"Hey Alexx." Calleigh said as she walked onto the crime scene. Calleigh was never happy about seeing Alexx at the scene, but she was glad to see her friend all the same.
"Hi honey." Alexx greeted, looking up from the victim.
As Calleigh came closer and Alexx turned to look at her, Calleigh got a better look at the victim. What she saw caused her to pause and take a deep breath. While the scene was especially gruesome and bloody, it with the long blonde hair matted down with blood and green eyes staring up at her that caused her breath to catch.
"I know. Poor baby didn't seem to stand a chance." Alexx said, turning her attention back to the victim.
"Do you have a cause of death?" Calleigh asked.
"Gun shot wound to the head. Poor thing was beaten too. I suppose if the gunshot hadn't killed her, the rest would have."
"Thanks, Alexx. I'm going to go find Ryan." Calleigh smiled at Alexx as she turned to look for Ryan.
Calleigh didn't have to look far. Ryan quickly walked up right behind Calleigh and after seeing the victim let out a long whistle.
"Wow. That could be you." Ryan said shaking his head.
"Ryan! Please don't compare me to the corpse." Calleigh said as she rolled her eyes. Finally, she tugged on Ryan's arm, forcing him to turn away from Alexx and the victim. "Come on. Let's get to work."
Ryan and Calleigh worked tirelessly at the crime scene. In the end, their victim, Jessica McKenna, had been brutally and repeatedly beaten with a pipe and other items before she was shot twice in the head. The crime scene, Bayside Manors, had been strewn with everything imaginable, including blood. At least, Calleigh thought, there wouldn't be a lack of evidence. Ryan had found fingerprints everywhere and Calleigh had collected casings and blood from both the victim and who she assumed was the suspect.
As they left the crime scene to head back to the lab, Calleigh couldn't help but shudder at the scene that she had witnessed. The small, out of place motion didn't go unnoticed by Ryan.
"You okay?" He asked, cocking his head questioningly.
"Yeah." Calleigh paused, her hand poised on the door of the Hummer. "It was all so horrific. There was so much blood. You could barely recognize the poor girl. Who would do such a thing?"
Calleigh's sudden personal connection and reaction to the case puzzled Ryan.
"It's not so much worse than other cases we've worked. What's got you so upset about this one?" Ryan inquired. The emotional side of Calleigh was one that he wasn't used to seeing.
"Nothing. Let's get going." Calleigh said, brushing off Ryan's concern.