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“Yes, we are well aware of who you are, Doctor,” Kye said. “It’s a pleasure to work this case with you.”
“Please call me Fynn. If you knew me, you’d know I don’t enjoy formality.” He laughed and held out his hand.
We shook hands and exchanged names before making our way to the main meeting room where the officer waited with the other county officials. The faces around the room looked exhausted. From my research, outside of natural disasters, the area had not seen this many deaths in a row in its history. These officers were great at their jobs, but this was outside their comfort zone. Who could blame them?
I listened as the officers took turns going over the information they had gathered. My sources had provided all the same details, so I used the time to study the faces around me. If there was a serial killer hunting the area, he or she could very well be in this room.
The cause of death varied among the victims, but it included heart attack, drownings, and apparent shark attacks. They’d all happened within a period of a month, and all the bodies were discovered in the water, nibbled on by various sea inhabitants. In a large city, eight deaths wouldn’t have been noticed, but in a community of this size it was alarming.
After the briefing, we followed Dr. Fynn back into the medical examiner’s part of the building.
“Now the fun part,” Kye groaned. We had all spent time observing autopsies, but it wasn’t something I ever looked forward to.
“I only had a few moments to inspect the wounds before the briefing,” Fynn said as he slid on a pair of latex gloves. “The first thing I need to do is compare the bite marks. We need to see if it’s one species, and possibly one individual of that species, who is conducting most of the attacks. If an aggressive predator is in the area, maybe it’s going after anyone that hits the water.”
“Do you have a theory on the different causes of deaths?” Eason asked.
“I think it’s possible that a shark attack may have been behind each. The victim could end up in the water, then they see the shark circling and suffer a heart attack from fear. It’s also possible that the victims could have drowned during an attack, dying from inhaling water.”
“Are you sure it’s a shark?” Kye had moved to stand near Fynn and was inspecting a man’s leg with a particularly vicious bite. I was surprised the limb was still attached at all.
“Yes, and no,” the Doctor replied. “There is definitely a shark involved, but there are a number of other more curious wounds on these bodies. A few of the bites do not match the bite marks of sharks known to inhabit the coastal waters in this area. I’m going to need to take some photos and compare them to other species. Perhaps one has moved into this area.”
“What about an alligator?”Kye asked.
Fynn glanced up. “Unlikely, but I guess it’s possible.”
“Please tell me you don’t believe an extinct creature has suddenly emerged like something from a movie.” Kye couldn’t mask the derision in his tone.
Chuckling, Fynn turned back to the bodies. “I’ve heard the theories being spread around locally. No, I don’t believe that. Although, until we have matched the wounds, nothing is certain. Wouldn’t it be amazing to have the chance to study a living member of a long extinct or even completely undiscovered species?”
I had to admit that would be amazing, but we were here to track facts, not conduct a hunt for a cryptid.
It was time to get to work. I turned to the doctor. “Show us how to help.”
