Franziska shrugged off her sopping wet coat as she stepped into Adrian's house. She threw it in the laundry basket with a splat as she made her way to her room. She unbuttoned her vest though she doubted it was salvageable. Next were her gloves, which did not want to come off, the rain making them stick to her skin. Franziska flung them onto the floor in frustration when she finally managed to peel them off.
"We can stop by a dry cleaners on our way back to the office if you'd like."
Franziska jumped and spun around to see Adrain standing in the door way.
"Oh," Adrian said. Her eyes glanced down to where Franziska had been unclasping her brooch. "I thought —the door was open and I—"
"It's fine," Franziska blurted, turning her back on her host.
"I didn't mean to—"
"It's quite alright," Franziska insisted, with a white knuckle grip on her brooch. She took a breath to try and steady her erratic heartbeat.
The floorboards creaked behind her and the door clicked shut. Franziska let out a deep sigh, sagging her shoulders.
Franziska had long known the power that came from being well-groomed. To be seen in such a state of undress was so…
Unprofessional.
She ripped the brooch off her neck and tossed it on the bed.
Why must I always be so weak, especially in front of her?
"Achoo!"
It's this foolish cold that's ruining my composure. All will be back to normal once I get over it.
With that, she stomped towards the bathroom, determined to rid herself of her weakness then and there.
Adrian didn't mention her earlier interruption as they made their way to Criminal Affairs. Whilst Franziska had been showering, Dr Saadeh had called with news on the Jane Doe.
Morgues are generally not pleasant places, but the one under Criminal Affairs put Franziska on edge. Maybe it was the blue-tinged fluorescent lighting that never stopped flickering. Or perhaps it was the morbid red lines painted along the walls. Of course, it could have been due to the time a corpse on the coroner's table sprung back to life. Whatever the reason, Franziska didn't want to stick around.
Adrian shuffled beside her, arm occasionally brushing Franziska's.
"You think they've determined the cause of death yet?" Adrain whispered.
"That would not be an unreasonable suggestion," Franziska replied, her voice echoing down the hall. She lowered her voice. "I hope Dr Saadeh's made an identification."
Adrian nodded. "There's not much we can do without one."
Franziska stopped in front of the morgue's entrance and pushed open the door. It slammed closed behind her. She spun on her heel. Adrian had not followed her. She huffed and threw the door open.
Adrian was still standing in the middle of the hall, clutching her notebook to her chest.
"Are you not coming in?" Franziska asked, trying to mask the irritation in her voice.
Adrian took a deep breath. "Just give me a minute. I don't want to freak out on you." A shiver ran up her spine as she took in a shaky breath.
Franziska let the door swing shut behind her as she took a step towards Adrian.
Clearing her throat, she asked, "Are—Are you alright?"
Adrian gave her a tight smile. "I will be. It's just… this is bringing up some uncomfortable memories."
Franziska's eyes widened. That case when we first met… Adrian had tampered with Juan Corrida's dead body. And if the court transcripts were anything to go by, her little brother hadn't gone easy on her.
Adrian was still frozen in place so Franziska took another step closer to her. Up this close, she could see Adrian was still shivering. She shrugged off her coat (which she was only wearing to prevent her cold from getting worse) and offered it to her companion.
Adrian took it with a whispered 'thank you' and shucked it on. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "Okay, let's go."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," Adrian replied with a shy smile, "I'm sure."
"Good," Franziska nodded. "Oh, and next time," she couldn't help but add, "don't just stand there. Tell me if there's something wrong."
Adrian's smile grew wider.
"That's not a request," Franziska warned, though there was no venom to it. "Shall we?" She pushed open the door once again and motioned for Adrian for go in before her.
"Why thank you Ms von Karma," Adrian sing-songed as she passed through.
The morgue was depressing as usual. Following protocol, they slipped into a pair of mint green scrubs with matching face mask and hair net. Dr Saadeh saw them through the large viewing window and buzzed them in to the morgue proper.
"Afternoon ladies," Nadiyya greeted. The Jane Doe was lying on the coroner's table covered in a white sheet. "I have some good news and some bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"
"Bad news," Franziska replied, crossing her arms.
"Well, despite the victim having extensive dental work, there was no match for her dentals. Fingerprints turned up nothing as well."
"So, she's still a Jane Doe?"
"That's correct. The most I can tell you is that she's Asian — Korean, I'd wager — and around 28 years old."
"But… how could she have no dental records?" Adrian asked.
"Could have come from interstate. I'm running tests for our border states as we speak but nothing's come up so far. Another possibility is that she's from overseas, but if she'd gone through customs we should have got a fingerprint match."
"Unless she didn't go through customs," Franziska suggested.
"That's always a possibility," Dr Saadeh said, removing the sheet to reveal the victim's head. She sighed as examined the woman's face. Most of the mascara staining had been removed, but remnants smudged her lower lash line. "Up through Mexico, or down from Canada by an unstaffed road crossing," Saadeh suggested.
Franziska stepped closer to the body. "I assume there have been no missing persons reports matching her description?"
"None. Now," Saadeh clapped her hands together, "onto the good news?"
Franziska nodded and Dr Saadeh pulled out an evidence bag from her lab coat. "This was found under the body after you left." The bag held a gold diamond ring attached to a necklace. "Looks to me like an engagement ring. And if you look here," Nadiyya pointed to the inside of the ring's band, "the date '16/2/2017' is engraved. Same as the tattoo."
"So, we know the significance of the date then?" Adrian asked.
"It's most likely the day the victim was engaged," Franziska confirmed.
Adrian frowned. "If that's the case, it seems odd she hasn't been reported missing yet. You'd think her fiancé would be concerned."
"Well, you know what they say…" Dr Saadeh replied, moving to the other end of the coroner's table. "You're more likely to be killed by your family than a perfect stranger."
Saadeh pulled back the sheet at the victim's feet. "Speaking of being killed, I'll show you the cause of death." She beckoned Franziska and Adrian to her side with her finger. "See this?" Saadeh pried the victim's toes apart. Franziska and Adrian bent down to get a closer look. There was a pin prick in the flesh between the toes.
"Drug overdose."
"That's right, Ms von Karma. I'd estimate she injected 300 mg of morphine — well within the lethal range."
"This was a self-injection?" Franziska asked as she straightened up. Adrian flinched in her peripheral vision.
"I can't say for certain," Dr Saadeh said. "The place of injection suggests it wasn't murder. There have been a few reported suicides at Gourd Lake in recent years."
Franziska frowned and turned her gaze back to the victim's face. It was a blank mask giving no clues as to the woman's thoughts in her last moments.
"Th-that still doesn't explain the shoe print!" Adrian piped up, gesticulating frantically. "O-or the fancy dress or where she was found—"
"Adrian." Franziska placed an uncertain hand on the woman's shoulder. Andrews was panting, notebook warping in her iron grip as if she were holding onto it for dear life. She met Franziska's gaze and let out a shaky breath.
"Sorry," she said, turning her eyes to the floor. "It's just… Isn't it a little premature to be calling it a suicide?"
"I still have to run a few more tests and I'm sure Ms von Karma has yet to finish her investigation," Dr Saadeh explained, concerned eyes flicking between the pair. "Perhaps you need a moment outside?" she suggested.
"Yes… yes, I think that would be best." Adrian shrugged off Franziska's hand and shuffled out of the room. As she watched the door swing shut, Franziska felt the urge to chase after her, but her feet felt like lead weights, cementing her in place. She turned back to Dr Saadeh who was looking at her with raised brows. Franziska's hand twitched towards her whip.
"Well!" Saadeh said too loudly, throwing the sheet over the victim's feet. "You'll want my interim report." She scurried over to the bench on the far side of the room and returned with a manilla folder. "This is the autopsy result," she explained, offering the folder to Franziska like one would offer a bone to a rabid dog. Franziska snatched the report and skimmed through it. It wasn't as if she was particularly interested in what the victim had eaten for breakfast.
"The only other thing you should know is that the victim had been drinking before she died. Her blood alcohol content was 0.05. Not enough to be drunk, but it may have accelerated the morphine's effect."
"That's all in the report?"
"It is."
"Good." Franziska spun on her heel and marched towards the exit. "Call me when you have a name."
Adrian was a little ways down the hall sagging against the wall. Her arms hung limply at her side, eyes closed. The blinking fluorescent lights above coloured her skin a washed out green, casting gaunt shadows under her eyes and cheek bones.
Franziska approached her as if she were a startled animal.
"Adrian?" The woman opened her eyes, but stared at the wall opposite her instead of turning to her companion.
Franziska tapped the autopsy report against her palm in a haphazard pattern. Again, her limbs felt heavy, though the source was no longer her feet but her chest.
"Adrian," she tried once more, but the woman tilted her head away from her. If it were anyone else, Franziska would have strode straight past, uninterested in whether they followed her or not. But Franziska did care whether Adrian was by her side, more than she wished to admit. So, mirroring Adrian's pose, Franziska leant against the wall next to her.
Adrian's downcast eyes reminded her of the trial, and the conversation they'd shared in the parking lot.
"This is about Celeste, isn't it?"
Adrian whipped her head round to face Franziska. "How did you…?"
"I'm a von Karma. I know everything."
Adrian's lips thinned into a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
Everything except how to make someone feel better.
"It's just… her death still hurts."
"Of course it does. She was your friend."
"She was more than just my friend," Adrian mumbled, pushing herself off the wall.
Ah. That makes sense, I suppose. Romance and Franziska went together about as well as oil and water. "I see…"
Adrian turned to Franziska with a wistful smile. "I think I'll go home for the day. I'll only slow you down if I stay." She began walking towards the elevator. By the time Franziska stopped admonishing herself for her callous behaviour, she had to chase Adrian halfway down the hall to catch up.
"Wait!"
Adrian's pace faltered but she didn't stop.
"Allow me to accompany you home." Adrian had had such faith in Franziska's ability to help her, and Franziska couldn't bear to let her down, especially now.
"I don't wish to impede your investigation."
"My investigation can wait."
Adrian stopped dead in her tracks, her mouth forming a perfect 'O'.
After a moment of stunned silence, Adrian asked: "Who are you and what have you done with Franziska von Karma?"
"Tch! You think I can't possibly care for other people?" she replied, a smile spreading across her face to match Adrian's.
Adrian shook her head as if she were trying to wake from a dream.
"But seriously," Adrian sobered, "you'd do that for me?"
"Of course I wou — ack!"
Adrian threw her arms around Franziska, squeezing the air out of her lungs. Franziska returned the hug with enthusiasm.
"Thank you," Adrian whispered in Franziska's ear as she pulled her even closer.
Really though, Franziska thought as she buried her head in Adrian's shoulder, I should be the one thanking you.