|
Previous: Double Dipper
|
Next: Punchline 1
|
greenhouse
Colavito looked at Hakeem Jabali as Raitt called in the MedTechs. "Been down to the greenhouse today. Mr. Jabali?"
"No, I haven't. Once I got here, I stopped."
Raitt looked at the man. "We need you to stay here with the body until the MedTechs get here."
Jabali nodded and stood, hands crossed in front of him, possibly praying.
Raitt & Colavito both pulled out their stun guns.
They moved along the dragging marks made by Navica's heels. They didn't know it was Navica but they knew she had been unconscious.
They didn't know who the killer was but they knew he was smart enough to obliterate his own footprints with Navica's heels.
They knew there were ways to identify such prints, but they knew the tech they needed for that had been left on a planet they'd obliterated.
They crept closer to the condensation-covered windows.
Three meters away from the door, Jenn stood up and slipped her tazer back into its holster.
Raitt's voice was like a stage whisper. "What are you doing?"
Jenn looked at him, a sardonic smile on her face. "You can't feel it?"
Raitt stood up and put his own weapon away. He sounded defeated. "Yep, yes I can feel it."
"There's nothing in there but her!"
"I know."
"We're out here playing around and the fucker's probably been asleep for hours!" Jenn's eyes welled with tears. "I'm sorry."
Raitt comforted her with a hand on her shoulder as he passed. "I'm going in."
"Yeah, you do that."
Greenhouses are warm, even space greenhouses. Raitt had nothing with him to combat the smell.
Standing outside the door, Raitt knew it was going to be horrible.
Raitt knew a lot more than he was given credit for. "Jenn?"
Colavito had regained some composure. "Yeah?"
"This is vomit time again. There's a body in there and we both know what that means. You need to do this, Boss."
Boss.
"I know."
"Then do it!" Raitt had never yelled at her before.
She walked the ten paces to the door, nodded at Raitt and raised a hand to his face, then reached down to the door and turned the knob.
Raitt's anger had given her strength, strength to step over the blood clotted on the floor, strength to withstand the stench of the girl's remains, strength to show compassion by stroking the girl's cheek as she had stroked Raitt's on the way in.
Raitt was documenting everything he could see with his small camera, snapping away, getting angles, getting details, reminding Jennifer Colavito what professionals did.
The voice was quiet.
"Son of a bitch."
Raitt.
Jenn looked over from her examination of the sink. "What?"
Whatever it was Raitt held between his gloved fingers, he held it up and sniffed at it. "A break."
Jenn crept towards him as if she were afraid he too would dissolve before her eyes. "What is it?"
Raitt managed a grin amid the stench and blood. He reached out with his other hand and tapped the tip of her nose.
"This, Detective Colavito, gives us both the killer and the way to find him."
"No, I haven't. Once I got here, I stopped."
Raitt looked at the man. "We need you to stay here with the body until the MedTechs get here."
Jabali nodded and stood, hands crossed in front of him, possibly praying.
Raitt & Colavito both pulled out their stun guns.
They moved along the dragging marks made by Navica's heels. They didn't know it was Navica but they knew she had been unconscious.
They didn't know who the killer was but they knew he was smart enough to obliterate his own footprints with Navica's heels.
They knew there were ways to identify such prints, but they knew the tech they needed for that had been left on a planet they'd obliterated.
They crept closer to the condensation-covered windows.
Three meters away from the door, Jenn stood up and slipped her tazer back into its holster.
Raitt's voice was like a stage whisper. "What are you doing?"
Jenn looked at him, a sardonic smile on her face. "You can't feel it?"
Raitt stood up and put his own weapon away. He sounded defeated. "Yep, yes I can feel it."
"There's nothing in there but her!"
"I know."
"We're out here playing around and the fucker's probably been asleep for hours!" Jenn's eyes welled with tears. "I'm sorry."
Raitt comforted her with a hand on her shoulder as he passed. "I'm going in."
"Yeah, you do that."
Greenhouses are warm, even space greenhouses. Raitt had nothing with him to combat the smell.
Standing outside the door, Raitt knew it was going to be horrible.
Raitt knew a lot more than he was given credit for. "Jenn?"
Colavito had regained some composure. "Yeah?"
"This is vomit time again. There's a body in there and we both know what that means. You need to do this, Boss."
Boss.
"I know."
"Then do it!" Raitt had never yelled at her before.
She walked the ten paces to the door, nodded at Raitt and raised a hand to his face, then reached down to the door and turned the knob.
Raitt's anger had given her strength, strength to step over the blood clotted on the floor, strength to withstand the stench of the girl's remains, strength to show compassion by stroking the girl's cheek as she had stroked Raitt's on the way in.
Raitt was documenting everything he could see with his small camera, snapping away, getting angles, getting details, reminding Jennifer Colavito what professionals did.
The voice was quiet.
"Son of a bitch."
Raitt.
Jenn looked over from her examination of the sink. "What?"
Whatever it was Raitt held between his gloved fingers, he held it up and sniffed at it. "A break."
Jenn crept towards him as if she were afraid he too would dissolve before her eyes. "What is it?"
Raitt managed a grin amid the stench and blood. He reached out with his other hand and tapped the tip of her nose.
"This, Detective Colavito, gives us both the killer and the way to find him."
