"What do we have?"
Danny lifted the police tape to allow Lindsay by. She gave him a soft smile before turning her attention to the body lying face-down in the Central Park soil.
Stella gave her a nod. "Female, 20 years old. Identified as Rebecca Flint from Staten Island."
"Who found her?" Danny inquired.
Stella pointed to where an older man was being questioned by police. "He was jogging through here and noticed her hand poking out from a bush."
Lindsay bent down to examine the body. "Her arms and legs are covered in bruises. Rape maybe?"
Danny sniffed apprehensively. "Probably. She's young and pretty enough. But that's not our department, Montana. We'll let Sid do that work."
---
"Rape kit came back positive. She was beaten, raped and most likely dumped in the park."
Lindsay could not hold back a shudder as Sid explained the victim's last moments of life. Danny patted her back gently, which seemed to calm her.
The coroner looked from one to the other, grey eyes gleaming in the light. "I did find something strange though. Take a look at this."
He rolled the body towards him and motioned for the two CSI's to focus on her back. Etched cruelly into her skin, obviously fresh, was the letter T.
Danny scratched his head in confusion. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"I was hoping you'd tell me."
Lindsay glanced at the monitor that held the image. "We'll look closer at the evidence. Maybe that will give us something to work with."
She wandered off to start the task, leaving Danny with Sid. The older man placed the body back down, a slight worry playing on his voice.
"Is she okay?"
"Yeah, sometimes cases like these get to her, y'know? I'll check on her later. Thanks Sid."
---
It has become increasingly cloudy as the day wore on, but Lindsay and Stella continued to work at the scene, knowing it could rain at any moment. The former found some blood on nearby leaves, while the latter focused on the area where the victim was found. They worked in silence for a while before Stella finally spoke.
"Are you feeling okay, kiddo?"
Lindsay flashed a smile at the nickname Stella had given her. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
"Well, Danny said that you seemed a little uneasy while in the autopsy room."
"This girl was young, Stel. She had her whole life ahead of her."
"I know," the slightly older woman said reassuringly. "But the least we can do is find her killer. Just remain focus on the job, Lindsay. That's all we're asking for."
---
For some unknown reason Mac felt uneasy about the case. He had been made aware of the strange marking on the victim's back, and instinct was telling him to be wary. He had seen unusual scratches or smears before, but nothing like this.
"Mac, as soon as we find out what it is, we'll let you know. Until that time, let Lindsay, Stella and I work this case."
The older man paced his office nervously. "Something isn't right here, Danny. I can feel it. This may be tougher than we think."