Disclaimer: CSI characters etc are owned by people smarter and more talented than me. I'm doing this for love, not for money, so please don't sue me :)
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# 2 - Dumpster DB
The hiss of water under the tyres of his Tahoe made Nick curse silently, and he increased the pressure on the gas pedal. The rain would wash away any physical evidence around the dumpster, and inside it if the PD officer hadn't thought to close the lid when the rain started. Greg noticed the speed increase but remained silent, experienced enough to know they were going to have trouble getting any uncontaminated evidence from their crime scene. The Tahoe slid slightly as Nick turned into the car park of the convenience store and braked hard. Ignoring the look Greg shot him, the CSI climbed out of his vehicle and crossed to the line of dumpsters at the back of the store. He breathed a small sigh of relief as he saw the lids were all closed, the young PD officer standing beside the one at the far end of the group. Sending a small prayer of thanks to whichever God might be listening, he realised the rain had stopped.
"Hey Nick," the policeman greeted them, looking at Greg curiously for a moment.
"Hey Dan. So, what we got?" he replied, recognising the cop from a previous case he had been involved with.
"Caucasian female. No idea how long she's been dead, but it looks like it might have been a while. I closed the lid of the dumpster as soon as it started raining."
"Good thinkin. This is Greg," he indicated the young lab tech. "Let's have a look shall we?" He glanced at Greg as he pair approached the dumpster, noting with more than a little respect that the younger man didn't even flinch as Nick lifted the lid and they peered inside. "Oh man, sometimes I hate this job," he murmured softly. Half buried in trash lay the body of a young woman, her face partially covered by a thick mane of dark hair. She wore a simple, sleeveless white dress and her feet were bare. A large dark stain stood out against the fabric just above her left breast, the thin cotton torn, indicating a knife wound. Slipping on a pair of latex gloves, Nick began the initial examination of the scene.
"Greg, take notes. Victim is Caucasian female, approx. 25-30 years of age. She's dressed in a simple white dress, with no markings. Possibly made by the killer for this purpose. Single stab wound to the upper chest. Probably the cause of death, though we'll have to wait for the autopsy to be sure. Lack of blood on the trash around the body suggests she was killed somewhere else and then dumped here." He reached in and gently brushed the hair from the woman's face. "Bruising to the face, neck, arms and legs suggests possible torture." Stepping away from the dumpster, he walked the few paces to his kit and opened the case, taking out a handful of pieces of tape, a pair of tweezers and several small evidence bags. Grabbing his camera from the side pocket of the bag, he returned to the body. He took several pictures from different angles, focusing on the bloodstain and the bruising, plus the positioning of the body. Hanging the camera around his neck, he took one of the tape strips from his pocket. Leaning into the dumpster, he peeled away the plastic backing of the tape strip and pressed it to the woman's right shoulder. Lifting it away carefully he sealed it, trapping two blonde hairs inside, and placed it into the top pocket of his jacket.
"Guess you'll be needin DNA from them then?" Greg nodded towards the evidence in Nick's pocket, trying to hide his disappointment.
"Yeah but we can get someone else to run it. I'm gonna need your help to process the clothing and the rest of the scene. Plus, we need to try an find out who this poor woman is."
"Oh, OK then."
"Ya may regret it before the night's out," Nick warned, turning back to the corpse. "Let's get her outta there."
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A small sigh escaped his lips as he looked through the one-way glass at his two guests. A slight chill ran down his spine as the newest one, Andi, looked up at the mirror, seeming to look directly at him. He was going to enjoy her, she had a fiery spirit that he found compelling, and it turned him on. The other one was getting a little boring, she had stopped fighting him now, stopped screaming when he took her. He had already killed three of them, terminating them when they ceased to satisfy his needs.
"No, you'll
do just fine, pretty," he murmured, watching Andi take stock of her current
surroundings. Running a hand through his short blonde hair, he turned away from
the glass and left the tiny observation room. Heading towards the basement stairs,
he went to get the next body ready for disposal.
