She frowned. “I mean, I could probably give you a pretty good guess. Why do you ask?”
“There are some weird marks on a few of the teens that we’re hoping you could tell us if they’re rat bites or not.”
She walked toward me, her eyes curious, and stopped not next to Black, but me.
She looked down at the photos on my stainless-steel countertop and frowned. “Those aren’t rat bites.”
“How do you know?” Black asked.
She pointed at the marks on the first kid’s arm and said, “Those are boa constrictor bites.”
I blinked in surprise, then pulled up Google so I could compare.
“She’s right,” I said as I placed my phone next to the photos I’d taken. “They match up.”
Black frowned. “Neither kid had a snake. Those are pets, right?”
“Generally,” Constance answered. “They’re invasive species if they’re found outside of captivity. But never would a boa survive up here alone. It’s too cold. They only thrive in hot and humid environments.”
She shuddered. “My best friend used to have one of these. His snake, October, was at least eight feet. Based on the size of those bite marks, I’d say that the snake is at least this size if not bigger.” Her eyes narrowed.
“What?”
“A thought is like right here…” She tapped her head. “Something I’m supposed to remember and can’t.”
I was about to ask her what she meant but Black interjected before I could.
Black sighed. “This all is getting weirder and weirder. First the missing dogs. Then the murders staged as suicides. Now snake bites?”
“Missing dogs?” Constance asked.
“There have been three victims so far, and all three of them had their dogs stolen from them.” He shrugged.
Constance hummed in interest. “I’m not sure that there are very many people that own snakes that big in the area. But I’m thinking, if you find the snake, you find some more information about this kid’s bite. Check with the local vets to see if they have any clients.”
Black was already nodding. “On it.”
“Coco!”
Constance growled and walked back toward her daughter.
I looked at Black. “I’m not sure that the snake bite has anything to do with this. Could be the kid just had a friend with a snake. The wound looks to be about three days old with healing.”
“Noted,” Black sighed. “Thanks for coming in to talk to me. I know it was a long day.”
I nodded once, and he left, leaving me with the notes.
I packed those up and filed them away, then went back to my alive patient.
“How’s it going?” I asked, checking out her vitals to make sure they were all where I wanted them to be.
I’d been keeping an eye on them the entire time, and they’d been in acceptable ranges since I’d started her transfusion.
“Perfect,” she said. “What do you think about Coco?”
“The drink or the name?” I asked.
“My mom says she doesn’t like the name.”
