"What?" Danny asked as he turned the steering wheel, pulling the car to a stop along the curb. Just ahead, a delivery van with purple and yellow FedEx logos was parked. A young white woman with a single ponytail, dressed in a FedEx uniform, was loading packages into the van.
"We'll talk later. First, we grab Vasquez." Jack opened the car door and stepped out, immediately drawing his pistol.
Both men wore bulletproof vests—Danny's emblazoned with "NYPD" and Jack's with "FBI." The mismatched combination drew curious and uneasy looks from bystanders as soon as they exited the vehicle.
The young woman, bending over to arrange her packages, sensed something was wrong. She turned her head, and their eyes met. In a split second, she sprang up like a startled gazelle and bolted into the nearby traffic.
"Oh, come on, I hate foot chases," Danny groaned as he turned to see Jack already darting across the street. With a resigned sigh, he holstered his weapon and followed suit.
By the time Danny had painstakingly maneuvered through the chaotic traffic to the other side, the two figures were already out of sight. Fortunately, the commotion from pedestrians shouting pointed him in the right direction, leading him to the back kitchen of a nearby fast-food restaurant.
"Shoot me! Kill me!" Marcia Vasquez screamed, her face twisted with a mixture of desperation and rage. She gripped a meat cleaver tightly, pointing it at Jack, who stood calmly across from her. "Come on, shoot! Or I'll kill you!"
In stark contrast to her hysteria, Jack's voice was calm, almost too calm. "Drop the knife. You're in enough trouble already; no need to add aggravated assault on an officer to your charges."
Danny quietly positioned himself behind Vasquez, preparing to act. But just as he was about to make his move, he froze in shock. Jack holstered his gun.
"What are you doing?" Danny mouthed silently, his face contorted in disbelief. He had no idea what Jack was planning.
"Here's the deal: you've got two choices," Jack said, making a beckoning gesture with his hand as if daring Vasquez. "You can try to take me down and escape through the front, or you can turn around and face my partner's gun."
"F*** you!" Vasquez screamed and lunged at Jack with the meat cleaver.
The blade sliced through the air with a sharp whistle, but it stopped dead mid-swing as Jack caught her wrist in a firm grip. With a quick twist, her hand went limp, and the knife clattered to the ground.
"Watch out!" Danny shouted, seeing Vasquez suddenly lift her knee in an attempt to strike Jack's groin.
Thud! A dull sound echoed through the kitchen as Jack's left knee met hers in mid-air. Jack remained unfazed, while Vasquez winced in visible pain, her face twitching as she reeled from the impact.
In one swift motion, Jack slid his right arm under her armpit and spun, executing a flawless over-the-shoulder throw. The move looked almost effortless, like tossing a pillow, but Vasquez hit the ground with a heavy thud.
"You're under arrest, Marcia Vasquez," Jack said, his voice steady.
Danny stepped forward, cuffing the dazed woman and hauling her to her feet. As they walked her out of the kitchen, Danny leaned toward Jack and muttered, "This is what you meant by 'don't hold back with a serial killer,' huh?"
"Trust me, Danny—she's not the serial killer we're looking for," Jack replied, equally quiet but cryptic.
"What do you mean she's not the serial killer we're looking for?" In Mac Taylor's office at the CSI lab, the team exchanged puzzled glances.
Jack's expression showed no hint of satisfaction at solving the case. Instead, he looked irritated, almost anxious. "Remember the 'Phantom of Heilbronn' case from Germany and France? I think we've got a similar problem here. CSI is in big trouble."
The room fell silent as everyone stared at him.
The "Phantom of Heilbronn" was one of the most infamous unsolved cases in Europe during the 20th century. Starting in the 1990s, Germany seemed to be plagued by a mysterious female serial killer whose crime spree spanned an incredible 16 years and over 40 murders.
DNA technology, first introduced in the UK in 1985, had quickly become a powerful tool for solving crimes, spreading across Europe and revolutionizing forensic science. But it wasn't without its flaws.
In 1993, in a small German town, a 62-year-old woman was found strangled with a piece of wire. Police used cutting-edge DNA fingerprinting to analyze evidence from a teacup at the scene. They uncovered an unknown female DNA profile but had no matches in their database at the time.
Years passed, and in 2001, another murder occurred in Freiburg, Germany. A rare antiques dealer was killed, also strangled, and the same mysterious DNA was found at the scene. Seven months later, another case involving a drug user's discarded syringe yielded the same DNA. Then, in 2007, two narcotics officers were ambushed—one killed, one wounded. Once again, the Phantom's DNA was found on shell casings at the crime scene.
The Phantom's elusiveness became legendary. Over 800 women were investigated, and German authorities spent $18 million hunting the supposed female killer. Yet she seemed like a ghost, her movements erratic and untraceable. As more crimes were linked to the DNA, her presence was reported across multiple European countries, including France and Austria. By 2009, the total number of linked cases had risen to over 40, shaking law enforcement across the continent.
And then, the truth emerged: the Phantom never existed.
A joint investigation between German, French, and Austrian authorities revealed that for over 16 years, forensic cotton swabs used to collect DNA samples had been contaminated at the factory where they were produced. The DNA belonged to a female employee at the Austrian factory who had handled the swabs during production. Faulty sterilization processes had spread her DNA to countless crime scenes, creating a massive wild goose chase.
Mac Taylor, Danny, and the rest of the team listened to Jack's explanation, their expressions ranging from disbelief to growing dread.
If Jack's theory was correct, it meant CSI's evidence had been compromised. The implications were staggering.
"This could destroy us," Stella muttered, her voice shaking. "Do you realize what this means? Every case we've worked on recently that relied on DNA evidence could be thrown into question."
Jack nodded grimly. "Not just recent cases. If the contamination goes far back enough, some of the most dangerous criminals might walk free."
Danny clenched his jaw. "Shit. I need to call my sister Erin. Just a few weeks ago, she was telling me about a case with that piece of garbage Dick Reed—the serial rapist and murderer who scared the only witness into not testifying."
"Don't forget to call your father, Commissioner Reagan," Jack said, picking up a box of cotton swabs from Mac Taylor's desk. "The NYPD needs to act fast."
As Jack and Mac prepared to leave the office, Stella called after them. "Where are you going?"
"To Brooklyn," Mac replied in a low, serious tone. "We're going to test Jack's theory."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get early access to chapters by joining my Patre@n!Find me at: patre@n*com/Mutter
You can read each novel for $5 or get them all for just $15.
I Am Zeus, KING OF GODS (Chapter 79)
Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 391)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 471)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 677)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 1059)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1418)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1422)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1452)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1504)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld!(Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 703)
[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter][+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]