crime scene laundry
The MPs weren't dressed for combat.
Like the two detectives, they carried taser weapons, but beyond that, they were here to carry equipment. Airmen Sands & Talman each had a dolly.
The woman with them wore no MP armband. "I'm Sergeant Eileen Pettigrew, Sr. Admin of USAF MedLab. This is Airman Sands and Airman Talman. "
The two detectives rose, hands on their kits.
Colavito spoke first. "I'm Detective Colavito, this is Detective JG Raitt." She looked at the dollies. "Expecting a long day?"
Pettigrew looked down at her hands for an instant. "Sands & Talman helped set up your office, that's why they're here. I suggest you bring your whole kits."
Colavito exchanged a brief glance with Raitt. "I'll defer to that decision."
Sands & Talman offered polite smiles as they wheeled their dollies over to the two large steel & glass cabinets and set about securing them for transport.
Colavito looked at Pettigrew. "Do your guys know where we're headed?"
Pettigrew answered quietly. "Yes. They were our first responders."
The two detectives exchanged glances.
Colavito apparently got enough out of the exchange to start moving. "Then have them meet us at the crime scene, Sergeant, tell us where to go."
Pettigrew nodded assent, and turned to her two MPs. "Talman, Sands, meet us at the scene."
Talman replied for both. "We'll be coming down the service tube. Be there in five, Sarge."
Raitt, Colavito & Pettigrew walked out of the office towards the public elevator tubes.
"I hate being nervous." Colavito had apparently grabbed the thought out of thin air.
Raitt looked even more uncomfortable. "It's been way too long."
They arrived at the tube entrance hall.
Pettigrew hit her vox. "Jimmy, we need a tube at The Hub stat."
Something unintelligible came back, but the tube activity light two doors away suddenly flashed amber, and the three moved towards the door. Somewhere above or below them, a tube full of people had been stopped at an inconvenient floor and the occupants ordered to disembark.
Pettigrew looked at the two detectives. "Word is you were among the first people up here."
Raitt nodded. "Yep, theory was there would be a lot of crime up here about food, water, hell just about anything."
Colavito added. "In 9 months, we had a euthanasia case we took a walk on."
Pettigrew shrugged. "People were happy to buy their way on here. Just not dying with everyone else on Earth gave us a quarter of a million rich cowards with no place to hide."
The tube arrived & they stepped in. Whoever was controlling the tubes clearly knew where they were headed.
The trip down was fast.
It was 30 metres around two corners to the laundry tub but Colavito & Raitt smelled it immediately, the dry, coppery scent of blood.
There were people all around now, but the MPs on scene were keeping them at bay. The stench of blood was making many of the crowd think twice about pushing into gawking position.
One MP moved towards them a few steps.
Pettigrew looked at him. "Tomas?"
"The MedTechs won't come out of the tub, Sarge." The man looked apologetic.
Pettigrew was about to speak, but Colavito politely raised her hand. "It's okay, I get it."
Tomas nodded. "So do I."
Pettigrew looked at the detectives again. "Getting the scent back?"
Colavito shrugged. "It never really goes away."
The tub diretly under the chute had been replaced, laundry being infinite by nature.
Beyond it, Colavito & Raitt could see two sets of eyes above the top of the crime scene tub.
Colavito stepped forward. "I'm Detective Colavito, this is Detective Raitt. You are ... ?"
The smaller blonde woman spoke first. "I'm MedTech Lori Railsback, this is MedTech Aggie Brooks."
Colavito managed a small smile. "So, Lori, Aggie, are you okay in there?"
The larger sandy-haired woman spoke up. "We're fine. We need to get this woman to the morgue."
Raitt raised his eyebrows. "That's where she's headed, MedTech Brooks."
Aggie met his eyes with her hard stare. "I mean with some dignity. No stretcher, no pictures, no lifting her in pieces out of here in public."
Raitt spoke under his breath to his partner. "Probably not a bad idea anyway. The crime either took place inside the tub or some floors up."
Colavito was more concerned about their authority. She stepped forward again. "This is now my crime scene. I'll let you know when and how the body will be removed."
To her surprise the blonde woman forced a smile. "Step on up, Detective, take a look." It was an unmistakable challenge to her ability to cope.
Colavito bit. She stepped forward, stood on tiptoe, and looked in.
That's when Aggie grabbed her by the back of her hair and pulled her head all the way clear of the tub wall. "Look harder!"
Raitt was in action immediately. He took three fast strides toward the tub. He knocked Aggie Brooks over to the far side, his taser ready to go.
That was when Lori grabbed his head and directed his eyes to the gory mess.
Raitt joined his partner in dry heaving beside the tub.
Aggie had brushed off her blow from Raitt and stood in defiance beside Rails.
"We respectfully request this tub be moved to the morgue as it is and we'll show you what we know."
Colavito looked at the two MTs drenched in blood. She turned to Sergeant Pettigrew.
"OK, Cover the tub with a clean sheet. Let's get it up to the morgue."
Like the two detectives, they carried taser weapons, but beyond that, they were here to carry equipment. Airmen Sands & Talman each had a dolly.
The woman with them wore no MP armband. "I'm Sergeant Eileen Pettigrew, Sr. Admin of USAF MedLab. This is Airman Sands and Airman Talman. "
The two detectives rose, hands on their kits.
Colavito spoke first. "I'm Detective Colavito, this is Detective JG Raitt." She looked at the dollies. "Expecting a long day?"
Pettigrew looked down at her hands for an instant. "Sands & Talman helped set up your office, that's why they're here. I suggest you bring your whole kits."
Colavito exchanged a brief glance with Raitt. "I'll defer to that decision."
Sands & Talman offered polite smiles as they wheeled their dollies over to the two large steel & glass cabinets and set about securing them for transport.
Colavito looked at Pettigrew. "Do your guys know where we're headed?"
Pettigrew answered quietly. "Yes. They were our first responders."
The two detectives exchanged glances.
Colavito apparently got enough out of the exchange to start moving. "Then have them meet us at the crime scene, Sergeant, tell us where to go."
Pettigrew nodded assent, and turned to her two MPs. "Talman, Sands, meet us at the scene."
Talman replied for both. "We'll be coming down the service tube. Be there in five, Sarge."
Raitt, Colavito & Pettigrew walked out of the office towards the public elevator tubes.
"I hate being nervous." Colavito had apparently grabbed the thought out of thin air.
Raitt looked even more uncomfortable. "It's been way too long."
They arrived at the tube entrance hall.
Pettigrew hit her vox. "Jimmy, we need a tube at The Hub stat."
Something unintelligible came back, but the tube activity light two doors away suddenly flashed amber, and the three moved towards the door. Somewhere above or below them, a tube full of people had been stopped at an inconvenient floor and the occupants ordered to disembark.
Pettigrew looked at the two detectives. "Word is you were among the first people up here."
Raitt nodded. "Yep, theory was there would be a lot of crime up here about food, water, hell just about anything."
Colavito added. "In 9 months, we had a euthanasia case we took a walk on."
Pettigrew shrugged. "People were happy to buy their way on here. Just not dying with everyone else on Earth gave us a quarter of a million rich cowards with no place to hide."
The tube arrived & they stepped in. Whoever was controlling the tubes clearly knew where they were headed.
The trip down was fast.
It was 30 metres around two corners to the laundry tub but Colavito & Raitt smelled it immediately, the dry, coppery scent of blood.
There were people all around now, but the MPs on scene were keeping them at bay. The stench of blood was making many of the crowd think twice about pushing into gawking position.
One MP moved towards them a few steps.
Pettigrew looked at him. "Tomas?"
"The MedTechs won't come out of the tub, Sarge." The man looked apologetic.
Pettigrew was about to speak, but Colavito politely raised her hand. "It's okay, I get it."
Tomas nodded. "So do I."
Pettigrew looked at the detectives again. "Getting the scent back?"
Colavito shrugged. "It never really goes away."
The tub diretly under the chute had been replaced, laundry being infinite by nature.
Beyond it, Colavito & Raitt could see two sets of eyes above the top of the crime scene tub.
Colavito stepped forward. "I'm Detective Colavito, this is Detective Raitt. You are ... ?"
The smaller blonde woman spoke first. "I'm MedTech Lori Railsback, this is MedTech Aggie Brooks."
Colavito managed a small smile. "So, Lori, Aggie, are you okay in there?"
The larger sandy-haired woman spoke up. "We're fine. We need to get this woman to the morgue."
Raitt raised his eyebrows. "That's where she's headed, MedTech Brooks."
Aggie met his eyes with her hard stare. "I mean with some dignity. No stretcher, no pictures, no lifting her in pieces out of here in public."
Raitt spoke under his breath to his partner. "Probably not a bad idea anyway. The crime either took place inside the tub or some floors up."
Colavito was more concerned about their authority. She stepped forward again. "This is now my crime scene. I'll let you know when and how the body will be removed."
To her surprise the blonde woman forced a smile. "Step on up, Detective, take a look." It was an unmistakable challenge to her ability to cope.
Colavito bit. She stepped forward, stood on tiptoe, and looked in.
That's when Aggie grabbed her by the back of her hair and pulled her head all the way clear of the tub wall. "Look harder!"
Raitt was in action immediately. He took three fast strides toward the tub. He knocked Aggie Brooks over to the far side, his taser ready to go.
That was when Lori grabbed his head and directed his eyes to the gory mess.
Raitt joined his partner in dry heaving beside the tub.
Aggie had brushed off her blow from Raitt and stood in defiance beside Rails.
"We respectfully request this tub be moved to the morgue as it is and we'll show you what we know."
Colavito looked at the two MTs drenched in blood. She turned to Sergeant Pettigrew.
"OK, Cover the tub with a clean sheet. Let's get it up to the morgue."