Hollywood Notorious: A Hollywood Alphabet Thriller Series (A Hollywood Alphabet Series Thriller Book 14) by M.Z. Kelly Page A
Authors: M.Z. Kelly
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outside her office and the professor’s short breaths as she reacted to the horrific images.
When she’d finished reviewing the photos, I said, “As you can see, what was done to the girl’s body was methodical and precise. During the autopsy, it was also determined that her heart had been removed.”
Castillo’s brows went up. “Her heart.”
“According to the coroner, a knife or other cutting instrument was inserted through the abdomen, up through the diaphragm in the process. The heart was then ripped out of her chest, causing her death.”
“A message was inserted into the chest cavity,” Leo added. My partner took a moment, showing her a copy of the Latin inscription and associated biblical reference.
Castillo studied the message before her gaze wandered off as she considered what we’d told her. She then looked back at us. “I’m going to digress for a moment and give you some background that I believe is relevant.” Bernie lifted his head in reaction to some students who raised their voices in the courtyard, causing Dr. Castillo to smile. She then went on. “There is a legend in Aztec mythology about the Queen of Mictlan, the ruler of the underworld. She presides over the afterlife with her husband. Her duties involve watching over the bones of the departed during the festival to the dead. The Day of the Dead rituals that are common to Mexican and Latin American traditions evolved from these ancient Aztec traditions.”
What she’d said was interesting, if not a little spooky, but I wasn’t sure how it helped. “Do you think our victim is symbolic of these traditions?”
Castillo nodded. “Yes, and I think what happened has ties that go back to the roots of these rituals. Tradition has it that the Queen of Mictlan was born and then sacrificed as an infant. Her spirit now walks the earth as the goddess of death. The Lady of the Dead is represented in mythology with her jaw open to swallow the stars during the day, making her a creature of the night.”
Leo looked at me, then back at Castillo. “Do you think whoever did this to our victim was recreating this myth?”
“Yes. The Aztec traditions and what happened to your victim are consistent.”
“You mean, because of the way our victim was posed and painted?” I asked.
“That’s only part of the similarity.”
“What else are you referring to?” Leo asked.
“The body of your victim was without skin and her heart was removed. Those factors are consistent with the Aztec myth. I believe your victim is the Lady of the Dead.”
SIXTEEN
Leo and I exchanged glances again, realizing that what Dr. Castillo was telling us made it likely that our crime was even stranger than we could have imagined.
“Our crime analyst did some research on the Day of the Dead,” I said. “She came up with the name Catrina for the female figure that I think you’re referring to.”
Castillo shook her head. “La Calavera Catrina was a likeness, using a female skeleton that was dressed in a similar manner to an upper class European woman during an earlier era. It was intended as a satire of a Mexican woman, whom the artist felt has aspirations of adopting European traditions. While that image is the modern day prototype for the female figure representing the goddess of the dead, I believe the elements of your crime, especially involving the removal of the flesh and the heart, are more rudimentary, suggesting whoever was involved has some knowledge of the historical background of the traditions.”
Leo scribbled notes in his pad and asked, “Do you think we’re dealing with someone who is highly educated, maybe an expert in this area?”
“Perhaps. But it’s impossible to say without more information.”
I took a moment to process what she’d said. The idea that we had a modern day killer, recreating an Aztec myth that was several hundred years old, seemed incredible. I then remembered serial killers often engaged in strange practices and
When she’d finished reviewing the photos, I said, “As you can see, what was done to the girl’s body was methodical and precise. During the autopsy, it was also determined that her heart had been removed.”
Castillo’s brows went up. “Her heart.”
“According to the coroner, a knife or other cutting instrument was inserted through the abdomen, up through the diaphragm in the process. The heart was then ripped out of her chest, causing her death.”
“A message was inserted into the chest cavity,” Leo added. My partner took a moment, showing her a copy of the Latin inscription and associated biblical reference.
Castillo studied the message before her gaze wandered off as she considered what we’d told her. She then looked back at us. “I’m going to digress for a moment and give you some background that I believe is relevant.” Bernie lifted his head in reaction to some students who raised their voices in the courtyard, causing Dr. Castillo to smile. She then went on. “There is a legend in Aztec mythology about the Queen of Mictlan, the ruler of the underworld. She presides over the afterlife with her husband. Her duties involve watching over the bones of the departed during the festival to the dead. The Day of the Dead rituals that are common to Mexican and Latin American traditions evolved from these ancient Aztec traditions.”
What she’d said was interesting, if not a little spooky, but I wasn’t sure how it helped. “Do you think our victim is symbolic of these traditions?”
Castillo nodded. “Yes, and I think what happened has ties that go back to the roots of these rituals. Tradition has it that the Queen of Mictlan was born and then sacrificed as an infant. Her spirit now walks the earth as the goddess of death. The Lady of the Dead is represented in mythology with her jaw open to swallow the stars during the day, making her a creature of the night.”
Leo looked at me, then back at Castillo. “Do you think whoever did this to our victim was recreating this myth?”
“Yes. The Aztec traditions and what happened to your victim are consistent.”
“You mean, because of the way our victim was posed and painted?” I asked.
“That’s only part of the similarity.”
“What else are you referring to?” Leo asked.
“The body of your victim was without skin and her heart was removed. Those factors are consistent with the Aztec myth. I believe your victim is the Lady of the Dead.”
SIXTEEN
Leo and I exchanged glances again, realizing that what Dr. Castillo was telling us made it likely that our crime was even stranger than we could have imagined.
“Our crime analyst did some research on the Day of the Dead,” I said. “She came up with the name Catrina for the female figure that I think you’re referring to.”
Castillo shook her head. “La Calavera Catrina was a likeness, using a female skeleton that was dressed in a similar manner to an upper class European woman during an earlier era. It was intended as a satire of a Mexican woman, whom the artist felt has aspirations of adopting European traditions. While that image is the modern day prototype for the female figure representing the goddess of the dead, I believe the elements of your crime, especially involving the removal of the flesh and the heart, are more rudimentary, suggesting whoever was involved has some knowledge of the historical background of the traditions.”
Leo scribbled notes in his pad and asked, “Do you think we’re dealing with someone who is highly educated, maybe an expert in this area?”
“Perhaps. But it’s impossible to say without more information.”
I took a moment to process what she’d said. The idea that we had a modern day killer, recreating an Aztec myth that was several hundred years old, seemed incredible. I then remembered serial killers often engaged in strange practices and
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