Three years ago

Evan wearily entered to his apartment, then closed each lock on the door carefully. He paid more attention to this for months. The stress of his work left its mark on him every single day. Sometimes he felt that every monstrosity he met during his work, followed him home.

He walked into the living room, and he saw the only one person in the whole world who was worth to go home every day. The woman he loved. Amanda. His Amanda.

She woke up to Evan’s noise and started to squirm on the couch. Amanda opened her tired eyes and looked at him. She sat up slowly, giving place to Evan beside her.

„Is everything okay, honey?” Amanda asked softly while she snuggled to Evan.

„Nothing is okay” he whispered as he shook his head. „We are trying to catch this guy for a year. A whole year. And where are we? Nowhere. And he killed ten people.”

„I’m so sorry, Evan” Amanda said. Evan smiled at her and stroked her soft, red hair.

 „I’m sorry. I know that it’s not your problem. But it’s just so annoying. It’s like he got better and better hiding his tracks. Like he learn from his mistakes. And everytime we think that maybe we are close, we have to realize that we were wrong. And we are still nowhere. What should we tell to the families of the victims? When they come in every week, because they think that there was some progress. And we have to tell them everytime that there isn’t any new information, and we have to see the disappointment on their face.”

 „Do you want a cup of tea?” Amanda asked, but Evan shook his head.

„Just stay here with me” he answered, and pulled her closer. Evan stroked her arm, and inhaled her sweet smell. She was the only reason of his life. Because he wasn’t alone even in the darkest hours. He knew that someone is waiting for him, no matter what happens. And he had to go home.

Evan took Amanda’s hand and kissed it slowly, then ran his hand over her fingers.

„Where is your ring?”

Amanda looked at her hands. Evan noticed fear in her eyes for a moment, but then she just closed her brown eyes.

„I have to tell you something. Please don’t be mad!”

„What happened?” Evan asked while he stared at Amanda’s face.

„I have left it in the gym…”

„What?”

 „I went there this afternoon to get into shape. You know… Because of the wedding. But it always hitched to my clothes, so I took it off and put it in the closet. I forgot to put it back after the shower. It probably slid somewhere. I noticed it when I got home. I called them immediately and they found it, but they were closed so I can go for it only tomorrow. Please don’t be mad!”

Evan stared at Amanda’s desperate face, then smiled and kissed her on the forehead. He loved that he can forget all the important problems of the day with her. It was worth it to got home that day.

Nowadays

 „I am truly sorry for your inconvenience on behalf of the entire police, Miss Reyes, and I assure you that this won’t happen again in the future” Colonel Jacobs apologized, but Amanda acknowledged his words only with a simple smile. Evan sat at his desk and listened to their talk.

He brought the woman in last night and kept her locked up all night, and he did not go home either. He rather hunched in his chair, pondering for hours until it dawned. When Jacobs arrived in the morning, he immediately brought to book for her. Evan did not understand how can some people be so stupid and naive that do not realize what was obvious. He denied it, but Amanda fooled him just like everyone else. He was also too naive and stupid, because he did not notice that the murderer, he was looking for, was right beside him for the whole time, and because the murderer, he hated the most, was also the woman he loved more than anyone else before.

Amanda and the colonel finally said goodbye, and she walked out of the building. Jacobs looked at Evan with anger in his eyes, and walked to his desk. Evan never saw him that angry.

„You are suspended, Monroe!”

„What?” Evan stood up from his chair.

„You heard me” the colonel snapped out. „What the hell were you thinking? You can’t arrest everyone who looks at you nastily.”

 „She didn’t look at me badly, but almost killed a man last night” Evan said quietly.

„Really? And you based this on what?”

„I… I just know.”

„Oh, so you know that? Did you have woman’s intuition, Monroe? Go home and come back when you are not acting like a depressed little girl!” Jacobs thundered, then hurried back to his office.

Evan felt that everyone is staring at him in the office, and he wanted to scream at them so they can finally realize what was obvious. But then he just sat back in his chair and began to gather his belongings.

 „Dude…” Seth went to Evan’s desk, but he did not looked up to his friend. He just packed up his stuff so he can leave as soon as possible. „Perhaps Jacobs is right. You should get some rest.”

„Rest?” Evan snapped. „This woman will continue until I lock her, don’t you get it?

„No, I don’t, and I think you don’t understand either” Seth replied. „Three years, Evan, just think about this. What do you need to stop?

„And the new body? What about that? Don’t you think it’s kinda strange, that after she was released the killings started again?”

„Well it’s really unfortunate, but this doesn’t make your girlfriend a murderer” Seth said quietly, and Evan jumped up from his chair.

Evan wanted to punch his friend, but he didn’t raise his fist.

„Screw you, Seth!” Evan finally said, then stormed out of the building and left everything behind.

 „How they can’t understand? How they can’t see?”he thought, as he piced the streets. He knew that he had to find evidence. He needed something, so they will finally believe him, or just something which is too obvious to be a coincidence.

Sometimes he thought about that he will produce some evidence. Althought he knew that it wasn’t right, he thought about this more and more often. But Amanda probably would be too smart for a fraud like this. She would explain it, and he would be in trouble. He also thought that he could try to persuade her to confess while they are alone. He could record the conversation as a proof. Even if it couldn’t be used in court, it could set the colonel and Seth at his side. But whatever came to his mind, he always realized one thing. It’s impossible. How can you fool someone who is smarter than anyone else?

He walked concernedly toward his apartment in the hope that a hot shower and some food will give him new strength. But everything has changed in a second, when he saw Amanda across the street. She stared at a shopwindow with her back to him, but he still recognized her. She just stood there alone, in silence and seemed so simple. Like an ordinary woman. Then she started to walk and Evan began to follow her involuntarily.

Evan followed Amanda with silent steps. She walked totally aimlessly. She sometimes stopped in front of a storefront or started to watch some pigeons brawl over some trash. As Evan watched her graceful shape sometimes he forgot why he followed her. He wanted her to wait for him and walk together to anywhere. But these thoughts terrified him because of his own weakness. He had to remind himself that he lost the woman he loved. It was all just a scam. This woman wasn’t his Amanda. His Amanda did not even exist.

Evan followed her without thinking. When she stopped, he stopped. When she swerved, he swerved. When she started to look around, he began to look her. He never took his eyes off of Amanda. He followed her for an hour and she still walked up and down without any goal. Then she stopped again, for a moment. She just stood in the middle of the sidewalk, while the people walked past her. Then from one moment to the next, she ran into the alley which was on her left.

 „This is it” Evan thought suddenly. „My proof!”

He scampered toward the alley. He saw that Amanda disappeared from sight in the end of it. He hurried after her. His heart was pounding when he thought that he will finally catch her or maybe he will finally find some evidence against her.

He ran towards the end of the alley, then turned into a narrow street. But she was gone. There were just a few pile of trash but there was no sign of her. He stepped inside the alley uncertainly. How?

In the next moment, something moved behind him. But before he could turn around, he felt a strong punch on the back of his head. Everything went dark and he collapsed in the dirty alley.

Three years ago

Evan stood in the same place as in the morning. When he looked the CSIs and his associates around the body. He saw despair and sorrow on their face, and he knew that they wanted to give up, because they won’t find anything. He stood in the same place, under the street lamp. Its light was stronger than the Moon.

It was two thirty when he couldn’t take it anymore. He listened to Amanda’s steady breathing, but it did not calm him down that time. He always thought about that he only need one small clue. He dressed up and went back to the crime scene. He wanted to be as close to that place as possible. He felt that he would lose everything, if he didn’t go there.

He was not the only one who felt this. His associates and his boss started to lose control as well, and it became more difficult to conceal their anger. Every new body was the proof that they are unsuitable to catch this murderer. They struggled for a year to find him and examined everything they could, but they have found nothing. And whenever they thought that maybe they had some progress, they had to realize that they are wrong. Every murder brought them closer to the end of their own tolerance.

 „How long will he continue? Wasn’t it enough yet?”he thought, as he stepped out of the circle of the light, and headed to the alley. He recalled the position of the body, the area around it and he saw again when his friend and partner, Seth shakes his head in resignation.

Nothing, just the big, stinky nothing. Again and again. For months. Since one year. Evan couldn’t control his anger anymore and kicked a dumpster next to the wall. The large plastic bin overturned and its content spread out on the ground. He wanted to scream to everyone to wake up nearby. He wanted everyone to know what was going on. He wanted everyone to hate that person just like he did. He wanted it to be over finally.

Evan wanted to beat the wall so it would hurt him more than this inability. He already raised his hand when he saw a small, shiny object next to the kicked trash bin. He couldn’t identify it first. He bent down and picked up the tiny object.

It was round and white gold. A perfect jewel. Too perfect. What he intended for the perfect woman. It was Amanda’s ring. And dried blood turned the pure diamond red…

Next Chapter – Fall