#dective

Kimora's POV

On the way back, the car was silent. I couldn't think straight. Why a young girl like that? Is this even the same guy?  Killing then kidnapping? Why?

"You know, if you think too hard you'll gain wrinkles on your forehead."

Jay poked my forehead with his finger. Which I swatted away.

"How are you not stressing over this? This puzzle or whatever, doesn't make sense. First, a woman then he works his way down to younger. Or how do we even know it's the same person?"

I put my face in my hands as I leaned forward and sighed.

"Hey stressing over this isn't going to help with finding her. She needs you to have a clear mind so that you can find her. Okay?"

I looked over at Jay and nodded. After a while, we arrived at the cafe. This is where Mai works, maybe she'll have some information. We walked in and I was able to recognize Mai.

"Hey Mai."

"Kimora!"

She ran over and hugged me.

"What are you doing here? Wait, would you like something?"

"Actually... I'm in a leading investigation and I need to ask some questions."

I could feel the mood change.

*In the back

Mai was crying. Holding a tissue to her nose as she spoke.

"Min-ah was a wonderful worker. Everyone loved her. I don't know who would do such a thing."

"Has there been any strange things going on before her disappearance? Anything at all?"

"Well, there's been a man here. We open at 4 in the morning and I come in around 5:30. That man sits with his laptop until 6 o'clock. Then he leaves money on the table and leaves. He doesn't talk to anyone but I do remember Min-ah serving him for the past couple days. He's never been here before. I believe it's been three days but he didn't come in today."

"Thank you, Mai. If he shows up again please message me."

I handed her my cell number and headed out with Jay to the Station. As we walked in, those two young men were there again. When we walked by one of them nearly slipped out of his chair turning to keep up with me. We reached our office and opened the doors the see chaos. Paper everywhere, phones going off, etc. I sat at my desk in my office, unsure of what to do.

"Sir, we don't handle pets stuck in trees, please call the Fire Department." "Ma'am, did you file a report?" "I understand that you're husband was an officer but that was over 30 years ago. He no longer works here."

Jay came in with a bottle of water and sat on my desk.

"Is it always like this?"

"No. sometimes Mrs. Kim calls the see if her son is here."

I laughed at his attempt at humor.

"Ahh, Miss Diamond. Could we please have your autograph?"

I looked over to see the boys from the front desk holding out paper and pens in my direction.

"Guys just because she's an American Detective doesn't..."

"It's been a while since I've done anything. How do you guys know me?"

"My hyung grew up watching your shows and I would watch them with him. You are so beautiful in real life."

I giggled at his compliment and signed the blank sheet of paper. Jay sat on my desk in a pit of confusion

"So..Um. Jay, I us..."

"She was a beautiful model. Her beauty was known worldwide. No one could compare."

Then another spoke.

"And when she modeled with long-time friend, Choi Miranda. They could stop the world from spinning."

At the mention of Miranda's name, I felt my heart stop. The boys chatter slowly faded as memories flooded my mind. I felt that I was being dragged down a black hole, as all sound disappeared. I felt my lungs close up, my blood ran cold, my...

"Hey, Kimora!"

I snapped out of my trance, to see Jay staring down at me with a concerned look. I stood up fast a ran out of the room.

"Yay! Kimora!"

I ran hard. I don't know where but somewhere. I somehow ended behind the dumpsters on the side of the building. I crouched down and cried. The tears wouldn't stop. I don't know how long I was out there but I had stopped crying and was just sitting there.

"Ugh, this is so unprofessional."

"Yes, it is."

I looked up to see Jay standing in front of the alleyway. He walked over and sat beside me. We didn't talk, just sat in silence. We sat there for a while, but I silence was killing me.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have run out like that. I know this is very important but..."

"What made you want to become a Detective?"

I looked at him. His dark eyes bore into mine. It took me a moment but I spoke.

"My best friend was murdered and the killer was never caught. Almost 10 years and that bastard still roam the earth. I quit modeling and became a Detective so that I can put those monsters away. So that Miranda's file can be the last unsolved case. I'm tired of that box growing because we can't find the next clue."

I felt tears forming again as I slipped my angered heart to Jay. The next moment took me by surprise. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me closer to him. I laid against his chest as the smell of his cologne calmed my racing mind. I closed my eyes and rested my head on his chest. He moved his other arm around me and spoke.

"I understand how you feel. That's why we're going to catch this bastard and lock him up. I'm sure even catching one killer would make Miranda happy. She will know you tried your hardest. She would be proud."

The sound of his voice echoed throughout his chest and the vibration of his voice made me want to sleep. So, I pushed myself off of him to stare him in the eyes.

"Thank you. You didn't have to do all of this."

I went to stand up but he held me down. Looking me in the eyes, it felt like hours went by. He slowly brought his hand up and wiped away tears that had fallen from my cheeks.

"I know I didn't but I wanted too."

He stood up and help me up. We walked back into the building and got back to work.

Jay stood at the board with a marker in one hand, while holding files in the other. His necktie was loosened and hair tousled. I sat at my desk looking at the picture of Min-ah. She seems to be by a Creek or lake of some sort. But the photo was taken at night so any other details blended into the night.

"Excuse me, Miss. Diamond."

I looked up to see another young kid standing there with a pen and an old picture of me.

"I know what we said upset you but my hyung is a big fan and I would like to give this to him for his Birthday."

I smiled at took the picture. It was when I came to Korea for a shoot. It was at Lake Hope near the Seoul park. (I know this doesn't exist but I need something) I was just about to sign it when something stood out. I quickly typed in the name and search for photos. One was taken at night. I lifted the photo of Min-ah up to the night shot of Lake Hope. They matched.

"Hey, is it okay if I hold on to this photo? I believe it just helped in this case."

The young man nodded, bowed and walked away. So I ran over to Jay.

"Jay. I have a lead. I think I know where she's at."

Jay threw the items in his hands over to Officer Kwon and grabbed his coat and we're out the doors. We arrived at the front of the building when mail stopped us.

"Detectives there was a letter in Detective Diamond's box. No return address."

I grabbed it and thanked the man. We walked over to Jay's car and before getting in, I opened it.

'Congratulations on finding the girl but will you make it in time to save her? Before the night falls on Hope.'

"Jay, we need to hurry."

He flipped his sirens and pulled out of the parking lot. Once on the main street, we were stopped by traffic. There seems to be a car accident that's backed up all of the main street. Jay looked around.

"I know another route."

He pulled over the sideway and was able to make a right turn down a street. It was almost time for the Sun to set and we were almost there. The moment we arrived, there were so many people around the tree but we couldn't see why. I pushed through the crowds of people to see a girl in a red dress hanging from the tree.

"Nooooo!!!!!"

I don't know what can over me but I ran over to the body and wrapped my arms around her lower half to raise her up.

"Kimora stop!"

"No Jay. She could still be alive."

With me holding her up and adding more movement to the string, it snapped. Sending the body and me down. The back of her body brushed against my face and left something cold. That was then, I knew she was already gone. I turned the body over to see Lee Min-ah dead.

Jaehwa's POV

There were so many people blocking the entrance.

"Nooooo!!!!!"

I saw Kimora run past everyone and wrap her arms around the girl's body. When doing so the body faced us. She's gone. Damn it. I walked over to Kimora struggling to hold up the body.

"Kimora stop!"

When she turned to me, her face held fear and sadness.

"No Jay. She could still be alive."

And just like that, the rope snapped. Sending both Kimora and Min-ah down the small hill. When Kimora lifted her face and trail of blood was left. The red dress was a cover-up for the brutal stabbings the killer left. Making it seem like suicide. Kimora was in shock. I crawled down and approached her.

"Come on. Let's call the others."

I grabbed her hand and pulled her up. I made a quick call to the Station and informed them where we were. As I did that Kimora walked away from the scene. I glanced over at her. She was looking at her hands, covered in blood. I grabbed a napkin from my pocket and walked over to her.

"Diamond, this isn't your fault. We were just too late."

I grabbed her hand and began to wipe the blood from them.

"No, it is my fault."

"No it's..."

"NO JAY! IF I HADN'T WALKED AWAY WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN SEARCHING. She would still be alive."

Tears ran down her face as she pulled her hand from mine and walked away.

"Detective Oh."

Turning I saw Kwon running up to me. I looked over to see the others pushing back the crowd and forensic scientist with the body.

"What happened?"

I looked back at Kwon and explained everything. After we cleared the scene, I walked back to my car, only to see Kimora in it. She still had blood on her face and body. I opened the door and slid in. Reaching in the back I grabbed my gym bag. There was a towel in there. I poured some water on it and handed it to her. She looked at me than the towel.

"It's clean. I swear."

She grabbed it and began to wipe the blood from her face.

"Look, if this is too hard for you. I can ask the Commissioner to pull you off the case and send you home."

"No. I want to finish till the end."

"Then can I trust you as a partner?"

She looked at me and nodded.

"I'm sorry. I've been nothing but trouble but I want to help."

"Hey, you knew where she would be. You're finding things a lot faster than the other pigs."

She gave a weak giggle, but it was music to me.

"How did you know she would be here?"

She reached in her pocket and pulled out two photos, one the killer gave us and one with a younger-looking Kimora.

"When I was 15, I had a shoot out here. That tree was the same spot."

I looked at the picture than at her. Something doesn't feel right.

"How about I take you home."

Kimora's POV

The crime scene was cleaned up and everything went back to normal. The body was transferred for further information and people were questioned about the murder and his whereabouts. The victim's sister was moved to the Station where she could calm down and it was Jay and myself still checking for any missed details.

"Diamond, I'm going to check this cafe for the surveillance cameras to see if it picked up the killer's face."

I nodded. This is the second victim since coming here. But I can't seem to put the puzzle together to see why the murder would do it. So far the two women have no relationship. One is 26 years old, American and the other is 20 years old and Japanese. From what I know both are models. So are models being attacked or is it just for fun?

"Hey Diamond. So nothing on the cameras. It only caught the back of the guy's head. Like he knew where the cameras were set. Damn it!"

Jay kicked a trashcan over in frustration. I walked over to the can and picked it up, only to see something inside. A note. I picked it up and what I saw made me drop it. Blood, writing and a picture.

"Jay! Come here."

He ran over as I picked the letter up again to show him. It states:

'Well you found the third girl but can you find the second? She was so scared as I cut into her perfectly pale skin.'

"So there's another victim? But where? I'll call the station and get any information on any missing girls in the last 24 hours."

I stood there in shock. How could someone do this?

"Diamond."

I snapped out of my trance and looked at Jay

"Let's go."

We drove back to the Station. Upon entering, there was a mob of people standing outside. The mob of people were all news anchors, trying to get the information on the two women. We were able to sneak by without any of them noticing. When we walked in, there were two younger men at the front desk. Both seem to be new to the job. As we walked by, I overheard one of them.

"Hey isn't that Kimora Diamond?"

"Like the model, Kimora Diamond?"

"Yeah. That's her."

"Diamond come look at this."

I wasn't paying attention and bumped right into Detective Oh's back. When I pulled away, I saw the investigation board. There was very little information on it, even after posting the bloody letter and pictures from the crime scene this afternoon.

"Why can't I connect anything? It's like these killings are at random. Random times, random victims, and random techniques. Look at this."

He pulls out a piece of paper from a file.

"The first victim, Mary Madison, 26, had her wrists slit and was found in a river just outside of her home in the middle of the night. Stage set to seem like it was suicide until forensics found blunt force to the back of her neck and a needle mark on her right thigh. The second victim, a young Japanese girl, 20, murdered the middle of broad daylight with multiple stab wounds to her abdomen. I can't see a connection."

I looked at him as he ran his hand down his face, then back to the board. I glanced back at the note with the picture. The girl seems to be in high school, but there were no leads on a missing girl yet. They all look different so there's not a type of girl. He seems to be killing at random.

"Maybe there aren't any connections. Maybe he thinks this is all a game and that making us believe there's a connection and trying to figure it out. He already had the next victim planned out. He's a sick bastard that is killing for sport."

I was so angry at the thought. I can't seem to find the one piece that could help us.

"What about zooming in on the picture. Maybe we can identify the girl."

"Good idea."

Jay grabs the picture and a magnifying glass from his desk.

"Guessing the killer knew we'd do that. The name is ripped off...but the school is there."

He twisted over to his computer and typed in the name.

"Let's go, Diamond."

We ran out of the room and headed to the car. Once there we went straight to the front office and Jay asked for the attendance sheet.

"Good afternoon. I'm Detective Oh from Seoul PD and this is Detective Diamond. Today were there any young girls, between ages 14-18, absent?"

The desk receptionist answered.

"Yes, about 10 girls meet that requirements. Is there's something wrong?"

I grabbed Jay's hand before he could speak.

"No. We just have some questions for one of them and need names and photos to match. Do you have a Year Book or photo attendance sheet?"

She turns away and grabs a book then prints out the absent girl's names. Once she handed them to us, we nodded and walked away. At this time, I didn't realize I was still holding Jay's hand.

"You still going to hold my hand? I think we need drinks first before you drag me home."

I quickly let go of his hand as I felt some heat rise to my cheeks.

"Ugh, don't get so full of yourself."

I tried to look away but he was quick to hold my chin and stare into my eyes.

"Cute."

Then grabbed the files from my hand and walked away, leaving me frozen in my spot.

"Yay!!"

And I ran after him. We found ourselves sitting and a table looking at the photos. Trying to match the girl in the photo, to the ones of the girls who are absent today.

"Found her. Lee Min-ah."

She was the girl in the photo and her address was there as well.

*Sometime later

We were parked outside of the Lee's home.

"Let's go."

Both of us got out of the car and walked to the front door to knock. An older woman answered.

"Yes."

"Hello, Mrs. Lee. We're with Seoul PD. I'm Detective Diamond and this is Detective Oh. We have some questions about the whereabouts of your daughter, Min-ah."

"Oh, shouldn't she be in school right now? She told me that she was going to spend the night at her friend's house for the next couple of days. Why? Is there something wrong?"

"Ma'am, we think your daughter is involved in the mass killings of young girls. Yesterday afternoon, a note was found with a picture of her in it. We believe she's still alive but..." I quickly cut Jay off.

"Any information will be great. Was she acting differently in the past couple of days?"

"No, I don't believe so. She would come home after her job and would stay up late doing her homework. Oh, please don't tell me my baby is dead."

I put my hand on hers.

"We will try our best to bring her back. Where does she work?"

"At a small cafe called Seoul Cup."

Seoul Cup isn't that across from... I looked over at Jay.

"The Cafe across from the station. Thank you, ma'am. We will contact you if anything changes. Please rest assured we will try to bring her home."

*Wednesday Morning:

Kimora's POV

I was now sitting on a plane to Seoul, South Korea. Maybe this trip could be good for me, maybe it will help clear up my head. I looked out the window to see the vastness of the Atlantic ocean. It's beautiful blue depths, unexplored and mysterious, shown flashes of the sun. Reflecting onto the plane, blinding anyone who looks. I shut the visor to block the sun and closed my eyes. I felt someone tapping my shoulder and I opened my eyes to see a young girl. She was a cute little thing, probably around age 16.

"Hi... Umm... I didn't want you to pass on.. umm.. flight stop to Seoul."

"I speak Korean. Thank you for waking me."

"Oh, well I hope you were able to understand what I said. I'm Park Mai. It's nice to meet you. Are you visiting?"

"It's nice to meet you as well. I'm Kimora Diamond and no. I'm a detective from NYPD and I'm being transferred to Seoul for a case."

"That sounds interesting. I wish you well in your case. And stop by my coffee shop from time to time. I work right across from the station."

"I will thank you."

"Hello and welcome to Seoul. We hope your fight was good and hope that you will fly with us again. Please watch your step as you exit the plane. Again welcome and have a great day."

I stepped out of the terminal and into the port. There were so many people, it felt just like New York.

"Now to the hotel then the Station."

I grabbed my stuff and headed out of the building to grab a cab. Suddenly I felt eyes on me. I looked in all directions, only to see nothing. I let out a breath, that I didn't even know I was holding and called for a cab. Once it came, I hopped in and told the driver to take me to my hotel. I arrived at my hotel, telling my driver to wait and checked in. I'm only going to be here for a month, so no need for an apartment. I unpacked my stuff then ran back down to the cab.

*1 Hour Later:

I arrived at Seoul Metropolitan Agency. I thanked the driver and paid before walking into the building. The first person I saw, was the first person I would talk to. It just so happens to be the Commissioner.

"Oh, you're the American Detective, correct?"

I nodded

"Follow me. I'm so glad that you were able to make it. We are having trouble with this recent case and hoped that you could help us. The victim is American but we can't access any records unless we ask from the US, but having an American come help and assist is even better. I'm sorry. I just talk and talk. I am Commissioner Jung Min-Woo. I've been here for almost 30 years now. I have the most elite team that you will be working with during this investigation."

He had been talking all this time, I didn't realize that we arrived at the door, until he stopped.

"I can tell that you are a tough woman. So please take it easy of these guys."

The Commissioner opened the door to the main offices and stood about 20 men all around one desk. With the entrance, all eyes were on us. 1), two people just busted through and door and 2), I seem to be the only woman in the room.

"Men, this is Detective Kimora Diamond. She will be helping us in the investigation. So please show her some respect."

I bowed to the men, only to hear a remark come out of one of their mouth.

"Sir, no offense, but what help can someone who doesn't even speak Korean do for us? She can't even talk to us about exchanging information. Plus, what help can a woman provide? I'm sorry for your troubles but you are not needed here."

The Commissioner was about to say something when I cut him off.

"It's funny that you say that. But I can understand you fully and I have no trouble with communicating between the two languages..."

I said this as I walked over to him and looked at his name tag.

"...Officer Kwon In-Tak."

What I did took everyone by surprise. I grabbed him by the arm and twisted it behind his back as I slammed his face onto the desk.

"Also, a great Detective knows when his shirt is inside-out."

I released him and pushed away. All the guys stared at me and swallowed hard. Then I heard clapping.

"So you're the American Detective. It's good to meet you. I'm Oh Jae-Hwa, the lead detective in this case. Thank you for coming all this way."

He reached out a hand, which I took. He was rather handsome. Deep brown eyes and a nice tan.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Oh."

"Please just Jay. Mr. is my father's name."

He smiled, which if I wasn't being watched right now, I would have blushed. Just then the phones went off one by one. The others all ran to their desk and all answered.

"Another murder." "Another female." "By the park." "We'll be there soon."

They all grabbed there jackets and bags and headed out one by one. I was standing there, unsure about what to do when Jay put his hand on my shoulder.

"This is how it is every day. You can ride with me."

I nodded and followed him out.

Once we arrived at the scene, there were News trucks and people everywhere. Jay lifted the caution tape up for me to walk under. As I stepped closer to the body. I saw blood everywhere. How could someone do this in broad daylight? The body was covered up, but you could tell it was a female. I squatted down and lifted the cover. A flash of Miranda's face went across my sight. I had to blink to get rid of it. The victim had to be around 20 years old. She had long black hair and light skin. Her eyes were a lifeless brown and she had red lipstick that was smeared to her chin. As I looked further down, there were several stab wounds to her abdomen. She most likely bled to death. I checked her hands for any signs of defense but nothing.

"The victim had to trust the killer to not have any defense wounds or dirt under the fingernails."

Jay squatted down beside me and looked.

"You have to be right. Unless he told her not to make a scene. The sister is talking to Kwon right now."

I looked up to see a young girl with tear stains down her face. She seems to be in a stage of hysteria. I stood up and walked over to them.

"Kwon, what's wrong?"

"She apparently only speaks Japanese and I can't calm her down."

"Think about it. Some male just killed someone she loves. Do you think she can trust a guy right now?"

I stated as I walked away from him and to the girl.

Kimora's POV

Blood, Violet Dress, Dirt, Miranda's face... I jerked from my sleep covered in sweat. It has been 9 years since the death of my best friend, Miranda, and everything went cold after about a year into the search. The culprit was never found. I glanced over at the clock, 4:57 a.m. Every time it nears the anniversary, I'm reminded of what I should have done in order to save her. I rose from my bed and headed into the bathroom to take a shower. I quickly studied my reflection in the mirror, hair in every direction, makeup from yesterday still on, and a big bruise lining my jaw and neck. After High School, I gave up being a model and moved to Criminal Justice. I graduated top of my class with both my Bachelor's and Master's done within 5 years. I later moved to New York City, where I graduated from the New York Police Academy and became a Homicide Detective. Yesterday, I was involved in a fight with the suspect. He happened to catch the slip on me and was able to land a hit before I shot him in the leg as he tried to run. This bruise is just one of many within the 2 years I've been working for NYPD. I hopped into the shower and let the cold water run down my back. I tried to hold back the tears as memories of Miranda and I played in my head. Since that day, I tried so hard to pick up the case again, yet every time I think I'm somewhere, the trail goes cold again. I spent a whole year trying to catch the bastard who killed my friend but he seemed to disappear from this earth. I hopped out of the shower and got dressed for work. After getting dressed, I was out the door to my next destination, the NY Police Department. I arrived at the Department an hour before even having to be there, so I stopped at the café on the first floor. My friend, Matt, was the café owner and we meet on my first day. I got lost and he helped me out. He was my shoulder to cry on every time something came up and my drinking partner when shit went down.

"Is that my beautiful Diamond in the rough? Where is that smile that adores that face?"

I couldn't help but smile. Even if he pissed me off one day, he'll still squeeze a smile out of me.

"There it is. It's that time of the year right?"

"Sadly, yes. How's the café holding up?"

"Great. If you're wanting to have a successful business, open a shop that sells coffee and donuts in a police station."

Again, he wins a smile.

"Well, one day I'm going to have to take you up on that advice. How's Grayson doing?"

"Fine. We just found out she's pregnant again."

"Congratulations Matt!!"

"Yep, child number three surely wanted to make an entrance."

"Well, I'm happy for the two of you. I got to head up now. I'll talk to you at lunchtime. Ok."

"Ok. Hey and just remember, we're always here for you. If you want to talk, we'll listen."

He handed me my muffin and a cup of tea. I nodded and head up the elevator. Truth be told, in the beginning, I had gained a crush on Matt, but the day I saw him and his wife, Grayson. I knew I wouldn't live up to his expectations, but over time I lost feelings for him and looked at him as an older brother. He always treated me as such and once I realized that feeling. I started going to both of them when I felt unstable. They helped me a lot during this time if the year and I couldn't ask for anything else. The elevator stopped at the 10th floor and I stepped out. It was quiet since I was the only one there. I liked being alone so that I had time to look over case files and go through any material before the hustle and bustle of the department rushes through that door. I sat at my desk scanning over all the missing persons, murdered victims, and possible suicides files, but I couldn't find any motivation to flip through them. Sipping on my tea, I looked to the right to see the box full of unsolved and cold cases. There had to be about 100 files within that box. All of which ended just like Miranda's case. I logged onto my computer just as the other detectives and officers walked in to start the day. After logging on, I ate the muffin Matt had given me as I watched the back and forth traffic of my everyday life.

"Alright, I want everyone in the meeting room. I'm assigning new cases."

I slide out of my chair and heading to the meeting room with all the others.

"Today is going to be a full day. Now I need you to solve these cases fast but detailed. I'm tired of that box stacking up because of the neglect of information in regarding that case. So, Rogers and Smith, you two will handle Mr. Owen's case. Travis and Flores go check out the crime scene at the New York National Museum."

Our commissioner handed out cases one by one until Detective Blu and I were the only two.

"Blu there's been a murder at the bakery on 5th St. I need you there."

He stood up and left after his orders. Once gone the commissioner loosen his tie and sat in the chair in front of me.

"Detective Diamond, I have a really special case for you. I know it's around that time of the year, but I know I can count on you the most. I'm having you transferred to Seoul PD. There's a case that they can't solve and I promised to send the best."

"Sir, I can't take..."

"I know Sweetheart. But you're the best this station has to offer. And maybe some time away from this state could do some good for you. You haven't been yourself lately and I'm afraid to let you go."

"But what about Detective Blu? He's just as qualified as me."

"But you're the best."

I nodded my head and stood up to leave.