Author's Note: More care file stuff. I swear since the first chapter I haven't had anything romantic. I need to work on that. Well, here's hoping at least some of you are here for the case!
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Victims of Fate
Chapter Six
Prompt: New York Minute
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"Well, that was a waste of time," Mike said angrily slamming the door of the SUV closed.
"Hang on," Barek said when her cell phone started chirping at her. Mike started the car and waited patiently for her to finish her call. "ME finished the autopsy. She wants to meet with us."
"Hopefully she'll have something for us."
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"Pepper spray?" Mike repeated, looking surprised, "She was pepper sprayed?"
"Maced, actually," Rodger said, snapping on a rubber glove, "I was cleaning the blood off to get a better look at the facial wounds, and noticed the smell. I took a sample of the stuff. The lab guys will have something for you sooner or later." Rodgers carefully took the girl's face in one hand and pointed to the eyes, "You can see some swelling that isn't because she got the crap beaten out of her. Eyes are red, irritated and you can smell the mace if you get close enough."
"I'll leave the sniffing dead people to Goren," Mike said, but Barek leaned over the body and took a sniff.
"It's very faint," She commented when she drew back.
"My guess is your perp maced her first and then started beating her. Mostly around the face and chest."
"Any sort of weapon used?" Barek asked, examining the many overlapping bruises.
"No, just good old fashioned fists. Thing is, notice these marks here?" Rodgers pointed to two particularly deep blue almost black bruises on the girl's chest, "They're clustered, like someone hit her repeatedly in those areas specifically."
"So?" Mike asked, shifting uncomfortably.
"So once your perp had her on the ground, they sat on her, notice the bruises down here on her thighs…"
"They pounded on her chest," Barek said in a slightly distracted tone that meant she was imagining the scene. Mike was doing the same thing, and it was no pretty.
"Yeah, but not with enough force to break any ribs, even after repeated hits. You're killer didn't have a lot of strength."
"Our killer's a woman," Mike said, startled.
"Bingo."