“No touching the body,” Chris stated.
The detective glanced over. “Why? You’re right here,” he stated.
“I need to see her before anything is moved.”
He stared at Elizabeth and made ‘cuckoo’ hand gestures by his head.
She glared at him.
Chris crouched down in front of the woman. Elizabeth placed her hand on his shoulder to stabilize him. He was slipping on the blood on the wood floor.
“How did this get called in?” she asked.
The police officer guarding the door stuck his head into the apartment. “I can answer that. The blood leaked through the floor and the tenant downstairs came home to blood on her kitchen counter.”
“Chris, what are you doing?” she asked, as he was getting close to the woman’s girly parts. Then he was feeling around with his gloved fingers.
She wanted to laugh. Just last night those hands were checking out totally different things.
“You’re going to ask me if she was raped, again, so I’m checking for bruising.”
“Well?” she asked.
“She was definitely raped. There’s tearing. If she’s a hooker, she likely hadn’t started her shift yet.”
Elizabeth took in the setting. “She’s on her couch, there’s cereal, and she’s in a t-shirt. I sleep like that. This girl was chilling out and having a calm Sunday morning.”
“Do you still sleep like that?” Kaleb asked.
Chris opened his mouth.
“Don’t. He’s fishing.”
Kaleb started laughing. “So damn close.”
Elizabeth didn’t like where this was heading.
“How about we focus on work, Detective?” Elizabeth suggested.
“You’re no fun.”
“How long has she been dead?” Elizabeth asked, glancing over at Chris. “Can you whip me up a number?”
“Can do.”
“No rigor. Her liver temp is…”
He shoved the long probe into her body.
“It’s close to her original temperature. She’s only been dead a couple hours—less than six and more than two.”
Well, that was good to know.
When he shifted her to lay her flat for the team to bag her, Elizabeth caught something.
“Wait.”
He didn’t move. “What?”
“There’s something in her vagina. I saw white when you moved her. It looked to be poking out.”
“Semen?” Kaleb asked.
Chris moved down to check for himself.
“Jesus.”
“Oh, I know I’m not going to like this,” Elizabeth stated. “Chris is never appalled. That was his, ‘what the hell is this world coming to’ comment. When he says it like that, it’s never a good thing.”
“I found her other eye.”
“What?” they both said together.
Gently, using his index finger, he popped it out of her body. It was something none of them would ever forget.
“It had to be wedged up there. Shifting her forced it down.”
“Yep. People are sick,” Elizabeth stated.
Chris agreed with her there.
“It still has the optic nerve attached. It looks like it was yanked out. There’s no cut,” he said, checking it out.
“How do you do this job?” Kaleb asked. “This is really horrible. I wouldn’t sleep at night. It takes a sick ticket to enjoy this.”
Chris didn’t say anything.
But Elizabeth did.
This was her best friend, but she wasn’t going to let anyone disparage what he did. Without Chris, she, and many other agents, couldn’t do their job.
“Are you that freaking clueless?” she asked, staring at him. She knew when Chris got quiet that he wasn’t going to defend himself. He’d gotten tired of people saying that to him.
“What?”
“His job matters. In fact, without him, we can’t solve crimes. It’s not gross, it’s not disgusting, and it’s not something you can put down. Christopher Leonard is a damn find doctor, and he deserves your respect.”
He stared at her. “I didn’t mean…”
She didn’t care. “He works hard, tirelessly, and is always willing to go that extra mile to help me solve a case. If you think I’ll let you trash him, then you’re out of your mind.”
Chris had pulled off one of his gloves. “It’s okay, Lyzee. Team, bag her. I’ll finish up at the morgue.”
“No. It’s not okay. You have feelings, and they matter. You’re not some feeling-less person who doesn’t hurt when people trash-talk your job.”
“You’re getting all stirred up for no reason,” Kaleb stated. “I was making a general statement. It wasn’t directed at the doctor. You’re just pissed off because you’re sleeping with him, and I didn’t call him genius.”
Chris had to move between them.
“I’m not technically a genius. You need to have an IQ over one forty. I’m only at one thirty-five,” he said, trying to calm her down.
“Admit it. You’re being bitchy because you have a relationship with him.”
“Elizabeth, let it go,” he whispered. They were drawing attention. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”
She stared into his eyes. “He’s my best friend, and he deserves respect.”
He touched her cheek with his bare hand.
Nothing more had to be said.
“I’m sorry, Doctor. It was simply shocking to see an eyeball come out of a woman’s body like that. I didn’t mean to trash your job. I appreciate everything you do to help the police.”
Chris held out his gloved hand, and the man reached for it. When he touched it, it was covered in goo.
“What the hell?”
“It’s semen.”
Kaleb started gagging.
“I think it’s the killer’s, but this is a dead hooker, so…who knows,” Chris said.
Elizabeth began laughing.
The anger was gone.
“You don’t need me fighting your battles,” she whispered, as Kaleb went to get out of those gloves.
“I’ll always need you, Lyzee, and thank you. It makes it easier. Without you, I don’t think I could do this for a long time.”
Didn’t she know it?
Elizabeth didn’t know how many years she’d be able to do this. At some point, she’d have to stop. This was a one-way track to burn out.
When Kaleb came back, he was red. “I deserved that.”
“Yeah, you really did,” Chris stated.
Elizabeth smiled. He’d come a long way. She was proud of him.
“Let’s just get back to work,” Chris stated, gloving back up.
They agreed to that.
“So, she was raped, he didn’t use a condom, and we found the eye. That brings us to one last question,” Elizabeth asked.
“The face,” Chris replied. He knew how she thought.
“Yep. Did the team find it?”
Chris whistled, and got their attention. They all stopped moving. “Anyone find a face?” he asked.
Elizabeth was going to keep that technique in mind. They seemed to respond to whistling better than when she tried to yell to get their attention.
“The cat was eating it,” answered the cop at the door.
“Did you stop the cat?” Chris asked.
“It’s a face. I wasn’t touching it.”
Chris shook his head. “I don’t get it.”
“And this is why I’m a dog person,” Elizabeth stated. “A dog would lie by its master and mourn. A cat will eat them. Filthy fur balls.”
At that moment, they agreed.
“Chris, I know we had plans to have dinner, but can you maybe hook a girl up with an autopsy?” she asked.
He dropped the eye into a bag, pulled off his gloves, and moved out of the way so the techs could begin gathering trace. “I absolutely can.”
“Thank you,” she offered.
“What will you be doing?” he asked.
/>
“I’m going to head home, pull out a whiteboard, and try to figure out what the hell is going on here.”
She saw the look.
“I’ll be safe.”
“That wasn’t what I was thinking.”
“Yes, he’s coming with me,” she offered. “Don’t worry, MOM, Charlie will be there to chaperone.”
He snorted and gave her a fist bump.
“I’ll call you if I find anything unusual.”
“Doc, this whole damn thing is unusual,” she stated. “You found an eyeball in a vagina.”
“Talk about keeping your eye on the prize.”
She stared at him.
“Too soon?”
She snorted, and then gave him a kiss on the cheek. “It’s never too soon. Love you, Newton.”
He winked at her and got back to work.
Heading outside, Kaleb was quiet. She knew he was thinking. “I’m sorry if I jumped down your throat in there,” she said, biting the bullet.
He shrugged. “I really didn’t mean to hurt his feelings. I just don’t know how anyone could do his job.”
“He’s a good person.”
Kaleb began laughing.
“What?”
“You did have sex with him.”
“Shut up, Kaleb. It’s none of your business,” she said, trying to ignore the stares from the other techs. She knew they liked to gossip, and they’d heard her outbreak, and saw the kiss she gave him.
Elizabeth was going to have to implement a new rule.
No kissy-face on crime scenes.
Shit like that would get her in trouble, and since Gabe was out with his new baby, she was prey to the Director of the FBI.
Yeah, it was a damn good rule.
“I’d like to go on the record,” he stated.
“About what?”
“You used to be more fun.”
“Well, I’m more fun than a dead hooker with an eyeball in her vagina. So, it’s perspective.”
He couldn’t argue there.
Chapter Twelve
Sunday Night
H e finished the profile and sent it off to Gabe. He hoped it helped, but he wasn’t sure it would. This killer was insane. That was the foregone conclusion. Ethan saw a lot of crazy, and he compulsively studied it, but this killer…
Yeah, good luck to the agent running that circus. He was grateful it wasn’t him.
It appeared that the lunatic was on the verge of a meltdown. Ethan only hoped the agent was ready for it.
When there was a knock on his door, he was going to ignore it. When it didn’t stop, he didn’t have any choice but to see who it was.
After opening it, he relaxed. It was only Jay.
“Yo, partner, thanks for sticking me with the Indians,” Jay said, coming inside.
“Native Americans.”
“Whatever.”
“How did it go?”
“You didn’t miss anything. The big one, he was asking about you.”
“The big one?”
“Whitehorse, Whiteraven, White-something or other.”
“Fox?”
“Yeah, that’s it. Why did you bail, man? It’s not like you to freak out and run.”
“He’s my brother.”
“Oh. Ohhhh. I don’t get it.”
“We were close. One day, he stuck his dick into my girlfriend behind my back, and I’ve never forgiven him. We’re estranged, and Gabe knew it. He sent me in and it was a good ol’ ambush.”
Jay took a seat.
“She was the love of your life, huh? Is that why you don’t sleep with anyone?”
“No, she wasn’t the love of my life. She was just a girl I was dating at eighteen. She was easy, and I was lazy.”
“So, you’re pissed at your brother for fucking a girl you didn’t really like.”
When he said it like that, it sounded horrible.
Still, Ethan defended himself.
“It’s principle.”
“Uh, okay. Speaking of boning some babes, you owe me a boatload of beer for covering that mess. Natives are bitchy.”
“Yeah, forced imprisonment, shitty living conditions, oh, and having your country taken from you will do that to a person. Shame on us.”
He grinned. “You’re feisty tonight. Great. Let’s hit a bar. There’s a game on in an hour, and we need wings.”
“I’m on vacation.”
“You’re hiding like a pussy. Let’s call it what it is.”
Ethan stared at him.
He was right, and he hated that.
Still, he said nothing.
Jay cracked first.
“FINE. I’ll buy the wings, and you buy the beer. We’ll find some girls, and we’ll enjoy your vacation.”
Ethan wanted to be alone, but he was hungry, and Jay was right.
He was hiding.
“Okay, let me get changed.”
“You’re already in jeans. What do you have to get changed into?”
“Going out clothes.”
He shook his head. “You need to loosen up.”
“I am loose. I’m going to eat wings in a sports bar with you.”
Jay gave up.
“Just leave the tie at home, okay?”
Ethan would try.
* * * E l i z a b e t h L a R u e * * *
Elizabeth’s Brownstone
Sunday Afternoon
When she called home to her dad, she told him they were on the way. She wanted to give him a heads up. He offered to have dinner ready, and by that, he meant he was going to order them pizza.
When they arrived at her place, it was already there.
She made the introductions, and hoped that Kaleb was on his best behavior. The man didn’t want to piss off Charlie.
That was always a bad idea.
He sounded like a Southern hick, but he had a bite like a Northern rattler.
“Your father is going to help us?” he asked when Charlie sat down next to the whiteboard.
“I’m a seasoned law professional.”
He laughed.
“What?”
“Really?”
She shook her head. “He was a police officer with the Capitol police, and now he’s the sheriff of a town. Are you trying to piss off everyone I like today? First, it was Chris, and now my daddy?”
He wasn’t, but…
“Still, this is a serial killer.”
“Please tell me you’re not dating this asshole,” Charlie stated. “I have socks with better manners. I like the doctor better. He at least knew when to keep his yap shut.”
“Hey!”
Elizabeth would kick them both out if they didn’t shut up. She was running out of time, and she didn’t want another hooker dying.
Their killer was escalating.
Enough was enough.
“Gentlemen, and I use the term lightly, let’s work.”
Charlie was ready.
He was heading up to Boston in the morning to gather up his soon to be ex-wife and his son. When they got home, everything was going to be changing. This was a welcome distraction. He loved seeing his girl in action.
“What do you have so far?” he asked.
She told him about the new hooker, the missing face, and the vagina stuffed with an eyeball.
“That’s crazy.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“Who do you have for a suspect?” Charlie asked.
Elizabeth headed to the board. On it, she listed them so they could visualize it.
Arnold Knox
Robert Donaldson
Noor Blackburn
Rodney Cole
Harvey Wellstone
Clayton Frost
“So one of them did it?” Charlie asked.
“That’s what I’m thinking, but I can’t, for the life of me, figure it out. I look at them, and none of them fit. How is that possible?”
“Talk it out,” Charlie said. “I know that and a whiteboard always worked for me.”
/>
Yeah, she got it from him.
“Okay, we have Arnold Knox. He was being blackmailed by Naima, and he was paying it. He was the financial advisor who didn’t mind taking the hit. It got him off.”
Charlie made notes.
“He sounds charming.”
She snorted.
“Then we had Robert Donaldson. What has me all tied up on this one is he is married to the madam in competition with the pimp, but he’s paying for sex. If they had an open relationship, why not just ask to borrow a hooker?”
“Is that really a thing in marriage?” Kaleb asked. “That makes it a much better prospect for my future if it is,” he teased.
Charlie stared at him. “Did you sleep with this one?”
“Yep, I did.”
“Only once, right?”
“Yep.”
“Thank God.”
“You two both realize I’m right here, right? I was just trying to lighten the mood.”
No one bought that.
“Okay, what else?” Charlie asked, ignoring the man. He didn’t like him.
“Well, there’s his wife, Noor. She’s also on the list. Do I think she’s the killer? Well, now that the last woman was raped and there was semen left behind, no. Do I think she and her husband could be in on it together? Yes.”
“That’s plausible,” Kaleb offered. “She’s the brains, he’s the muscle.”
That was what she was thinking. “That’s motive. She and Clayton are competition. Maybe Noor got bitchy, and this is her way of taking out the person keeping her from a bigger stable of ladies.”
Maybe.
Greed made the world go around.
Charlie kept her on track. “Who else?”
“Rodney Cole is up next. This weirdo has been trying to get with the hookers, but the pimp wouldn’t let them go out with him. When the pimp is turning away service, you know something has to be wrong.”
She had a point.
“We tagged him, and he’s into drugs,” Kaleb added.
“He’s at the top of my list. The pimp pissed him off. That’s motive.”
“That is a good motive, but other than his hate for the pimp, what else do you have?” Charlie asked. He loved watching his girl work. She was damn smart.
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