CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

 

 

May 15, 2015

7:30 A.M.

High Mountain Valley

Near the Central Idaho Primitive Area

 

Julia took a cup of coffee and one of the fresh doughnuts. She wasn’t sure if the coffee would help her stomach, but for the moment she needed to stay awake and alert and strong coffee with a little cream had helped her do that for years on the job.

Especially when Jane had been young and sleep had been a luxury.

Lott did the same, only he added a little sugar to his coffee and took a doughnut with a cream filling.

“Going to pay for this later I’m sure,” he said.

“After the long night,” Julia said. “We can afford a little price to stay alert.”

“Agreed,” Lott said, smiling and sipping his coffee.

Julia did the same, letting the wonderful smell and taste kick back some of the tiredness.

She had just finished her doughnut and half her coffee when one of the men who had been working on Trish’s body came through the door. He had removed his forensics overalls and his gloves. He was fairly young, not more than thirty, with dirty blonde hair and pimples on his cheeks. He had on the standard FBI dark jacket and dark jeans and tennis shoes.

Agent Munn stood and came over to him and Julia and Lott and Fleet joined her.

“You have a preliminary report, Doctor?” Agent Munn asked.

The doctor, who was clearly also an FBI agent, nodded to Julia and said simply, “I am sorry for your loss, Detective.”

Julia was surprised. Clearly everyone knew on this team.

She nodded back as the young blonde doctor turned to Agent Munn.

“As was evident, the victim was embalmed. All organs were removed and her blood replaced with standard embalming fluid and a hardening agent of some sort, which kept down all decomposition. We should be able to trace the fluid back to an exact mortuary because of the special mixture used.”

“Good,” Agent Munn said, nodding.

Julia was very glad to hear that. That kind of evidence in a trial was very, very difficult to refute in court.

“There are no indications of any kind of injury,” the blonde doctor said. “More than likely the victim was drugged and the cause of death would be bleeding out on the embalming table.”

Julia just shook her head at that and Lott put his arm around her to hold her.

“There is one more thing,” the young doctor said, glancing at Julia as if afraid to say anything because she had been friends with Trish.

“It’s all right,” Julia said. “I’m a retired detective. I’ve been around a lot of death over the years.”

The young doctor nodded his thanks, then turned back to Agent Munn. “The victim was sexually abused after she was embalmed. Possibly a number of times.”

Julia felt her stomach just tighten up and Lott’s arm held her tighter, something she really appreciated.

“We might be able to get DNA samples,” the blonde doctor said. “Since they closed her up after abusing her. Usually water would wash that away, but in this case it might be possible. We are loading the victim into the helicopter now and I suggest we get the body to a facility quickly to pull tests.”

“Will another hour make a difference?” Agent Munn asked.

“I don’t think an hour would matter,” the doctor said.

“Then stay around a little longer. If what we are afraid of happens, you’re going to need to go and bring back a large team.”

“Understood,” the young doctor said.

He nodded to Julia and then turned and left.

“I’m sorry you had to hear all that about your friend, Detective,” Agent Munn said to Julia.

“I’m not,” Julia said. “It seems we’re going to have a lot of evidence to catch this sicko.”

Agent Munn nodded and turned back to the living room.

Lott eased Julia back into the kitchen area and took her cup and freshened it with hot coffee.

“I’m all right,” Julia said as he handed the cup back to her.

“Well I’m not,” Lott said. “I’m angry and disgusted and want more than anything to just put a bullet in some sick human’s head.”

“Well,” Julia said, smiling at the man she was coming to love, “I’m all for that as well. That’s what I mean by all right.”

Lott laughed and Fleet just shook his head.

“How you detectives ever sleep at night is beyond me,” Fleet said, “with all the sickness out there in the human population.”

“It was our job,” Lott said.

“It was a good job,” Julia said, nodding. “I’m just glad I can still play a small part.”

“I don’t think putting these pieces together on the most notorious serial killer of our time is a small part,” Agent Munn said as she came into the kitchen and took a doughnut with chocolate frosting out of one of the boxes of doughnuts covering the counter.

“Divers are going in,” the agent behind the computer in the living room said.

“You sure you want to watch this?” Agent Munn asked as Lott and Julia started with her toward the living room.

“We have no choice,” Lott said.

Agent Munn nodded and went in and sat beside the man at the laptop. She had known exactly what he meant.

“Well, I have a choice,” Fleet said. “I think I’ll just stay out here with the food.”

Agent Munn smiled.

Julia quickly turned around and went back and kissed Fleet on the cheek. “Thank you. For everything. And I am sure my friend Trish would thank you as well.”

Fleet just blushed.

Julia smiled at him and turned back to the living room. Lott was right. She had no choice.

She had to see what was down there.