Chapter 134: Chapter 134 Night Crawler IV

The tires of Vanessa’s patrol car came to a slow halt just outside the club, the flashing police lights reflecting off her windshield like ghostly sirens. The entire block was in chaos—barriers had been put up, yellow police tape flapped in the early morning breeze, and officers were scattered across the scene like chess pieces. Crime scene techs moved like silent shadows, gathering evidence with gloved hands and grim expressions.

Vanessa stepped out of the car, her boots crunching against broken glass and cigarette butts littered along the sidewalk. The sharp chill in the morning air hit her bare neck, and she tugged her uniform collar higher. As she walked toward the alleyway where the incident had taken place, her gut tightened with each step. There was something off—more than the usual aftermath of a gang brawl or street violence.

Then she reached it.

The alley opened up like a mouth into horror. Vanessa’s breath caught. Her feet froze mid-step as her eyes locked on the grotesque image in front of her.

A young man—no older than twenty—was hanging by the neck against the grimy brick wall. He had multiple fractured bones sticking out of his body. His naked body swayed slightly in the breeze, as if death itself hadn’t finished its work yet. His face was swollen, blue from the lack of air, but it wasn’t just that. His dick had been cut off, and what remained of them had been shoved into his mouth. His eyes were bulged open in permanent, glassy shock. And scrawled above him, in large red letters as though done with his own blood, were two chilling words:

“NIGHT CRAWLER (•‿•)”

Vanessa’s skin broke into goosebumps. A shiver ran down her spine. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t even blink.

What kind of demon would do something like this?

Before she could process her thoughts, a voice came from behind her.

“Good morning, Officer,” Chief Josh said, his usual smarmy smile creeping onto his face as he sipped from a tall cup of coffee. His eyes, however, lit up at the sight of Vanessa—as they always did.

She nodded stiffly, unable to tear her gaze away from the body.

“Do we have any suspects?” she asked, her voice lower and colder than usual.

Josh sighed and stepped beside her, glancing at the body without the same horror she felt. “Nope. Forensics lifted a set of prints from the pipe nearby, but they ran it through the system—nothing. No match. Whoever did this is a ghost.”

Vanessa narrowed her eyes, still staring at the writing on the wall. The smiley face at the end made it all worse, like the killer thought this was some kind of twisted joke. She folded her arms over her generous chest.

“A ghost?” she muttered.

Josh spit to the side angrily, barely missing a tech’s shoes. “Demons, Vanessa. Demons are starting to pile up in this damn town. The mayor needs to get off his ass and do something before this place turns into a goddamn war zone.”

Vanessa gave him a sideways glance but didn’t respond. Her focus stayed on the lifeless, mutilated body hanging like a warning.

She murmured, almost to herself, “Who did he offend… and what the hell did he do to deserve this?”

Josh gave a dry chuckle. “Does anyone need to ’do’ something to get killed by these animals? These gangs don’t need a reason. They kill for fun, for reputation. That’s all this is—a statement.”

Vanessa shook her head slowly, her ponytail swaying behind her. “You know that’s not true. The gangs here have been around for years. As violent as they are, this? This is something else. This is personal. This is rage.”

Josh arched a brow. “So, what? You think this Kyle kid did something to deserve getting turned into street art?”

“I think,” Vanessa said slowly, “if this was a gang hit, it wasn’t your average retaliation. This looks like someone who wanted to send a message—no, make a damn example out of him.”

Josh let out a low whistle and rubbed his chin. “Well, whatever it is, we gotta find this freak before the press gets wind. You know how fast things spiral when civilians find out a kid got hanged with his own junk shoved in his mouth.”

Vanessa’s stomach turned again. The image was carved into her brain already. It would probably haunt her for weeks. She stared at Kyle’s disfigured face.

He was a cocky little shit, she remembered. Always thought he was untouchable. She didn’t know him well, but she had seen him with some lowlifes around town—gamblers, dealers, the usual crowd. Maybe he got into something even they couldn’t pull him out of.

Josh tossed his empty coffee cup into a nearby trash can and straightened his coat. “Come on, we need to follow up on the leads. I want whoever did this in cuffs by sundown. You and I are heading out.”

“Heading where?” she asked.

Josh turned and started walking toward his car. “Wherever the trail leads. Before the city gets a whiff of this nightmare, we need to contain it.”

Vanessa gave Kyle one last look—his naked, bloodied body still swaying gently, his face frozen in a grotesque mockery of silence.

She followed Josh in silence.

—

The sound of knocking dragged Sam from the depths of restless sleep. His hair was tousled, his shirt twisted awkwardly around his torso, and his brain still fogged from last night’s haze of weed, loud music, and cheap beer. He groaned and rubbed his face, blinking blearily as he stumbled toward the door. The knock came again, louder this time.

“Alright, alright!” he muttered, unlocking the deadbolt and swinging the door open.

What stood before him instantly cleared the remnants of sleep from his eyes.

A woman. A policewoman. A hot one.

Vanessa Carter.

Her tight uniform hugged her curvy figure with precision—everything from her slim waist to her full chest seemed to command attention. Her blonde hair was pulled into a sleek ponytail, her blue eyes sharp yet undeniably alluring. Sam gave a crooked smile, already about to say something smug when his expression froze.

Behind her stood Chief Josh Michelle, arms crossed and face grim.

“What the hell—Uncle Josh?” Sam blurted out, his brows furrowing.

Vanessa’s eyes widened a little. Uncle? That wasn’t something Josh had mentioned on the drive here. He’d told her they were visiting someone who might’ve known Kyle. Not once did he say that person was his nephew.

Josh stepped forward, ignoring Vanessa’s reaction entirely. His tone was heavy. “Kyle is dead, Sam.”

Silence slammed into the doorstep like a punch to the gut.

Sam blinked, uncomprehending for a second. “Wait… what?”

Without another word, Josh pulled out his phone and swiped through the screen before holding it out. Sam looked—and his face twisted in horror.

The photos were as gruesome as they came. Kyle’s mutilated, naked body… the red writing on the wall. The grotesque finality of it. Sam’s breath caught before he exploded.

“Who the fuck did this?!” he shouted, eyes burning with fury. “Who the actual fuck did this?! I swear, I’ll find this sick bastard and rip his goddamn head off!”

“Calm down,” Josh said, putting a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “That’s why we’re here. We’re trying to find out who could’ve done it. Did Kyle have enemies? Anyone he crossed recently?”

Sam’s jaw clenched. His breath came in sharp bursts as his mind raced through possibilities—dozens of faces flashing through his head—but then one image stuck.

And it burned.

“I think I know who it was,” he said suddenly, his voice low.

Vanessa’s eyes shot to him. Josh’s brows raised.

“You’re sure?” Vanessa asked, stepping closer. “You know who did this?”

Sam didn’t answer her directly. He turned to Josh instead.

“Can I talk to you alone, Uncle?”

Vanessa’s brows furrowed, ready to argue, but Josh didn’t even wait for her response. He gave her a glance, then nodded at Sam and stepped into the house. Sam shut the door behind them, locking it.

Vanessa exhaled sharply and leaned back against the wall of the porch, arms folded. Her lips pressed together in thought, but the moment she was left alone, the quiet reminded her of something else—something that had her biting her bottom lip and touching her fingers to her mouth.

Last night.

She closed her eyes as the memory washed over her. Liam. His lips against hers. That electric heat that made her skin tingle even now. The way his hands gripped her back, strong but careful, like she was both precious and dangerous. His scent—clean and addictive, something between fresh soap and testosterone—had filled her lungs and made her head spin.

She’d almost let herself go.

Her hands had moved on their own, undoing his buttons, touching his skin, craving more. She’d wanted it. Needed it.

And then she panicked. She ran. Again.

Stupid… so stupid. Her hand touched her lips again, her heart thudding louder in her chest. The fact that he didn’t stop her, didn’t mock her, made it worse. He was patient. Too patient. Which made her want him even more.

Vanessa sighed and almost slapped her forehead out of frustration. She was a goddamn mess right now, and the body hanging on a wall didn’t make things better.

Just then, the door burst open.

Josh stormed out, his face more serious than before. Vanessa straightened immediately, snapping back into officer mode.

“What’s going on?” she asked urgently.

Josh didn’t waste time. “We might have something. Sam gave me a name. I’ve already called it in. He should be at the station by the time we get there.”

Vanessa’s eyes narrowed. “He gave you a name? Just like that?”

Josh nodded. “He’s sure. And if it’s who I think it is… then we may have just found Kyle’s killer.”

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