The Killer

The Killer
Sam's POV

I refused to let my shock consume me completely, and after a minute of being stunned and overwhelmed, I shook it off, and my instincts kicked in fast.
I snatched my bra and shirt from the floor fast, putting them on fast, as I looked at Lucy's corpse. The blood was still fresh on her neck. The killer couldn't have used the door. Rowan and I were in the hallway.
My eyes darted to the window quickly, just as I was pulling my turtleneck over my stomach. The curtain swirled to the slow, aching tune of the night breezed, behind it, the window was wide open. He hadn't had the chance to close it shut this time—meaning we had either interrupted him when he was trying to clean off his tracks, or he knew of our presence outside the room, and decided to just kill and go, and while asleep, and drunk. She had been a perfect victim to do just that.
I snatched my gun from my belt and I rushed fast to the window, Rowan coming after my heels. Warden Karo couldn't have gone too far. He must be close by. He must still be in the hotel. I thrust my head into the whistling breeze of the night, the air at this height lashing against my face.
I looked right and left at the neighbouring rooms. And yes—they did have balconies, both linked to the one in this room, where Warden Karo could just jump to get in and out of both rooms as the expert climber that he is.
I looked down too, calculating the distance and the possibility of a climb and drop from the balcony in this room to the one below. The balconies were far apart. It wouldn't be impossible to go up and down, but it was extremely risky. I was still working the math and engineering in my head when the memory struck—the couple from earlier. I threw my gaze sharply to the room just beside Lucy’s room. The couple had earlier gone into that particular room.
Rowan must have suspected that as well, because he pulled away from he window. I turned back to the room to see him racing madly out of the room.
I went after him, and I braked to a halt beside him just as he threw his leg against the door, kicking it open. It opened easily—it was already unlocked.
The door screamed open with a low, but quick noise. The stench of blood hit me even before I spotted the sight of the bed. The lady had her throat slit as well, but unlike Lucy Callaghan, Warden Karo didn't have a drunk, immobilized victim here. There was quite a bit of struggle here—at least the scattered bed now sprayed red with blood said enough.
My eyes swirled a bit, bile rushing to my mouth as I continued to stare at the sight. I swallowed back the bile, biting on my tongue to fight back the nausea and vomit. I had dealt with worse. This wasn't my first time seeing a corpse. Except this particular corpse was fucking important to me, 
I rolled my gun to my thumb as I jammed my fist into my palm. The bastard was close. He was this close. He’d fucking pass me by, and I’d failed to recognize him. The bastard had been kissing the woman just to hide his face, and with the face cap he wore, his face must have been hidden from the cameras in the hallway.
“What should we do now, detective?” Rowan asked, his voice hollow. He sounded like he cared, cared for Lucy. “Call 911”
I stared at the corpse once again, and Lucy Callaghan’s own flashed in my mind too. I braced my nerves, preparing for another round of scolding as I took my phone from my pocket. “I will do the calling myself. Rowan. I…” my fingers stilled on the dialpad displayed on the screen.
I threw my head fast into the hallway, my eyes sweeping fast to the end where the commotion was coming from. A man stood at the foot of the stairs, his dancing on the spot steps said he was drunk, and he wouldn't let the other man pass. My eyes took in the other man in full. His back was to me, so I didn't get a really good view of him. But I took in the Jean trousers, the long sleeves shirt, and the face cap. It was when my eyes dropped on the strip of elastic clothing worn around his ears, obviously holding a nose mask to his face, that it dawned on me—Warden Karo.
I snatched my gun from my belt again. “Police! Stop!” I yelled, running fast for him. He turned to me, and the bastard didn't stop. Instead, he ditched the drunk man and the stairs and bolted fast for the elevator, as it opened for a lady to step in.
“Stop there or I’ll shoot,” I screamed, following his sprinting figure with my gun. He still wouldn't stop. He kept racing for the elevator as I charged for him. I had no choice, I fired a quick burst before him to stop him, gunshots echoing in the hallways. But the bastard must have nine lives, everything seemed to be missing him, and he ran a hell too fast, daring the gun. He snatched the lady's arm and threw her back into the hallway, jumping into the elevator just before it shut behind him.
Fuck, I growled, grunting so hard with all of my jaw, it ached. I darted fast for the stairs, and Rowan came after me. We pushed the drunk man out of the way, dropping down the stairs like we were flying instead of running.
By the time we reached the lobby, the whole of my chest was burning, and I was gasping for breath.
I looked sharply at the elevator cage as Rowan continued for it. But there was no need. It was open and empty, and a group of people were preparing to file in already. I swept the lobby fast with my eyes, but there was no person with jean pants and a face cap, and there was no Warden Karo. He’d varnished—completely.