"Nothing has been moved." Fern was saying.
"But everything has been touched and that there is the problem." Elise answered without looking up. "The tire tracks for example."
"Tire tracks?" interrupted Rowlands. Light skinned and broad, with black in in an army cut, he handed me a paper towel as I stood up. "Hello Lowell. So she roped you in here did she?"
The she he referred to continued as if he hadn't spoken. "Mm. You didn't come here in your own car did you Fern?"
I noticed Rowlands give Fern that "nyah-nyah- you're-in-trouble-so-there" look I would have thought he'd grown out of.
"No." answered the Captain.
"You Rowlands?"
The narc blinked in shock. "I...no."
"Hmph." she said followed by "Lowell if you've finished sharing you're breakfast with the plant perhaps you could come here a moment."
No. No way. here was no way I was going near that thing. At least that's the rational part of my brain. But there was that other part too. The part fascinated by death. My father would say it is in the genes, a need-to-see life and "death in action" that drove them to their own professions. Whatever it was, it led me to where Elise Escott crouched, hunched over like some vulturish gargoyle, observing the body with dancing eyes. A flick of a hand, and she held out a small notebook and pen. "Think you could take some notes for me? Midterm hand cramps and all that you know."
I nodded, too numb to care and took the items.
It had once been a woman of about thirty, maybe forty. Grey hair wound its way around the blond and brown, and was short enough to reveal pierced ears without earrings. Someone had mercifully closed her eyes before we arrived. Well dressed in a long blue evening gown and what I assumed were expensive heels. The nails had been recently done professionally and the makeup was hardly smudged. All this I jotted down as Elise explained it to me, but what I noticed most was the twisting. A violent twisting that could have made the spine snap with one more twist. A contortion in the face the screamed louder than the open the mouth would have.
"Grab the legs."
"What?"
"Is that the magic word for today? Just grab her legs, Lowell, I want to turn her over." I didn't move. Touch a dead body? "Would you rather take the head and shoulders instead?"
I shook my head, glad that there was nothing left in my guts to escape and did as I was told. Elise's inspection lasted just long enough for me to vow never to touch a cold, dead body for the rest of my life. I've lost count of how many times I've broken that vow since then.
"Alright then. Ease it back and we'll be done." Gladly I helped turn the body back. " 'Ere." I looked towards Elise. She sniffed the air cautiously. Oh thank God, I thought, glad not to be the only one bothered by the scent of death. I was a little curious as to why she had to put her face near the dead woman's to find that out.
"Lowell, a few more notes if you please." I nodded , got out notebook and pen. She sniffed again, casting a look towards Fern and Rowlands with a look of suspicion and paranoia. I moved to her side, whispering. "Well?"
"You smell that?"
"Yes. It's from the body, it's only natural that a dead person should start to--"
"No, beyond that. Take a whiff."
Reluctantly I sniffed. There was something different. It smelled like "Almonds?"
"Shhh...that's what I thought. Thank you Lowell." She stood up and addressed the officers "No jewelry?"
"Over here," Fern moved to a table laden with plastic evidence bags.
"More notes please Lowell" Elise whispered to me. Two rings, gold. One of yellow diamonds with rubies in the center, a necklace of "peacock colorings' (as its written in the notes). No earrings. Five silver bracelets. A silver watch with an emerald embedded in one of the links. The purse. Labeled Gucci. ("knockoff" Elise grumbled. Fern nodded. ) A pair of nail clipper, cosmetics, wallet, California License naming the victim Michelle Connor. two hundred dollars, and a pocket calendar. Inside, that evening, signaled a date with Carl Blessing.
"Any word from him?"
"Nothing."
"Hmph." was Elise's only response "That'll do it for now Lowell. Thank you again. Who found the body?"
"Marcus Johnson. One of the Security officers. He was doing his rounds and saw lights on here. Of course the lights were turned off when the last tenant left. "
"Mm. The coroner can take the body now."
As if on cure, a few dark suited people swarmed around the body. For some reason they felt they need four of them to lift the body onto their stretcher. As they did so, a clink echoed throughout the room. All eyes turned towards them. One of them stomped his foot. "Got it."
The body was loaded up and the man brought over the item. A gold ring, like the others. But not a plain band. It was carved in the shape of a snake, its tail and mouth wrapped around a rainbow colored stone, in what I'm told is the tear drop fashion.
"Well, how'd we miss that?" Asked Rowlands. Beside me, I saw Elise smile again. Had she known it was there?
"Hey. Captain. Captain over here." Kars waved from a corner of the room, covered by another long leafed plant. I followed Elise and the two officers to him. "Look" he said "look't this."
Carved into the wall behind the plant was the word:
Kathar
"Found the weapon that did it, right in the soil there."
"An interesting find Kars." said Elise. "What's it mean?"
The smile that had been forming on Kars' face began to disappear as he wondered. "Umm...well..."
"Oh its obvious isn't it?" scoffed Rowlands "The murderer was trying to write Katharine. "
"The murderer wrote their own name did they?" Fern laughed.
"Of course not. This Katharine was obviously some rival of the woman's or some such. "
"Hm. " said Elise. "Thank you Kars." The younger man turned and left. " With your permission , Fern I think I'd like to look around."
"I've already checked everything, " Rowlands said, a bit louder than I thought was really necessary.
Apparently that meant nothing to Fern. "Go right ahead Miss Escott." she said sweetly. Elise didn't appear to notice, she had already begun to walk around, her stride and gaze the purposefulness of a n art critic in a gallery. Suddenly I was a useless observer again. But not for long.
"I've been over this place twice." growled Rowlands on my left. " She won't find anything new. I'll bet you five bucks she doesn't find anything new."
"Hundred." countered Fern on my right.
"Twenty."
"Seventy-five."
Before us, Elise had grabbed a heavy curtain and yanked it back on its rod, letting morning light in. A group of blue uniformed officers rushed over , apparently telling her to keep her hands off of their crime scene, but she merely nodded moved past them as if they didn't exist.
"Forty."
"Deal."
"Do you really think she'll see something new?" I asked Fern. The two police officers laughed.
"No. I mean she's an okay kid and all, but lets face. There's a way to do things right?"
"I believe that. What were you saying before about owing her a Coke?"
"Oh that. I... well...its rather stupid. I bet her a Coke that ...at the first sign of danger Rowlands would come crawling for her help like a little baby." she grinned. Rowlands said something that I don't think should be repeated in writing. I doubted that was the bet, but wasn't about to say anything. Elise showed up again.
"Yes. Well. That'll have to do for now. I believe we're done here Lowell."
"Not until you've told us what you found, Escott." Rowlands insisted.
"You're conclusions."
"Oh no, I couldn't" insisted Elise, with a wave of her hand. "You and you're friends here are working so well already."
"Come now Miss. Escott. We'll need you're statement sooner of later."
"Oh fine. It was a murderer, and not an accidental one. Caused by a wound in the back of the head. "From falling through the table" Rowlands finished.
"You would think that wouldn't you? But no, it was something else. Possibly one of the bricks in the back yard. They're lose. Check the garden rocks too. The murderer about 5' 9", that is about six inches taller than the victim without her heels and, mostly likely her weight. Fair skinned, black haired, wore brand new thin-soled shoes and a red vest. He chews Skoals. Definitely younger than her, roughly early thirties. Well to do, but necessarily rich. And very well educated. "
"And Katharine?"
"Has nothing to do with anything." Elise shook her head , smiling at some joke in Rowlands question. "Look closer at the words. On the other plant over there "she point diagonally from the Kather plant, "is the rest of the word: i-z-o...Katharizo. It's Greek I believe. Means "Cleansed" Make of that what you will. C'mon Lowell."
I said a hasty goodbye to Kars, Rowlands and Fern and left the scene with Elise, but not before I heard Rowlands
"How 'bout Rock, Paper, Scissors instead Fern? Double or nothing."
"But everything has been touched and that there is the problem." Elise answered without looking up. "The tire tracks for example."
"Tire tracks?" interrupted Rowlands. Light skinned and broad, with black in in an army cut, he handed me a paper towel as I stood up. "Hello Lowell. So she roped you in here did she?"
The she he referred to continued as if he hadn't spoken. "Mm. You didn't come here in your own car did you Fern?"
I noticed Rowlands give Fern that "nyah-nyah- you're-in-trouble-so-there" look I would have thought he'd grown out of.
"No." answered the Captain.
"You Rowlands?"
The narc blinked in shock. "I...no."
"Hmph." she said followed by "Lowell if you've finished sharing you're breakfast with the plant perhaps you could come here a moment."
No. No way. here was no way I was going near that thing. At least that's the rational part of my brain. But there was that other part too. The part fascinated by death. My father would say it is in the genes, a need-to-see life and "death in action" that drove them to their own professions. Whatever it was, it led me to where Elise Escott crouched, hunched over like some vulturish gargoyle, observing the body with dancing eyes. A flick of a hand, and she held out a small notebook and pen. "Think you could take some notes for me? Midterm hand cramps and all that you know."
I nodded, too numb to care and took the items.
It had once been a woman of about thirty, maybe forty. Grey hair wound its way around the blond and brown, and was short enough to reveal pierced ears without earrings. Someone had mercifully closed her eyes before we arrived. Well dressed in a long blue evening gown and what I assumed were expensive heels. The nails had been recently done professionally and the makeup was hardly smudged. All this I jotted down as Elise explained it to me, but what I noticed most was the twisting. A violent twisting that could have made the spine snap with one more twist. A contortion in the face the screamed louder than the open the mouth would have.
"Grab the legs."
"What?"
"Is that the magic word for today? Just grab her legs, Lowell, I want to turn her over." I didn't move. Touch a dead body? "Would you rather take the head and shoulders instead?"
I shook my head, glad that there was nothing left in my guts to escape and did as I was told. Elise's inspection lasted just long enough for me to vow never to touch a cold, dead body for the rest of my life. I've lost count of how many times I've broken that vow since then.
"Alright then. Ease it back and we'll be done." Gladly I helped turn the body back. " 'Ere." I looked towards Elise. She sniffed the air cautiously. Oh thank God, I thought, glad not to be the only one bothered by the scent of death. I was a little curious as to why she had to put her face near the dead woman's to find that out.
"Lowell, a few more notes if you please." I nodded , got out notebook and pen. She sniffed again, casting a look towards Fern and Rowlands with a look of suspicion and paranoia. I moved to her side, whispering. "Well?"
"You smell that?"
"Yes. It's from the body, it's only natural that a dead person should start to--"
"No, beyond that. Take a whiff."
Reluctantly I sniffed. There was something different. It smelled like "Almonds?"
"Shhh...that's what I thought. Thank you Lowell." She stood up and addressed the officers "No jewelry?"
"Over here," Fern moved to a table laden with plastic evidence bags.
"More notes please Lowell" Elise whispered to me. Two rings, gold. One of yellow diamonds with rubies in the center, a necklace of "peacock colorings' (as its written in the notes). No earrings. Five silver bracelets. A silver watch with an emerald embedded in one of the links. The purse. Labeled Gucci. ("knockoff" Elise grumbled. Fern nodded. ) A pair of nail clipper, cosmetics, wallet, California License naming the victim Michelle Connor. two hundred dollars, and a pocket calendar. Inside, that evening, signaled a date with Carl Blessing.
"Any word from him?"
"Nothing."
"Hmph." was Elise's only response "That'll do it for now Lowell. Thank you again. Who found the body?"
"Marcus Johnson. One of the Security officers. He was doing his rounds and saw lights on here. Of course the lights were turned off when the last tenant left. "
"Mm. The coroner can take the body now."
As if on cure, a few dark suited people swarmed around the body. For some reason they felt they need four of them to lift the body onto their stretcher. As they did so, a clink echoed throughout the room. All eyes turned towards them. One of them stomped his foot. "Got it."
The body was loaded up and the man brought over the item. A gold ring, like the others. But not a plain band. It was carved in the shape of a snake, its tail and mouth wrapped around a rainbow colored stone, in what I'm told is the tear drop fashion.
"Well, how'd we miss that?" Asked Rowlands. Beside me, I saw Elise smile again. Had she known it was there?
"Hey. Captain. Captain over here." Kars waved from a corner of the room, covered by another long leafed plant. I followed Elise and the two officers to him. "Look" he said "look't this."
Carved into the wall behind the plant was the word:
Kathar
"Found the weapon that did it, right in the soil there."
"An interesting find Kars." said Elise. "What's it mean?"
The smile that had been forming on Kars' face began to disappear as he wondered. "Umm...well..."
"Oh its obvious isn't it?" scoffed Rowlands "The murderer was trying to write Katharine. "
"The murderer wrote their own name did they?" Fern laughed.
"Of course not. This Katharine was obviously some rival of the woman's or some such. "
"Hm. " said Elise. "Thank you Kars." The younger man turned and left. " With your permission , Fern I think I'd like to look around."
"I've already checked everything, " Rowlands said, a bit louder than I thought was really necessary.
Apparently that meant nothing to Fern. "Go right ahead Miss Escott." she said sweetly. Elise didn't appear to notice, she had already begun to walk around, her stride and gaze the purposefulness of a n art critic in a gallery. Suddenly I was a useless observer again. But not for long.
"I've been over this place twice." growled Rowlands on my left. " She won't find anything new. I'll bet you five bucks she doesn't find anything new."
"Hundred." countered Fern on my right.
"Twenty."
"Seventy-five."
Before us, Elise had grabbed a heavy curtain and yanked it back on its rod, letting morning light in. A group of blue uniformed officers rushed over , apparently telling her to keep her hands off of their crime scene, but she merely nodded moved past them as if they didn't exist.
"Forty."
"Deal."
"Do you really think she'll see something new?" I asked Fern. The two police officers laughed.
"No. I mean she's an okay kid and all, but lets face. There's a way to do things right?"
"I believe that. What were you saying before about owing her a Coke?"
"Oh that. I... well...its rather stupid. I bet her a Coke that ...at the first sign of danger Rowlands would come crawling for her help like a little baby." she grinned. Rowlands said something that I don't think should be repeated in writing. I doubted that was the bet, but wasn't about to say anything. Elise showed up again.
"Yes. Well. That'll have to do for now. I believe we're done here Lowell."
"Not until you've told us what you found, Escott." Rowlands insisted.
"You're conclusions."
"Oh no, I couldn't" insisted Elise, with a wave of her hand. "You and you're friends here are working so well already."
"Come now Miss. Escott. We'll need you're statement sooner of later."
"Oh fine. It was a murderer, and not an accidental one. Caused by a wound in the back of the head. "From falling through the table" Rowlands finished.
"You would think that wouldn't you? But no, it was something else. Possibly one of the bricks in the back yard. They're lose. Check the garden rocks too. The murderer about 5' 9", that is about six inches taller than the victim without her heels and, mostly likely her weight. Fair skinned, black haired, wore brand new thin-soled shoes and a red vest. He chews Skoals. Definitely younger than her, roughly early thirties. Well to do, but necessarily rich. And very well educated. "
"And Katharine?"
"Has nothing to do with anything." Elise shook her head , smiling at some joke in Rowlands question. "Look closer at the words. On the other plant over there "she point diagonally from the Kather plant, "is the rest of the word: i-z-o...Katharizo. It's Greek I believe. Means "Cleansed" Make of that what you will. C'mon Lowell."
I said a hasty goodbye to Kars, Rowlands and Fern and left the scene with Elise, but not before I heard Rowlands
"How 'bout Rock, Paper, Scissors instead Fern? Double or nothing."