Chernobyl’s Revenge

III

Kreves and John arrived at the new crime scene. This time, the bodies had been found in The College Gardens by a guard on his night shift. The scene was in front of a three-story house made of brown bricks with black shingles. It had several white windows, and a large chestnut tree stood beside it, its leaves a mix of orange, yellow, and some remaining green. The grass and pavement were stained with dried blood, its trail stretching approximately five meters from the base of the tree. The cold wind blew through the area, unusually chilly for spring.

The two detectives approached the scene. The yellow police tape hadn’t yet been put up, but several officers were stationed around to keep people away. The modus operandi was almost identical to the previous case, with only subtle differences. This time, instead of one body, there were two, their severed arms tied together with a rope. There were no signs of decomposition, meaning the killings had occurred recently.

Captain Brown was already at the scene, visibly upset. Not only had they failed to find any leads, but now they had three brutally dismembered victims and a killer still roaming the streets. Brown stared at the bodies, his brows furrowed in frustration. Kreves called out to him, and the captain turned, arms crossed.

“Captain Brown, we got here as quickly as we could after receiving the report.”

“Detectives, this case has now become your top priority. It needs to be solved as soon as possible. I want someone behind bars and I want it soon. Panic has already started spreading among the public.”

“Yes, Captain. We’re going to analyze the scene and search for any clues.”

“I hope so, Kreves… I hope this doesn’t turn into another incident like the last case…”

Kreves felt a cold weight settle in his chest. That comment hit hard. Recalling that past event always destabilized him, and the captain knew it. In fact, it had been a long time before Kreves had accepted any new cases because of it. Now, the captain had reopened an old wound that hadn’t yet healed. Kreves chose not to respond, and the captain turned on his heel and left without another word.

This case was frustrating not just for the detectives but for the entire police department. It was one of the most violent killers London had ever seen. Worse, they had no idea who the victims were, why the killer targeted them or why the crimes were being committed on the first place.

John put on his gloves and began examining the scene for evidence. At first glance, the area appeared undisturbed—no footprints or signs that the bodies had been dragged. The blood trail suggested the victims had been carried, but strangely, the trail only extended about five meters from the base of the chestnut tree to where the bodies were found.

Kreves followed the blood trail, which snaked slightly, as if the killer had lost their balance while carrying such heavy bodies. At the end of the trail, he carefully examined the area for any sign of a vehicle, reasoning that the bodies must have been transported somehow. It was inconceivable that someone had carried two corpses across London without being seen or reported. After circling the area, Kreves noticed a patch of grass that had turned black. He approached and saw it was stained with a sticky substance, similar to used motor oil. He touched it with his gloved hand and brought it closer to his nose, confirming his suspicion—it was from a vehicle that had been parked there.

This discovery was critical. Kreves decided to find his partner. If a vehicle had been involved, they could check nearby surveillance cameras to identify any recent entries into the area, which might provide a vague idea of the suspect. Moreover, there could be more evidence in the vicinity, so Kreves also needed to call in the forensic team to analyze the area thoroughly.

As he made his way back from the chestnut tree toward the sidewalk, something behind the tree caught his eye—a faint glimmer in the grass. He walked toward the strange object, and as he got closer, he saw it was a coin. He had never seen one like it before. It was inscribed in a foreign language, seemingly Russian. The year “1986” was clearly visible, along with an image of a nuclear power plant, a man wearing a radiation mask—like the ones found on the victims—and a nuclear symbol. Kreves placed the coin in an evidence bag, convinced it had been left by the killer. But it wasn’t the only thing they had left.

Underneath the coin was a note written on a dirty, slightly torn piece of paper. It could easily have been mistaken for trash, but the message was clear:

"Just as God forgot me, He will forget you too, Detective Lockwood."