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She looked away from Jake and back at Sharon's body, trying to focus. She snapped on some latex gloves and stepped up to examine the body. She ran her fingers lightly over the victim's skin, searching for any type of clue or evidence that could help them. But there was nothing remarkable--no broken fingernails, no bruises or lacerations on her body, no indication of a struggle before death. No needle marks to show any sort of injection site.
"And this poison," Fiona began, "it hasn't been detected in the bloodstream of either victim?"
"No," said Dr. Cohen, "but the coloration around her eyes tells us it had to be a foreign agent that caused this. We don't see something like this occur naturally, and it doesn't appear to be an allergic reaction either."
Fiona had to agree. She looked down at the body, noting the color around Sharon's closed eyes. "It's not unheard of for poison to be nearly impossible to detect in the blood." But if the killer was using such a discreet poison, she wondered--did they not want it to be known?
Were these murders, or more like quiet assassinations?
Moreover, Fiona wondered how the poison was administered. She didn't see any visible trauma. She made her way to Sharon's face, then gently pried her mouth open.
At first, all she could see was pink flesh, but as she looked closer, she began to notice something peculiar. She saw faint, dark marks on the inner walls of Sharon's throat. Trauma from a foreign object--possibly a tube?
“Did you see this, Dr. Cohen?” Fiona asked.
Dr. Cohen leaned forward, frowning. “No, I was waiting for you to complete the examination. This is new to me.”
"What is it, Red?" Jake asked, still keeping his distance from the examination table.
"It looks like somebody forced something into her throat," Fiona said.
Dr. Cohen flashed a light into Sharon's mouth, a solemn look taking over his face. "Yes... it appears as such. Could this be how the poison was administered?"
Fiona nodded. "It's possible. The killer could have forced the poison down her throat using a tube or some other device."
Jake stepped forward, his eyes fixed on Sharon's body. "But how did the killer get close enough to her to do this? Especially if there was no sign of a struggle."
Fiona chewed her lip, deep in thought. She was starting to get a clearer picture of what had happened to Sharon French, but it still wasn't enough. They needed more evidence.
"We won't know for sure until we run more tests," she said.
Jake raised an eyebrow. "What kind of tests?"
Fiona turned to him, her expression serious. "More toxicology, for starters. Forensics could still pick something up."
"The team is working on it now," Dr. Cohen said. "I can call you if we get any leads."
Fiona nodded. Until then, she needed to think. What kind of nearly undetectable poison could be administered in some sort of tube? She was also concerned by the fact that the killer had managed to get it inside of the victim, but only by damaging her throat. No signs of force outside of that. How was that possible?
As they left the coroner's office, Fiona's mind raced with questions and theories. Maybe the killer had pretended to be a medical professional, luring Sharon into a false sense of security before administering the poison. She had a feeling that they were dealing with a highly skilled killer, someone who had planned this murder to perfection. But why? What was the motive behind killing Sharon French and Glen Hartwell, and who was the killer?
She couldn't help but feel like they were missing something crucial, something that would connect all the pieces together.
As they approached Jake's car, he turned to her and said, "You okay, Red? You've been awfully quiet."
Fiona nodded, lost in her thoughts. "I'm fine, just trying to process everything. There has to be something we're not thinking about here."
"Agreed." They got into the car, Jake behind the wheel, Fiona in the passenger seat. Jake sighed and turned to Fiona. "I still think our best bet is trying to draw any connection between the victims. Sharon's the latest. Let's talk to the ex-fiancé."
***
As they drove to Sharon's ex-fiancé's house, Fiona's mind swam. She and Jake were quiet as he drove--something felt different between them. Their usual easiness was more tense, shadowed by the conversation they'd had earlier. Jake seemed to accept that Fiona had said nothing could happen between them, but part of her regretted speaking so soon and with such finality. Had she messed everything up?
Was there even anything to mess up, to begin with?
Jake was the one who had apologized for the kiss. Maybe he regretted it for more reasons than one.
Fiona shook her head, trying to clear those thoughts away. She had a case to work on, and the victims needed her to be in the game. She thought of what she'd once told Jake when she first met him, and he was secretly dating Lauren--that a relationship that distracted from work couldn't be good. And here she was, falling for him, dreaming about him, even when she knew it was a bad idea.
