What moves in the depth of darkness? Part 2

By the time they arrived at the crime scene, the temperature had dropped a degree or two more and it was approaching early morning. The storm had passed an hour ago and the horizon was starting to light up in turquoise.

Sharon shivered against the chillness of early morning, still encased in her lieutenant's leather jacket. She had meant to change into something of her own but time had run out. There were other things more pressing. She crossed her arms to warm herself as she made her way across the parking lot of the national park, water puddles littering the ground. The lot was void of visitors but stacked full of police personnel and their vehicles; cruisers, the coroners van and a few civilian cars she recognized as belonging to her team.

Andy walked beside her, a quick stride and a grim expression.

The yellow tape cordoning off the crime scene, and the entrance to the park, flapped in the wind. One end of the tape flew off, whipping unhinged in the wind, and Sharon watched a uniform haphazardly hurrying after it. The murmur of voices became more comprehendible the closer they came, Lieutenant Provenza and Chief Taylor in the midst of the group.

Chief Taylor was talking to Sergeant Renner from Robbery/Homicide, the younger detective seeming somewhat annoyed from what Sharon could tell. Provenza stood, arms folded and an expression that said he was tired but alert nonetheless. Provenza interrupted Taylor with a pointed glare at Sergeant Renner and a gesture that meant the lieutenant was working on the last dredges of patience.

Sharon sighed; of all people, Provenza was less than adequate when it came to inter-office relations and keeping them civil. She took a couple of hurried steps and prayed the older man did not end up saying something offensive.

"Evening gentlemen," she swept in smoothly, her tone low.

Chief Taylor looked up and Provenza looked guilty when Sharon directed her attention at him. The older man shrugged, as if to say it was not his fault and she arched an eyebrow in reply.

Sergeant Renner gave her a narrowed glare that had more to do with her earlier work in Internal Affairs than her present position. Sharon remembered dealing with the boy when he had graduated the academy and gotten in trouble after a case. As she recalled there had been some drinking involved and an off-duty disturbance. All resolved after a couple of therapist conversations.

"Captain," Taylor greeted her and he was just about to say something more, when Provenza interrupted him, "We are just about to send out the search team, Captain."

Provenza nodded to the group behind him. Amy Sykes gave Sharon a greeting wave and a smile. A large group of uniforms fresh out of the academy and a group of SID officers stood with Amy, ready to span out and do a perimeter search through the park with the cadaver dogs.

"You're sending out the cadaver dogs? I thought patrol already found a body?" Andy intervened as he crossed his arms and cut off Sergeant Renner from the group.

Sharon gave Andy a pointed look, he shrugged sheepishly and took another sidestep so the other detective could be involved again.

Sergeant Renner answered somberly, "Patrol was called out after a runner stumbled across a body near the entrance, half hidden in a water hole. Once they found the state of the victim, Robbery/Homicide was called in. I worked a similar case in December and I found the same distinguishing mark on the victim's hand now, as I did in December. It has obvious links with my open case where two victims were found at the same time in late December with the same marks on their hands. The rooks and the cadaver dogs are off to search the rest of the park for other bodies as a precaution."

Sharon nodded, the explanation matching what the chief had told her over the phone.

"Ah, excuse me," Taylor held up a hand when his phone rang and fished it up of his pocket as he walked away from the group, answering with a low 'Chief.'

Provenza made a face at Taylor's retreating back with the usual white hat on top of his head slightly askew. It was nice to know that some things in life remained constant; the lieutenant's crossword puzzle solving in the afternoons and the infamous white hat to count among them.

"Chief Taylor relocated the case to Major Crimes," Provenza said and then continued, "we found a phone near the victim, Tao is trying to get it working."

He nodded in the direction of Kendall, the coroner's investigator and the departing crowd of police personnel going to search the park, "and the rest of the show is in full swing. Sykes is supervising the search team."

"And Doctor Morales?" Sharon asked.

Provenza nodded, "Doctor Morales is on his merry way – so far Kendall is overlooking the setting up. Sanchez is also on his way – he was up the coast with his sister and mother and there was an accident on the 101, so he's stuck for now. Buzz," Provenza stopped to wave in the direction of Buzz Watson who stood next to Kendall, filming the body that lay on a white tarp on the ground, a white LAPD tent being raised around them.

"Buzz is filming, as usual."

Sharon nodded as she looked around at the busy scene. Everything was skillfully in motion, and it was yet another thing to count on: the lieutenant's proficiency at getting a crime scene up to speed.

Mike Tao came in from the left, cutting short a conversation on his phone, "Captain, Andy," Mike greeted them, "the phone we found with our victim, it's a burner phone. The cover and glass was broken, presumably with a blunt object of some sort. I will try to get the SIM card working once we get back to headquarters. If we are lucky, it will tell us a bit more about our victim, or murderer, and preferably provide us with an identity. There was no wallet or ID on the body; so far we are dealing with a John Doe."

"And the victim?" Sharon inquired.

Provenza made another face and then with a finger, he beckoned them to follow him. He took them in the direction of the victim on the tarp.

The smell hit first; like a wall of decaying blood clotting the air. It was a heavy and festering smell that felt thick in the air.

Sharon grimaced and caught Buzz's eyes; the man looked to be seconds from throwing up, his eyes focusing not on the corpse but somewhere in the distance.

The victim lay on the tarp; clothes wet and darkened by mud, long blonde hair dirtied by leaves and grime, his mouth open and dark agglomerated spittle on cracked lips. Then there was the gaping wound that ran from the end of the sternum to the pelvis, opening up the abdomen and spilling out intestines. Gorged and darkened intestines. A part of the small bowel was slung around the victim's neck.

There was always something strange about a death like this; something surreal.

"Christ!" Andy Flynn mumbled next to her, his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he surveyed the scene.

Sharon sighed; it was going to be a long day.

"What can you tell us, Kendall?" Sharon asked the coroner's investigator.

Kendall looked up from where he sat on his haunches, "The victim is male, age appears to be between 30-50, he appears to have been in good shape prior to death, good physique. There seems to be no other trauma than the obvious, um, disembowelment." Kendall paused and then pointed at the ruined suit the victim wore, "The suit is blue and tailored, the labels say Armani and there's an expensive gold watch on his right hand."

Kendall pointed at the arm, the watch muddied but otherwise intact, still working.

"What of the mark Robbery/Homicide spoke of?" Andy asked as he sidestepped the tarp to look more closely at the man's arm.

Kendall pulled up the sleeve on the left arm, "Here, see. It's a tattoo, crudely done if I had to guess."

The first of the tattoo was half-obscured by a bruise mark, but it clearly said Guilty IV.

Sharon stepped closer, her eyes on the half-bloated skin of the victim's face, "What about his teeth? Are they well preserved?"

"Yeah, they seem to be in good health; Morales will be able to tell you more once his autopsy is over."

Sharon hummed thoughtfully.

"Oh, and John Doe's shoe size is 11."

There was a beat of silence. Sharon crossed her arms, thinking.

Sergeant Renner interrupted her musings, his voice sour, "What do you want me to do, Captain?"

Before Andy or Provenza could detour the situation with a sarcastic reply, Sharon answered the younger man, "could you tell us a little more about the case from December, Sergeant?"

The younger man nodded.

Andy gave her a mischievous crooked smile and Sharon smiled knowingly back.

...

A/N: Thanks for the lovely feedback =)