by D. K. Hood
“Tons. I’m planning on completing an accelerated medical degree, then I’ll have at least two years of residency before I can apply to be certified. There’s a ton more studying to do if I want to specialize in forensic pathology. Right now, I’m more concerned about the postgrad finals.” Emily shrugged. “I’m usually confident going into examinations but this means so much to me, I’m a little nervous.”
“Sometimes that’s a good thing.” Kane wiggled his eyebrows. “Overconfidence can be a curse.”
“You always say something to make me feel better.” Emily squeezed his arm and then hurried after Webber.
“Before we start…” Wolfe moved his attention to Jenna. “The last text Laurie made was at five on Saturday evening. I went through everything going back a month, it is all general chat. The only interesting text between her and Wyatt Cooper, the boyfriend, was about him being annoyed about the attention Cory Hughes, the maintenance man, was giving her. It was then they broke up. Laurie told him she didn’t like jealousy and blocked his calls.”
“That’s motive.” Jenna considered the information. “Cooper was at the practice and could’ve followed her. If she needed a ride, she’d likely get in his vehicle.” She looked at Kane. “We’ll need to see what he drives.” She turned back to Wolfe. “What else do you have for me?”
“We have some trace evidence.” Wolfe indicated to the screen. “The men’s briefs are a generic brand and untraceable but they held significant amounts of DNA. We also found a trace of foreign saliva on the screwdriver and extracted a good DNA sample.” He moved to the screen. “The samples are unrelated to the victim and each other.” He puffed out a long sigh. “Both of course are useless unless we find a match. As Cooper and Hughes had some involvement with Laurie, I’d start there but it will be a huge task. I’d suggest you call in Jo Wells and ask if Bobby Kalo can run the samples through the FBI databases.”
“It’s a bit early to call in the FBI.” Kane frowned. “We’ll get those samples and hunt down a few suspects before we contact them so we don’t look like complete jerks.”
“It’s your call.” Wolfe went back to staring at the results. “This case is complicated and I’d have thought you’d appreciate some input from Jo. She’s a friend, she won’t pull the FBI card if you don’t specifically ask her to intervene in the case.”
“Fine.” Kane didn’t look amused. “I’ll call her if I can’t figure out this guy.”
Excited by the evidence, Jenna stared at the screen. “So, we may have two suspects?”
“Yeah, there’s a chance.” Wolfe’s gray eyes flicked to her.
“I figure the saliva was an error and the briefs a message.” Rio examined the results. “He looked at Kane. “What do you think?”
“I’ll be listening to what Wolfe has to say before making any decisions or running to the FBI for help.” Kane shrugged. “Seems to me the killers went to extreme measures not to leave any trace evidence.”
Jenna lifted her gaze to the images on the screen. Wolfe had photographed both sides of the body. She looked at him. “We’re interrupting you, please go on.”
“Okay.” Wolfe used a remote to bring up another set of X-rays. “There’s no sign of blunt force trauma outside the perimeter of the stab wounds. As you can see of the twenty-two stab wounds on the face, eyes, and torso, in ten, we have evidence of damage to the underlying bone. The hyoid bone is fractured but the larynx isn’t crushed.” He turned to look at them. “I took samples of blood and I’m running a tox screen as routine but I tested specifically for a variety of sedatives to rule out the date rape scenario. I found no trace of any sedative in her system and I found no latent prints on her body.”
Jenna examined the body. Apart from the stab wounds and neck bruising, the body only had a few superficial bruises. There were no defensive wounds. “Any sign of sexual activity?”
“No.” Wolfe walked to the body. “I have already mentioned the livor mortis but as you can see from the extent in the lower regions of the body, she was in a sitting position for some time, perhaps eight hours or more before being relocated. I found something notable as well.” He looked at Kane. “If you could help me turn her over?”
“Sure.” Kane moved the body with great care and gentleness.
The unease drained away from Jenna as the need to know what happened to Laurie Turner took precedence and she moved closer. “Oh, I see it. There’s a crease on her back.”
“I took swabs as decomposing skin collects trace elements like a magnet. There were dust particles, nothing special but I found traces of polyethylene. In my opinion she was wrapped in plastic or was at least lying on plastic. The plastic sheet was creased and caused the mark on her back. This would account for the clean crime scene and the light coating of sandy soil on the body at the scene.”
Jenna nodded, seeing the scene unfold in her head. “The killer wrapped her in plastic and took her to the mines, where he stabbed her post-mortem as you’ve established. That would account for the bodily fluids spatter and then after tossing the screwdriver down the mineshaft, he rolled her out of the plastic, covered his tracks, and headed for the hills.”
“Hey, wind it back some.” Kane was examining the back of Laurie’s neck. He’d lifted the hair and was peering at the crossed over mark on the neck. “She was sitting for some time on plastic, but who just sits on a plastic sheet and waits to be strangled.” He glanced at Wolfe. “I’ve seen this before, it’s a classic attack from behind.” He followed the mark to under the jawbone. “It’s under the chin. I figure we’ve two people involved, one driver and the killer in the back seat, perhaps hiding. Laurie climbs in and the driver pulls away. The second drops a cord around her neck and crosses it over, pulling her up and over the seat. Maybe she had her seatbelt on and was pinned.” He lifted his attention back to Wolfe. “Did you find any trace under her nails?”
“No, and she’d have blacked out in about ten seconds.” Wolfe motioned for Kane to assist him rolling her onto her back. “The stab wounds are all inflicted by the same instrument. They differ in depth, which would indicate the attack continued until they tired. The main concentration is to the face and breast areas.”
“I’ve seen something similar.” Rio was standing arms folded over his chest and leaning against a counter. “It was a case where a guy’s wife murdered his girlfriend but she used a kitchen knife. The same attack pattern, face and chest.”
Jenna nodded. “That’s good to know, so we could be looking at a spurned lover perhaps?” She stared at Kane. “Although, she seems too young to be involved in a love triangle.”
“We could be looking at a female killer.” Kane narrowed his gaze. “A very jealous woman.”
Milling over the situation Jenna nodded. “Maybe two female suspects.” She stared at Kane. “She’d more likely take the offer of a ride from a woman or even two.”
“More like she knew the driver.” Kane shrugged. “That’s the impression of the witness and from her clear descriptions of everything else, I’d say she doesn’t miss much.”
“Getting back to the autopsy…” Wolfe pulled down the mic to record his findings. “We have the body of Laurie Turner, age sixteen years and two months. Caucasian, brown eyes and hair. She is average height and weight for her age. The injuries to the upper torso and face number twenty-two and are consistent in size and shape of a screwdriver found at the scene. Trace evidence on the screwdriver is a match for Laurie Turner and foreign DNA was located in an overlay suggesting it arrived after the cessation of the attack.” He turned off the mic and looked at Jenna and her team. “I’ll pause for questions but I need to keep the audio record undisturbed as I’ll need to make an exact copy of my findings for the report.”
Jenna took a step back as the examination of the body followed. This was the part that usually caused even the most experienced law enforcement officers to buckle. Organs removed, examined, weighed, and samples of stomach contents taken made her glance away a few times
to catch her breath. She didn’t have to worry about Kane, he seemed to take everything in his stride and was assisting Wolfe, but her interest wandered to Rio. He had surprised her so far. On the job, his input was intelligent and he knew his stuff. It was no different in the morgue. His gaze hadn’t shifted from the autopsy, as if he was mentally filing every detail, and perhaps he was. He showed a keen interest in his eyes and was listening intently to Wolfe’s every word. For a young man, he had knowledge beyond his years and as a person she liked him. He’d fit into the team just fine and for her to make that judgment on his first day was remarkable. Her attention snapped back to Wolfe the moment he started talking again.
“Stab wounds vary in depth and angle. The depth is from two and a half inches to half an inch on the chest and there are two four-inch incisions on the lower torso.” Wolfe glanced up at Jenna. “I count ten wounds to the chest and lower torso and twelve wounds to the face.” He turned off the mic as Emily and Webber came back into the room. “Ah good. Emily, take over and complete the sutures.” He turned on the mic. “My conclusion is that cause of death is homicide by asphyxiation due to strangulation by an unknown subject. All other injuries were inflicted post-mortem by person or persons unknown at this time.” He turned off the mic and looked at Jenna. “All my findings will be in my full report.”
Jenna turned to Emily. “Was there anything of interest in the backpack?”
“Not inside, no. Just the usual things a girl would need at practice but her pompoms were missing. They usually have their own for practice. We found quite a few different sets of prints on the backpack and some fibers that could be from the interior carpet of a vehicle. They look too fine to be from a rug or similar. We’ve entered all the information on file and the samples are waiting for processing.”
Jenna looked at Kane. “We’d have to print everyone at the practice, all her friends, and her father, to use for elimination.”
“It’s a waste of time.” Kane shook his head. “If they took so much care to cover trace evidence, they wouldn’t handle the backpack without gloves. They dropped it miles away from her body to put us off their trail.”
“I’d be looking more closely at the fibers.” Rio moved closer. “She would drop her backpack on the floor between her legs, when she got into the vehicle. If the backpack has picked up some fibers, we could trace them to the vehicle. We know the make and once we know the model and year, it would be easier to narrow down the owner.”
“Leave it with me.” Wolfe pulled down his facemask and headed for the door. “I’ll get to it immediately.”
Jenna turned to Kane and Rio. “Let’s go.” She followed Wolfe out the door. “There are so many databases we need to search. Bringing in the FBI computer whizz kid Bobby Kalo would make life so much easier. “I’m calling Jo the moment we get back to the office. Are you okay with that?”
“Sure.” Kane dragged off his mask and smiled at her. “This case is going to need all the boots on the ground we can muster.”
Seventeen
Outside the ME’s office, Jenna sucked in gulps of fresh mountain air but the smell of death lingered in her nostrils as if it had taken up permanent residence. She followed Kane to his truck and leaned against the door just breathing. At the end of the road, she could see people milling around Main. The preparations were in full swing for the Fall Festival parade the following day. The theme this year was sport and local teams would present their players on floats. A band followed by cheerleading squads would march down Main and the mayor would officially open the festival. The rest of the week would be filled with excitement and although at times the tourists could be a problem, she looked forward to the bunting, smiling faces, balloons, and cotton candy. All festivals brought a myriad of aromas, from the fried onions, barbecued ribs, and the famous pulled pork to the cake and candy stalls. She almost wanted to roll in it with delight.
“There goes our dance at the Fall Festival.” Kane slid an arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. “I was looking forward to having my toes crushed again this year.” He grinned at her. “For someone who can learn hand-to-hand combat moves so easily, I can’t understand why you can’t dance.” He winced when she dug him in the ribs. “Although, you’re getting better.”
Jenna snorted. “Have you thought it might be you?” She poked him again. “I didn’t step on Ty’s feet when we danced at Antlers.”
“Yeah, but Carter was holding you way out here.” Kane spread his arms. “He has a keen eye, and probably noticed the scuffs on my boots.”
Jenna rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Dave, I feel so much better now.” She ducked away and headed around the hood. “I guess we’d better get back to the office.”
“I figure we should hunt down Cory Hughes first, he should be at the school at this time.” Kane opened his door. “If he’s innocent, he’ll give up a DNA sample but we’ll have to obtain permission from Wyatt Cooper’s parents to test him.”
Jenna nodded. “Sure, and we need the samples yesterday. Let’s go.”
She stared out the window, wanting to be part of the organizing happening in town. She often helped out here or there, her deputies saving some of the older townsfolk from the heavy lifting, but she only got a glimpse of Main, as Kane took the backroads. After a few turns they sped along Stanton toward the school. The parking lot was empty but they passed a few kids walking home in groups. “From what Hughes said he parks round back.”
“Okay.’ Kane drove around the main building and parked behind a white pickup.
Jenna wrinkled her nose at the smell coming from the line of dumpsters and buzzed up her window. She scanned the area. “The backdoor is open. Maybe he’s working close by.”
“I hope so. We’ve been away from the office for hours.” Kane climbed out and went to the back of his truck. “I’ll grab a DNA test kit.”
Jenna stared at him. “If you’re worrying about Duke, don’t. Maggie will be feeding him snacks and he’ll probably be sleeping them off.”
“Maybe but he doesn’t know Rio.” Kane pushed surgical gloves into his pocket and shrugged. “With him working next to me, he might think I’ve been replaced. He doesn’t like strangers.” He looked at her. “I figure if he gets worried, he’ll head back to the res. You should see him there, Jenna, he gets so excited. I didn’t think that dogs remembered their mothers but he does. I often wonder if I should have given him to Atohi?”
Jenna ignored the stink of garbage and stared at him in disbelief. “Are you joking? When you spent time in the hospital, he howled at the door and insisted I take him to every room in the cottage to look for you. He slept under the Beast for weeks and refused to eat. I had to drag him out and then give him one of your dirty shirts to sleep on and hand feed him in his basket. He might be excited to see his mom but you are his world.” She looked at him uncomprehending. “You must know that, right?”
“You never told me that before.” Kane’s brow wrinkled into a frown.
Jenna shook her head. “No, because you weren’t you when you came home from the hospital. You didn’t remember me let alone Duke.”
“I did remember Duke.” Kane removed his hat and rubbed the scar on his head. “Selective memory.” He cupped her cheek. “Sorry, I remember everything just fine now. You saved my life and I abandoned you.”
Jenna moved closer. “You came home.” She smiled at him. “Even with no memory, you came home with me. You’re with me now. That’s all that matters.”
“I’m a lucky man.” Kane brushed a kiss over her lips and then stiffened and looked over her shoulder and dropped his hand. “I think it was just a bug in your hair, Sheriff.”
What? Jenna noticed Cory Hughes leaning against the doorframe, grinning like a baboon. It was obvious Kane was trying to conceal a tender moment from prying eyes. She cleared her throat. “What’s so funny, Mr. Hughes?”
“Well, it’s not often I see the sheriff and one of her deputies making out with the trash.” Hughes chuckled. “I�
�ll leave you two love birds alone.”
Annoyed, Jenna marched toward him. The last thing they needed was Hughes spreading rumors all over town. “If asking someone to pull a bug out of my hair is your idea of making out, I think you need professional help.” She followed him inside. “Don’t go anywhere, I’m here to see you.”
“I gave my statement and I have nothing more to add.” He led the way inside the school.
“We are eliminating the last people to see Laurie Turner alive from our investigation.” Kane moved to her side. “We’ll need a DNA swab from inside your mouth. It’s painless and if you’re not involved in her murder, you have no need to be concerned.”
“Murder?” Hughes paled. “Last I heard she went missing. She’s dead? How? What happened to her?” He looked at her wide-eyed.
Either Hughes was in shock or he was great at play acting. She’d witnessed psychopaths act remorseful when they had no empathy whatsoever and usually went by her gut feeling during interviews. “The cause of death is under investigation. There was DNA found on her body and we’re collecting samples from all her friends. We’re not accusing you of anything, this way if you had nothing to do with her death, it takes suspicion away from you.”
“I’d never hurt Laurie.” Hughes rubbed both hands down his face. “I knew she liked me but getting involved with a sixteen-year-old would cost me my job. I told her to go make up with Wyatt when she broke her phone.” He dashed a hand through his hair. “She kissed me on the cheek and ran out the door giggling.”
“Did you follow her?” Kane’s voice was so low, Jenna could hardly hear him. “Sweet young thing like her, no one would know, right?”
Jenna understood Kane’s unsavory comment about Laurie as an interviewing technique used by FBI profilers during questioning. It made the suspect believe the interviewer was of like mind and often prompted a response. Perpetrators often enjoyed talking about their exploits to likeminded people.