"Dr. Martinez estimates between midnight and two a.m. Rigor's fully set, but the temperature dropped overnight, so that might have accelerated things." Casey pauses, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. "Lila, I've been doing this for four years, and I've never seen anything quite like what's in there."
Something cold settles in my stomach, but I keep my expression neutral. Professional curiosity, nothing more. "Show me."
We cross the threshold into Marcus Chen's carefully ordered world. Hardwood floors gleam despite the foot traffic of investigators. Abstract art hangs at precise intervals along the walls. Everything speaks to a man who found comfort in control, who believed that enough planning and organization could keep chaos at bay.
He was wrong.
"Kitchen's through here," Casey says, leading me deeper into the house. "That's where we found him."
The kitchen is a study in contradictions. Expensive granite countertops, stainless steel appliances that gleam like surgical instruments, and in the center of it all, Marcus Chen's body arranged like a grotesque art installation.
The breath catches in my throat, but I force myself to exhale slowly. Professionally. Like I'm seeing this for the first time.
He's positioned on his back in the middle of the floor, arms extended at perfect right angles to his body. His chest has been opened in a neat vertical line from sternum to navel, the incision precise despite its brutality. But it's what comes next that makes my pulse spike.
Sutures. Crude black thread crisscrossing the wound like a zipper, each stitch deliberately placed. Not professional—no surgeon would work this way—but careful. Methodical. Like someone who wanted it clean but wasn't trained in technique.
"We don't usually see stitching like this," Casey continues, oblivious to the way my hands have started to tremble. "Almost like he wanted it neat, but not professional. Dr. Martinez thinksthe killer used basic surgical thread, the kind you can buy at medical supply stores. But look at the placement—each stitch is exactly the same distance apart. Someone spent time getting this right."
I force myself to move closer, to catalog the details with clinical precision. The victim's face is peaceful, eyes closed, no sign of struggle or terror. Whatever happened to Marcus Chen, he wasn't awake for the worst of it.
"Signs of restraint?" My voice comes out steady, professional. Years of practice have taught me how to compartmentalize, how to separate the woman who lived through this kind of precision from the expert who analyzes it.
"None that we can find. Tox screen isn't back yet, but there's no obvious trauma to suggest he fought back. Could be drugs, could be that the killer incapacitated him some other way." Casey crouches beside the body, pointing to the victim's hands. "Look at his fingernails. Clean, no skin or fibers underneath. If he scratched his attacker, we'd expect to see something."
The sutures draw my eye again, each one a small knot of black thread against pale skin. There's something almost ritualistic about the pattern, something that speaks to obsession rather than simple violence. This wasn't done in rage or passion. This was done with the same careful attention someone might use to restore a damaged piece of art.
"Anything taken from the scene?" I ask, though part of me already knows the answer.
"Nothing obvious. Wallet's still in his jacket pocket, credit cards and cash intact. Expensive watch still on his wrist. If this were a robbery, the killer had weird priorities." Casey stands,brushing dust from her knees. "But there's something else. Something that doesn't fit any of the usual patterns."
My heart hammers against my ribs, but I keep my expression neutral. "What kind of something?"
Casey reaches into her evidence bag and withdraws a small plastic envelope. Inside is a piece of paper, cream-colored and expensive-looking, folded with military precision.
"Found this tucked under the victim's left hand. Almost missed it—whoever placed it there was careful not to disturb the positioning." She holds it up to the light, revealing text written in careful block letters. "It's addressed to someone, but we haven't been able to figure out who."
The letters swim in my vision for a moment before resolving into sharp focus: D.J.
Two initials that punch through my carefully constructed defenses like bullets through glass. Not my current name, not even my legal name, but the letters I used to trace in margins of textbooks, the signature I practiced in secret when I was just a girl and thought the future held different possibilities.
Delilah Jenkins. The girl I used to be before I became Dr. Lila North.
"Any idea what it means?" Casey asks, studying my face with the keen observation skills that make her so good at her job.
What are the chances I can convince her that Chen was killed over his taste in music?
I manage to keep my expression neutral, though it takes every ounce of control I've spent years developing. "Could be anything. Initials, abbreviation, code. We'll need to run it through the database, see if any similar signatures show up in other cases."
"That's what I was thinking." Casey slides the evidence back into her bag, but her eyes never leave my face. "You okay? You look a little pale."
"Long night," I lie smoothly, the same way I've been lying since I learned that the truth only ever costs you. "Coffee hasn't kicked in yet."
Before Casey can respond, footsteps echo from the front of the house. Heavy boots, confident stride, the sound of someone who expects other people to get out of their way. A moment later, a young patrol officer appears in the kitchen doorway, his face set in the kind of aggressive suspicion that suggests he's overcompensating for his own inexperience.
"Excuse me," he says, his voice carrying just enough authority to be annoying. "This is a restricted crime scene. You need to sign in with the desk sergeant before—"
"Officer Reed," I interrupt smoothly, reading his name tag with the same precision I use to dissect witness testimony. "I'm Dr. Lila North, forensic consultant. I believe Detective Finch requested my presence."
