Page 18 of Forever Gone

Doctor Alistair Blethan stood on the opposite side of the body. Shirtsleeves and a dark waistcoat did little to make him appear conventional. He remained broad through the shoulders, with a trimmed beard and the same wild cast that made him seem better suited to a remote Highlands practice than a Kentucky crime scene. His open medical case sat on a chair behind him.

“Hello, lass,” Blethan said, his Scottish accent deepening the word.

“Hello, Dr. Blethan. I prefer Selena or Agent Raven.”

Blethan turned toward Connor and rolled his gaze upward.

Matt rose from his crouch. “Don’t let him get under your skin. He’s a sweetheart, really.”

“I heard that,” Blethan said.

“You were meant to.”

Selena moved closer to the desk, careful to remain outside the markers. “What do we have?”

Blethan stepped aside.

Karen’s head rested near the edge of the desk. Blood had dried along her chin and down the side of her neck. Her mouth remained open, the jaw fixed in a position that did not appear natural.

Selena took a small flashlight from her scene kit and directed the beam inside.

The tongue was gone.

The cut surface was ragged and dark, partly obscured by blood. Selena forced her breathing to remain even and lowered the light.

“The poor woman’s tongue was removed,” Blethan said.

“As a trophy?” Selena asked.

Matt shook his head. “Doesn’t look like it. The killer left it on the floor beside the smashed word processor. I photographed it in place before covering it.”

Selena followed his gesture. A numbered marker stood beside cracked yellow casing and scattered keys.

Connor stared at the arrangement. “So the killer wanted it found.”

Selena nodded. “A statement.”

The room quieted.

Selena moved her light over Karen’s hands. Several cuts crossed the palms and fingers. Another ran along the outside of one wrist.

“Lacerations to both hands,” she said. “She tried to defend herself.”

“Aye,” Blethan replied. “The pattern is consistent with her raising them against a bladed weapon. From the blood distribution and the bruising along her lower back, I believe she was driven backward against the desk during the attack.”

Selena considered the position of the fallen chair and the blood along the desktop.

Blethan pointed without touching. “The attacker then stabbed her in the chest. Several wounds from what I can see. One or more caused fatal internal injury, but I’ll know more after the autopsy.”

“Was the tongue removed before or after death?”

“I can’t give you a reliable answer here.”

“Any estimate on time?”

Doctor Blethan scratched his bearded chin. “Late yesterday afternoon into the evening is the best I can do until I examine her properly. The condition of the body and the temperature in the cabin give us a broad range.”

Selena nodded. “Any sign she was moved after the attack?”