The New York Crime Lab always hired the best in the industry when it came to their lab techs and then the Crime Scene Investigators. Mac Taylor had just hired on a graduate of Chelsea University who had done all her placements with his team. Detective Julia Chiles was only 24 but it was thanks to her brains that she had degrees in Criminology, Forensic Science and Police Foundations with a Masters being earned while she worked in the field. Mac had witnessed the Crime Scene Practical for her and learned from the Professors she had joined the university at 15 when she passed an IQ test with a higher than average IQ. But she never let her brains show off as if they were better than anyone else. He was proud of who she had grown to be in the short time he had known her.
Mac walked off the elevator and Jo walked over to him and looked confused. "Waiting for Detective Chiles. She didn't pick up her gun or badge last night. Flack grabbed them and said that Sinclair assured I was allowed to give them over. She seemed a little hurried to leave the night before which means something spooked her," he informed.
"Well she's not starting as a beat cop. She's starting as a detective really quickly due to her CSI certification exam being approved and you hiring her. She probably wants to try and make sure she's ready for today," Jo answered before he put a finger up.
"Five, four, three, two," he counted before pointing to the elevator to see Detective Julia Chiles walk out of the elevator. "Now that's pathetic. I'm able to predict the exact moment you're going to walk through that elevator and onto the floor."
"Especially considering it's been two years Detective Taylor," she chuckled. He rolled his eyes as they shook hands. "No offence what's with the tighter than Fort Knox security down there? Took way too long to get past the guards."
"Someone was murdered in the lab. Only reason they weren't so tight on you before was because you always were brought up with one of us," he explained looking at her. "Normally I'd get the team and we'd have a coffee as a team, but we have to hit the ground running. Chelsea University has a murder on their hands. They asked for you to be a part of this case so come with me, collect your badge and gun and then we need to get down there."
"Do we have an ID on our victim yet?" Mac and her were immediately in his office and he handed over her badge and gun with it's holster. She slipped it onto her belt and then had her badge in her back pants pocket and buttoned it closed. "Wait. Dead body. April. The university. Mac, no offence and hate to be putting a prelim COD on the vic, but I think we're investigating a suicide." He looked at her confused and she chuckled darkly at him. "One thing any graduate of that place knows? Suicides are more common in April due to the strenuous exams leading to graduation," she informed as she walked with him and grabbed a kit before joining Jo on the elevator.
"How many suicides on average from the university?"
"We estimated it's about 2 a month," she responded before Mac received a picture and showed it to her. "Ah. Aokigahara of the university," she responded and he looked at her. "It's a forest in Japan. Also has a very morbid nickname."
"How morbid we talking here?" Jo was curious as she didn't like how well versed Julia was in comparison to them. But she did pass it off to the fact that she had just finished everything with the university so she knew the area better.
"Suicide Forest. But we don't have any woods. We have one tree and it's the Hanging Tree. Everyone calls it Aokigahara merely so then nobody scares off potential new students. But we do warn kids all the time. Getting in was easy. Surviving? That's a whole new ballpark."
"Game," Mac corrected and she looked at him confused. "It's a whole new ballgame," he explained and she nodded looking a little miffed. "I take it the idioms didn't get shared often in your graduating class?" She shook her head and he chuckled. While they were driving over, Julia felt her phone constantly buzzing, but she glanced and ignored it. She didn't want to answer any personal calls while she was on duty. "Your phone is not calling it quits," he mused.
"Yeah no. He'll give up by the time we arrive," she responded and Jo looked at her confused. "What?"
"He?" Mac knew that everyone on the team had been teasing Julia when she started with them about the fact that she was texting men. She had proven that they clearly were nothing but friends of her's from her class but she still never was going to avoid it.
"Guy friend." Jo gave her a skeptical look. "Emphasis on the friend part." She nodded and as they arrived and grabbed their kits from the trunk they walked past the yellow tape to see Flack, Stella and Lindsay waiting for them. "Morning Flack."
"Morning. Welcome to working with the team. You don't even get a cup of coffee before you work," he teased and she chuckled before walking over to the tree. "We got an ID on him as you guys were on your way. Meet Tanner Dulcan. He's a 4th year in the Forensic Science Program."
"Yeah he was the up and coming academic prodigy," Julia sighed as she pulled out her camera and Mac pointed to the body for her to get images. "Do we have anyone who can say they saw him before Aokigahara got him?"
"Yeah he was at a party last night," Flack answered as Stella grabbed a ladder for her to climb so she could get neck images. As she took pictures of the body as it was, she glanced down at Flack. "You spoke as if you knew the victim."
"I knew of him. He and I were both considered Forensic Science prodigies. He started when I already graduated Forensic Science and went into Criminology." Flack looked at her and she chuckled. "I wanted to be well versed before I entered the workforce. I took yearly exams with the university and paid for those too. That was about the only time we saw each other."
"I got all the photos of him hanging from down here. So if you want to take a knife and cut the noose," Lindsay informed handing her a knife and as she began sawing, Mac and Stella were with Jo and Lindsay preparing to grab the body as it fell. When the rope let go, they gently laid him on some tarp. "So we have him dead by hanging," Lindsay began as she noticed Julia hadn't joined them down on the ground yet. "What's up?"
"I have a hair up here that's a completely different color than our victim's, but not sure if it's relevant."
"Leave it. It doesn't appear to be murder," Flack answered almost immediately but Mac handed her an evidence bag and forceps. As she collected it and sealed the bag, Flack looked at her. "What's with you getting past me with this stuff?"
"I think even though it doesn't appear relevant. In case I'm wrong, and it's not a suicide, we need it." Flack looked at her confused and she chuckled. "Aokigahara is the suicide forest in Japan. We call this tree Aokigahara because every year at least two students are found dead here. Not always by hanging, but it's the tree where a lot of suicides occur."
"Other locations too?"
"The ghosted bathroom down by the lake is the other location." Jo and Mac looked at her. "You asked and I merely answered. I didn't make these names. They existed by the time I started with Chelsea University," she warned.
"Why's it the ghosted bathroom? Though I fear regretting to ask the question," Flack responded looking at her as she had her gloves on and took the thermometer from Jo and carefully pierced the liver to get a temperature. "How long ago did he wind up there?"
"Time of death looks to have been last night around 11 PM," she answered as she read the thermometer that gave a reading of 88.5 degrees. She then rolled the body to it's side to check for other signs of injury and as Flack was about to speak she put a finger up.
"Mac we have some bruising and it's either post mortem or literally just before death," she responded and he kneeled down and shone his light where she was pointing. "Not consistent with bashing against the tree," she added looking at the bark.
"Maybe and maybe not. It's the right height for him to have been slammed into the tree," Mac responded pointing to it's length and then the tree. "Let's get the body back to Sid in autopsy for him to establish the COD."
"Shouldn't it be hanging?" Lindsay was confused.
"If he had no injuries to his body as well as that odd hair, I'd be with you. But something's not adding up," Julia explained looking at her honestly. Lindsay and Jo looked at her while she glanced back at the building. "I think we need to have a chat with a few of his professors and with the Dean. While our Forensic Sci program was strict, strenuous and some days you wanted to die, they had the most support available compared to most programs. We have our own section for mental health and physical health in the building."
"Then let's split up. Flack, you and Detective Chiles," Lindsay began before seeing Mac chuckle. "What?"
"Her name is pronounced like Chili. It's a funny name to be certain, but I'm confident she's already sick of her name being mispronounced from within the walls of the university," he explained and she nodded looking at him. "Flack, myself and Detective Chiles will head inside and talk to the Dean. Does the university have a dormitory?"
"That building right over there," Julia answered pointing to a silver building off in the distance. "Did anyone find a card that looked like this?" She showed the card and Flack shook his head. "Then you'll need to ring yourself in. These were security keys. Mine's inactive but still."
"So the building security is tight," Mac added thoughtfully and she nodded. "So can anyone access this section of campus?"
"Not unless you're staff, a student or security," she informed.
"So anyone," Stella answered and she looked at Stella. "What?"
"You can be a person that just drives into the lot. That's anyone. Most of the areas require these passes to get in. To get here we had to go through 3 buildings to get to this section. All 3 buildings require a pass." Stella looked at her and she chuckled. "The police get smaller passes that go with their badges. When Mac told me about the case I pulled a few strings to have the doors open to my old card. It's inactive in student database but it was only activated right before we arrived."
Stella looked at the emails and confirmed it on her phone before they all saw her phone begin ringing again. "Is it him again?" Mac remembered hearing her phone buzz all the way over to Chelsea University. She nodded and hung up before it started again. "Answer it before he kills your phone battery," he advised.
"This is Chiles," she greeted.
"Hey. Is now a bad time?"
"Yeah. I'm in the middle of work. I can't talk. I'll call later," she answered hanging up and then putting her phone away. "Alright that's him dealt with," she sighed in relief before walking with the others to the main hall and up to the Dean's office.
When they walked in, the Dean had to smile as he locked eyes with the youngest detective. "I see you got my message Miss Chiles."
"I did. I also just saw the body. It's horrible what's happened to Tanner. What was he like up to his death?"
"Tanner was a good kid Julia. He was like you. Bright, open to conversation and tried to help wherever he could. But he also wasn't like you. He was more fiery," he began before Mac and Flack both snorted. "I don't see what your colleagues find so funny."
"You clearly have not seen Detective Chiles when dealing with security," Flack chortled and Julia had to chuckle at that. "By the way Nash kindly asks you not to tear his head off when you come to the precinct with me later tonight."
"I'll do my best," she informed before getting a picture from Jo, who was back at the lab, and looking at it. "Dean Drury, where is Professor Portabello?" He looked at her confused. "Our team just got a lead and I need to speak to Professor Portabello as he's the most knowledgeable."
"He should be in his office." Julia nodded and shook his hand before walking out. "Is she always like this?"
"You didn't see her on placement. If she got a lead, you had to watch out. She could easily tear you down," Mac answered as Flack had already run after her. As he caught up to them, he saw Flack holding her against a wall. "Whoa."
"Waiting until her breathing evens out. She got fired right up when she saw Portabello and a girl walk out of a washroom." She glared at him and he chuckled. "You think something's up?" She put a finger to her lips and knocked on his door as soon as Flack released her.
"Ah if it isn't Julia Chiles."
"Not here for a social," she answered flashing her badge. "Tanner's dead and this figure," she began revealing the picture. "Was seen on a wound impression that our ME found. So talk. Who is he? What is his goals? I know you run an ancient mythology class," she warned.
"He's merely a fable."
"Someone's turned fable to factual," she warned icily. Mac looked at her and she glanced at him a little confused. "What?"
"Would you not steal my lines before I get to say them?"
"Sorry. But it's true and you know it."
"All that's known about him Miss Chiles is that he has a liking for those that have suffered things in their past. But they target them by targeting those that they are close to," he answered looking at her. "The fact that you are here speaks volumes about how you felt."
"I'm here because there's a body on the campus. I'm here to do my job. That's it," she snapped leaving the room. Mac and Flack followed her pretty quickly and she glared at them. "Do not take what he says as gospel. Tanner and I knew of each other on campus. I never really interacted with him until the final week before the Forensic Science Exams."
"Did you two ever hang out?"
"Once a week on those weeks. For a 2 hour studying session. It was all about bullet stria. Nothing even remotely personal," she responded looking at Flack. "I said it to him and I'll say it again. We have work to do. There's a body in autopsy that has a family waiting on closure, and a university to keep calm. Nothing more and nothing less."
"We've spoke with everyone so let's head back," Mac advised looking at her. "You will need to head down to autopsy to speak with Sid and Hawkes. They do have a clear COD established," he informed and she nodded knowing that in a way, Mac was getting everyone to interact with her in their own ways.
Arriving back at the Lab, Adam watched as she walked in but didn't even slow her pace to talk with anyone. "She's got some spunk to her," Stella admitted watching her round the corner and slip down to autopsy.
"I think with a lot of help from our team, she'll be one of the next best," Mac admitted.