“We still have no idea who killed Zach, though. Do you think someone saw him attack Nadine, and in turn, they attacked him to help her or save her?” Penny asks.
“But then why chop him up and feed him to the hyenas? Why not alert people that Nadine is gone and go search for her?” Gabriel asks. “They wouldn’t have even needed to hide the body. It would have been self-defense at that point.”
“Maybe they didn’t mean to kill Zach, and when they did, they panicked thinking they’d go to jail for it, so they wanted to hide the evidence?” Matthew suggests.
Chris asks, “Does anyone there have a criminal record? Someone who is afraid of getting anything else on their record?”
“I’m uncertain,” Gabriel says.
Chris nods. “I’ll look into it.”
“I’m headed out,” I decide as I stand up.
“We’re not done, Paige,” Michaels says. “Remember how I told you that you can’t just leave when you’re bored?”
“Michaels, I have a limit of how long my body can handle being near others. I have reached it by 8:17 this morning. Come, Gabriel. I must be around only you to recharge.”
“I’ll meet up with you,” Gabriel says, telling me that he’s going to finish talking to the others like the teacher’s pet he is.
He’s so fucking cute.
I head into the elevator and ride it down to the first floor before making my way to the medical examiner’s office. Jesse’s coworker is inside, so the door isn’t locked this time. She’s busy working on the computer as she squints at it like she has no idea what she’s facing on the screen.
“You need something?” she asks.
“I’m just here to take a peek at the head,” I inform her.
“It’s number five. Jesse should be down shortly.”
“Sounds terrifying,” I say, and she gives me a look. Such a strange woman.
I go over to drawer five and pull it open. The body really is in such rough shape after the hyenas had their fun. If the head had gone missing, the killer could have pulled this off. It would have become extremely difficult to identify the body. I pull on some gloves and lean in close to get a good look at the head, then at the body.
“How did you die?” I ask the body.
He has no interest in answering.
I roll the head to the side, scrutinizing every part of it.
“Did I say you could come and mess with my stuff?” Jesse asks as he enters the room and hurries over.
“I think so. I clearly remember you going, ‘Liam, you are the greatest man alive. I’m so jealous of Gabriel. Because I wish I was as skilled as you, I must ask you to roll the head around.’”
“Oh yes, that’s very much how that was stated. All of that. I remember,” Jesse says with much sarcasm.
“I’m thrilled by your memory, then,” I comment with a smile while I continue my investigation. “Can I see your report?”
“Sure.”
I take it and read it carefully before looking back at the head. “I see you noted the red spot here as well,” I say, pointing to where the skin is discolored compared to the rest, but there’sonly a fraction showing of the rash or whatever it was. “What do you think it’s from?”
“I’m looking at possibilities and waiting on the lab.”
“Your speculation?”
“A reaction of some kind.”
“To?”
