If It Walks Like A Killer (The Carolina Killer Files #1) by Kiersten Modglin Page B

I mean, I didn’t check.”
    “So, as far as you know the only people who know about upstairs and could’ve been hiding there were employees?”
    “Yes.”
    “Except you just said you used the upstairs for meetings and office parties?”
    “Yes. Okay, so I guess a few of our major clients may have known, anyone who’s catered our parties.”
    “What about family members who attended office parties?”
    “Well, yes.”
    “Brian, had Mrs. Abbott ever attended an office party upstairs?”
    “Every year.”
    “So Rachael Abbott could have, in fact, been hiding up in the upstairs of your office without anyone knowing?”
    “Objection.” Hampton was up out of his seat. “Leading. Your honor, c’mon.”
    “Withdrawn.” Avery smiled. “No further questions.”
    Hampton watched the witness visibly relax as Avery took her seat.
    “Brian, had you met Mrs. Abbott before today?”
    “Yes.”
    “What do you think of her? What’s she like?”
    “Objection. My witness is not here to character witness for the defendant.”
    “Overruled. Answer the question, Mr. Sparks.”
    “Rachael’s great. She’s always been very kind to everyone at the office.”
    “Do you know if the Abbotts live near your office?”
    “Everything in La Rue is pretty close. I believe they live about a half hour from the office if traffic isn’t too bad.”
    “How long of a walk would that be?”
    “I’m not sure.”
    “If you had to guess.”
    “I don’t know. Maybe two hours?”
    “So, since you didn’t see Mrs. Abbott’s car in the parking lot or surrounding areas, we’re going to assume that, if we believe as the prosecutor would like us to, Mrs. Abbott walked to and from the office without anyone noticing she was missing?”
    “I guess so.”
    “Thank you. No further questions.”
     
    ***
     
    Rachael
     
    Dr. Alex Page was a Medical Examiner for the county. He spoke with a passion for his work that reminded Rachael of women in yogurt commercials. His thick brown hair and perfect smile helped the room to hang on his every word.
    “So you examined our victim, is that correct, Dr. Page?”
    “It is. The body was brought to me on the evening of November 12. I found the victim to be perfectly healthy before the murder, she had four severe blows to her skull. Two in the parietal, one in the occipital, and one to the left temporal lobe. The fatal hit was determined to be to the parietal lobe, though any of the blows would’ve proven fatal by morning.”
    “And what did you determine about how she died from the autopsy?”
    “Well, from the pattern of her injuries, it appears she was struck from behind first. She was turning back to face her attacker as the injuries continued. The placement of the injuries also tell us the attacker was shorter than the victim. The victim was five foot six and she had been wearing heels, so add an inch or two. The attacker, by my calculations, must have been five foot four or five foot five at the very most. The force of the blows were extreme, more force than necessary was used to knock out or even kill our victim if that was the goal.”
    “And what does that tell you?”
    “When our bodies are scared or angry, our adrenal glands produce adrenaline. Adrenaline allows us to be quicker or stronger than we usually are. The fact that that much force was exerted on the victim tells us one of three things: the attacker was a male, the attacker was scared and acting in self-defense, or,” he paused before continuing, “the attacker was angry.”
    “And were you able to determine which one fits our attacker?”
    “Well, obviously there is no way to know for sure, but I was able to narrow it down. First, I ruled out the idea that our attacker could be a male because, as I stated, the attacker was shorter than our victim. I don’t know many men who are five foot four, though I wouldn’t say it was impossible. There was also no evidence of rape, which is inconsistent with most male-on-female