waistcoat.
White cotton tank top and briefs that stopped at the knee.
She cut through the underwear; the fabric crumbled under the scissors.
The body belonged to a male.
The clothing would have to be sent to a specialist to prove authenticity, but Rachel was ninety percent sure she was looking at the real thing.
She cut the cotton undershirt, then carefully pulled aside the two sections of cloth.
The chest cavity had been opened at one time, either from an injury or an autopsy.
She brought the swing-arm light closer and picked up a magnifying glass. Leaning over the leathery corpse, she examined what had once been an outer layer of skin.
The edges were ragged, like torn paper. Some of the damage appeared to be fairly recent, the inner layer of skin lighter than the outer. But there was also evidence of old damage—areas of torn flesh and a broken rib cage from some long-ago trauma.
And the cavity where the heart should have been? Hollow.
Chapter 13
Rachel rang the doorbell, waited a few beats, then knocked. She heard something fall, then footsteps. The door flew open and Evan's voice came out of the darkness.
"Come on in."
She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. It was like entering a movie theater. She couldn't see a thing, and had to wait for her eyes to adjust.
A lamp clicked on, then another. Evan straightened, rubbing his head. He wore a white T-shirt and a pair of striped cotton pajama bottoms slung low on his hips. On his feet were black socks.
"I woke you."
He probably slept during the day. Her father had taken Graham to school, and she'd thought it would be a good time to talk to Evan.
"That's okay." His voice was sleep-slurred, and he seemed disoriented as he stood eyeing the rumpled couch where he must have been lying before she rang the bell. He bent and picked up a book from the floor, placing it on the end table. "I need caffeine."
Evan was already on his way to the adjoining kitchen. Without looking back, he pointed toward an overstuffed chair. Have a seat.
She ignored his direction and followed him to the kitchen, putting her leather briefcase on a chair.
He filled a teakettle with water, and she went to the shelf where she'd seen Evan retrieve the coffee cups last time she'd been there. She grabbed two mugs and placed them on the table, then searched for tea in the cupboard next to the refrigerator. She found the ornate silver tin, opened it, and gave it a shake. "I see you haven't dumped this out yet."
Evan took the tin from her and replaced the lid. "Emergency rations." He put the container back in the cupboard and produced two tea bags from a small red box. "Haven't gotten my shipment from England yet."
"You know, I'll bet they have tea at the grocery store in Tuonela."
He smiled, unruffled by her teasing. "I'm not a tea snob." He paused to reconsider his words. "Well, maybe I am."
"There are worse things."
The kettle whistled. He turned off the flame, poured the steaming water, and sat down across from her.
"I came here to let you know another body was found, this time at City Park."
He looked up sharply. "Jesus."
While waiting for the tea to steep, she unzipped her leather briefcase and pulled out a digital print she'd made before leaving the office. "This body."
She passed the eight-by-ten to him. The photo was one she'd taken before the autopsy, when the corpse was still dressed.
Evan studied the image. "At least we know he wasn't knocked off last night while out for his evening stroll."
"The heart was missing," she told him. "Normally I wouldn't think a missing heart so strange. Organs aren't always buried with the body, especially in cases of homicide or suspicious death."
"But. . ." He urged her to continue.
"The body is old. How old, I don't know. And while most of the damage to the chest cavity occurred years ago, some appeared fairly new."
Lost in thought, Evan got up from the table. He started to walk away, then seemed to remember his manners.
White cotton tank top and briefs that stopped at the knee.
She cut through the underwear; the fabric crumbled under the scissors.
The body belonged to a male.
The clothing would have to be sent to a specialist to prove authenticity, but Rachel was ninety percent sure she was looking at the real thing.
She cut the cotton undershirt, then carefully pulled aside the two sections of cloth.
The chest cavity had been opened at one time, either from an injury or an autopsy.
She brought the swing-arm light closer and picked up a magnifying glass. Leaning over the leathery corpse, she examined what had once been an outer layer of skin.
The edges were ragged, like torn paper. Some of the damage appeared to be fairly recent, the inner layer of skin lighter than the outer. But there was also evidence of old damage—areas of torn flesh and a broken rib cage from some long-ago trauma.
And the cavity where the heart should have been? Hollow.
Chapter 13
Rachel rang the doorbell, waited a few beats, then knocked. She heard something fall, then footsteps. The door flew open and Evan's voice came out of the darkness.
"Come on in."
She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. It was like entering a movie theater. She couldn't see a thing, and had to wait for her eyes to adjust.
A lamp clicked on, then another. Evan straightened, rubbing his head. He wore a white T-shirt and a pair of striped cotton pajama bottoms slung low on his hips. On his feet were black socks.
"I woke you."
He probably slept during the day. Her father had taken Graham to school, and she'd thought it would be a good time to talk to Evan.
"That's okay." His voice was sleep-slurred, and he seemed disoriented as he stood eyeing the rumpled couch where he must have been lying before she rang the bell. He bent and picked up a book from the floor, placing it on the end table. "I need caffeine."
Evan was already on his way to the adjoining kitchen. Without looking back, he pointed toward an overstuffed chair. Have a seat.
She ignored his direction and followed him to the kitchen, putting her leather briefcase on a chair.
He filled a teakettle with water, and she went to the shelf where she'd seen Evan retrieve the coffee cups last time she'd been there. She grabbed two mugs and placed them on the table, then searched for tea in the cupboard next to the refrigerator. She found the ornate silver tin, opened it, and gave it a shake. "I see you haven't dumped this out yet."
Evan took the tin from her and replaced the lid. "Emergency rations." He put the container back in the cupboard and produced two tea bags from a small red box. "Haven't gotten my shipment from England yet."
"You know, I'll bet they have tea at the grocery store in Tuonela."
He smiled, unruffled by her teasing. "I'm not a tea snob." He paused to reconsider his words. "Well, maybe I am."
"There are worse things."
The kettle whistled. He turned off the flame, poured the steaming water, and sat down across from her.
"I came here to let you know another body was found, this time at City Park."
He looked up sharply. "Jesus."
While waiting for the tea to steep, she unzipped her leather briefcase and pulled out a digital print she'd made before leaving the office. "This body."
She passed the eight-by-ten to him. The photo was one she'd taken before the autopsy, when the corpse was still dressed.
Evan studied the image. "At least we know he wasn't knocked off last night while out for his evening stroll."
"The heart was missing," she told him. "Normally I wouldn't think a missing heart so strange. Organs aren't always buried with the body, especially in cases of homicide or suspicious death."
"But. . ." He urged her to continue.
"The body is old. How old, I don't know. And while most of the damage to the chest cavity occurred years ago, some appeared fairly new."
Lost in thought, Evan got up from the table. He started to walk away, then seemed to remember his manners.
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