“We don’t know that.” Gunnar wanted to make Bryn feel better but deep down he knew this couldn’t be a coincidence.
“Yet.” Bryn put on his gloves. “Let’s go.”
Gunnar had to fight down his frustration as he drove through heavy traffic made worse by the pounding rain. Bryn was silent in the passenger seat, his face turned away. Gunnar let him be. He had the mess of his own feelings to deal with and he was worried about what they were driving toward. Bryn hadn’t been to a crime scene before and, though Gunnar already had an inkling that Bryn’s training hadn’t been a walk in the park, this would be different.
He slotted the Taurus between two black and whites, then grabbed his jacket from the back seat. Bryn already had on his coat. Black, of course.
“You ready for this?” Gunnar patted Bryn’s thigh.
“No, but what the hell.”
“Okay then.” Gunnar got out of the car. Bryn joined him and together they walked through the downpour to an area cordoned off with crime scene tape. As they approached, Gunnar spotted a familiar face. “Special Agent Bell, we weren’t expecting to see you here.”
“Your boss called me, gave me a heads-up about the case. It’s possible this is the same killer you’re seeing the witness about this afternoon, so it may well become my case. Shall we see what the cop in charge has to say?”
“Yeah. We’re looking for a Lieutenant Sullivan.” Gunnar flashed his badge at the nearest cop, who pointed out the lieutenant. He lifted the tape so Bryn, Gunnar and Agent Bell could walk through. Sullivan was standing at the end of a narrow alley, peering into the gloom. Crime scene techs scurried around and a few yards away a tent had been erected over what Gunnar assumed must be the body.
“Sullivan?”
“That’s me. Are you the guys from GCR? I got a call.”
“That’s us.” Gunnar introduced himself and Bryn. “And this is Special Agent Bell, FBI.”
“You taking the case, Bell?” Sullivan asked.
“That’s what I’m here to work out. What can you tell us?”
“It’s a real bad scene. We got a call this morning from a guy heading home from his night shift. He found the victim, a woman in her mid-thirties, who we now know to be Betty-Jo Jackson. This is only a block away from her residence. From what we can tell, she was attacked late last night, maybe on her way home. It’s a quiet neighborhood, so something like this really shakes folks up. No obvious signs of a robbery, so it could be personal. We’re still piecing it together, but this wasn’t random. We’ve got people canvassing the area, and we’ll be looking at any surveillance footage we can get our hands on.” He pulled out a notebook. “I can tell you what the ME said, with a big caveat that this all has to be confirmed at autopsy.”
“Go ahead.”
“The victim has multiple stab wounds, concentrated primarily in the chest and abdominal areas, with some defensive wounds on the arms and hands, suggesting she tried to fend off the attack. The depth and angle of the wounds indicate the use of a sharp, single-edged weapon, likely a knife. Based on the wound patterns, it appears the assailant struck with considerable force. Blood loss was significant. Time of death is estimated to be around four to six hours prior to discovery, based on early signs of rigor mortis and lividity. That would put the attack between eleven and one.”
“Anything unusual about the scene?” Bell asked. Gunnar gave him a curious glance.
“Well, yeah. I guess. There were rose petals scattered around the body.”
“Fuck. Any sign of sexual assault?”
“Can’t say. She was still clothed but until she’s been fully examined…” Sullivan shrugged. “We’ll find out soon enough.”
A crime scene tech walked over to them. “We’ve finished processing the scene and we’re about to move the body, so if anyone needs to see her in situ, now’s your chance.”
“Yeah, I should do that,” Agent Bell said.
“I’ll take a look too.” Gunnar waited to see what Bryn wanted to do.
“I’m gonna wait here if that’s okay with you guys.” He didn’t make eye contact.
“Of course it is,” Gunnar said. “You need to stay where I can see you, though, no going outside the cordon, okay?” Bryn nodded. Water dripped from his nose and hair. “There’s a doorway over there you can stand in.” Gunnar watched while Bryn crossed the street to take shelter. “Sullivan, can you have a uniform keep an eye on him?”
“Why, who is he?”
“He’s an augur.”
Sullivan’s eyes widened. “In that case, yes. He’s real then? I heard talk at the precinct.”
“Real as you or me.”
