Skinless

Chapter 4

Professor Rathus was waiting patiently outside the morgue at 6 AM. I imagined someone of the geeky persuasion. Instead, a rather handsome man stood comfortably in jeans and an old leather jacket. Short light brown hair with a wisp of unruly sat atop a nicely framed face. It looked like he hadn't had time to shave and it made him all that more masculine. I smiled as I drove up. God's gift to the college girl.

I parked and spent a moment straightening my hair. Then chastised myself for being a fool. The man probably had his pick of young women or was most likely married. Men rarely appreciate a real woman if they can fish in the baby pool. Besides, I was on the job.

"Professor Rathus?" I called out as I approached. He raised his auburn eyes and smiled. I suddenly wished I hadn't drunk that coffee earlier. Maybe if I didn't get too close, my breath wouldn't be an issue.

"Detective Crosby," he returned. His words had a slight country tang to them. "Students call me Professor, my friends call me Chris." He held out his hand, and I shook it, making sure I didn't move to close to fumigate him. His hand was warm and confident. I was sure mine was cold and clammy.

"Please, call me Jenny," I said and instantly regretted not using Jennifer, my evening dress name.

"Jenny it is," Chris said, "I hope you know where we can find a good cup of coffee." I smiled at him, then felt silly about how it must have looked. I turned so that his eyes would stop making me feel stupid. We had a job to do.

"I'm a cop. The best coffee is found in donut shops," I blurted out and pointed to my car. I thought his laugh was perfect. It was deep, but not overdone, warm and truthful. I gritted my teeth and reminded myself again that I had a job to do.

"I was surprised when the captain asked me to pick you up," I said, opening the car door. "I'm to lend you whatever assistance you need. Not that I know the first thing about entomology."

"Sorry about that," Chris said, "I just spent most of the night examining Mr. and Mrs. Adams. I understood you found them and right now help is limited to those who already know."

"I was second on the scene," I said as we buckled up. Chris placed what looked like a plastic tackle box on the floor at his feet.

"Not a pretty sight. If it weren't for the necessity at hand, I'm not sure I could have stayed in that room for very long."

"It was gruesome," I agreed.

"Your captain informed me that you are chasing down a lead this morning," Chris said. "I was hoping to tag along, and then possibly look at some of the earlier sites."

"The lead is tenuous at best. There's a chance that a homeless guy saw something, but I'm not even sure he's in the city anymore."

"It's better than what I've got. A bunch of theories and nothing to back them up with," Chris said.

"We'll have to call McMillon for the location of the first sites. I haven't seen them myself."

"He already gave me a map," Chris said, pulling out a folded piece of paper. It was a printout of a Google map with red circles drawn on it.

"That should work," I said and smiled stupidly again. I forced myself to concentrate on the road. Good looking brainiacs weren't interested in the likes of me. Besides, I had a job to do.

"I was expecting some burly guy, the way your captain describe your talents," Chris said after a short bout of silence.

"Disappointed?"

"Hell no," Chris said. There was certainty in his voice with a slight bit of whimsy. It took everything I had not to smile again.

"I was expecting thick glasses on a scrawny geek," I countered.

"Contacts," Chris said with a smile, pointing at his eyes.

"I bet those coeds fight to get into your class," I said.

"Oh, please. If I hear one more 'ya know,' I think my ears will bleed," Chris said. "I assure you I am all nerd when it comes to entomology. Those types of girls end up dropping my class quickly." It was the way that he said 'girls' that put the smile back on my face. It had a finality to it, a line that wasn't crossed. "Rob's Donuts?"

"You asked for the best," I said as I pulled the car into the drive-thru.

"Large black and whatever you want. I'm buying," Chris said as he fished for wallet