“How did it go?” asked Ellen.
Brice and Bella stood a few feet away from the CPD’s white Forensics SUV while she and Aaron finished loading their freshly gathered evidence bags into the back. The other two cruisers were now gone, the blues duty here complete, so it was just the four of them.
“About what we expected but we’ll come back and talk to the folks who weren’t home,” said Brice, his chiseled face set to his intense investigative version. “So far, no one in the apartment complex really saw anything unusual last night. A couple of folks thought they might have seen some lights or heard a voice while sitting on their balconies, but nothing that piqued their interest or ours.”
“Yeah, we had hope for one of the young men until we saw the pot plant on his deck and the empty 1800 bottle on the table,” said Bella. “We could have asked him if he’d seen Mickey, Minnie, and Donald and he would have said yes.”
“Hey, I see those three once in a while,” said Aaron, grinning.
Ellen watched as Bella inhaled and began the process of lighting Aaron up with a smartass remark, then she stopped, smiled, and shook her head several times. “You ain’t getting me fired up with that shit this morning, white boy.”
“Really?” said Aaron.
“Really.”
“Why?”
“I’m a detective and going to act like it, got it? Your weird-ass comments get me off track so I’m not going there.”
“Weird-ass? I’m just exceptional.”
Bella raised her eyebrows, turned to Brice, her wide smile still shining. “Is there a department policy against shooting CSIs? Not killing them, but you know, winging them?”
“Yes. But I can’t testify about something if I don’t see it.”
“Got it.”
Bella turned back to Aaron. “So Aaron, want to go have a cup of coffee with me? I’m buying.”
Aaron’s confident look faltered as he glanced at Ellen then back to Bella. “Ahh, well. I think I’m heading back to the, umm, lab, with Ellie, so maybe a raincheck.”
“Okay. I’ll look forward to it. I want you to see my new Glock.”
“I know what they look like,” said Aaron.
“Not the way I want to show you.”
“I’m going to be busy for a long time.”
Bella sighed. “Too bad.”
Aaron moved closer to Ellen.
“Done?” asked Brice, shifting his feet.
“Yep, for now,” said Bella.
Brice waved his hand toward the evidence bags in the back of the SUV. “Did you find anything that might help at the scene?”
“That’s a good question. The night crew did a fine job, but we found a few objects, including two identical silver crosses that might lead to something . . .or not. We’ll have to see.”
“We got the updated files, photos and all, sent to our phones and sort of worked off from what the other CSI unit had found,” continued Ellie, brushing her hair with her hand as the breeze reminded her it was there.
“That helped us concentrate on other areas within the scene, so we had a little different perspective,” said Aaron.
“Wow. Matching crosses. That’s weird, I think,” said Bella.
“Yeah, it is, but we’ll see if we can find out anything that helps with the investigation,” said Ellen. “Maybe someone had them for sale and dropped them. We’ll see.”
“Any luck finding the hand and foot?” asked Bella.
Ellen tugged at her earring, feeling the frown cross her face. It was odd, and maybe borderline callous, to hear just how that question sounded. This wasn’t a TV show or a book, it was real life in every aspect.
“No, nothing yet. We have a dive crew coming over later this morning to see what they can find. We’re sure he wasn’t in the river more than ten to twelve hours, like Ramona, so it makes sense that he was probably dumped near here or maybe east a few blocks. If he had been unloaded west, he wouldn’t have been at this location because the reverse flow of the river would have sent him further west. We’re just not sure yet. At any rate, his limbs should be relatively close unless—”
Brice interrupted the momentary silence. “Unless the killer kept them?”
“There’s that,” said Ellen.
“Sick bitch,” said Bella.
“There could be other possibilities, like trashing them in a dumpster somewhere else or putting them out in the morning garbage,” said Ellen.
“Or maybe this killer is a cannibal and is a foot and wing man,” said Aaron.
“Seriously? That’s an educated guess?” asked Bella, scrunching up her face.
“Hey, all possibilities are on the table. Do the names Jeffery Dahmer and Alfred Packer ring a bell?”
“You know, I lied. I can’t work all professional. I’m going to ring your dumbass bell,” said Bella, moving toward Aaron.
Aaron scrambled behind Ellen, laughing.
Brice grabbed her by the arm. “It’s far-fetched, but until we have the evidence analyzed, we won’t be ringing any bells, got it?”
“I got it, Superman. But a woman can dream.”
Bella then shook loose from Brice, brushed the imagined wrinkles from her jacket, and stepped back beside Brice.
“You’re lucky, this time, Cub Boy. Brice and Ellie won’t always be around. Then you and me are going have a good old fashioned Latina prayer meeting, comprende?”
Bella then turned and walked over to the squad car, a bit more wiggle in her walk, thought Ellen.
Brice shrugged, his eyes shining. “You do have a talent for reaching her inner-self, Aaron.”
“I do my best to help people reach their potential,” said Aaron, giving Bella one more look.
“Yeah? Well, be careful with that one. She runs a little hot sometimes. Potential double murders of young people don’t help her mood. Mine either,” he said softly.
“Got it. Let me load the rest of this evidence and we can get back to the lab,” said Aaron.
Brice then reached for Ellen’s hand, flaming that excitement she hoped she would never tire of feeling. He kissed her on the lips, taking that excitement up a notch. They kissed again. She wondered if there were ever a better place in the world r than right there in his strong arms.
He pulled away, a little more color on his cheeks.
Damn job.
He smiled. “See you for dinner, I hope. We’ve got a lot of work to do on this case. We’re going back to the office and get Bella started at going over any video footage we can find. I’m not sure how many accessible cameras are turned toward the river, but there has to be something. It might help that there was almost a full moon last night.”
“Sounds like a start and I know what you mean. It could be a long day in the lab. But we still have to eat.”
Brice reached out and touched her hand, smiled, and then walked back to his car. A moment later, he and Bella drove off.
She turned to pick up the last of the evidence bags and saw Aaron standing, arms reaching in her direction, his lips puckered. “That kissing thing is still weirding me out a little, you know? But I’m willing to learn to handle it if you’ll help me out here.”
She rolled her eyes, trying not to laugh. “Get over our kissing, and in your dreams. And why in hell do you do that to Bella?” asked Ellen, gently pushing Aaron back toward the SUV.
“Aww come on. I was just messing with her. Besides, I could be right.”
“About the cannibal speculation? We’re a science team, remember? Tell me why that’s even a possibility?”
“I know what we are, Ellie. And on what is any scientific theory built?”
“Don’t quiz me, buddy. But, I’ll play along. Basic theory, without getting too complicated, is built on the ability to use our senses to observe, gather facts, and then draw rational conclusions from those facts.”
“Yep. So, since we don’t have a foot and a hand in our possession, I’m throwing out possibilities based on my observations.”
“You can’t do that because we haven’t examined all of the evidence, right?” asked Ellen.
“Maybe, but can you think of any other theories than the ones I’ve thrown out there?”
“I don’t do theories without evidence, remember? So get in the SUV, we’ve got work to do back at the lab, okay?”
Aaron bowed deeply. “Yes, my queen.” He then moved quickly to his side of the truck.
Ellen sighed. That queen reference would always remind her of Oscar because her ex-partner had coined the phrase. She still missed the way he had said it, full of mock reverence, sprinkled with respect. She’d love to hear him say it one more time.
“Let’s go, FT Harper,” said Aaron, hanging out the passenger window. Science awaits.”
“Coming.”
Ellen picked up her case, looked back toward the river, and then hesitated.
Could Aaron be right? Could her city have a cannibal on the loose? After that last case that had exhibited bizarre human behavior of category five levels, she supposed anything was possible.
Some things, even in this business, weren’t meant to be dwelt upon for too long. She had enough nightmare fodder.
Ellen opened the door to her truck and immediately jumped back as a clear, wrapped package fell to the asphalt. “What the hell?”
Ellen gawked at the package, then felt her heart drop deep into her stomach as realization made its customary visit.
Through the transparent material, a bloodied human hand and foot screamed for her complete attention.