"Double macchiato with almond milk, a black coffee with pretty much anything really spicy you can add, I have a friend with strange tastes, a vanilla caramel cappuccino and a...well let's try the new s'mores frappe," Midnight said with a smile, "to go." She paid then went to sit and wait for the coffees, her phone rang so she answered the familiar number, "Hey, Ravi, I am getting our coffees right now so I'll be there soon," she said as she searched through her bag, "Yes, I got yours with almond milk, no, I'm not getting anything other than the coffee, there's chocolate strawberries in the fridge still, eat those but save a milk chocolate for me, or there's breakfast bars in the pantry though the night shift guys might've gotten to those already," she paused to listen, "Oh, you're already at a scene then? Give me the address and I'll bring the coffee there," she sighed, "I have a sandwich in my bag, you can have half, seriously, you really shouldn't skip breakfast so often, I'm not always going to be so generous." She got up when her orders were ready then grabbed the tray and left, getting her bike from the rack, "Okay, I'm leaving now, I can't bike and talk on the phone at the same time, see you there," she hung up and tossed her phone in her bag then placed the tray of coffees in her bike basket. Midnight figured out which was the spicy one and added more spice for me, M now carried a bottle of hot sauce pretty much everywhere, soon she was off to the crime scene.
Midnight got there about ten minutes later and parked her bike, making sure she had her gloves as headed to the police tape, she was stopped like usual until she showed her paperwork but this time an officer recognized her and let her through. She hurried over to the us and Ravi told her about the victim as she slipped on her gloves.
"Do we know how this woman was murdered or should I take a guess that it had something to do with the blunt force trauma that is quite evident on her head?" Midnight asked sarcastically then reached over and slipped the corpse's collar down to reveal bruises around her neck, "Huh, looks like... the killer tried choking her but she struggled free and the fight went on until the killer found something suitable enough to bash her head in," she said, "I'm guessing the murder weapon has yet to be found?"
Clive sighed, "As of yet, no sign of it, the killer likely took it with him and ditched it somewhere, Melissa here has a wedding band on but there is no sign of any spouse anywhere, all the photos are of either her alone or with her friends, no wedding photos, nothing."
I looked around at the photos on the walls and saw something interesting, "She was a party girl."
"Party girl? Then likely she bought the band herself and wore it to make it seem like she was taken so guys wouldn't bother her at parties, my guess as to why she was wearing it around her house... it became habit to wear?" Midnight shrugged and stood up, "I bet you're disappointed, Clive, you always say it's the spouse," she crossed her arms.
"And I'm always right about it," he said then looked at me, "well this will be a fun one. Also Melissa shared the rent of this house with her best friend, Jessica, she's in the living room right now, should we go talk to her?"
"I'll pass and keep examining the body, you know how the suspects react when a teen joins the interrogation, it's better if I stay back," Midnight said, "Oh, I brought coffee, it's with my bike outside."
Ravi went to get the coffee as Clive and I went to question Jessica, Midnight stood and grabbed her coffee from Ravi before starting to discuss theories about the killer based on the facts we know.
"Here's something new," Midnight held up her tweezers, "a glass chip at one of the impact points, the weapon likely was solid glass and round and due to repeated bludgeoning, it started to crack, thus leaving a chip like this." She set it in a tray, "My best guess...one of those 'crystal ball' souvenirs or something, like the one Peyton got for your apartment, Liv, the one with the bubbles inside and has no function except looking nice. Did anyone see an empty stand or something where one might've been?"
"That makes sense but unfortunately I didn't see anything like that," Ravi said.
"Maybe a small part of it was flat enough that it could be free-standing," I piped up.
"Very likely, I did see a bare spot in the dust on one of the hall tables, more dust had been disturbed around it and I could make out a finger shape but the forensic guys couldn't get a print, the killer was wearing gloves for sure," Midnight sighed, "at least we know he was likely left handed, he was strangling her with both hands and there were scuff marks on the wall from her shoes so that had to be where the choking was done, the table with the bare spot in the dust was right across the hall behind the killer," she got up to reenact the scene, "I'm right handed so I would let go with my right to grab the weapon and Melissa would still be struggling so I'd miss the first time at least, disturb the dust, I grab a second time and get it then turn back and use this object to bash her head in but since I'm right handed then the wounds would be on the left side of Melissa's head but the wounds are on her right side so the killer had to bash her head in with the weapon in his left hand."
Peyton walked in and looked confused when she saw Midnight, "Um...okay, a child in a morgue and she's not dead," she said as she walked over, "wait, are you...?" she trailed off but M understood.
"No, I am very much alive," Midnight replied and took off her bloody gloves, throwing them away before offering her hand to Peyton, "Midnight Becker, part-time assistant ME, Liv may have mentioned me, nice to finally meet you, Peyton."
"Ah," Peyton shook M's hand, "so you're the girl that Liv has been looking out for. Um, why are you wearing sunglasses inside?"
"Hmm? Oh, it's a habit," Midnight let go of Peyton's hand and took off her sunglasses, "hold your surprise, I'm aware my eyes are a golden amber color, that's why I wear the sunglasses."
Peyton took a breath and nodded, her visit ended with me getting a spicy brain protein shake, I have to say, Midnight really knows her way around spices.
