Page 19 of Investigation of a Quest

“Griffin did on the drive over.”

“Perfect. We can dive right in. Not that I’m looking forward to this one.” Lina led Bel, Olivia, and Griffin into the exam room, the extra police presence having little to do with the evidence chain of custody.

“The tin exterior was drilled into the body, which reminds me of Luman’s autopsy from almost two years ago,” Lina started as she took photos from every angle. “He, too, was missing his heart, and the chandelier base was drilled into his flesh. Do we think we have a copycat killer?”

“Hard to tell.” Bel threw Olivia a look. She’d been so focused on the threat of black magic that she hadn’t considered that this killer might be replicating her first case in Bajka. “Alcina Magus built her victims into furniture... and a teacup,” she continued. “She took their hearts and replaced them with roses. This killer is turning his victims into Halloween decorations, but he’s stealing different organs.”

“Why different organs?” Lina asked.

“Maybe it’s about the victims,” Bel said. “Have we identified them yet?”

“No, and this is why I wanted you back,” Griffin answered, thumping her shoulder blade. “I hadn’t considered that, but it’s a good theory.”

“It’s also an unnerving one,” Lina said. “If the killer is basing his organ theft on the victims’ personalities or lives, it might mean he isn’t finished. Collecting only hearts creates an M.O., but not a predictable pattern. He might be done for all we know, but if he’s removing different organs to make a statement about his victims…”

“Then the possibilities are endless,” Griffin said. “He could keep killing until he’s collected every organ. We’ve got to ID the scarecrow and tin man and see if they have other connections besides the haunted house competition. Emerson, do you think that’s why he’s killing?”

“No,” Bel said. “I think the killer’s just using it as cover. He probably always intended to hide his kills among the Halloween decorations, and this contest was the cherry on top. We have actors wandering around with their zombie guts dripping all over the pavement, so no one’s paying attention to a brainless scarecrow in the dark. This competition literally handed our killer his means and alibi on a golden platter.”

“Exactly,” Lina said. “And back to our tin man. Unfortunately, unlike Lumen, this John Doe was still alive when the killer attached the tin plating.”

“Oh God.” Olivia turned away from the body.

“Look at where the screws drilled into the flesh.” Lina pointed out the offenders. “He was bleeding, but that’s not what we are staring at, is it?”

“No, it isn’t,” Griffin agreed.

“I just can’t understand this.” Lina gestured to the missing heart. “Based on the wound patterns combined with the bent metal, it looks as if a magnet sucked the organ out. The bones, flesh tears, and tin all bend outward away from the body. It appears as if the killer drilled the entire suit into the victim while he was alive, and then the cause of death was ripping his heart out through both the ribcage and the chest plate… I don’t understand how that’s even possible.”

Every pair of eyes snapped to Bel, but her focus stared straight ahead. Olivia and Griffin knew she had the only plausible answer. Lina suspected she was being left out of the loop, but that wasn’t a conversation to be held over an open chest cavity.

“Is it possible that something was inserted below the ribs and then activated?” Bel asked, not wanting to blurt out words like black magic and witches in the middle of an autopsy.

“I’d have to remove the tin plates before I could say,” Lina said. “If we find evidence of a healed scar, it might explain the outward force. It’s possible our John Doe had something surgically implanted.”

“Is there any way the killer could’ve anchored cables to the bones and metal?” Bel asked, playing devil’s advocate one more time. She was almost certain magic was to blame, but Triton had created a sea of mermaids by sheer force of human will. Mankind could be horrendous when given the freedom to create, and she didn’t want tunnel vision to blind them. “If the killer had medical experience, he could’ve made a small incision here.” She pointed to the middle of the gaping wound. “He then could’ve attached cables to the ribs and, using a pulley system, yanked. It would give the wound the appearance of being pushed outward like that scary space movie, but be entirely practical effects.”

“I mean…” Lina leaned closer to the tin chest plate. “I don’t see tool marks, but if your theory is correct, he could’ve gone in after the fact and fractured the sharp edges to remove any evidence.”

“So it’s possible that both deaths have a logical explanation?” Griffin asked.

“I don’t know,” Lina said. “Five years ago, I would’ve said no, but after the things we’ve seen… Bel’s right. We’ve seen humans inflict some pretty impressive cruelty. Most criminals are stupid, but we seem to get the elite killers. We need to stop letting the news cover our investigations. I swear, lunatics hear what goes on here and attempt to top it.”

“That wouldn’t surprise me,” Griffin said. “So we’re looking for someone extremely creative or a fairytale monster.” He purposely didn’t look at Bel with that comment.

“Yeah…” Lina sighed as she settled in for the long task ahead of them. “Pretty much.”

“So how much of you actually believes that our killer built a contraption to achieve the exploding outward effect?” Olivia asked.

“Not here. Let’s go for a walk.” Bel ushered her partner out into the station’s parking lot, where Eamon and Cerberus waited with a tray of Espresso Shot lattes.

“So you don’t believe it at all,” Olivia said, putting two and two together as she accepted her coffee.

“It’s not an impossible theory.” Bel kissed Cerberus and Eamon, in that order, and then grabbed her vanilla latte. “Bajka has been in the news a lot lately. A TV show’s cast and crew end up brutally murdered. A father killed his own daughter to hide his mermaid menagerie. You don’t turn our haunted house contest into a killing spree unless you have ambition, so there’s a chance someone very human decided to unleash his sickness on our town.”

“But again, you don’t believe that’s the case, do you?” Olivia pressed as the foursome started their walk. She wasn’t stupid. They’d left the autopsy, and Eamon appeared. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what kind of conversation they were about to have.

“There was a witch at the tin man scene,” Bel confessed, “and she ran from Eamon.”