Detectives Loren & Dante: Anne's Murder

By Angelica Ambéliz

Anne Ray was assassinated on the 16th of April, 2019, at approximately 7 pm, her body found
on her bed lying in a pool of blood. After her death, the secrets she was keeping are made public,
to the frustration of the people closest to her. Many are guilty, but only one is the culprit. Who
could it be? Luckily, Detectives Loren and Dante are on the case, but even they are vulnerable to
the trap of secrets, betrayal, and more. Will they be able to solve the mystery, or for the first time
will they lose the case?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Angelica Ambéliz
• Release date: Jan 2, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215704882

Angelica Ambéliz

Angelica Ambeliz was born on the 6th of April, 1992, in Guatemala City, Guatemala. She has aspired to many things, but never imagined becoming a writer, despite liking to write dialogues as a young girl. But it wasn’t until she was 20 years old that she discovered that she liked to write, and began to write short stories for online platforms, posting them anonymously, until she got to Wattpad, where she become well known, as well as her stories. She wrote her first novel in 2012, and in 2015 her fanfic novel, Ella Es Adán, written on Wattpad, gained popularity with the most readers. Her objective is to share her imagination and view of the world in order to inspire her readers and make them feel identified with her work.

Book preview

DETECTIVES

LOREN & DANTE

Anne’s Murder

Angelica Ambéliz

Translated by Dora Juaréz-Montufar

Copyright ©2021 Angelica Ambéliz

All rights reserved

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

ISBN-13: 9798520893646

Cover design by: Angelica Ambéliz

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309

Printed in the United States of America

Intelligence has certain limitations. Madness, hardly any.

— Darynda Jones

Prologue

I’m not in the habit of writing these types of stories, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t write one or think of one with a compelling story. There are writers who focus on only one genre, like for example, just romance stories, which is okay, because it is the genre I most write about, but I am unlike those writers in that I also want to write about eroticism, horror, and other genres. Our minds are able to imagine the most horrific scenes and it doesn’t make you psychotic or deranged; the stories we have read or seen on television simply give us the push to imagine our own realities.

Have you, or anyone you know, ever wished for more action or impactful scenes in a movie you watched? The movie may have interesting aspects, like zombies and intense action, but you can’t deny that part of you believes you can do a better job filling in all the gaps with your own version. Although in my case, I haven’t read very many mysteries, crime, or erotic novels, that does not mean I can’t inform myself of those situations and then put them in my story.

That is why I dare to take these first steps in expressing my novel, which is full of mystery and erotic romance that hopefully you will like, and will fill you with various ideas, so that in the future you can either create your own novel or simply let yourself embody the emotions a writer feels as they create their worlds.

The story you will soon read may seem to be based on real events, but it is not. I must mention, though, that there have been many homicide cases against women, and the situation is terribly sad: everyday women die as victims of violation and similar causes.

The twists and turns of this story will also include various instances in which the different relationships between the characters influence how the case is solved.

The protagonists are Loren and Dante, like the name of the novel implies, and they are experts in their field, but their relationships with others affect their work and complicates things.

That is why I want you, the reader, to be a part of this story and as you read, and really let the mystery of who killed Anne take you through its highs and lows. It won't be easy and not all the detailed will be revealed, but by the end you will feel satisfied.

Do you accept to be part of the team of detectives that will help Loren and Dante find out the truth?

Chapter 1

16 April 2019, San Dian.

Vanessa was having a tragic night and it all started with a bad day at work. Her job as a dancer in a gentleman’s club was not easy, and although most men respected watching her swaying bronze skin from far away, the perverts who wanted more would reach out and touch her while drunkenly hooting and hollering. She loved dancing, but hated the leers, and more than one time she had walked off stage to a chorus of boos. Her boss would give her warnings and tell her to get back to work, which she did, but part of her was always angry for being compliant. The truth was, there was no place she could go that would pay her as much as she was getting now.

That night all she had really wanted to do after work was get home, de-stress, and chat with her roommate, Anne, who was also her best friend. They met in college up North in Los Alados, and when Anne moved South, Vanessa followed. Anne also worked, so the time they spent together was most commonly spent on telling each other all the stupid things of the day.

But as Vanessa listened to her voice mail messages on her way home, she got one from Anne saying she wouldn’t be able to chat that night, because she had a date with some guy and wouldn’t be home until after 10pm.

Why won't she tell me who she is going out with? Vanessa questioned herself, hating that she did not know the answer. She knew Anne had a tendency to go out with a new guy every month, or two months if they were serious, but it was uncommon that she didn’t tell Vanessa about them. On the other hand, Vanessa hardly opened up about the guys she liked, mostly because she enjoyed going out to parties once every now and then, and didn’t have much to talk about. Anne’s behavior bothered her, but she tried to respect her decision for the time being and ask her about the guy later.

Part of Vanessa hoped that the date went awry so that Anne would be home when she got there. She felt selfish, but knew she’d be able to chill and relax if she was talking with Anne. Their friendship was built on venting to each other and being supportive about each other’s decisions. She thought about Anne being sad about her date, and she felt guilty for a moment. Anne needs someone, she thought.

Upon entering the apartment Vanessa got the smell of something burning and set her things on the couch, calling out for her best friend, Anne? Are you here? She stepped further into the apartment but didn’t hear a response, so she walked into the kitchen thinking Anne would be there, but it was empty.

Maybe she already went to her room, Vanessa thought. But why do I smell burning? Maybe she burned something cooking and the smell hung around.

But that didn’t make sense because Anne could cook, and not just in a conventional way. She was passionate about cooking and loved it so much that she hoped to be a chef one day. That’s why she worked at a restaurant as a waitress, hoping to move into the kitchen and become a chef.

Anne! Where are you? Why does it smell so horrible? Vanessa yelled as she walked down the hall. She reached the bedrooms and hoped she would hear an answer, but was met by silence. The apartment wasn’t very big, and literally, any little sound could be heard, so she paused for a moment listening through the door, but all remained quiet.

She called out again, but received no answer. Maybe her blonde best friend left and forgot to turn something off, like a candle or her hair dryer. She hoped nothing was on fire but saw no smoke as she opened Anne’s bedroom door.

The first thing she noticed was that Anne’s curling iron was lying on the carpet just inside her room. Not only that, it was still plugged in. She took a step in, picked it up, and observed that it had only singed the carpet and, thankfully, nothing had lit on fire. She stepped towards the wall to unplug it and heard a crunch beneath her foot. Bending down, she saw that there were pieces of glass and ceramic littered all over the floor, and when she unplugged the hair iron, a mild electric shock electrocuted her.

Vanessa had made a direct beeline for the hair iron and had not looked at anything else in the room when she entered. The hair iron was on the other side of the room, lying on the floor next to the vanity where Anne did her makeup, across from her bed. After picking up the hair iron, Vanessa stood and stared at it, completely puzzled. It was weird that her best friend would throw her things on the ground still plugged in, but she had to admit that there were times when Anne acted forgetful. She noticed something on the ground and realized that it was the pieces of a broken lamp littered around her feet that had crunched earlier when she went to unplug the hair iron.

What happened here? she asked herself.

It wasn’t until she looked up and into the vanity mirror that she saw the rest of the room. At first, she only saw her reflection, her dark copper skin, hourglass figure, long black curly hair, and brown crimson eyes, but then a tuft of blonde hair on the bed behind her caught her eye. She quickly spun around to face Anne’s bed, expecting to see her asleep, but instead saw the worst scene of her life.

Anne! Vanessa yelled, then gasped as she felt the wind being knocked out of her. Her best friend was lying in the bed covered in blood from an open gash in her head.

Vanessa ran out of the room, and ran to her bag, pulling out her cell phone. She managed to call the police despite her whole-body trembling uncontrollably as she dialed the three numbers and tried to explain what she saw. They told her to calm down, an ambulance was on its way.

Still on the phone with emergency services, she slowly went back to the room, hoping that she had imagined everything and that it was a prank; Anne was actually alive. But when she saw the scene again, she knew there was nothing she could do. Her best friend was dead.

The police were on their way, and despite them asking her to stay on the phone the entire time, Vanessa dropped her cell and ran out of the apartment, crying uncontrollably. She ran next door, and began to bang on the door, yelling out, Oscar!

Her neighbor Oscar, a young athletic man with black hair, dark brown eyes, and a slightly pink skin tone, quickly opened the door. Although they had not lived next to each other very long, they had grown close and she knew she could trust him. Recognizing his distraught neighbor, he asked in a worried tone, Vanessa, what’s going on?

In the distance the sound of sirens could be heard. Why are you crying? Vanessa, tell me, what’s going on? he asked again more emphatically, but Vanessa was crying and was too traumatized to talk.

The sirens continued to get louder and Oscar understood something was seriously wrong. Without thinking, he darted across the walkway, into Vanessa’s apartment and began checking each room. He smelt something burnt, and expected to see something on fire, but as he darted through the apartment towards Anne’s room, what he actually found was worse than he could have ever imagined.

He belted out a scream when he saw her, crying out in agony as if someone had clubbed him in the head, instead of the young woman lying in a pool of her own blood, cut down in the prime of her life. As he fell to his knees, he grabbed his collar, letting something fall to the ground without notice; he was too devastated by the fact that he was looking at the lifeless body of the woman he loved.

It was around eleven o’clock at night, the ambulance had come and gone, leaving only the police to do the remainder of the investigation at the apartment. After the initial inspection, Vanessa heard they were investigating Anne’s death as a murder because there we no signs that Anne could not have committed suicide and there was no sign of forced entry. Vanessa felt inconsolable as she tried to think who could have done such a grotesque thing.

While the officials gathered evidence, Vanessa was outside sitting on the curb beside Oscar, next to one of the police cars. She was crying silently while Oscar’s arm was around her in his attempt to provide comfort. He was quiet, also mourning the loss of Anne, the woman he was in love with. A few yards away, officials placed yellow tape to keep the neighbors away while they analyzed the crime scene.

A few moments later, a black car with polarized tinted windows pulled up and parked close to the apartment. A fit woman in her thirties, with black hair, white skin, and dark eyes, and a tall man also in his thirties, with honey-colored eyes, a sculpted body, and tanned skin, stepped out of the car. They were both wearing long tan coats and dressed in black suits.

Loren, Dante, I’m glad you guys are here, Ernest, head official on-scene, said upon seeing them.

What happened here Ernest? Loren asked as all three walked towards the crime scene. Something strange for sure, he said, as he led them towards the apartment.

Ernest, who was an older man with a dark complexion, black hair streaked with gray, and deep laugh lines. He was handsome despite the wrinkles, and his green eyes and tall figure were the reasons why he was a married man, but had matrimonial problems.

He frowned, shook his head, and explained, A young woman seems to have been killed by blunt force trauma from a lamp to the head. As they entered the apartment, Dante said, A lamp? Really?

Anything is a weapon nowadays, Loren said with a tone of apathy, and Dante agreed with a grunt.

A word on Loren and Dante: they are the most solicited detectives within one hundred miles of San Dian. Their solve rate was high, and the variety of cases they solved ranged from strange to normal. Their notoriety grew over the course of their careers, and as more cases came and went, their experiences grew. Thus, it was not particularly weird for them to find out that the victim was killed by a lamp, and it was not particularly weird that Loren would feel apathy regarding the murder weapon.

As Loren and Dante began their investigation in the apartment, they asked Ernest if they could talk to any witnesses once they were done. Vanessa and Oscar were found outside, and asked to be ready to talk to the detectives. They both agreed and stayed huddled together on the curb, both pairs of eyes red from crying. The detectives were told by Ernest how Vanessa was the one who found Anne’s body and then he took them to the bedroom to inspect the crime scene.

Forensics was already taking Anne’s body and several items were marked as evidence. They were given a pair of gloves to wear in order to not contaminate any evidence.

That’s a big gash to be made by a lamp, Dante said, as he got closer to Anne’s body and inspected the mortal blow.

How long has she been here? Loren asked the forensics personnel.

We got the call around 10:00 pm. From what we’ve gathered, and her level of decomposition, she’s been here from 7:30pm or 8:30pm, or maybe slightly earlier said one of the officials that was there from the beginning of the investigation. Ernest thanked him for the information.

So, we sure this is a murder? Loren asked, and Ernest told her there was no forced entry. It must be someone she knew, he said while Dante began poring over the spot where Anne’s body had been, making sure not to miss in any small detail.

From the way the blood has coagulated on this pillow I would say she died closer to 7:00 pm, Dante cut in. Loren agreed and pulled out a small pad of paper, then noted the assessment.

Half an hour later, they had inspected everything they wanted to see, and carefully removed their gloves. As they passed by the living room, Ernest stopped them and introduced them to Vanessa who had her head buried into Oscar’s shoulder. They had been moved in from outside, but with each second that passed, Vanessa doubted her ability to sit in her apartment without feeling the need to cry.

The detectives explained to them that they wanted to talk to them in order to hear their testimonies about what happened, but Vanessa didn’t feel like she was going to be able to recount what she had seen, and began shaking her head no.

Finally, Oscar was able to convince her to talk but Vanessa said, Not here. Vanessa couldn’t help but see Anne’s slumped body in her mind every time she looked down the hall. Okay, please come with us, we can use my office, Loren said, and began escorting the two out.

They were taken to the black car the detectives had arrived in, and as soon as they approached the yellow contention tape, they were met by several neighbors who wanted to know what happened. One woman in particular, a widow who had never had any children, named Mrs. Gareth, had tears streaming down her face. Since they became neighbors, she had cared for both Anne and Vanessa as if they had been her children and they treated her like a second mom.

For the last week, Mrs. Gareth had been on vacation, and she had just returned only to see the horrible sight of Anne’s lifeless body as they wheeled her out of the apartment. Not knowing what happened weighed heavy on her, and she called out to Vanessa as they passed and she gave her condolences.

The detectives waited as Vanessa stopped to quickly hug Mrs. Gareth, then Dante opened the car door and Vanessa and Oscar got into the back seat while the detectives got into the front. As they drove away, they saw the officers left behind begin to clear out the neighbors that were there.

Dante’s tall and tanned body was in the driver’s seat, and he drove without a word while Loren examined her notepad. They were staying quiet, not wanting to create more anguish before they heard the official testimonies of the young couple.

Although Vanessa and Oscar were linked arms, they were not romantically together. They were friends and neighbors, but their relationship had not gone past that, although Vanessa wished it had. Now, as they silently processed what was happening and drew comfort from each other, they realized this was the longest time they had been together, until Oscar unlinked his arm and broke his silence.

Anne didn’t deserve this. She had a long life in front of her, a dream to fulfill, and they stole it all away from her. Whoever did this is going to pay dearly in the end, Oscar said letting the hate he felt permeate his voice. Loren and Dante gave each other a look, then Loren spoke. They’ll pay. We’ll catch them and let them rot in jail, she said, turning around in her seat to look back at the young man. She saw that he no longer had his arms linked with Vanessa’s. That isn’t enough, Oscar said, meeting Loren’s eyes. She turned back to face forward and heard Oscar say, they should be charged with the death penalty. Loren agreed; prison was not enough for taking a life.

Chapter 2

The detectives led