Wrestling the Kraken

Stavo

Stavo

Stavo cautiously entered the autopsy room. The smell was already hitting him. The Medical Examiner was facing the opposite end of the room, leaning over a body.

"Angie! Long time, huh?"

"Ms. Decker to you and I have nothing for you yet." Writing on a clipboard, she glanced up at him and saw him making his way over, his hand behind his back.

"I was told that there was this particular flavor of chips that you loved from England, so..." He brought his arm out and held up a bag of Cheese and Onion flavored Tayto chips.

This better work. Parker swore by it. Parker had a whole stash of them at his desk, and gave him this bag as a one time only favor. By his account, it was the only thing keeping him in her good graces.

Angela Decker looked at him from above her glasses, tilting her head. She was still quite young, with large glasses, red lipstick and her black hair pinned back in waves. Her red, high-waisted trousers and black long sleeve turtle neck were visible under her white lab coat.

She snatched the bag of chips from him. "I still don't have anything for you..." Pausing, she looked at the body on the autopsy table.

"But..." Stavo coaxed.

Angela sighed. "But they appear to be quite similar to the other cases. That is not my conclusion, but merely an initial observation. Slash across the neck and stab wound from behind. What I have not found is this waxy substance another M.E. noted in Chicago." She lifted the file, finding the exact location of the notation. "Red in color, found on the forehead. Nothing special about it, just your run of the mill wax found anywhere." She closed the file. "But like I said, I haven't found any here. Now leave and I will let you know when I have something definitive." Angela led Stavo out of the room.

When he had gone, she looked down at the bag of chips in her hand. Opening a drawer at her desk, she tossed the bag in with all the others already there. With a smile, she closed the drawer and went back to work.