The Notes He Left Behind
Episode 1 - Back On The Floor
DISCLAIMER
[This story is a work of fiction.
Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination.
Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or real events is purely coincidental.
All images featured are AI-generated for creative purposes and do not represent real individuals.
An original story by Rabby.
© 2026. All Rights Reserved.]
Alex
“I don’t need another evaluation, Captain. I cleared psych. I passed firearms requalification. My reaction time is fine. My judgment is intact. You want the clearance letter again?”
Captain Morris
“I want to know you’re not walking into another scene thinking about a hospital bed instead of the evidence in front of you.”
Alex
“I walk into scenes thinking about footprints, entry points, time of death, and who benefits. I don’t think about hospital corridors.”
Captain Morris
"You've been back one day."
Alex
"Yes, and there's already a body waiting. Let me do my job, Cap."
[Crime Scene – 8:42 PM]
Suburban townhouse. Forced entry. Victim tied to dining chair. Single stab wound to sternum. House ransacked.
Forensic Tech
“No defensive wounds. Rope fibers suggest she was restrained before the attack. No sign of sexual assault. Time of death between 6:30 and 7:00 PM.”
Alex
“Check the knot work. If it’s consistent, he’s practiced. Bag the ropes separately. I want trace on the fibers. Also lift prints from the dining table.”
Forensic Tech
“There’s something else.”
Forensic Tech
"Note. Left in plain sight."
Alex
(Reading aloud) "She thought I'd let her go."
Detective Lucas
(Partner) "Personal."
Alex
“Not random. This wasn’t burglary gone wrong. This was staged to look chaotic. He wanted the room disturbed.”
Police tape flutters.
Camera shutters begin clicking.
Alex
"Media stays outside the perimeter."
Sheila
“I’m aware of protocol. I’m not crossing your tape. I just need confirmation. Female victim, late twenties? Bound before death?”
Alex
"You don't get confirmation."
Sheila
"You know I'll get it from someone else."
Alex
"Then ask someone else."
Sheila
"I prefer primary sources."
Sheila
“You’re newly reassigned to Homicide after medical leave. Is that connected to how fast you took command tonight?”
Alex
"You're crossing a line."
Sheila
"I'm doing my job."
Alex
"Then do it without speculating about mine."
Sheila studies her instead of writing.
Sheila
"You read that note twice."
Alex
"That's what detective do."
Sheila
"No. That's what people do when something bothers them."
Detective Lucas
"Ma'am, we'll release a statement once next of kin is notified."
Sheila
"For you to decide I'm useful."
Silence hangs longer than necessary.
Sheila
"That's disappointing. I was hoping we'd be seeing more of each other."
Detective Lucas
"She's persistent."
Alex
"Reporters mistake persistence for access."
Detective Lucas
"What do you mistake it for?"
She looks at the note again.
"Let her go."
Something about the phrasing scratches at memory.
But she pushes it aside.
Captain Morris
"Press already sniffing around?"
Alex
"One if them doesnt leave easily."
Captain Morris
"You don't either."
Across the tape, Sheila watches Alex like she's already part of the story.
Sheila
(To herself, softly) "You're not just solving this. You're carrying something."
Alex pockets the evidence bag.
Alex
“Run victim’s financials. Recent restraining orders. Any civil cases. I want background on past partners, former coworkers, anyone with a grievance.”
Detective Lucas
And as the ambulance doors shut and lights fade, Sheila is still there.
Waiting.
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