In the cluttered office, Mark and Amanda were bent over the body deep in discussion. All around them uniformed officers went about their business, but the two doctors paid them no attention, so intent were they upon the task at hand. Finally, sitting back on her haunches, Amanda brushed her hair from her forehead and let out a breath.
'I can't be sure Mark but the residue on the body looks and smells awfully similar to the substances found on the other two victims'.
'And you say you still have no idea what those substances are?' he asked dropping into a near by chair, deep in thought.
'Nope' she sighed 'but working back from your Egyptian connection I guess they could be indigenous to an ancient civilisation'.
'You know I've been thinking about that' Mark replied eagerly 'From what I know of Egyptian burial rituals, often the bodies were adorned to prevent the ghosts of the dead returning to cause trouble. You know' he continued eagerly 'sometimes they even put letters in with the dead person, to protect themselves from vengeful spirits'.
'Really?' Amanda was intrigued 'Well I don't see any letters Mark, but do you think may be the killer was trying to protect him or herself by anointing the body?'
He sighed 'At the moment honey I don't know what to think'. He paused momentarily and then looked at her ruefully 'You know Steve would think I was crazy for saying this, but I can't quite shake the feeling that it could be something …'
'Supernatural?' A familiar voice interrupted 'Come on Dad, don't start that one again'. Leaning against the doorframe, arms folded Steve Sloan looked half irritated, half amused. 'Don't listen to him Amanda he's got this crazy idea that Peterson and Summers stirred up the wrath of the gods or Tutankhamun's curse or something.'
Amanda looked from one to the other in confusion 'But wasn't Tutankhamun's curse a hoax invented by the press?' she asked with a puzzled frown.
'My point exactly' Steve said emphatically, shooting his father a meaningful look.
'Well you know several people connected with the excavation did die in a short space of time' Mark persisted 'Carnarvon himself died from an infected mosquito bite that he got whilst he was in the tomb'.
'Fascinating' Steve said sardonically 'But you know Dad, I think your divine intervention theory could be a mute point'. He smiled ruefully 'Since the guy who suggested it is at this moment lying on the floor with a knife in his chest'.
All three looked down at Schwenk and Steve sighed morosely – so much for having another talk with the guy. The only information he was gonna get out of Schwenk now, was what Amanda could tell him in the autopsy report.
Mark was less easily defeated 'That's true' he allowed 'But you know there is something we haven't yet considered'. He smiled at the quizzical expressions that greeted him.
'Well come on Mark' Amanda pleaded 'don't leave us in suspense'.
'The knife in his chest is Egyptian' Mark announced triumphantly. He beamed and motioned Steve to take a closer look 'See you can tell by the hieroglyphics on the blade'.
Steve smiled patiently 'You know Dad, that'd be pretty neat if it weren't for the fact that there's a whole bunch of these knives in one of the cabinets down the hall'. He rolled his eyes 'In fact there's a real nice spot in the cabinet that's empty right now, on account of the fact that the knife that used to be there …' He gave Mark a meaningful look 'is here'.
Looking at his father, a slight smile playing around his lips, Steve shrugged 'I gotta say, for the wrath of god I'd expect something a little less convenient – Dad, Schwenk was killed with one of his own knives'.
'Poetic justice?' Mark offered hopefully 'It happens in fables and legends all the time.'
Steve groaned – once he had something in his mind, his father could be incorrigible, but then he wouldn't have expected anything else. Still as a cop he dealt with facts not fairy tales.
'Dad' he said with an exasperated sigh 'I hate to destroy your theory, but since when did the wrath of god need a key to get in?' Pushing himself away from the door, he retrieved an evidence bag from his jacket pocket and held it up for their inspection 'Key chain' he explained 'Forensics found it in here two hours ago'.
'Oh' Mark let out a breath, finally stumped.
'Nice try Dad' Steve said with a whimsical smile 'but no dice'. Turning to Amanda he looked at her pleadingly 'May be you can give me something a little less other worldly?'
'Well' she sighed 'Given the temperature and the humidity of the room, I'd say he's been dead for approximately 5 hours'. She checked her watch 'Which would put time of death at around 11 o'clock to 11.30.'
Leaning forward she pulled aside the remnants of the victim's shirt before continuing 'As you can see he died from a stab wound to the heart, but there is also some evidence of bruising across the upper arms'.
She paused thoughtfully 'Now the bruising would suggest that he was pinned down by the killer when the stab wound was inflicted. Apart from that, there was no real suggestion of a fight, so I would guess that he knew the killer and wasn't expecting any trouble'.
'Anything else?' Steve asked tiredly.
She sighed 'Well the body seems to have residual traces of an unidentified substance'.
'Like the last two' he said resignedly.
'That's right' she confirmed 'We've done a tox screen and the samples have been sent to the lab but … ' she looked down despondently 'If it's anything like the other substances, then I'm not sure the tests will do any good'.
Steve massaged his temples wearily, trying to take in the information she'd presented him with. The air in the room was thick and tinged with a scent that was hauntingly familiar and yet unidentifiable. Whatever it was, it was making him feel drowsy and light headed – or was that merely a symptom of the sleep deprivation he'd endured over the last week. Suddenly unsteady he sat down on the edge of Schwenk's desk and took a deep breath.
'Are you okay?' Mark asked instantly, as ever alert to his son's physical condition 'You look a little pale'.
'I'm fine Dad' Steve replied irritably 'It's just a little warm in here that's all'.
Mark and Amanda exchanged worried glances 'You know' she said gently 'the same thing happened in my pathology lab yesterday'.
Steve responded with a smile that he hoped was reassuring 'I'm fine, honest'.
'I think we could all do with some sleep' Mark interrupted firmly.
Steve sighed 'Good idea.'
He really didn't want his father missing out on any more sleep than was absolutely necessary. Although Mark would undoubtedly protest, Steve knew his father was getting a little too old to spend half the night at a crime scene and still manage his work at the hospital. Looking at his watch Steve turned to Amanda 'Amanda why don't you go home, there's nothing more you can do here right now' he paused before adding casually 'And can you give Dad a ride too? I'm gonna be tied up here for a while'.
'You're not coming with us?' Mark asked.
Steve sighed 'Not a chance, but there's no need for us all to be here' he looked at Amanda for support 'So Amanda if you wouldn't mind ….'
She met his eyes and immediately understood 'Sure Steve, no problem' she replied straightening up.
'Steve I don't need a ride' Mark protested 'I'll stay here with you'.
Steve smiled, he'd been expecting this 'Dad, it's already 4.30 in the morning and I've no idea what time I'll be done here' he replied reasonably.
Spotting the stubborn glint in his father's eye, he went for the one thing he knew would win Mark over 'Think about it Dad, you've got a shift at the hospital in a couple of hours' he paused 'and I'm sure your patients would prefer it if you were awake'.
Mark was trapped and Steve knew it. As much as he longed to stay, he would never do anything that could put his patients at risk. Sensing victory Steve continued reasonably 'If you want I can fix it for you to come back and check out the crime scene another time'.
Finally giving in Mark let out a breath 'I guess you're right'.
As Steve escorted Amanda and his father to the door Mark turned hopefully 'but you'll ring me if you find anything?'
'Scout's honour' Steve replied with smile, treating Mark to a mock boy-scout salute.
It was only when they reached the parking lot that realisation dawned. Turning to Amanda, Mark groaned 'You know I just remembered he was never in the scouts!'
Amanda smiled – for once it was round one to Steve 'Come on Mark' she said fondly placing an arm round his shoulders 'Lets go home'.