Chapter 3
Upon entering the house, the coppery smell of blood overwhelmed the both of them. Lindsay suddenly stood still and took deep breaths, hoping that the wave of nausea that she felt would disappear. Danny turned around, feeling a tug on his hand.
"You okay Montana?" he asked, concern filling his blue eyes.
Smiling, she replied, "I'll be fine cowboy. Don't worry about it. Let's just start processing and get it over with." Seeing the determined look on her face, he knew that she had made up her mind.
Lindsay pursed her lips, took a deep breath and walked into the living room. Danny knew better than to argue with her when she got like this. Letting it slide for now, he followed her and took in the sight of the macabre scene in front of them.
The victim, who was merely a teenager, lay face down in her own blood. Her blood was also spattered all over the room.
The entire living room was ransacked. Nothing was in the right place. There was a broken television, coffee table, her couch was upside down and the entire carpet was covered in blood.
Upon closer inspection, it was evident that the victim had gone through a severe beating. Her face and skull were bashed in and there were multiple lacerations on her hands and legs. She also had strangulation marks on her neck and defensive wounds all over her body.
Glancing over at Lindsay, Danny could see the horror that she oh-so-carefully tried to mask on her face. Sensing her need for support, he reached over and encased her smaller hand in his. He gently squeezed her hand, hoping to channel some comfort to her through his hand.
They soon started processing and after a few hours were done. They met up with Officer Murray at the foot of the doorstep. He relayed the information that he got from the witnesses around the neighbourhood.
"As usual, there isn't really much to go on, considering that all of a sudden, people don't see or hear nothin'," Murray sighed.
The frustration was not only coming from him but the two crime scene investigators too. They only had one and a half bags of evidence.
"Not much fingerprints, no murder weapon, not much DNA and a whole lotta blood from the vic," Danny relayed. "Hopefully we can find some foreign DNA and nail this guy," Danny said trying to be optimistic.
The frustration was still thick in the car ride back to the lab. They hauled all the evidence up to be stowed away and went to get a strong cup of coffee and a bite to eat from the breakroom.
They each got a snack and a drink and plonked down on the couch.
Lindsay rested her head on Danny's shoulder as he put his arm around her, both needing the comfort of the other. After a while of basking in each other's comfort, they decided to get back to work.