Chapter 2
"So, what have you learned?" Olivia asked as Fin rolled into the precinct first. She hoped that he could fill her in on what he'd seen at the crime scene as well.
"Well, there aren't as many cameras as people think and that the landlord didn't fix the broken latch on the fire escape window," the Sergeant started.
"Our killer got in that way?" Olivia wondered, hoping for fingerprints on the railings.
"No, our victim, Rachel Lemaine. She went out the window to get away from the guy who was in her apartment," Fin said as he took a seat at his desk.
"That's why she died?" The Captain was horrified to think that the victim jumped out onto the fire escape and somehow fell to her death.
"Rachel got down to the bottom, but the ladder was stuck, and it left her a good seven-foot drop. She landed hard but the EMTs couldn't figure out why she died. She wasn't bleeding externally at least not enough to kill her. My guess is that Melinda will find a lot of internal bleeding or something else that we couldn't even figure on," Fin shook his head.
"Well then, I suspect Bruno and Curry will be back pretty soon. How did our suspect escape?" She wanted to know.
"The same way he came in – through the front door. Before I left the scene, I took a look at the door. Seemed completely intact," Fin said.
"So, she let her rapist in?" Olivia was a little surprised.
"I think we could be looking at something else here. The reason we were called in was because the victim was practically naked," he shook his head.
"If not a sexual assault, then she left a date at her place. Who called us?" She was confused.
"Not him. A female neighbor heard the screams at the smack of the fall. She called it in," Fin said.
"So, we have an uncaring man who took off and a victim that might have been having a mental episode. If that's the case, we aren't going to be able to prove it with her death," Olivia heaved a sigh. The victim certainly didn't deserve to die over something that may have all been in her head.
"I'm thinking we need more information first. There seem to be a lot of variables that don't make sense," the Sergeant agreed.
"Hey Cap," Bruno gave Olivia a smile and Captain Curry was right behind him.
"I'm guessing Melinda gave you the 'it's going to take more than two minutes to figure this out' speech, right?" She smiled back at him.
"She has some ideas, but she said she'd need to cut her open first. She wasn't that old Cap," Bruno shook his head.
"All right. I'm calling Rollins. We need to talk to the neighbor who called it in. There's a chance she knows more about Rachel," Olivia said.
"Hi Cap," Rollins called out. She was followed by Velasco and a woman. She was about five and a half feet tall, with short brown hair that came down to the top of her shoulders. She wore jeans and sneakers with a jacket that seemed a little too much for the weather. While not entirely warm out, a winter coat seemed like an overreaction.
"Who do you have there with you?" Olivia asked.
"My name is Charlotte Hedberg. I was Rachel's neighbor. Detective Rollins thought I could help more by coming to the station," the woman said.
"Great minds think alike. Let's step into my office," Olivia smiled.
To Be Continued…