Jane: Hey! A second chapter. I guess people do like this fic.
Maura: Considering it is at the very beginning and we only got three reviews, I'm sure they want to see where this story goes before they decide whether they "like" it or not.
Jane: You're sure? I thought you don't guess Maur.
Maura: It is not a guess. Enjoy the chapter.
The Vigilant Killers: Justice For All
Chapter Two
Jane walked down the stairs and turned the corner to enter the coroner's office only to see Maura hard at work with the newest victim of this "Astria" character and for a moment, Jane couldn't help but admire the backside of the doctor.
Jane felt that she was committing a sin gazing upon her the beautiful woman. Alas, Jane forced her mind on to the reason she was down here and that was to gather some information. "Hey Dr. Isles, any luck on the autopsy?" Jane asked as she stepped further into the room.
"Oh, Detective…Um, Jane," Maura said as she looked back at her. "Good afternoon. I'm just wrapping up. I have found several interesting things of note regarding the victim."
"Well Doc, explain away," Jane said with a nod.
"On this body alone, it shows that there was a lot of torture done on her," Maura explain. "The first thing I noted was that there was a large dosage of Flunitrazepam in her system along with alcohol."
"She was roofied then," Jane said. "That's consistent with the other five victims…"
Maura nodded then said "Due to the Bilateral Subconjunctival Hemorrhage and Periorbital Petechiae in her eyes, damage to her larynx and compression of the carotid arteries, that lead to cerebral ischemia which was the cause of her death."
Jane blinked and stared at Maura's confused but adorable face before Jane replied "In Layman's terms please?"
"The cause of death was Manual strangulation," Maura replied.
"Strangulation?" Jane repeated. "That's honestly surprising given the stab wounds she suffered," Jane replied.
"All of the stab wounds were primarily located in the lateral lower quadrants of the abdomen," Maura explained. "While she was suffered tremendous damage, it wouldn't be enough to kill her."
"Really?" Jane asked.
"Yes," Maura said. "You see, the right upper quadrant of your abdomen has the liver and the big veins from the rest of the body, the left upper quadrant has the spleen and the big abdominal arteries; the kidneys and their blood supply are deep to the intestines at about the level of the belly button. But since they stabbed beneath those critical areas, it makes survivability very sustainable."
"Sustainable…" Jane murmured angrily.
"I also noticed that there were traces of Gasoline on these stab wounds and along her missing finger and toe nails. She also suffered blunt force trauma by physical means on almost the entirety of her upper torso and face, the latter of which broke her jaw. Both of her Achilles tendon was sliced as well. I was able to determine due to the inflammation on every wound she suffered that it all happened Ante-Mortem…" Maura drifted off softly.
"Which means she was alive to experience it all…And with the gasoline, she was probably forced awake to experience the pain…This poor woman…" Jane whispered softly before she saw the word "Astria" that was crudely carved in the poor woman's chest. "What about the word carved on her chest?" Jane asked.
"The word was carved Post-Mortem," Maura answered. "But it is bizarre why they would carve that name there…"
"What do mean?" Jane murmured.
"In ancient Greek religion, Astria is a daughter of Astraeus and Eos. She is the virgin goddess of justice, innocence, purity and precision," Maura answered.
"I see...How did you know all of that from off the top of your head?" Jane asked.
"When I was younger, I used to love reading about Greek Mythology. I would spend hours reading all that I could learn about it," Maura replied with a bashful smile.
"How much more do you know?" Jane asked.
"A lot…" Maura admitted. "Greek Mythology is very interesting compared to all of the other myths throughout the world….So many stories to be told…It is truly breathtaking at times…It's easy to get lost in them…"
Jane could sense the melancholy in Maura's voice and wondered what was on her mind. 'Well…I don't want her to think of whatever is causing that sadness…Time to do what I do best!' Jane thought. "Well I guess there is a lot more to you than just you beauty then, Helen," Jane replied with a grin on her face.
Maura tilted her head in confusion and said "Helen? My name is Maura."
"I-I know…I was referring to Helen of Troy," Jane stammered out. "Because you're very…Just forget what I said…"
Maura stared at her, which caused Jane to inwardly cringe at her joke but then the honey-blonde doctor smiled at her, which made Jane feel weak at the knees.
'This woman must know how beautiful she is because she has no fucking problem flaunting that smile,' Jane thought as her own cheeks began to heat up.
"Being compared to Helen of Troy's beauty is very wonderful," Maura replied. "Despite my failure of understanding the joke, I will accept that compliment Jane and thank you. Although, I do not wish for anyone to fight over me."
"Keep smiling like that and I'll be throwing hands in no time," Jane joked but let out a sheepish laugh at Maura's confused expression. "Another failed joke…But anyways, back to Astria. Can you tell me more?" Jane quickly asked.
"Of course," Maura replied with a smile. "Astria was the last of the immortals to live with mortals during the Golden Age of the gods but fled from the new wickedness of humanity. According to legend, Astria will one day come back to Earth, bringing with her the return of the utopian Golden Age by riding the world of its evil ways."
"Wait…she fled from humanity due to the wickedness they had?" Jane questioned.
Maura nodded.
Suddenly, a light bulb shined in Jane's head. "Maura, you're a genius!" Jane exclaimed.
Maura nodded in agreement then replied "Yes. I am.""
"And humble to boot," Jane joked.
"What? It only takes one-hundred and fifty IQ points to be a genius," Maura replied.
"I know it's too early to say this, considering its your first day but I'm glad you work here," Jane replied genuinely as she walked backwards from Maura. "Time to get back to work! Catch you later!" Jane exclaimed as she turned around and rushed to the stairs. Seconds later, Jane's head popped back into the room and said "I almost forgot. Thanks for the information by the way Isles of Troy. I appreciate it!"
Maura blinked before Jane was treated to Maura's cheeks reddening, along with Maura's breathtaking smiles as she replied "You are very welcome Jane and please…Call me Maura."
Jane gave her what she assumed was a dazzling smile before she retreated upstairs.
"Guys! Astria is the Goddess of Justice!" Jane exclaimed as she walked towards Frost's desk, where Frost and Korsak sat, both of them drinking a cup of coffee.
"What?" Korsak asked.
"Guys, remember the other five victims that held the word "Astria" carved on their chests?" Jane began. "Well, Astria is the Greek Goddess of Justice that fled humanity due to its wickedness and stated legends said she'd come back to bring a new golden age by destroying the wickedness we've become."
"Okay…So what's your point?" Korsak asked with confusion.
"That means that the victims must of have done something wicked in their lives and that's why "Astria" is killing them. "Astria" is purging the wickedness in humanity," Jane finished.
"That means that there is a potential link between them," Frost summarized with a surprise.
"Have you guys discovered the identity of our new victim?" Jane asked.
"Yeah, her name is Elizabeth Cain or as the streets knew her, Bumblebee. A high-end prostitute that would hang downtown. Was busted just two weeks ago at that very same park from what her reports say." Korsak answered.
"Shit…It could have been anyone then," Jane said. "Regardless, this gives us enough of an angle to work with. Let's go through the files of these people once again and see if we can uncover anything."
"Sure but uh, how did you come up with that angle?" Korsak asked.
"Dr. Isles," Jane admitted. "She's a Greek Mythology buff turns out…"
"Man, beautiful, smart and a Greek mythology lover? Sign me up," Frost joked but was taken aback by Jane's sudden glare. "Oh! I see…You already got your eyes on her," Frost said with an amused smirk. "Well don't mind me. I'll keep away."
Jane blinked and grumbled out "Shut up Frost."
Korsak could only laugh.
It turned out that Jane's hunch was correct.
Each victim was involved with various criminal activities from racketeering to drug dealing to even murder but as Jane sat there at 8:45 PM, her partners long gone, she still felt there was something missing. "I know there's something I'm not seeing but what?" Jane asked herself as she chewed on the bottom of her ink pen.
"Be careful detective, you don't want the pen to burst and ink to get all over you," Maura's voice said from behind her.
Jane turned around sharply and quickly stood up with a grin on her face. "Hey Maura…I thought you would have gone home already," Jane said.
"I planned to but I realized I hadn't given you my official report regarding the body," Maura said as she handed Jane a manila envelope. "Also…I'm still fairly new to Boston and I'm looking for a good, healthy place to eat dinner tonight. I do not wish to cook after the hustle and bustle of today."
"Oh, you're a vegetarian?" Jane asked.
"I do not have any issues consuming meat. I just refrain from over-indulging in it," Maura replied.
"Oh, okay. Well, there are a few placed that I know of that you would potentially enjoy," Jane said sincerely. She sat the folder down on her desk and said "Actually, there's a place nearby here. If you want, I can take you there."
Maura tilted her head in thought but she replied "I would enjoy that very much."
Jane's grin widened as she locked her computer and motioned for Maura to follow her.
By the time Jane returned home from showing Maura a healthy vegan joint, she was sure that she and Maura would have a great time together.
Rain: And that is the end of the second chapter. I hope I captured Maura well. The next chapter will delve more into the case and will have a appearance from a member of "Astra" so until then…
Maura: Arrivederci!