Halo Modelling Agency Headquarters was nothing more than a shell. Most of the furniture from the upper floors had been salvaged but structural damage had crippled the building and, even after a clean up, the destruction was easy to see. But Halo had suffered a further blow and now, once again, it was swathed in police tape and being invaded by white suited men and women with serious expressions on their faces.
At the centre of this very organised chaos stood Felix. She surveyed the site around her and concluded very quickly that it wasn't pretty. This killing just had to have a connection to the others and she knew it: Halo, the markings, her pretty face, the apparent cause of death… it all seemed to fit. And yet it didn't. This was an utter violation of human life, a brutal and frenzied attack. No care had been taken with this victim. Her lifeless corpse was littered with deep, savage cuts; there were rings of deep blue bruises around her wrists and neck; and the skin of her back had been ripped so violently that the killer had uncovered her bones. No, it was not a pretty sight.
The gentle clicking of shoes on the bare concrete floor told Felix that Boyd had returned. As she turned she saw that he had Grace in tow, who was talking quietly but very fast and with a vaguely excited expression.
"I hope you haven't eaten yet" began Felix, "This could chill the blood of any pathologist."
"We'll be fine" was Boyd's reply, he clearly didn't have time to think of witticism to counter her remark. "Grace has cracked it…"
He explained to Felix hurriedly about the angels and the guilt and the wings. She looked at him, first excited but then her expression gave way to uncertainty, "Boyd… this girl. It err… well as you know… it's not the same." She looked to Grace to provide some clarification, only to find that Grace had left the conversation and was walking over to the body.
As she bent down she was confronted with the full horror of the attack. Grace stumbled back, reeling. Felix was right – this wasn't the same, it was disgusting, vile, cruel, unforgivable… and it fitted her new theory perfectly.
Stella and Spence, meanwhile, were twiddling their thumbs back at the office. Boyd had left a message about the new body, but had told them to stay where they were – Felix would have to bring the body back to the lab for examination and they could be brought up to speed then. They both sat with two piles of folders – a 'read' pile and an 'unread' pile. They occasionally moved files from one to the other, but this was only pretence designed to make Boyd think that they were working should he burst through the door with his usual lack of warning.
"So…" Stella was eager to broach the topic of Spence and Felix and their upcoming date on Friday. "Looking forward to your weekend?"
"Yeah…" Spence was unsure about discussing Felix with Stella – if they became a pair, and Boyd of course had Grace even if they really were 'just friends', Stella would be left as the odd one out. Spence had felt that way on many an occasion before and he knew how uncomfortable it was.
"Doing anything interesting?" Stella pushed harder. She was happy for them even if it might mean exclusion for her.
Spence cracked, "Oh all right then… yes, I am going out with Felix!" He could hardly contain his excitement; "We're going to have dinner at that new restaurant in town."
Stella whistled, "Wow, posh! And mighty expensive might I add."
"You may, but I will comment no further." He smiled, "How about you?"
"Oh," Stella began, "Nothing so exciting, I'm…"
And of course, with his impeccably bad timing, in walked Boyd followed by a pleased looking Grace and the distant echoes of the forensics team moving in the direction of Felix's lab.
"Stop everything!" declared Boyd, failing to notice their lack of work, "We've got an appointment with our lovely pathologist, and the precious key to our investigation."