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"Miss Stone, Deputy Mercer," Dr.Zihao said, a hint of warmth in his otherwise professional tone."Glad you could get here so soon.I've been making some headway with the autopsies."
Sheila glanced at the bodies on the gurneys, feeling queasy at the thought of what the coroner had done to learn more about their deaths.She swallowed her discomfort, knowing it was a necessary part of the investigation.
Dr.Zihao adjusted his glasses."I've completed the external examination and just started with the internal procedures.It's a challenging case, but I'm confident we'll uncover some valuable information."
Sheila watched Dr.Zihao's practiced movements and wondered how he could detach himself from the emotional aspect of his work.To spend your days cutting open lifeless bodies, searching for clues to their untimely deaths...it was not a job she envied.
Was Finn right, then, that the only way to do this job was to keep emotion at a distance?Or was there a healthier way to cope?
"What have you found so far?"Finn asked.
"Based on their attire," Dr.Zihao said, gesturing toward the bodies, "it appears they were attacked at night."He picked up a clipboard from a nearby table, referring to his notes."The lividity patterns and rigor mortis indicate that they all succumbed to their deaths around the same time."
As Sheila listened, she imagined the terror the Hubbards must have felt during those final moments, huddled together, powerless against their attacker.
"Was asphyxiation the cause of death?"she asked.
Dr.Zihao nodded."Yes, it was.The petechial hemorrhages in their eyes and the congestion in their faces are consistent with strangulation."
"Any defensive wounds?"Finn asked.
"Mr.Hubbard has multiple bruises and abrasions on his arms, which suggest that maybe he tried to fend off the attacker," Dr.Zihao answered solemnly.He then turned to Lily's gurney, pointing out the small cuts on her neck."These marks suggest a knife was pressed against her throat."
Sheila felt a chill run down her spine.She pictured Roy fighting off the attacker until the killer managed to grab Lily, threatening her life."Maybe that's how the killer got them to go willingly to the graveyard," she mused aloud."By keeping a knife to Lily's throat the whole way."
Finn's expression darkened, and he nodded ."It would make sense.A ruthless way to control the family."
"You may also find it interesting to learn that all four victims were restrained," the doctor continued.He pointed to faint ligature marks on the victims' wrists and ankles."See these?They were bound tightly, which would have made it nearly impossible for them to fight back or escape."
He reached for an evidence bag on a nearby table, holding it up for Sheila and Finn to see.The bag contained several strips of cloth, frayed at the edges."It appears that the killer attacked the Hubbards in their home, tore an old sheet into strips, and used it to bind them before marching them to the graveyard."
Sheila's heart clenched at the thought of the family's ordeal—captured, bound, and led to their deaths.She glanced at Finn, who seemed equally disturbed by this new information.
"Any idea why the killer would go through so much trouble?"Sheila asked."Killing them in such a specific way?"
Finn rubbed his chin thoughtfully."Seems like there's some kind of twisted message behind it.Or maybe the killer wanted to exert absolute control over the family, make them feel utterly powerless before they died."
As they spoke, Dr.Zihao interjected, his tone clinical."There is something else you should know.The victims' pockets were empty.No wallets, no jewelry, nothing.The parents' wedding bands were gone, as well."
Sheila frowned, trying to process this latest piece of information.If robbery had been the motive, why go through the elaborate process of asphyxiating the family and leaving their bodies in a graveyard?
"Perhaps it was a message," Sheila said, her mind racing with possibilities."A way to strip them of their identities, reduce them to nothing but helpless victims."
"Could be," Finn agreed, his eyes narrowing."But we won't know for sure until we find the bastard who did this."
Dr.Zihao glanced at the clock on the wall, a subtle reminder that time was pressing on."I have a few more tests to run on the samples I've collected," he said, shifting his weight from one foot to another."If you need any further information, don't hesitate to contact me."
"Thank you for your help, Dr.Zihao," Sheila said, appreciating the effort he'd put into examining the Hubbards.
"Of course," he replied."We all want justice for this family."
As Sheila and Finn left the morgue, Finn said, "We should check out the Hubbards' house next.Maybe we'll find something there that'll shed light on why they were targeted."
Sheila nodded, her mind already racing with questions about the case."I think that's a good idea.If we want to understand the killer's obsession with the Hubbards, we might as well go to the place where the crime began.A crime like this wouldn't be easy to pull off, which makes me wonder how long he was keeping an eye on the Hubbards—and whether anyone in the area might have seen the killer hanging about."
CHAPTER FIVE
The man leaned back on the park bench, his fingers gripping the binoculars with a bloodthirsty intensity as he watched the hawk tear into the helpless rabbit.The piteous cries of the dying creature barely registered in his mind; instead, he marveled at the predator's ruthless efficiency, its talons ripping away flesh with practiced ease.It was almost poetic, the way power asserted itself over weakness.
