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The overwhelming silence encapsulated the room. Each one of their minds muling over what they could see, spot, and decipher. Despite her eagerness to solve the case, she found herself averting her eyes from the grotesque scene.
The woman maneuvered herself around the crimson splotches that flooded the floor. Immediately, she combed over any object that could be of importance. The room was rather empty. Not a lot of furniture or decorations, no picture frames or personal touches. Either this was a quick stay apartment or the tenant had recently moved in.
A familiar smell of bleach and other cleaning solutions wafted around her. Most criminals use these chemicals to hide evidence and their crimes. He was different. They were used to enhance the scene, to direct the eyes to what is supposed to be seen and nothing else. What a sight it was.
“Woah…” The blonde flipped her head around as she was met with a familiar face. Thomas Conrad. As far as her standards went, he was the best of the best when it came to dissecting a crime scene. He was fast, efficient, and intelligent. He also helped out with the coroner's office.
Thomas was similar in age to Cordelia, only two years younger than her at the age of twenty-five. He was one of the youngest forensics that Coppermine has ever had, but his talent and passion have led him to the top.
A whistle left his lips as he entered further into the room, his eyes fixated on what Cordelia had avoided since entering. Without even hearing him speak, she could hear the excitement pouring from his body as he approached the center, his instruments making noises as he walked.
Thomas exchanged a few short words with Detective Clark before stepping to the side of where she stood. He probably received the same information they did about the newcomer.
"Is Lauren coming today?" She asked. Lauren was the medical examiner. She was always very thorough with autopsies and made their lives as detectives much better.
Thomas shook his head, "No, there was a newbie starting today so she was there waiting to greet them. When I was on my way out it was already past the time they were supposed to be there."
"Alright," the voice of Detective Young reached all of their ears. Now she could see his wonderful detective skills in action. "There have been a few things I have noticed. First of all, as I am sure you are all aware, the apartment is bare. Either this is used for underground activities or our victim recently moved in." Well that was obvious. "Let's say it is the latter. In that case what would cause a young woman in an unfamiliar area to open her door?"
Did he want an answer?
Danny shrugged his shoulders, his arms folded over his chest. "It could be a friend or family that was here to help her move in."
"Good answer." Were they in kindergarten? This man was not making a good impression. "However, there are two other possibilities. A food delivery service or a neighbor welcoming her arrival."
Cordelia hummed slightly, her finger tapping her chin. Neither of those two would raise suspicions, but there were no food containers or baked goods signifying either of those two options.
"We already have someone combing through the residents here in the building. Most have stated that they never heard anything, which is difficult to believe with this...mess." Detective Clark grumbled, his hands picking over a few items to his side.
"We know this man is adaptive and very skilled. He can take control of situations with ease and has extensive knowledge in the medical field. That is apparent in the previous murders and this one. Now the main question is why did he choose this particular method with this victim?"
He really was treating them like they were in school. "You mean skinning her alive and laying her open like a piece of meat?" All of them shot a look towards Thomas who put his hands up in the air. "I call it as it is."
Cordelia glared, "Be more respectful"
Detective Young snapped his finger and pointed at Thomas. "You said he did it alive, why?"
"Well..." Thomas moved towards where her mutilated body was posed, forcing Cordelia to finally take the scene in completely. She hated it. How could someone do this to another human being? "You can see here that the layer of muscles that are normally hidden, although cut precisely, bled when severed from the skin. It indicates she was alive. It is possible it could have been done quickly after the initial kill, but I highly doubt it."
No doubt the body before them was a youthful woman with a life ahead of her. Dreams, love, and experiences were now lost. Left and discarded like nothing. Her ribcage was split down the middle, the tendons, muscles, and bone perfectly exposed. The inside was opened and stuffed like a bird with her severed limbs and head. String was wrapped around the torso, a bow neatly tied at the lower portion of the body. Blood had pooled at the bottom as designed, shaped in the well known symbol of their killer.
A moon and a rose.
"Now, from my understanding, there has never been a victim that was difficult to identify, correct?" He was right. There was always a face they could see or they were found by family. This one was different. Without skin, the skull was just covered in muscle that was unidentifiable.
Cordelia shared a look with Danny, no doubt the two of them had the same thoughts running through their heads. "Are you saying this could possibly be a copycat?" She chimed in. They couldn't deal with two psychos on the loose.
Detective Young shook his head, "No. I don't think this is a copycat. What I am saying is there is a good chance this is more personal than the other kills. Either to him or to someone else."
Their first goal then was to identify the victim. Detective Clark clapped his hands together. "Let's get started on collecting everything we can. Thomas and Detective Myers, start taking pictures and getting the body prepped to go to the morgue. Everyone else we are focusing on everything else."
All of them nodded and got to work. Cordelia did get along well with Thomas, even with the remarks he constantly makes. He was a good friend and someone she could trust. Danny was the same. They were a great trio.
Cordelia slipped a mask over her face, glad that the putrid smell lessened as she did. "So what do you think of the new guy?" Thomas asked as they were now closer to the gruesome scene.
Cordelia scuffed slightly, her eyes rolling as she gloved her hands. "I don't see what is so good about him. Most of the stuff he was talking about we all could have figured out. He hasn't shown anything impressive."
Even though she could not see the lower portion of his face, she knew he was smirking. "You are just upset because he is so dreamy." She shot him a look but did not engage in his teasing.
"Just focus on your job."
A few hours passed and they were all finishing up with the scene. Everything was bagged, labeled, and completed. The only obstacle left was moving the body. They had a bag and gurney, but a crowd had amassed outside which made the trip difficult. Why is this entertainment to the public? They are only adding fuel to the fire. As Cordelia helped lay the body inside the bag, her eyes caught something. "Thomas, did you check everything that was inside the torso cavity?"
She heard a muffled 'yes' from over her shoulder. Quickly rummaging through the box on her side, she pulled out a pair of tweezers and poked at a small flap of skin near the spine. "There is a pocket right here."
Thomas slid to her side in a hurry as he took the tweezers from her hand. She would rather have him deal with it anyway.
Out of the small muscle pocket came a white rectangle, something they were all familiar with. An ID.
They all held their breath as they read the name on the card. Haylee Down. It did not sound familiar to her but Thomas was the first one to speak. "Remember when I said Lauren was waiting for the newbie when I left? I think we found her."
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