The Gift Of The Beautiful Dead

 

A ROAD WRAPPED IN FOG

The road stretched endlessly into mist. Zane Faulkner sat behind the wheel, his gaze fixed forward, his gloved fingers gently tapping to an internal rhythm only he could hear. Next to him, Eli huddled in a thick coat, visibly shivering.

"You’re not going to tell me what the case is about, are you?" Eli asked, frustration in his voice.

Zane offered his signature smirk. "Where’s the fun in that?"

Eli exhaled sharply. "It’s freezing, we’re driving through a ghost town, and you’re enjoying the mystery more than me not knowing anything. Classic."

"You’ll appreciate the drama soon enough," Zane replied.

THE TEDDY BEAR SIGNATURE

The police station smelled of stale coffee and desperation. Chief Ramis looked exhausted, a man worn down by horror.

"Three girls," he said, laying down a folder. "Three weeks. All of them twenty-five. All found near the shoreline."

Zane flipped through the photos. Eli winced.

"What happened to their faces?" Eli muttered.

"Destroyed beyond recognition," Chief Ramis said. "But that’s not all. Each was found with a pink teddy bear beside them. Each bear had a card."

Zane read one of them aloud:

"'A beautiful gift for your beautiful face.'"

"He’s mocking them," Zane murmured. "Killing beauty itself."

"We’ve got nothing," Ramis admitted. "No prints, no DNA, no witnesses. Just perfect, gift-wrapped murder."

THE SHADOW OF PERFECTION

Zane and Eli dug through social media. Each victim was stunning, well-followed, adored. And each had received a teddy bear in the mail days before her death.

Zane’s eyes narrowed. "He doesn’t hate beauty. He envies it. Something about it burns him."

"So why the bear?" Eli asked.

"Because he’s sick," Zane said. "He’s hiding murder in innocence."

They tracked purchase records of the bears. All were shipped from a single town post office—under a fake name: Harold Vale.

THE GIRL WHO DIDN’T DIE

Only one woman had reported getting teddy bears but hadn’t been attacked.

Her name was Iris Winters.

She was a boutique owner—beautiful, poised. But when Zane and Eli entered her shop, her eyes betrayed fear.

"Three bears," she whispered. "They arrived one by one. I thought it was a prank. Then I heard about the murders."

"Do you remember anyone odd?" Zane asked.

She paused. "There was a man. Heavy coat. Always outside my store. I joked to him once—asked if he was hiding a monster under that coat."

Eli exhaled slowly. "And that’s all it takes."

A CALL TO LYRA

Back at their motel, Zane stood by the window.

"He’s spiraling. Each murder is getting closer. He’ll strike again."

Then he made the call.

Lyra answered on the first ring.

He didn’t explain much.

He didn’t need to.

THE BAIT

Lyra arrived that night. She brought her forensic tools—but Zane had something else in mind.

He brought her to the local news station.

"Feature her," Zane told the anchor. "Do a segment on young talent helping with the case. Focus on her face."

Eli blinked. "You’re using Lyra as bait?"

"He picks women who shine," Zane said. "If he sees her… he’ll come."

THE TRAP IS SET

For two days, nothing happened. Then a package arrived for Lyra.

Another bear.

Another card.

Zane’s jaw tightened. "He took it. Now we lead him."

They faked a public event—a local museum gala where Lyra would appear. Police swarmed the area. Zane waited. And waited.

But the killer didn’t show.

THE MISTAKE

That night, as Zane reviewed the teddy bear again, he spotted it.

The ribbon’s knot was tighter than the previous ones.

Zane rushed to Lyra’s lab. "Check the fibers inside the knot."

Inside, embedded in the thread, was a microscopic fiber—a rare synthetic used in custom gloves.

Only one local supplier made them.

They cross-checked recent customers.

One name stood out: Colin Drew.

THE KILLER REVEALED

Colin Drew lived alone near the cliffs.

They found his home lined with mirrors—cracked, covered, hidden. And walls covered with photos of women. All their eyes scratched out.

When he saw Zane, he didn’t run.

He just whispered, "She laughed at me."

"Who?" Zane asked.

"The first one. She said I was hideous. So I made her… less beautiful. And then I couldn’t stop."

DECEPTION

Zane knew the law wouldn’t hold him. Drew was a ghost.

So he fed the media a lie:

"The case is solved. Drew’s under custody."

But in truth, they let him go.

Watched him.

Waited.

Zane knew what he would do next.

THE FINAL MOVE

He went after Lyra.

She was alone at the motel. The door creaked. A shadow entered.

And then—

Zane was there.

No smile.

No calm.

Just red eyes.

A growl.

And then pain. For Drew. Endless pain.

Zane didn’t stop. Until silence.

AFTERMATH

Lyra stood shaking.

Eli stood frozen.

Zane? He lit a cigarette. Calm again.

"He won’t laugh again," Zane said.

Lyra whispered, "You came for me."

Zane didn’t reply.

He just walked out into the fog.

THE END