All familiar characters are Janet's.
Having a far-reaching reputation got us behind the yellow tape barrier already in place, and what we're looking at even I didn't want to see, never mind my innocent daughter. The body was for the most part intact, but the open pants and full mouth made it clear this is a homicide of an extremely personal nature.
"If I ruin any forensic evidence by throwing up," Steph said, turning her face into my chest so she didn't have to look at the scene or smell blood and the unmistakable scent of death any more, "will you make fun of me? I know I insisted on being here, but I've never wanted to be back home more than I do right now."
"Hell no ... we wouldn't screw with you for being disgusted," Kane said, hearing her comment. "I was planning on killing the sonovabitch with my bare hands for hurting Aubrey, but even I could hurl right now. I've seen some psycho-shit before, but not like this."
Tank was torn between hanging back to keep watch over Olivia at home, and providing backup for us in case we ran into trouble here. With a building full of bodyguards and Ella already admonishing Lester and Woody to 'settle down and behave or else' as we were getting into the elevator, had him deciding it was okay to leave for a few hours. His expression - like mine - didn't change, but I can see he's as disturbed as I am.
"Guess if he wouldn't have been sticking his dick places he shouldn't have, he wouldn't be missing it right now," was his response to Leo Henry's body.
I gave him a look to shut him up. Stephanie doesn't need to hear more.
Apparently she didn't realize that and added to Tank's comment. "It'd be so much better if it was missing. Finding it shoved in his mouth is way worse than a search would've been to find it," she said. "I can't think of a more humiliating way for a guy to be found."
Seeing my share of bodies, this one is clearly the result of an affair. Shooting someone in the forehead at point blank range takes balls, having to look your victim dead in the eye as you pull the trigger, but chopping off a guy's cock is enough of a statement that the killer was not going to tolerate the use of that particular organ again.
"Oh God," Steph said after a beat.
"Fuck. Don't say something else is missing," Kane said to her.
"Don't make me tell you to watch what you say, and to who, again," I told him.
He glanced at my wife. "Sorry. I promise I'll get better. Harp just ignores it when we're alone or punches me when her mom's visiting."
"Don't worry about it," she told him. "Ranger's the only one who thinks my ears need to be protected as well as my body."
"What are you thinking, Babe?" I asked her.
"I know it's wrong what she and Leo were doing, but what are the chances this Tipple woman wasn't around for this?" She said back. "If she had any feelings for the guy, seeing this happen to him will scar her for three lifetimes. I'm already preparing for some nightmares tonight ... and adding more to Olive's email to calm myself down from them."
I know from decades of seeing the kind of sick shit people do to one other, Mrs. Tipple being murdered before Henry would've been a mercy kill.
