The Claire Thatcher Series: Blood in California

Chapter Five

Driving to the station didn't take long when I found out Claire liked listening to Journey, her favorite band. I find this to be fascinating. I guess I never expected her to be into music, but music can cure the soul—although I don't think she has one.

"You look like you would listen to Madonna as well, " I asked her while entering the code to access the Behavioral Analysis Unit next door to our department.

"Yes, but I tend to try and not listen to her as much." She shrugs as she adjusts the sleeve of her button-up.

"Why?" I glance in her direction and catch her expression shallowing.

She inhales, "I got tired of listening, is all." She then lightly shrugs her shoulder and reverts her gaze outside the window as we park in the shaded area.

"Here we are." I switch the conversation back to the task at hand. Both of us climbed out of the car and towards the backdoor of the morgue.

It's around 6 p.m. now, but neither of us feels tired, and like a good book, you can't put it down. This case needs to keep moving no matter how little sleep we get. The clock is ticking to find who the culprit is before they strike again.

I lead her into the lab as a gust of cold air meets our skin, sending a small shiver down our spines and heading around the corner into the room of cabinets that hold the deceased. Mark Tallimen is on the examination table. His lifeless and blue-toned body and the cleaned-up wounds of his injuries.

"Now that I think about it, we need to know why the killer moved his body to the library and didn't just leave him in the shed," Claire announced after writing this question in her notepad. I begin to ponder this and look to see Sara Lopez loop around the corner with Emily Turner by her side.

"Mr. Fullilove, you're back, and so soon." Sara's warm voice chimes in as she moves her glasses to the top of her head, her lab coat crunching with her movements.

"A rather bland find, and no leads other than the killer moving the body." I walk up to the table and glance over Mark, my hands in my pockets, as I endure the frigid temperatures.

"Ms. Thatcher... pleasure to meet you; I'm Sara Lopez." She offers her hand to Claire Thatcher, still gloved and dirty. Sara quickly takes it off, her face turning red from embarrassment, "Apologies-"

"No worries. Did you gather anything from Mr. Tallimen?" Claire lightly shakes Sara's hand and moves over to look at the deceased body.

"Slight burns from electrical currents, holes in the joints, bruising on the knees. He was hit on the side of the head, and his blood tests indicate he was drugged a few times." Sara names off the clipboard, which she now has in her hands. Eventually, her gaze goes to Claire, and bashfully, she concludes, "Basically everything you found at the crime scene..."

"You took notes?" Claire was amused while meeting Sara's bashful gaze.

"I mean, who wouldn't? Every theory counts." This makes Claire hum with a smile before turning to the data put on the screen nearby.

"Any DNA swatches at all?" I postulated after having looked at the body enough. The sight of it made me queasy. Sara walks away for a minute and comes back with one thing. She holds out a baggy with a rustic half of a bulk-thread screw in it and is stained with blood that's turned into a deep brown-red.

"We found this lodged deep in the side of his knee." She hands the bag to me as I look at it.

"The killer used screws in his joints, right into the bone, causing them to be unable to move. Must've used it to make sure he doesn't escape." I assume as I look over to see Claire Thatcher now in gloves as she examines the wounds, "You could've asked..."