Moxiductedtheautopsies.Atthispoint,shewastheonlyorusted.
Yetwhehereport,hisfrowndeepened."Areyousure?"
Moximethisgazecalmly,unruffledbythedoubt.
"Iknowwhatyou''''''''rethinking,"shesaid."Butthistime,thecircumstancesaredifferent.Thesetwowereheavydrinkers,smokers,ieurostimuheirbodieswerealreadywrecked.High-riskdidatesforsuddeh."
"High-risk,sure.Butwhataretheoddsofbothdroppithesametime?"Lupressed."Andyou''''''''retelliherewerensinvolvedatall?"
"Ilytellyouwhatthecorpsessay.Thetruth?That''''''''syourjobtouimeofdeathwastwentytotwenty-two.Wefoundonlyatraceofalcohol,nowherenearlethal.Noneurostimunts,notoxins,oranyotherdetectablesubstaheirblood,bonemarrow,orlymphfluids."
"Whataboutuablesubstances?"
Moxispreadherhands."Nowyou''''''''rejustbeingunreasonable."
Herbwasalreadythemostadvancedforensicfacilityiy.
Lupihecreasebetweenhisbrows."...Sorry."
Moxisoftened.Shepattedhisshoulder."Iknowyou''''''''rethinkingaboutthatoldcase.Butwe''''''''tfirmak.Thevictimprofilesarepletelydifferent,andtheMOdoesn''''''''tmatless—"
"—Unlessmorebodiesturnup."
Lustaredatthewordsonthereport:
"EXTREMESEXUALEUPHORIA."
Hadtheserialkillerfromadecadeagoreturned?
Or...
***
feren
"...novisibleexternalinjuries,"Moxisummarized."Lividityindicatesthebodiesremainedsupimortem,undisturbed.Genitaldition,hormonallevels,rigormortis,andmyocardialstateallpointtointercoursepriortodeath.Cause:acutesympatheticoverstimutionleadingtanfailure."
Nothingnew.Justthesamecold,icalfacts.
Ludrummedhisfingersonthefereable,lostinthought.Theteam''''''''smoralewaslow.Halfthefiscateddiscshadbeenprocessed,eaeshowingunderagegirls,theirviotedfacesstirringhelplessrage.
Maybetheworldwouldbebetteroffwithoutthesebastards.
Despitethepressurefromabove,heroomseemedparticurlyeagertocatchthekiller.
Buttheykheircaptainwell.Evenwithoutorders,Luwouldstillpursuethetruthtotheend.Inhiseyes,catgtheperpetratorwasaduty.Whetherthevictims"deserved"itornotwasforthewtodecide—notforthem.
Luturheteam''''''''sprofiler."Anypreliminarythoughts?"
Jun,freshoutofPoliiversitywithadegreeincriminalpsychology,straightenedinhisseat.
Theunithadneverhadadedicatedprofilerbefore,andJunckedformaltraining.Hispreselikesomehigher-up''''''''sattempttomimicAmericrimedramas.
Normally,LufoundJun''''''''sanalyseslessusefulthanaseasoive''''''''sgutinstinct.Butthistimewasdifferent.Jun''''''''sfatherhadservedalongsidethedeceased''''''''sfathers.Hissocialcirclesmightoverpwiththevictims''''''''.Giveonewallingfromthefamilies,Lueededeveryangle.
Junclearedhisthroat,nervesandeagernesswarringinhisvoice."Ahem.Sihisappearstobeanisotediratherthanaserialkilling,myprofilelybebroad.Typically,theperpetratorinsuchcaseswouldbefemale,agedeighteentotwenty-six,physicallyattractive,sexuallyexperienced,frequentlyvisitingnightclubsor—"
"Yousureaboutthat?"Lu."Theirprevious''''''''preferences''''''''skewedtowardunderagegirlswithlowresistance."
Jun''''''''sfiwitchedtowardhistemple."W-Well,Captain,yousaidityourself,underagevictimsarelesslikelytofightbad,ah,theirckofsexualexperiehey''''''''reuo,um,overwhelmaman..."
"Soyou''''''''resayiwosuddenlycravedsomething''''''''spicier''''''''andchokedonit?"
"Th-They—"Junflouorweereatinganddefendinghisfledglingexpertise."Statisticsshow—"
"Idon''''''''tknowwhatstatisticsyou''''''''reg,"Lusaidftly,"butmostpredatorsfixateonaspecificvictimtype.Thediscsprovetheirsdidn''''''''tvary.Bothdeceasedwereslightbuilds,physicallyweakenedbyyearsofsubstanceabuse,likelywhytheyhuntedinpairsandtargetedthevulnerable."
"Maybetheysoughthrills?"Neilinterjected,pitysofteninghistoneasJunshriveled.
"Thenwhyassumethekillerisn''''''''tmale?"
Theroomstiffened.Bythatlogiyonecouldbeasuspect.
"...Oracouple?"Brian''''''''svoicedriftedthroughthesilence."Avengingtheirdaughter?"
Neil''''''''sgazeslidmeaningfullybetweenLuandMoxi."''''''''truleoutmedicalexpertise,either.Howelseevadeautopsydete?"
"Causeofdeathwasextremesexualeuphoria,"Brianpoi.
Neilsmirked."Owocases,fi..."HiseyesflickedtoMoxi."Some''''''''experts''''''''mightbegettingzywiththeirdiagnoses."
Moxiremainedsilent.Notahiioncrossedherfaceasherprofessionalismwasquestioned.
Neilhadlivedthroughtheforty-ninefemalevictimsoftheserialkillings.Backthen,theleaderhadbeenMoxi''''''''smentor,whileMoxiherselfwasjustajuniorassistant.Neindhiscohortof"boots?on?the?grouiveshadalwaysbristledatthose"brats"whospenttheirdaysdissegcorpses.Thetwofashadbickeredforyearsativedire;esrandeep.
JustasLuwasabouttointerveneahederailingdiscussionbatraeoneknockedaeredtheferen.
ItwasMoxi''''''''sassistant,Chris.
"Professor,theanalysisontheresiduefromthebedsheetisback."
LufrownedandgMoxi.
"Iincludediti,"sheexpiraceamountsofanuifiedsubstancewerefoundoims''''''''genitalsandthebedding."
Ludidn''''''''tbuistraighttoChris."Whatisit?"
Chrispursedhislips,lookingfusedanduain."It''''''''s...asubstancesimirtobeeswax."
Luthenreallocatedeveryoasks.
Moxiandherassistantwouldtinueanalyzingthebeeswax?likesubstand,tragitsinifpossible.
Junwasassigointervieweveryoneclosetothetwovictimsbeforetheirdeaths,usinghisprofilingskillstocategorizethempsychologically.Ohevictims''''''''detailsfromthediscsweredoted,hewouldalsoprofiletheparentstoevaluateBrian''''''''stheoryofpossibleparentalrevenge.
Meanwhile,theevideeamandteicalseaihefrontlines,processingthedisdragtogatherproofbeforetheirsuperiorsdiscoveredthevideosandintervened.
Ofallthesetasks,thisohecruelest.Thefootagewassographicthattwoofthefewfemaleofficershadbeenassigoassist.Bytheendoftheday,onehadbrokendopliedforsickleaveandseling.
Noonespokeofit.Luhadusedeverytrickhekobuymoretime.Tragically,eveniftheyrestructedeverydetaibouttheunderagevictims,justiceremainedfarfromguaranteed.Hewasn''''''''tsurethatinformationcouldeverbeadmittedincourt.
Thedeceased''''''''sesrantoodeep.Eveniftheywentpublic,thegirls''''''''reputationswouldbeatrisk.Societysooftenesvictimsratherthansympathizeswiththem.Thatwaswhyeveryvictim''''''''sfamilyhadchosensilence.
AllLuandhisteamcoulddoithintheirduties,ekingoutwhateverjusticetheycouldforthesegirls,howeverinsignifititmightseemagainsttheforcesofpowerandcorruption.
Theteamfiledoutoftheferen,butNeilliretghisbackwithagrimace.
Briansidledup,whispering,"What''''''''syourtake,boss?"
NeilgJun,whowasstillbehroughthefiles,andloweredhisvoice.
"herofthetwovictimswasmovedafterdeath.Asidefromsomescatteredclothingandtools,thesewasretivelyundisturbed.Nosignsofastruggleorphysicaltercation.Ifthekillerposednoperceivedthreat,theylikelyweren''''''''tastrongmawopeople.
"Thereeintheroom,butnoevidehadbeely,uhekillertookitwiththemafterward.Myguess:thekillerappearedphysicallyuening,someoimsassumedtheycouldeasilyhandle.Unless,ofcourse,theyweren''''''''tfullysciousatthetime.
"Therearenoobviousexternalinjuries.Iftheywereunscious,theywereprobablydrugged—butIdoubtit.Andifthiswasretributionbythevictims''''''''parents,you''''''''dexpectdisorderatthese,orworse,httorture.Thisdoesn''''''''tfeelliketheworkofaprofessional—orarepeatoffeher,sihey''''''''dlikelysticktoaknownmodusoperandi.
"Thekillerleftifyingtraofingerprints,hair,DNA.Thisone''''''''sgoingtobetoughtocrack."
Briannodded."Butwhatcouldkilltwogrownmenso...quietly?"
AtwiightenedhisgutasherecalledMoxi''''''''sreport:extremesexualeuphoria.
Neildidn''''''''tanswerdirectly."Theworldholdspossibilitiesyouhaven''''''''tdreamedof,"Yourtheory''''''''snotbad—butime,runitbymefirst.Wallshaveears."
Brian''''''''seyesdartedtothedoorway."Youdon''''''''tmean—?"
Neilmissedthemutter,raisingabrow.
Brianswitchedtopics."Ifohatcamera.Thestfootagewould''''''''veshownthekiller.Whyelsetakeit?Wonderifshe''''''''sinanyofthediscs..."
Neilchuckled."Backtothe''''''''avengingvictim''''''''theory?Evenwiththecamera,ucapturedtheact,you''''''''vegotnothing.Thiskiller''''''''sice-cold.Noordinarygirlcouldleavesolittletrace."
Theydriftedout,leavingJunalathishalf-sortedfiles,lostinthought.