Red Reaper - Soldiers of Fortune [book one]

Chapter NINETEEN

Lucky O'Cléirigh

Careful not to disturb the grizzly scene I crouch down on Dane Keely's kitchen floor to lay a length of measuring tape alongside the blood spatter for sizing reference.. The fine rusted claret mist of the back splatter and larger drops from the forward spatter are clearly visible against the white marble tile, making it easy for me to impartially image the vital liquid for the analyst, without the need for any luminol..

Other forensic techs, dressed in the same blue and white plastic PPE as me, move about the Northside hills home, dusting for prints and collecting samples.. Meanwhile Wren stands behind me, his eagle eyes burning a hole in the back of my coveralls as he oversees my proximity to the scene and ensures that I don't contaminate it or mess anything up..

Though I'm sure what he is really watching is my ass.. I can feel it..

With nervous hands wrapped in blue latex I lift the viewfinder of my camera to my eye and begin imaging, some shots are taken close up and some at a distance, capturing and detailing as much information as concisely as possible with each frame..

Brody causes me to jolt in surprise when he squats down beside me to mutter in my ear.. "It doesn't make sense.. No signs of forced entry, nothing is missing.. Keely clearly wasn't the intended target.. He says he was at the studio when the shootin' took place but this was a professional hit, no doubt about it.."

I glance over the blood again as his statement settles uncomfortably in my ears.. I'm not an analyst, but I have photographed enough scenes to know a thing or two about blood patterns..

"Wait-- you said Keely wasn't home?" I frown at the clean patch of marble beside the largest pool of blood..

"That's what he told us, the time logs at the studio checked out, it was just his security guy here alone.." Brody shrugs..

"Well.. No, that can't be right.. Somebody else was here.. You don't get a void in the blood patterns like that without a second body.." I point to the pristine tile that doesn't have even a speck of red marking it.. "Somebody had to have been standing beside him to block the spray.. They would have been covered in it.. And those--" I point to the smeared trail of dried sanguine paste that lays just beside the cadaver markers..

"Hmm.. The first responders could've done that--" Brody leans in closer to inspect the blood..

"Not unless they were here when the blood was still wet.. Those are transfer stains.. Somebody was here, Brody.."

"Aye.. Yeh' might be right about that, Dolly.."

A fake cough behind us disrupts the conversation and we both turn to see Wren leering down at me.. "I didn't realise you had a degree in Forensic serology, Lucky.. It really isn't your place to advise or give analysis.. Your theory is speculative, and not helpful.. Best to let the Detective do his work, you do yours, Kiddo.."