Across town, Stella and Mac stood inside the sallyport of the Queensbourogh Correctional Facility. A trail of blood led from the dining hall, through the sallyport and ended a few feet away where the body of a large male inmate lay in the grass beside the walkway. The blood-slick handle of a common toothbrush stuck out of his neck, and his state-issued shirt was soaked dark red.
Next to Stella, stood the warden, a tall, thin man with graying hair at his temples.
"Who found the body?" Mac asked, and the warden shook his head, focussing on the guard tower at the edge of the prison yard.
"Lacy Dalton, but she's in shock; I sent her to the infirmary." He said, and Stella spoke.
"We need to talk to her, if at all possible. She might have seen something, heard something."
The warden removed his sunglasses, rubbing at an invisible smudge on the dark lenses before replacing them over his eyes.
"She's one of my best guards. I don't want her to be bothered right now. I'm sending her home as soon as she gets herself composed." He said; Mac and Stella exchanged looks.
"Don't make me get a warrent, Warden." Mac said, and the Warden sighed.
"I'll take you to the infirmary, but she starts getting upset, and you're out of here. Got it?" He asked.
Mac nodded.
"Fair enough." The warden led Stella away, leaving Mac to process the crime scene.
Something didn't set well with Mac, and he stared after the warden and Stella until they'd gone through a door leading into the main building. He sighed, opened his field kit, and began processing the body.