"Let's go over this one more time, Mark. There has to be something we're missing," Dutton suggested. He handed his partner a file.

Ballister propped his Tony Lamas up on the edge of the desk and asked, "Who could forget the cold-blooded slaughter of the one person they ever truly loved? Adler couldn't. At least, that's the story he sold to the blue suits when they brought him in for questioning about his wife's murder."

"The death of Maria Adler began the onslaught of Karl Adler's attacks," Dutton confirmed. He did not have to read the reports. He could quote them verbatim.

"Adler said he arrived home around 2:38 in the morning, give or take. All at once, he stopped in his tracks because he claimed he sensed something wrong inside their residence," Ballister picked up the details.

"Memorable details, I might add," Dutton chimed in, "Adler swore he would never forget any of them. The records indicated Maria Adler was a crossword junkie and Adler said his thing was word games like letter arrangements, jumbles, and ciphers."

"Such as the Caesar cipher. The easiest one to break," Ballister said.

"Like everything else in their apartment, Adler's reading material was neatly arranged. This included extensive sheets of paper folded once into folios with dark lettering," Dutton continued.

"Adler is quoted as admitting he'd been drinking with several pilot friends in the Lost Acre Bar. That part of his story has been verified," Ballister stated, "the five of them would soon be dispersed to different airlines around the country. Adler's future all but assured."

"Adler acknowledged being buzzed, but denied being drunk, and that he was in a jovial mood when he arrived home," Dutton remarked.

"He also lusted for Maria," Ballister cut in.

"He said he remembeted being in the vestibule before he flicked on the hallway light. He saw Maria's purse scattered on the linoleum floor. Its contents spilled in a unique pattern. Earrings, tubes of makeup, and compacts. The whole kit and caboodle," Dutton mentioned.

"Maria was not known to be messy and that fiasco would be way out of character for her," Ballister vouched.

"Adler then stated he searched for her throughout the apartment," Dutton began.

"He grabbed the closest thing he could get his hands on. A butcher knife from the kitchen drawer," Ballister added.

"Frantic and scared, or so he professed, Adler called her name as loud as he could, and asked, "Where are you?" Then, he said his whole world crashed when he discovered Maria laid spread-eagled on their bed," Dutton said.

"Allegedly, he screamed so loud the family across the hall heard his distinct words. That also started their German Shepherd, Sam-Bam, barking. Then, Adler insisted everything in his life changed forever. Maria was deceased," Ballister stated, "though blood was pooled underneath her, Adler couldn't bring himself to accept that fact."

"A terrible scourge was loosed that night, Mark. Even Maria's heart was extracted from her body," Dutton finished his comment.

"Now, we hunt the monster," Ballister reiterated.

"Or, that's Adler's version of what transpired in Apartment 27 that night," Dutton scoffed.

"You don't believe him?" Ballister mocked.

"Not one word," Dutton confessed saying, "Adler's actions speak otherwise."