Caution! This chapter is extremely graphic! All you kiddies out there
better not read this or it will damage your fragile little minds. All you
brave ones out there, don't say I didn't warn you!!! Ha ha ha ha
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 2 Crime Scene
Sarah walked around the crime-scene carefully. She has worked with the Crime Scene Investigators (CSI) for almost five years and she has never seen anything this bad. She already walked through one part of the house where a man had been eviscerated and had his entrails around his neck and now she is standing in front of a bathroom that looked liked it had been painted hastily in red. Only that the red was blood.
She took in the sight forcing herself not to look away, as if she can force herself to comprehend the sight in front of her. She looked at the walls that where so thick and shiny with blood and saw that there were chunks of meat sticking to the wall as well. She looked at the floor and the blood was deep enough that it would overflowed to the hallway had it not been for the piece of raised plastic that separates the bathroom from the hallway. She finally looked at the bathtub. The tub was full of pale blood. A shade of pink that never looked quite pink, but always as if it meant to be a darker color. Pink bloody water filled the tub almost to the brim, like it was a cup filled up with punch. Sarah closed her eyes and turned around and leaned against the wall. *Bad thought Sarah. Bad thought. * She went to the bathroom down the hall and splashed cold water on her face. "Much better." She whispered to herself.
Lt. Cooney walked up to the door. "How's it goin'?"
She just blinked and looked at him.
"Sarah, are you okay?" he asked, concern filled his voice.
She pointed her finger down the hallway towards the other bathroom.
"What about it?"
She just looked at him.
"Yeah, it's bad. You've seen bad before."
She shook her head, "Not this bad, Cooney, not this bad." She shook her head again. "I'll be okay."
She straightened up and walked back to the other bathroom with her Lt.
"How many people were killed in there Cooney?" She asked.
"Why?"
"Don't be coy, Cooney. I don't have the patience today."
Why?" He asked again with a bit of defiance in his voice.
"Damn it Cooney!"
"Jesus, Williams, you're a pain in the ass." He said with a small smile.
"It's a talent."
They stood in the doorway and smiled at each other. Nothing had changed in that small horror chamber. There wasn't a drop less of blood, or an inch less of gory bits plastered to the walls, but they both felt better.
"Now," she said, still smiling, "how many people were killed in the bathroom?"
His smile slid into a full grin. "Why do you ask?"
"You bastard."
He wiggled his eyebrows above the rim of his glasses. "Not what my mom says, though you're not the first to speculate."
She half laughed. "Because, Lt. Cooney, there are only two full walls in that room, both of them so thick with blood and heavier bits that it's like two kills, one at one wall, one at the other."
"What about the bathtub?" he asked.
"The water's pale. Too pale. I've seen what water looks like when the body bleeds out into it, this is not it. They were not killed in the tub."
"You sure about that?"
Sarah nodded. "Yeah, but I'm also wondering why the rub is so full, almost to the brim. You can't fill most tubs that full; they've got that little hole that stops it from overflowing. This one is so full you couldn't step into it without sloshing water all over the floor." She looked up at him. "I'm right about at least two people being killed, aren't I?"
He had control of his expression now, and met her gaze. "Maybe."
Sarah sighted, frustrated. "Let's try something new and different. I ask questions, you answer them."
He almost smiled. "Maybe."
She fought an urge to yell. Sarah spoke very calmly, very quietly. "At least two people were killed, slaughtered against the walls." She forced herself to turn back and look at the two walls in question. Now that she had another person to talk to, she could think again. The walls weren't literally painted with blood. There were spots of tile showing through, but the tile was that medium brown color that made it look worse that it really was. God knew, it was bad enough.
Sarah turned back to Cooney. "Okay, two kills, one against each wall. Or at least they were sliced open, up, whatever, against each wall." She looked at the tub again. "Are there bits of bodies in the tub?"
"Maybe you should go and fish."
She stared at him. "Maybe, probably, but I'm not in the mood."
We left the bits in there special for you, Williams. No joke." He held up his hands. "You're the Medical Examiner."
She shook her head. "What kind of person would do this? That's the sixty-four-billion-dollar question."
"I thought it was sixty-four thousand-dollar question," he said.
"Inflation. Do you at least have any long gloves, or something?"
"No long gloves on me," he said.
Sarah narrowed her green eyes at him, "I fucking hate you."
"Not the first to say it today," he said, looking tired.
"I'm going to track blood all over hell and back."
He pulled out plastic booties and pointed to the trash bag. "Put the booties in here before you step out of the room."
"What can I possibly learn by fishing around in that mess?"
"Probably not a goddamned thing."
She shook her head. "Then why should I do it?"
"Because we held the scene for you. We didn't drag that damn tub, just in case we spoiled some arcane piece of clue that you would have noticed, and we would have thrown away."
"Arcane," she said, "what, Susan been reading the big grown-up books to you again?"
He smiled. "The faster you do this, the sooner we can all get the hell out of here."
I'm not stalling." She said, even though she knew that she was.
"Yes you are, and I don't blame you."
She looked back into the bathroom, then back at Cooney. "If I don't find some nifty clue, I am so going to kick your ass, Cooney."
He grinned. "Only if you can catch me."
She shook her head, took a shallow breath, and stepped over that last bit of doorway.
Chapter 2 Crime Scene
Sarah walked around the crime-scene carefully. She has worked with the Crime Scene Investigators (CSI) for almost five years and she has never seen anything this bad. She already walked through one part of the house where a man had been eviscerated and had his entrails around his neck and now she is standing in front of a bathroom that looked liked it had been painted hastily in red. Only that the red was blood.
She took in the sight forcing herself not to look away, as if she can force herself to comprehend the sight in front of her. She looked at the walls that where so thick and shiny with blood and saw that there were chunks of meat sticking to the wall as well. She looked at the floor and the blood was deep enough that it would overflowed to the hallway had it not been for the piece of raised plastic that separates the bathroom from the hallway. She finally looked at the bathtub. The tub was full of pale blood. A shade of pink that never looked quite pink, but always as if it meant to be a darker color. Pink bloody water filled the tub almost to the brim, like it was a cup filled up with punch. Sarah closed her eyes and turned around and leaned against the wall. *Bad thought Sarah. Bad thought. * She went to the bathroom down the hall and splashed cold water on her face. "Much better." She whispered to herself.
Lt. Cooney walked up to the door. "How's it goin'?"
She just blinked and looked at him.
"Sarah, are you okay?" he asked, concern filled his voice.
She pointed her finger down the hallway towards the other bathroom.
"What about it?"
She just looked at him.
"Yeah, it's bad. You've seen bad before."
She shook her head, "Not this bad, Cooney, not this bad." She shook her head again. "I'll be okay."
She straightened up and walked back to the other bathroom with her Lt.
"How many people were killed in there Cooney?" She asked.
"Why?"
"Don't be coy, Cooney. I don't have the patience today."
Why?" He asked again with a bit of defiance in his voice.
"Damn it Cooney!"
"Jesus, Williams, you're a pain in the ass." He said with a small smile.
"It's a talent."
They stood in the doorway and smiled at each other. Nothing had changed in that small horror chamber. There wasn't a drop less of blood, or an inch less of gory bits plastered to the walls, but they both felt better.
"Now," she said, still smiling, "how many people were killed in the bathroom?"
His smile slid into a full grin. "Why do you ask?"
"You bastard."
He wiggled his eyebrows above the rim of his glasses. "Not what my mom says, though you're not the first to speculate."
She half laughed. "Because, Lt. Cooney, there are only two full walls in that room, both of them so thick with blood and heavier bits that it's like two kills, one at one wall, one at the other."
"What about the bathtub?" he asked.
"The water's pale. Too pale. I've seen what water looks like when the body bleeds out into it, this is not it. They were not killed in the tub."
"You sure about that?"
Sarah nodded. "Yeah, but I'm also wondering why the rub is so full, almost to the brim. You can't fill most tubs that full; they've got that little hole that stops it from overflowing. This one is so full you couldn't step into it without sloshing water all over the floor." She looked up at him. "I'm right about at least two people being killed, aren't I?"
He had control of his expression now, and met her gaze. "Maybe."
Sarah sighted, frustrated. "Let's try something new and different. I ask questions, you answer them."
He almost smiled. "Maybe."
She fought an urge to yell. Sarah spoke very calmly, very quietly. "At least two people were killed, slaughtered against the walls." She forced herself to turn back and look at the two walls in question. Now that she had another person to talk to, she could think again. The walls weren't literally painted with blood. There were spots of tile showing through, but the tile was that medium brown color that made it look worse that it really was. God knew, it was bad enough.
Sarah turned back to Cooney. "Okay, two kills, one against each wall. Or at least they were sliced open, up, whatever, against each wall." She looked at the tub again. "Are there bits of bodies in the tub?"
"Maybe you should go and fish."
She stared at him. "Maybe, probably, but I'm not in the mood."
We left the bits in there special for you, Williams. No joke." He held up his hands. "You're the Medical Examiner."
She shook her head. "What kind of person would do this? That's the sixty-four-billion-dollar question."
"I thought it was sixty-four thousand-dollar question," he said.
"Inflation. Do you at least have any long gloves, or something?"
"No long gloves on me," he said.
Sarah narrowed her green eyes at him, "I fucking hate you."
"Not the first to say it today," he said, looking tired.
"I'm going to track blood all over hell and back."
He pulled out plastic booties and pointed to the trash bag. "Put the booties in here before you step out of the room."
"What can I possibly learn by fishing around in that mess?"
"Probably not a goddamned thing."
She shook her head. "Then why should I do it?"
"Because we held the scene for you. We didn't drag that damn tub, just in case we spoiled some arcane piece of clue that you would have noticed, and we would have thrown away."
"Arcane," she said, "what, Susan been reading the big grown-up books to you again?"
He smiled. "The faster you do this, the sooner we can all get the hell out of here."
I'm not stalling." She said, even though she knew that she was.
"Yes you are, and I don't blame you."
She looked back into the bathroom, then back at Cooney. "If I don't find some nifty clue, I am so going to kick your ass, Cooney."
He grinned. "Only if you can catch me."
She shook her head, took a shallow breath, and stepped over that last bit of doorway.
