The Slaying Of The Swan

Chapter 1, The gruesome scene

Photo by David Hofmann on Unsplash

Who was the person behind the blade? One hard slice cut the victims head right off. It was not a pretty sight seeing the ballerina dancer lying in a pool of her own blood. Her headless body dressed in a white bodysuit now stained with blood laid about four feet from where her head was. Why would anyone cut down a swan as beautiful and graceful as her? Tabatha, a nineteen year old blonde beauty with such talent cut down in the beginning of her dancing career.

Mr. Darren, the university dance teacher looked distraught as he sat off to the side of the stage and stared off into the empty seats of the auditorium. He had been working with Tabatha for two years now and had high hopes for her and her career. When the chief of police arrived, he walked up to Mr. Darren and asked to speak with him. After all, he was the one who called 911. The rest of the police officers walked around and talked to other students who were composed enough to speak.

One officer asked Rebecca, another dancer, if she knew of anyone who would do such a horrible thing? Her reply of course was no and that they all loved Tabatha. Of course they did. All the dancers who practiced hard for hours everyday, every week, for the last two years or more. All of them competing to be the best and earning their way to the leading rolls that will make them a star some day. There was no rivalry between dancers or friends… Or was there?

Another officer wrote down in his notes what Jessy, another dancer told him. She said that she saw an argument between Tabatha and April the other day. An argument? An argument pertaining to what, I wonder? Jessy told him that she heard April say that she had planned and worked hard for the lead in “Swan Lake” all of her life, and that no two year dance school graduate was going to take that away from her… Oh really?

The chief of police asked Mr. Darren if Tabatha had a boyfriend. A boyfriend? He didn’t think so. Her dancing career was her life now and he planned to help her reach her goals, he told him. The chief noticed a young lady standing behind the last row of seats in the auditorium, so he told Mr. Darren that he will get back to him. The chief walked down the stage steps and headed toward the back row seats. This young lady didn’t look like a dancer. She had on a plain black t-shirt with a red plaid knee high skirt. Her long dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she held a stack of books.

When the chief walked up to her, he asked her for her name and she replied, Gabriella. The chief asked her if she was friends with the deceased and that he was sorry for her loss. Gabriella told him that they weren’t friends but they knew each other. The chief asked her why she was there and if she saw anything. Gabriella told him that she heard a scream while she was in the hall. She knew that it wasn’t a good scream, like a having fun type of scream. Gabriella told him that after she heard the scream, she slowly opened the auditorium door and saw the back of someone as they ran to the back of the stage.

Did you notice if they were male or female and what the person was wearing, the chief asked Gabriella. With a shake of her head, she told him that she didn’t know what gender the person was. However, she told him the person had on a black hoodie and black pants… Pants like what the karate people wear… Karate pants huh? Interesting… Who was the person behind the blade?

The university also had classes for mixed martial arts and fencing. Could the killer have been a disgruntled boyfriend who practiced with knives and swords? The chief asked Gabriella if she ever saw Tabatha with a boyfriend but she said no. She told him that she saw Tabatha with Mr. Darren a lot, and he was the only male. The chief also asked her if she knew who Tabatha’s best friend might be. Gabriella wasn’t sure but she did mention one name… Daniele. She said that they all grew up together and went to the same schools.

Before the chief thanked Gabriella for her help, he noticed her shoes. White sneakers didn’t really go with the outfit that she was wearing. Gabriella observed his look and immediately responded with the heal of her boot broke so she had to switch shoes. Sounded reasonable as the chief smiled and thanked her. As he turned around and walked back to the stage, an officer walked up to him. He told him that a young man found a katana sword outside with blood on it. A katana huh? Makes sense since the neck wound of the victim was so clean cut.

The chief followed the officer through a door that led backstage. He observed some blood droplets that led from the staging area all the way to the outside door. Why did the killer carry the weapon all this way just to drop it outside? The officer introduced the young man as Reggy and stated that he was on his way to his dorm when he found the blood covered Katana.

Does this young man study mixed martial arts? Is that how he knows what a Katana is? The chief asked Reggy if he had ever seen that sword before and he said no, not that particular one. He told him that he has a Katana at home because he collects swords. But as far as he knows, they only have fencing swords at the university. The chief then asked him if he knew the victim? Reggy hesitated but then told him that they dated briefly last year. Dated huh? How long? Was the breakup mutual and friendly? The chief asked Reggy if he could meet with him at the police station in about an hour? Now looking nervous, Reggy nodded his head and said sure. The chief then asked the officer to let a CSI member know about the sword out there.

I hope that you enjoyed the first chapter of this short story. I’m writing it a little differently so please feel free to tell me what you think.