Crypto Murders: Map

“But I told you…I don’t want any of your money.”

Bao held back her tears so as not to be punished for running her makeup.

“All I want for you is to be dressed up like a doll. I want you to be considered my latest investment. Yes, you’re my latest currency. You will be prized and adored. Smile!”

Bao struggled to form her lips into a smile and then the tears started.

“No, no.”

“You’re going to have to change and put on fresh makeup. We’ll dress you up for dinner, too. We’re having kobe and wagyu beef with asparagus and a baked potato.”

She continued to sob.

“Now, we’re displaying here aren’t we. We’re going to have to stop this. All of this is too much for one night. It’s okay. I’ve got the kit and more dresses for you to wear.”

The chain around Bao’s ankles began to cut into her and a trace of blood spilt on the floor.

“You will see that the case hinged upon whether the blood on the gun had been from the blunt force trauma or a fight earlier in the day,” Kim addressed her class. She looked with her peripheral vision. She noticed that St. Kitts and Darby stood in the doorway.

“Please pardon me for a moment,” she shot a glance at the adjunct professor Melissa Dougherty. She picked up right where Kim was interrupted.

“What is it guys? You do know this is my work now, right?”

“Of course, but we need your brains on this. We’re preparing to close in on the perp.” They whisked through the corridors of the school. The bright sun beamed although it was twenty four degrees Fahrenheit outside.

“It’s another missing yellow female. From the banking sector. Crypto.”

“And you want my ‘brains’ to crack the case?”

“Yes.” The agents said this in unison.

“I’m not going to do this for free.”

“We worked out a deal. You’ll get per diem. Twenty five hundred a day. You’ll be the wealthiest non official in the bureau.

“You’re going to be the one who will lead all of us. You won’t have a gun or badge but deligjt in the fact you’re getting paid.”

Kim darkened. She looked at them both in the eye with condensation emanating from her mouth and nose. The tip of her nose reddened and she wiped away a bit of mucus with a tissue.

“If I’m to do this, we must follow my every word. I know I don’t have jurisdiction over you, I never did, but these cases seem to be particular and exact and specific. Whoever is committing the crimes is aestheticizing them. They’re acting like they don’t care but are actually engaged with the victims. Let’s get out of this cold and talk about this at the Department.”

Darby and St. Kitts drew up a map on a digital board.

“Each one of these victims disappeared within the last two weeks. That’s how fast these crimes are mounting. None of them appear to know each other. They all have the crypto tied amongst them.”

“They are all under forty and in excellent health. The latest disappearance took place last night. She had traveled by car to a public shopping center when someone noticed that she had left her bag but not her phone. All the data you see ID’d her as Huan Shen. We tried to trace the phone but got nothing. We retrieved her rental car which she paid for with crypto.”

“Okay. I’ve got it.” Kim had scribbled down some notes and then stopped.