WILD [JENLISA]

06

Jennie knew she was in trouble the moment she walked into the morgue. Detective Irene Bae was peering over Dr. Kim jongin aka Kai's shoulder as he examined a fresh corpse, a bad habit she had that always made Kai nervous. Irene glanced up as Jennie entered the room, eyes going from concerned to angry in a millisecond. Instantly Irene rushed to her side.

"What happened?" Before Jennie could react, Irene cupped her face between her hands. Jennie looked away as Irene examined her injuries, trying to ignore how comforting she found the touch of familiar fingers. "Kai said you were running late. He did not tell me about this."

"That's because I didn't know," Kai said from behind Irene. He pushed aside the magnifier he'd been looking through and stepped to Irene's side, genuine compassion in his eyes. "Did this happen in Golden Gate Park?"

When Jennie called in she'd told Kai only that she was running late and would be in before noon. He hadn't questioned her further, but clearly he regretted that omission now. Jennie willed herself to appear far calmer than she felt. "I'm fine—"

"Fine?" Irene dropped her hand to Jennie's chin, gently turning her face so their eyes met. "This is not fine. Who did this to you?"

"A man attacked me in the park this morning."

"Attacked you?" The panic and heartbreak in Irene's eyes hit Jennie square in the stomach, a visceral reminder of the love she used to see there every day. "What did he do?"

Blushing, Jennie stepped back and adjusted her glasses. She read the unspoken question in irene's eyes and shook her head. "Not that."

"So it was a robbery?"

"He did take my purse," Jennie said, trying to ignore the look of alarm Irene failed to suppress. "But I don't know if that was his motive."

"What do you mean?"

"He..." Jennie struggled to revisit those terrifying moments. "He threatened me with a knife when he had me down on the ground. He acted like he was getting off on my fear."

Irene swallowed and the color seemed to drain from her face.

"Kai was just examining a body we found in Golden Gate Park this morning. It looks like she was slashed to death with a knife."

For the second time that day, time seemed to slow to a turtle's pace around Jennie. She put her hand out, hoping to find something to rest against before her legs stopped working. Irene came to her side and led her to the counter that held her forensic tools. Jennie stared at her favorite retractor and forced herself to calm down. That didn't necessarily mean anything. The victim's murder and her own attack could easily be isolated events. It was truly within the realm of possibility, Occam's razor be damned.

"It might not be the same guy." Irene's voice had gone from scolding to reassuring. She'd always been good at knowing when not to push. "But we'll definitely want a statement from you. It might help."

"Of course," Jennie said. Taking a deep breath, she straightened and stepped away from the counter. She approached the examination table quickly, not allowing herself to falter at the sight of the dead woman's violent wounds. Multiple cuts and stabs across the torso and face, signifying a no doubt terrifying and painful last few moments. Two vicious slashes to the neck, most likely the actual cause of death.

It could have been her on that table. Could Kai and Irene have brought themselves to examine her mutilated corpse?

Irene touched her back. "Maybe you should take the rest of the day off. Nobody would blame you."

Jennie shrugged away from Irene's hand. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm fine."

Irene grasped her elbow and walked her to the corner of the room, out of Kai's earshot. To Jennie's relief, he stepped back to the corpse and continued his examination. At least one of them could proceed as normal.