Once they got in the car, Frankie turned to Gail and said 'You need to tell Holly.'
'And you need to mind your own business Anderson,' Gail snapped.
'This is my business Gail, if it's going to affect how you do your job,' Frankie replied evenly, ignoring Gail's outburst, 'No one would judge you if you need to be taken off this case and reassigned to something else.'
Gail looked at Frankie stonily. 'I am quite capable of doing my job. I can handle this case.' Her voice was tight with anger.
'Okay,' said Frankie, trying not to sound pissed off herself, knowing why Gail was behaving like this, 'Can you handle watching the autopsies?'
Gail bit her bottom lip, 'Yeah, yeah of course I can,' she said, trying to sound surer than she felt.
'You could barley look at the bodies back there,' Frankie pushed.
'Frankie, they are not bodies,' Gail said softly, 'they are four women who had a life and a future and people who cared about them before some sick bastard did this.'
'Yeah, and we have a responsibility to them to find that sick bastard, and it won't help if you're, ah,' Frankie searched for the right word, 'preoccupied.'
Detective Anderson,' Gail addressed Frankie formally to emphasis her resolve, her tone icy, 'I can do this. I'm a police officer. This is my job.'
The rest of the trip back to 15 was spent in silence. Normally they would be discussing the case, deciding what to do first while they waited on the results of the autopsies, talking about who would be needed to work on the investigation, and, even at this early stage, speculating about how the crime was carried out and who might be responsible.
Gail was angry with herself for letting her guard slip. She hated to seem weak and more than that hated how vulnerable it made her feel. Those women back there deserved better than to have her falling apart. God, she'd probably only experienced a small part of the terror they went through. Part of her knew that Frankie was trying to be supportive, but Gail couldn't help but bristle at the insinuation that she was unfit for the job.
Gail had discovered Frankie knew about Perick not long after they first slept together on the night of Andy's wedding. Oliver had rather apologetically approached Gail with a request that came from higher up - probably her mother thought Gail – to be interviewed for a documentary about Canada's serial killers. The filmmakers were falling over themselves to speak to the cop who survived Perick. Somehow Frankie got wind of this and, pushing her way into Oliver's office, said 'This is totally fucked up Oliver. You don't have to do it Gail.'
'That's what I said too,' Oliver replied calmly. His concern was evident but Frankie noted something else about his manner, which she recognized as sorrow. 'Darlin',' Oliver said to Gail, 'I already said it was unlikely.'
'I, I can't Ollie,' Gail said quietly and Oliver saw how hard Gail was fighting to mask her anguish. He enveloped her in a hug and said gently 'I know darlin', I know. Don't worry I'm going to put a stop to it.'
Oliver knew the stuff Gail's nightmares were made of. He'd been there when Chris and Nick helped her out of the trunk of the taxi, the drugs still in her system making it hard for her to stand. He had seen the way that monster, even after being roughly cuffed and pushed facedown in the mud, had looked up at Gail, with a smile both sadistic and proprietorial as if she somehow belonged to him. Afterwards Oliver always worried that Perick had indeed taken a part of Gail as she became flintier and more hell bent on self-destruction. That was until Holly showed up and then things seemed to change.
The documentary went ahead anyway with badly acted sepia-toned recreations of Gail's abduction and incarceration in Perick's basement. Gail only found out when she overheard some rookies' gossiping about it in the break room. She didn't know Frankie was standing behind her, until one of them, a conceited know-it-all called Pedersen, said 'That's probably why she's a dyke.'
Frankie swept passed Gail and into the room, barking out, 'on your feet rookies, the squad cars need washing.' As the four stood up, grumbling, Frankie said 'not you Pedersen, I've got another job for you'. She sent him dumpster diving. She'd noticed a particularly putrid one outside the apartment building where a murder she was investigating had occurred. After that, Gail knew Frankie had her back and no matter how obnoxious the detective was, which to Gail felt like most of the time, she considered her a friend.
Later Frankie told Gail it wasn't exactly a secret in the force that it was Superintendent Peck's daughter who had been abducted. Hard to keep that quiet given who her mother was and the notoriety of the case, and when they'd lost one of their own too.
….
Once they reached the station, Gail got to work searching the missing persons database, while Frankie went to speak to Oliver and Jarvis. She needed a dedicated team to work on a case this big, especially if, as seemed likely, they were dealing with a serial killer. As Holly had pointed out, there could be more dump sites and more bodies.
Forensics required at least another hour to process the scene so it would be midday before Holly and Rodney would begin the autopsies. If Gail could find matches in the database for the two women who were under the second tarp it would speed up the identification process, which in turn meant they could get a start on solving this.
Trawling through the missing persons database was a grim task. Hundreds of people went missing in Canada each week. Gail tried not to think about what might have happened to them or of how close she came to being one of these women, reduced to a description, her photo in a database, along with her height and weight and any distinguishing features. Her body would have been discovered eventually, Gail thought. Perick's narcissism, his desire for everyone to admire his handiwork, would have seen to that.
At least Gail could narrow her search to blonde females in their early twenties. Holly had confirmed both women had only been dead for a few days so Gail began by looking for women reported missing in the past two weeks. She decided to confine her search to Toronto and then, if she didn't come up with any results, to broaden it to include all of Ontario and then the rest of Canada. About forty minutes had passed when Chloe appeared.
'Frankie asked me to help you with this. I'm on the team.'
Gail looked up from the computer screen. She wondered whether Frankie had asked for Chloe or if it had been Oliver's decision to assign her to the case. Chloe's perpetual happiness seemed to affect Frankie even more than it ever had Gail, yet last night they were all chummy and giggling in her kitchen. She wasn't sure what to make of that.
'Who else?' Gail asked.
'Dov and Andy, and that new guy from 27, Detective Kennedy but Frankie said we may need more people once we know what we are dealing with,' Chloe replied, 'But Gail will you be okay with this. I mean it could be hard for'
'It's fine,' Gail cut across Chloe, too wound up to appreciate that her meddling was well meant. 'Here, these are the women we're looking for'. Gail turned back to the computer and pointed to two photos taken at the scene.
The women had only been dead for a few days but already their bodies were slightly bloated and had a greenish tinge indicating they were in the first stages of decay.
'They were dumped naked,' Chloe sighed.
Gail nodded 'So we can't identify them from the clothes they were wearing and if they had any jewelry that's been stripped too.'
'So whoever did this wanted to cover his tracks?'
'Yeah, but look at this Chloe', Gail pulled up a photo from the database, 'It could be a match with the woman on the left, couldn't it'.
Chloe leant in to get a better look. 'Could be. Susan Phelps,' Chloe read the name from the database, 'she has the same small birthmark on her left cheek as the victim'.
Gail nodded again, 'And her parents have supplied her dental records so it should be easy for forensics to work out if she is one of the victims.'
By the time Frankie reappeared, Gail and Chloe had found two possible matches for the second woman. Frankie was impressed.
'That was fast. We've been given an incident room for the investigation. The others are waiting for us there. Are you up to doing the briefing with me Gail?'
'Yeah,' Gail screwed up her face, 'of course.' She realized she'd take Frankie's spitefulness over this solicitude any day.
The incident room consisted of desks and computers and a meeting table. Frankie had pinned up photos from the crime scene on a large board. Using a thick red marker she had written serial killer and a question mark above the photographs.
'I've put a question mark next to serial killer, but we're fairly certain that's what we're dealing with here,' Frankie said, 'Dr Stewart believes the first two women were probably dumped in the woods anything up to two months ago. She'll know more once the autopsies are completed. The other two were probably dumped in the last week. The fact that both sets of bodies were concealed under identical green tarps strongly suggests there is a connection between these murders. Again we'll know more after the autopsies, but Dr Stewart says the second two were strangled.'
'Any idea who they are?' Kennedy spoke up.
'As you can see the first two bodies are too decomposed to make a facial match, we'll have to rely on forensics and their sorcery, but Gail and Chloe have made some progress with the other two. Gail,' Frankie said, indicating Gail should take over.
Gail bit her bottom lip and then took a deep breath. When she exhaled her face was completely composed when moments before the tension in it was palpable. Her game face, thought Frankie, knowing Gail was using it to mask her fragility. Frankie wondered if she was doing the right thing letting her stay on the investigation.
'It looks like we've got a match with a Susan Phelps. Reported missing by her parents five days ago. They gave us her dental records so I've sent them to forensics. It's hard to tell because of the bloating, but it's possible the second one is either Gina DeMarco or Joy Bannister, both missing for the past week. Joy was reported by her parents, Gina by her sister' As Gail spoke, she pinned photos of the three women on the board.
'Am I imagining it or do those three women look almost identical,' Dov said.
'Yeah, they are very similar', Frankie agreed, 'but lets not get sidetracked by that until we get confirmation on the identities. Gail have we got dental records for Gina and Joy?'
'No,' Gail shook her head.
'Okay, Dov and Matt can you speak to the families, see if we can get hold of the dental records. Also find out if either woman ever broke any bones and if there are x-rays. Just say that at this stage we want to rule them out. We don't want to upset the families unnecessarily. Chloe, Andy you may as well come with Gail and I to the morgue. Not much we can do until we identify the bodies.'
….
Holly and Rodney had already begun the autopsies. The women were laid out side by side on two metal slabs. One had a Y incision that ran across from each shoulder and then down the length of her torso. Holly and Rodney were in the process of removing her major organs and weighing them. Out of the corner of her eye Gail noticed that Andy looked a little green. She never could handle autopsies, Gail thought and, despite the circumstances, couldn't help but feel a little smug.
Gail was fourteen when she sat in on her first autopsy. No Peck had ever fainted during a post-mortem, or so Elaine claimed, and she was determined that Gail wouldn't be the first. The smell of the rotting corpse had been overwhelming. Gail had felt the bile rising in her throat and wanted desperately to avert her eyes as the pathologist carved up the body, but the presence of her mother stopped her. She knew it was a test. So she remained still, taking in everything the pathologist was doing, knowing her mother would quiz her on it later.
By the time Gail entered the Academy, she was so accustomed to autopsies they no longer made her feel squeamish. However, now as she looked at the two women and saw again the marks on their wrists and ankles where the ligatures had been, Gail fought the urge to flee the room.
She realized Holly was speaking. 'Susan Phelps' dental records match those of this victim, so we decided to autopsy her first.'
'Okay, once you've finished the autopsy, we'll get her parents in for a formal identification.' Frankie said, and then turned to Gail, 'Good pick up.' Gail gave a curt nod in response.
'We've done an external exam on both women,' Holly continued, 'and as I suspected both were strangled. Can you see the bruises and abrasions here round Susan's neck.' Holly pointed to the area just below the woman's jawline. 'They indicate she was throttled or manually strangled. See these disc-shaped bruises - they were caused by pressure from fingertips. These slightly larger bruises towards the center of her neck are thumb marks. The other victim has similar marking.'
'Any fingerprints?' Frankie asked hopefully.
'No. The bodies were washed with a disinfectant. He's even cleaned beneath the fingernails. There is evidence both women were sexually assaulted but no sign of any semen. It's possible the perpetrator wore a condom but again he sluiced the vaginas. With sexual assault you'd hope to find something like a foreign pubic hair or even fiber from clothing that we could match with the perpetrator but there's nothing.'
'So this guy was careful not to leave any forensic trace.' Frankie said.
'Oh yeah. We can thank shows like CSI for that,' Holly replied drily, 'everyone knows not to leave any DNA'
'So it was definitely premeditated,' Gail spoke for the first time, her voice soft.
Holly looked directly at her, but Gail didn't make eye contact, instead her gaze remained fixed on the corpse in front of them. Holly couldn't figure out what was wrong with Gail, but there was a remoteness about her. It wasn't that she was preoccupied exactly because she appeared to be listening intently to what Holly was saying, but somehow she seemed disconnected from the people in the autopsy suite, including Holly herself. Holly wondered whether it was something about this case that was bothering Gail.
Then again, this was the first time the two of them had worked together since Holly's return to Toronto and perhaps, Holly speculated, the remoteness was Gail's attempt at maintaining a professional distance. Yet in the past she'd never felt the need to act like that around Holly at work. Although, Holly had to admit, out of the two of them it was always she who blurred work and personal boundaries by dragging Gail into interrogation rooms to make out or flirting at crime scenes.
'Yeah, this guy knew what he was doing,' Holly said, realizing the group was waiting for her to respond to Gail's question. 'The fact that he used his hands to strangle them suggests he was bigger and much stronger than the women. He didn't need a ligature.'
'If someone is tied up they are incapacitated, helpless. You don't have to actually be that strong to kill them.' Gail said flatly, and for some reason Holly got a strong sense that Gail was referring not just to this case.
'True, except the amount of bruising around their necks suggests he used a lot of force, like he was in a rage. Also despite being tied up, these women struggled. You can tell by the petechial hemorrhages.'
'What are they?' Chloe asked.
'Burst blood vessels,' Gail said.
'Yes, more or less', Holly gave a slight smile, impressed Gail knew this. 'When the airways are obstructed it increases pressure on the veins in the head, which causes the capillaries in the eyes and outer eyelids to rupture. Can you see these red spots in Susan's cornea – they are known as petechiea. The more someone struggles during strangulation the more likely the capillaries will rupture and leak blood into the cornea or skin. In some cases of asphyxiation, usually in hanging deaths, you see petechiea on the lips and face, although it looks more like a rash.'
Normally Gail would have been charmed and amused by Holly's total nerd-out, but now she could only focus on one thing. A struggle meant the two women were conscious when they were throttled and knew exactly what was happening to them, and they fought to live even when death was certain. She had a sudden flashback to the moment she thought she was about to die when in an instant panic was replaced by disbelief and then by absolute terror, and finally by the chill realization that no one was coming to save her and there was nothing she could do to fight back. With a start, Gail brought herself back to the present.
'So if they struggled, does that mean it was unlikely they were drugged?' she asked.
'We won't know for sure until we get the blood test results. It's possible he drugged them in order to abduct them, but given it appears they put up a fight, yes its likely the sedative would have worn off'.
'We need to get this bastard'. Even though Gail spoke softly, Holly was struck by how vehement she sounded.
….
Once they got the preliminary results, Frankie, Gail and Chloe returned to the station, to allow Holly and Rodney to complete the autopsies. Andy was left behind to observe, and Gail briefly wondered whether Frankie had done this on purpose, given it was impossible not to notice how queasy the officer looked.
The other two autopsies would be performed the following morning. It was already well into the afternoon, and Holly knew, given the advanced state of decomposition of both bodies, they'd need a full day for the autopsies. She didn't want to call in another pathologist to assist, because she thought if she and Rodney examined all four bodies they would be more likely to pick-up the similarities and, just as importantly, any variations in the way each woman was killed.
Holly didn't see Gail again until two hours later. She was taking a break, standing in the corridor and stretching her back and neck muscles, which were cramping after hours spent bent over the autopsy table, when she observed Gail leading an elderly couple out of one of the viewing rooms. She assumed they were Susan Phelps' parents. They looked dazed but it was Gail's sorrowful expression that registered with her. A few minutes later Chloe appeared to tell her that the Phleps had confirmed that the victim was their daughter.
'Is Gail alright?' Holly asked Chloe.
'As much as she can be under the circumstances,' Chloe made a sympathetic face and looked at Holly as if she should know what she was talking about. Before Holly could ask, Chloe said hurriedly, 'I have to go, Gail's waiting for me with the parents. We need to interview them back at the station'.
…..
Holly delivered the final results of the autopsies in person, partly in the hope she might see Gail. Again using dental records, she had established that the other victim was Maura Lees. When she got to the station just after 8pm, Frankie was the only one of the team still there.
'I sent them home. It's been a long day', Frankie explained, 'I thought it best to start fresh in the morning. Now we've identified Maura and Susan we've got something to work with.'
'Detective Anderson, ah Frankie,' Holly said, 'What's going on with Gail? I can tell something about this case is getting to her.'
'Ah, that's, I mean what gives you that idea?' If Frankie's evasiveness wasn't enough to convince Holly that something was up with Gail, the way she refused to look Holly in the eye confirmed it.
'You see, I've been thinking about this all day, ever since we looked under that second tarp, and I realize this case reminds me a little of the Perick murders. I autopsied some of his victims and I know they were also blonde and they had also been tied up. And I remember back then hearing that he took an undercover police officer who survived, so my question, well it's not really a question because I think I know the answer. Gail was that police officer wasn't she?'
Frankie nodded, her face grim, and suddenly it all made sense to Holly.
'I really should take her off the case,' Frankie said, unusually sounding slightly apologetic.
'Have you asked Gail if she wants out?'
'I gave her the option.'
'That's the worse thing you could do,' Holly tried not to sound angry, 'Gail would hate you or anyone to think she couldn't do her job.'
'But can she, given what's she's been through? I mean I don't want her to go all Peck on us and act like she's completely unaffected by this, you know like she's some kind of automaton.'
'If anything, knowing Gail, that experience will make her even more determined to catch who ever did this.'
'I hope you're right Holly.'
…
In the dream she was in the forest with Perick. There were four bodies. All were women. All of them were blonde. Perick was dragging a large green tarp to cover them and shouted at Gail to help. She tried but found she couldn't because her wrists and ankles were tied. He came right up to her, his face inches from hers. He was panting from his exertions and every time he exhaled she was could feel his foul breath on her face. He lowered his voice and said 'this will be our little secret Gail. No need to tell anyone. They won't understand anyway.'
She woke feeling stiff all over. She had fallen asleep on the sofa. The dream still clung to her and she unconsciously rubbed her wrists were Perick had bound her, and then touched the faint scar on her forehead. It didn't take a genius to figure out what the dream meant. She needed to tell Holly. Gail and her therapist had discussed how by refusing to talk about Perick, she allowed him to still have power over her. She needed to change that. Frankie was right. How could she do her job if she was still haunted by Perick? And her therapist was right. How could she have a proper relationship with Holly if she was keeping this secret from her? God, even her subconscious agreed with them.
Gail stood suddenly and grabbed her car keys. From the kitchen she heard Chloe call out, 'where are you going?'
'Just out,' Gail replied, before opening the front door to find Holly making her way up the porch steps. Holly stopped once she reached the porch and was face to face with Gail.
'Oh hey,' Gail said a little awkwardly, 'I was, I was just coming to see you.'
'I know,' said Holly, and from the look on Holly's face, Gail knew immediately what she was referring to and it wasn't the fact that Gail had been on her way to see her.
