first time, Captain Wright felt the case was truly daunting. He was at a loss for where to even begin.

As he walked, Captain Wright entered one of the bedrooms. Though it too was in disarray, the remaining decor made it clear that the young couple had doted on their two children.

Thinking of the four body bags, then looking at the ruined room, Captain Wright felt a suffocating anger tighten in his chest.

When Captain Wright finished his survey of the crime scene and stepped outside, he found Beau waiting for him at the entrance to the Logan family’s home, her grandparents by her side.

Beau’s eyes lit up when she saw him. She trotted forward and handed him a drawing. "This is what I saw last night!"

Captain Wright took the drawing, and his pupils contracted the moment he saw it.

On the white paper, with just a few deft strokes, Beau had perfectly outlined the man’s physical characteristics.

The axe in the killer’s hand, the mask he wore—it was all there, drawn with perfect clarity.

"Beau, you drew this? Do you remember what he was wearing?" Captain Wright asked, clinging to a sliver of hope.

’The gender, the build, even the weapon... it’s an almost perfect match for the medical examiner’s profile.’

But Beau shook her head. "I couldn’t see. There was a flash of lightning, and I only saw that much."

Beau’s grandmother stroked her granddaughter’s head, a hint of pride in her voice. "Beau has an incredible memory and a gift for drawing. She never forgets an image she’s seen."

Their only regret was their granddaughter’s developmental challenges.

Captain Wright clutched the drawing, his voice filled with excitement. "This is incredible, Beau. May I take this?"

Beau nodded, giving her consent.

Over the next day, every available officer at the station was mobilized. While investigating the deceased family’s relationships, they also showed the drawing around, asking if anyone had seen a man of a similar build.

But without a single exception, Captain Wright and his team came back with nothing useful.

Early the next morning, Captain Wright was staring at the files on his desk, rubbing his bloodshot eyes. Just as he was about to close them for a moment, he got a call from the chief.

"It’s a family annihilation. Another one happened last night."