Chapter Text
“What do you make of it, Jade?”
Jade was crouched low to the floor, balanced easily on the balls of his feet, as he examined the body of a murder victim. Her wrists, to be specific, as they had been tied in a somewhat unique fashion. A duality presented itself to him. If one were to only view the victim from his angle, one might get the impression that she was experimenting with certain…enhancements, one might say. Of course, on the other hand, if one were to be facing her, one would see the carnage, the stains left by a fountain of blood, and the absence of many critical organs.
Jade focused on the bindings. He expected rope, or maybe an item of opportunity - a scarf, perhaps a necktie - but they appeared to be unfinished strips of single-layer cloth. Her hands bore some small wounds, but less than he would have expected.
He took some more pictures and stood to his full looming height. “I could not say for certain yet, but it appears that she may have been gravely wounded before her hands were tied.” He dropped his voice to a lower volume, as if in reverence for the deceased. “She struggled, but I do not believe she had much strength left at that point.”
“Unusual.” Leona typed some notes on his phone. “Why tie ’em up if they already can’t fight back?”
Jade could only shrug in response. Staging the scene, perhaps, but to what end?
“Liver temp’s gonna be worthless,” Leona continued uninterrupted. “Cold as fuck in here.” His tail twitched in irritation to match his tone.
A classic trick - the murderer had turned the thermostat down to its lowest setting so as to slow the process of decomposition and delay alerting the neighbors. Jade snapped several pictures of the wounds themselves.
“It’s gone.”
“Hm?” Leona barely glanced away from where he was examining the broken window.
“The liver.” Jade looked down at the place it should be. “It has been removed.”
Leona made a face. “I’ll let the M.E. know when he gets here.” He glanced into the kitchen. “Hey, rookie!” he barked.
The younger officer hurried over dutifully. “Yes, sir?”
“I want you to interview all the other neighbors. I don’t care that it’s 2 a.m. - knock with the flashlight if that’s what it takes to get ’em up.”
“Yes, sir.” He scribbled so furiously in his notebook that Jade wondered if he was writing down Leona’s words verbatim before he jogged away to begin the task.
Jade did what he did best and observed as the rest of the team combed the scene for evidence. It was a gruesome sight; Leona had been smart to request the most senior techs, with the exception of his current ride-along, who had been on the job for almost a whole month. Leona had also been smart to send him away from the scene. The last thing they needed was someone getting sick.
“Hey, guys. Leona.” Trey gave him a nod, too.
“This way, Clover,” said Leona. “And watch your step.”
Jade moved idly through the kitchen. It had already been dusted for prints, but he suspected that it would not yield anything promising. He used his pen to tug one of the drawers open. The silverware inside was plain, comprising all low-quality, mismatched pieces. There were no kitchen knives in the drawers and no knife block on the counter. The freezer was packed with single-serving microwave dinners. The fridge and pantry were only marginally better, mostly snacks, as well as an impressive stash of boxed macaroni and cheese.
When he felt he had gleaned all he could from the victim’s living quarters, he returned to the bedroom.
“Any ID on her?” Trey asked.
“Nope,” Leona replied as he stood back and let Trey work. “Neighbor who made the call doesn’t even know her name.”
Trey gave a sad sigh as he performed his examination. “Rigor’s pretty well set, but with the temperature this low, I can’t give you a very good time of death. More than twelve hours ago, less than twenty-four. Probably.”
Leona made a dissatisfied sound. “Gonna be fun gettin’ her out of here, then.” He turned his attention to the other techs. “Check in with Leech before you head out for the night. I’m gonna go play babysitter.” He strode across the room and left.
“You’re quiet.”
Jade’s gaze flicked over to Trey. “Hm?”
Trey’s eyes never left his work. “Something’s bothering you,” he said.
Jade’s face remained stoic and contemplative. “I believe a case such as this should bother one, should it not?”
“You know what I mean.” Trey took several samples as he went, methodically labeling and organizing each swab. “It’s more than overkill. It’s outright brutality.”
“Mhm.” Jade looked out the broken window, the puzzle piece which had prompted the 911 call. A neighbor reported hearing breaking glass, as well as a series of unfamiliar sounds. It seemed improbable. They were on the twentieth floor of a high rise. It could hardly be used as a point of entry, and it seemed just as unlikely to serve as an exit. The only thing that came to mind was that the killer used magic, either to break in or make his getaway, or possibly both. Then Jade blinked and saw something on the glass.
He stepped over to Trey’s field kit and knelt down. “May I?”
“Be my guest.”
He applied a fresh pair of gloves before he retrieved a collection bag and a pair of tweezers. He extracted a dozen or so shards from the frame. It was difficult to tell in the low light, but it appeared to be some sort of whitish substance. It might be nothing, but it was worth checking out.
Jade took stock of all the evidence and made several notes for his report. He would be very interested in the results of the interviews.
“Detective Leech?”
Jade turned to see Leona’s new hire standing in the doorway.
“Leona said I sh…should…”
Jade realized what was happening and lunged for him, vaulting directly over Trey with Olympic prowess. The young man visibly gagged once before Jade managed to push him backwards away from the crime scene.
Then he turned around and vomited. All over Leona.
“Fuck, Spade, really?” he grumbled as the kid furiously wiped his mouth. The notebook rattled in his quaking hand.
“S-sorry sir, it’s just-” He cupped his free hand against the side of his face to shield his eyes like a skittish horse that needed blinders.
“First corpse, I get it. It’s okay.” Leona ushered him back to the front door.
Jade brought Leona an array of supplies from Trey’s kit to mop up the worst of it.
“Thanks.” Leona sighed as he cleaned himself up. “Cheap suits. Best advice Falena ever gave me. Damn.”
Jade refrained from asking about the interviews. “Breakfast?” he asked instead.
“Nah, Rugs’ll kill me if I show up to his restaurant one more time with bodily fluids on me.” He smirked in spite of everything. “Take the kid, though. Make sure he gets somethin’ in his stomach besides Red Bull and Tic-Tacs. And grab me a sandwich.”
“Monte Cristo with extra grape jelly?”
“You know me so well.”
Jade nodded his acknowledgment, and Leona went to go home and change. Once he was certain they had processed the scene as much as possible, Jade stepped outside to look for the rookie. He found him bent halfway over a bush, saliva dripping in long trails from his mouth. He smelled of acid.
“It takes some getting used to,” Jade said as helpfully as he could. “Before long, you will not notice it at all.”
“Thank you, sir.”
He allowed his face to soften into a half-smile. “There is no need to be so formal. Call me Jade.”