'Haaaaaaaaaaaaaa !'' Phillip screamed, frightened by what he saw. He was paying a visit to his friend when he found out his friend has been murdered. A few minutes later , the police arrived at the place. A police barricade was formed around the scene and there were bystanders chatting among each other as they were observing the situation. Reporters stormed the place and were covering the news.

A man in his 30's arrived at the scene and showed his I.D. to the officers at the scene. They saluted him as soon as they saw his I.D.

"What's the situation ?'’

“Have you identified the victim ?” questioned Scott as he walked in

“Yes, sir. The victim is Richard Smith”

“He works at New Land Hotel and lives alone. We've already contacted his family”

“His friend, Phillip Wells was the one that called in. He's the first witness to the crime scene”

“I've carefully checked the crime scene but couldn't find any signs of forced entry”, explained Ray

‘'What do you think,sir ?",enquires Ray

The forensic team were already at the scene too, doing their work as usual. Scott put on a rubber glove and was checking the victim's body.

"If the culprit didn't forced his way in , that means the victim willingly let in the culprit ", replies Scott

"Then, there's a chance that the culprit is an acquaintance '' utters Ray

''Yeah, someone who could probably enter this place easily" Scott assumed as he was looked around the living room

“There's no sign of resistance”,Scott explained

“This implies that the victim was caught off guarded”, he continued

"You gotta see this,sir'' uttered Ray

"What's it ?'' asked Scott as he approached him

"The victim was holding onto this '' he replied as he handed a folded piece of paper to Scott

"John 9:41" he blurted out what was written on the little piece of paper

"What's your take on this,sir ? " Ray asked

"This could be a clue to the case considering how the victim was holding onto it " replied Scott

They walked out of the place to check the surveillance camera around the scene. They later found out the camera hasn't been working for almost two weeks.

"it seems we can't get anything out of the surveillance camera," said Ray disappointedly

"Over there ! " Scott shouted as he pointed to a car.

Apparently, the car has been there for a couple of days. They enquired about the owner of the car and were told them he's been out of town and will only return the following day.

"I guess we'll have to come back tomorrow '' said Scott as he walked away

They both left the place and returned to their station. Few hours later , Ray left the station and returned with the autopsy report

"Here's the autopsy report , sir, " said Ray as he handed him the report.

"there's nothing special”

“Victim's time of death is estimated to be about 10:30pm”

“The victim holding onto the piece of paper was reported to be post mortem" claimed Scott as he put down the report on his desk

"Any clue on what John 9:41 could mean ? " Scott asked

"No , sir . Could it be some sort of secret code ? " he asked

"What sort of secret code would that be , huh ? " he retorted

Scott brought out his phone and dialed a number.. The receiver answered the call and Scott put the phone on speaker

"It's been awhile , sir'' said the receiver immediately he answered the call

''Save the formality for later. i need you to do me a favor '', he replied sharply

"Okay , go ahead '' said the receiver

"Can you look up John 9:41 in our database ? '' requested Scott

"John 9:41 ?. You mean John 9:41 in the Bible ?. Do you have to check the database for that ? " the receiver retorted

"You mean John 9:41 is in the bible ? " he asked in disbelief

"Oh , i guess you don't know. '' he said jokingly

''Alright , thanks. I'll call you back later " Scott said as he ended the call

Ray was already looking up John 9:41 on the internet

''If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin;but now you claim you can see, your guilt remains " Ray read aloud from the internet

"How do you think this is related to the case ? " Ray asked curiously

There was total quietness for some minutes until Scot breaks the silence.

"I think there's more to this case” replied Scott

"something ? such as ? '' Ray asked simultaneously

"I'm not sure yet, it's just my hunch” he replied.

Scott made another phone call. He explained everything about the case to the receiver. Then, he asked the receiver to check the database for any similar case and send the case report to him.

    Few minutes later, a file was sent to Scot . He checked the file and it was about a murder case where a man and a woman were murdered in a hotel room. According to the report , the victims were stabbed multiple times. '' Deuteronomy 20:10-12 was boldly written on the wall of the room with the victim's blood 

       '' I found it. Here's it ; If a man commits adultery with another man's wife , even with the wife of his neighbor , both adulterer and adulteress must be put to death..........'' Ray read aloud 

     " This will be quite troublesome. It's the same culprit " uttered Scott 

 "So, we’ve gotten a serial killer on the lose ? " Ray asked looking surprised 

     “Oh…the crime took place at New Land Hotel” said Scott

      “Ugh, why does that name sound familiar ?” wondered Ray

  “Of course , it does. That's where Phillip Wells worked” replied Scott

       “Oh my God ! That's true. I remember now”

   “So, the hotel is the link between this two case” Ray said

       “Exactly !” Uttered Scott 

       Scott hurriedly left and visited the Chief officer in his office and explained everything to him.

      " what do you mean by a serial killing case ? ''

         “Are you sure about this ?” The chief asked 

  '' I'm filled with certainty, sir " Scott said 

        " Ugh, this is going to an headache “

“Can you handle it ? '' questioned the chief

   " Yes , sir”

       “But , I have a  request . '' demanded Scott 

               "hmm.....what's your request ?" asked the chief 

 "i would like to form a new team" he replied

         "ugh.....a new team ?”

      “This is serious”

   “Sure, you can go ahead. You have my support " he promised with a worried look

Scott dropped some papers on Ray's desk.

"what's this ?" he asked curiously

"check it and tell me what you think about"replied Scott 

       "oh.....a new team ?" he asked with a smile on his face 

 "yeah. you're in for this ?" asked Scott 

             "Of course. wow , this is cool" Ray replied

       Scott left the station and headed out. He stopped at a police station.

        "has life been treating you well ?" he asked in a funny way as he dropped some files on the desk

  "what are you doing here, sir ?" asked Frank 

        ''Check the files and let me know if you are in. official investigation is starting tomorrow " uttered Scott 

  "what ?. official investigation ?. About what ?" he asked curiously

         "see you around" said Scott as he was walking away waving his hand

"Ugh.....what's this about anyway ?" blurted Frank as he picked up the file

       Scott left the station and went to another place. When he got there, he requested to see a female detective

     "I heard you're doing quite well'' said Scott as he was leaning against his car

            "Who are you ?" Stephanie asked sharply 

"here" said Scott as he showed her his I.D 

    She saluted him as soon as she saw his I.D

                '' May I ask for the reason why yonu're here, sir ?" she asked inquisitively 

  Scott handed her a file and she glanced through it. 

      "woah. I'm in for this , sir'' she said as she was smiling

"Alright. Don't be late tomorrow" he replied as he was getting into his car

           Stephanie saluted him once again as he was driving away 

The following Morning, Scott got into the station and headed to the space provided for their team.

   "salute !" uttered Frank as they all get up and saluted him

        "oh, you're all here. Shall we get started then ?" enquired Scott 

 ''Yes, sir'' Stephanie replied 

            "okay. Ray, brief us on the case'' demanded Scott 

    Ray stood up and walked to the front. Then he briefed everyone on the case

 "woah. We have a total psychopath here. so ,the John 9:41 you asked me about was regarding this case ?" asked Frank

           " hmm. So, let's take it this way. Richard Smith witnessed the culprit murdering Ms Peter and Mr Allen. The culprit must have threatened him. So, he couldn't tell anyone about it. But two days ago, he tried to report what he witnessed........" Scott said

     "and he got murdered" Ray cut in

 " doesn't that mean the culprit was secretly watching Smith ?"Stephanie asked inquisitively 

          "I think so too. That's how he was able to find out" Ray added

   "Do you think he planted a bug inside his house ?" Frank asked

                "He probably did.That's the only way he was able to find out. We found out Smith was trying to call the police around 10:15pm two days ago'' replied Scott

        ''Let's go to the crime scene. The answer is always there.'' said Scott as he was heading out and others followed him

             They left in a black van provided for them by the station. At the scene , Scott instructed Ray and Frank to go and get the dash cam recordings from the car owner while he entered the crime scene with Stephanie. They both put on rubber gloves and were checking the scene

    They were looking around the crime scene carefully. They searched everywhere and found two spy cameras in the living room, two in the bedroom, one in the kitchen and another one in the bathroom.

                   "geez......that son of a bitch !'' she uttered

     ''I don't think we can get anything more here" said Scott as he was heading out

"I'm not sure if this is merely a coincidence but...." she uttered

            " Do you notice anything strange ?" Scott enquired

   "this ......" she said as she was pointing at a bag with the inscription '' JJ spicy chicken''

        "What about it ?" he asked curiously 

" This was also found at the scene where Ms Allen and Mr Peter were found'' She replied 

             " oh, that's right. The culprit would be able to enter if he was here as a deliveryman" he said 

                 "Using delivery service to gain entrance into the victim's home"

"That's quite reasonable'' she uttered

        "But....that doesn't explained how he was able to bug the victim" he said

"That's right.  Frank and Ray should have gotten the dash cam recordings by now" she said

          They walked out of the house and met with Frank and Ray 

      "Do you get something ?" asked Ray impatiently 

  "Here ! There are spy cams everywhere in the house. the culprit seems to have been watching the victim for a while." Scott replied

"Have you gotten the dash cam recordings ?" she asked 

         "Of course. We've copied everything here. Let's watch it together at the station" Ray replied 

                They headed back to the station to watch the recordings. They played the recording for February 13th 2022 [The day Richard Smith got murdered ]. In the recording , around 10:15pm , the culprit showed up on a scooter disguised as a delivery man. Around 10:20pm , he left the place. He was wearing a helmet , so they couldn't figure out who he was. 

           They played another recording which showed the culprit sneaking into the house on 10th of February around 11:45am. Richard Smith had left for work already around that time. The culprit was wearing a black hat and a facemask. So, they couldn't see his face.

     "He must have planted those spy camera around that time" Stephanie said

 "That's right. that means he was watching the victim closely for three days before taking action" Ray added 

              " gosh. That psycho !" Frank uttered 

   "Ms Allen and Mr Peter were found dead in a hotel room on 9th of February. Richard Smith was working at that hotel. He must have witnessed the two victims getting murdered when he was there for room service. We found out an untraceable number called Richard Smith on 9th of February. That must be when he started threatening him. The moment Richard Smith mustered up courage to report what he witnessed, he got murdered. As you can see in the footage, the culprit entered the victim's house exactly when the victim was trying to report what he saw.'' Scott explained

"That means the culprit has been lurking around the victim's house. That was how he was able to get in when the victim was trying to call the police'',Stephanie added

"I just got the CCTV footage of the hotel. The culprit entered the hotel as a deliveryman too"

"He must have been watching them for quite awhile before making his move",Ray uttered

'' were you able to trace his scooter bike ?'',Scott asked

"No. The scooter wasn't registered",replied Frank

"The scooter must have been caught on one of the surveillance cameras around the area. You should check well",Scott said

"That's the strangest part"

"Both times the culprit committed murder, the scooter wasn't caught on any surveillance camera around the area",Frank retorted

"Could he be living in the same area with the victim ?", Stephanie asked in confusion

"No,That would only make sense if all his victims were murdered in the same area"

"The culprit is meticulous"

"He planned everything well including his escape route. We must be missing something here",Scott said

"Then, what should we do now ?",Frank asked

"You and Ray should keep watching the footage"

"I and Stephanie meet with the owner of the chicken restaurant",Scott said as he got up and Stephanie followed him

"Why did he always leave with Stephanie ?"

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking ?" Frank asked

"Yes,It's probably because she's better than you" Ray added

"Gosh...are you kidding me ?"

"Then , what about you ?" Frank asked

"Of course I have to stay here to keep an eye on you",he replied grinning

Stephanie stopped the car as soon as they arrived at the chicken restaurant. They both alighted from the car and realized that the restaurant has been closed down

''how long has this restaurant been closed ?'',Scott asked a passerby

"Oh ! This place has been out of business for almost two months",replied the passerby as he was leaving in a hurry

"Huh, the restaurant has been out of business for that long"

"could the owner be the culprit ?",Stephanie wondered

"let's find out the owner's address'',said Scott as he was dialing a number

He called Frank and asked him to look into the owner's address. Frank called back later and told him the address.

They drove out of the area immediately and went to the restaurant owner's place. Scott and Stephanie carefully looked around the place before they finally rang the doorbell. The owner came out to meet them five minutes later

''May i know who you are ?",asked Mr Simon , a man in his 50's

"We're detectives from New York city police department",said Stephanie as she showed her I.D to Mr Simon

"oh. so, what're the police doing here ?'',Mr Simon asked inquisitively

"We have some questions for you regarding a case we're working on. Your cooperation is of utmost important to us , please help us out",replied Scott

"Alright. let's talk inside'' uttered the man as he led the way in

They entered the living room and the man offered them seats.

"you can go ahead with your questions now" Mr Simon said

"Mr Simon, how long has your chicken restaurant been closed ?",asked Scott

"hmm.....it's been almost two months now" he replied

''Oh, Does anyone else has access to your restaurant ?'',asked Scott

''Yes, there is someone else. It's my son.",replied Mr Simon

''Ugh.So, where's your son right now?'',Scott enquired

''He ran away from home two months ago '',he replied

"That must be the reason why you close down your restaurant",Stephanie added

"Yes....i've been trying to find him but to no avail'',the man cried out

''We'll try our best in finding him'',Scott assured him

"Thank you, detectives'' he said while trying to get on his knees but Scott stopped him

''Can you show us some of his photos ?" asked Stephanie

"i would like to show his photos to you but he packed out the photos'' he replied while wiping tears off his face

"oh.....i see'',replied Stephanie

"can you show us your son's room ?'',Scott demanded

"Of course. Please follow me '',Mr Simon said

He showed them his son's room and walked away. Scott and Stephanie carefully looked around the room. Scott bent down and touched the floor. Then, he smelled his hand

They walked out of the room later and Scott dropped his number telling the man to call him if he was able find his son before they do''

They got out of the place and returned to the station

"Did you look into what I told you ?",Scott asked immediately he walked in

"Yes, we did. we checked the CCTV footages of the surveillance camera around the restaurant but the owner of the restaurant was the only one that went into the restaurant a month ago",replied Frank

"don't you notice anything weird at Mr Simon's place ?" Stephanie asked curiously

"Of course, I did"

"There are lots of things that just don't fit in"

"He claimed his son had ran away from home but he doesn't even have a photo of his son",Scott said

"if he doesn't have a photo of his son, how would he be able to find him ?'',Ray asked in confusion

"He intentionally hide the photos from us",Scott replied

''What !",exclaimed Frank

"If he hid the photos from us like you claimed, doesn't that make him an accomplice ?'',enquired Stephanie

"Yes,that would make him an accomplice'',replied Scott

"Are you sure about this,sir ?. We might be barking up the wrong tree",she asked

'' i think she has a point'',added Ray

''You should listen to me then"

"While checking his son's room , I realized the room was recently cleaned"

"Also, we passed by the kitchen when going to the son's room and I realized dirty dishes are too much for a person living alone"

"Do you remember how long the man took before he came out and answered us ?",Scott asked as he faced Stephanie

"That's right.he took almost five minutes before coming out'',replied Stephanie

"So, he cleaned the room and hid all the photos within five minutes ?",asked Frank

"Yes'' replied Scott

"but it's impossible for him to do all that within five minutes",Ray said

"Of course , it's not possible. But it's possible if he did it with his son",added Scott

"We were fooled by that old man",Stephanie said

"No, we just played along with him"

"Let's stakeout at his place , i'm sure we'll be able to get the two of them'',said Scott