Page 56 of Hunting Justice

Once they gave their statements and the officers released them to leave, Noelle raised a questioning eyebrow and jutted her chin in the direction of autopsy.

“Yeah, I’m ready. If I have to.” One corner of his mouth lifted.

She chuckled. “You have to. Come on. Let’s examine those girls.” She helped him stand.

Whoever had trapped him hadn’t wanted to scare him. With that combination of chemicals, the guy had planned to kill him. Now Jonah was even more determined to find out who had murdered his friend and wanted him dead.

TWELVE

MONDAY, 1:00 P.M.

The bright overhead lights intensified the pasty white of the dead girl’s skin. Noelle stood next to Jonah, peering at the marks on the victim as he visually examined the body. The reminder of how close she’d come to lying on the stainless-steel table with her neck in the V-shaped holder sent shivers racing up her spine. Not for the first time since her abduction and subsequent torture, she thanked God for bringing her through her living hell. There was no other way to describe it. Nightmare wasn’t strong enough.

Her attention slid to the drain at the bottom of the table. She shivered. How did Jonah stomach the procedures day in and day out?

“Are you okay?” Jonah rested his hand on her arm.

She jerked her attention to him. “Just lost in thought. That’s all.”

He narrowed his gaze. “Stop going there.”

“What?”

“You know what I’m talking about. Stop thinking about the what-ifs. You survived.” Jonah reached up and tilted the overhead lamp to focus on the girl’s head and neck area.

“It’s hard not to let it seep in.” She’d struggled with it for years. Her therapist had warned her to stop trying to ignore her memories or fears but to work through them. She thought she had—until now.

“Is this too much?” He motioned to the corpse.

“I’m good.” She had to be. They needed answers, and Ken had given them a way to find them. Plus, if her serial killer was still out there—she shivered.

Jonah didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t push. “Then let’s get to it.”

Noelle’s respect for the man had gone up several notches. It had taken him a minute or several, but he’d collected himself after his brush with death and the toxic fumes and had gotten to work examining the only physical solid evidence they had.

He rolled the girl’s head to one side. When the space behind the ear appeared tattoo free, he rolled her the other way.

“There.” He used his gloved pinkie finger to point to the familiar Chinese symbol. “It’s not ink. The skin’s burned. He branded her.”

“Just like the others.” The information whirled in Noelle’s mind. “What about the cuts?”

Jonah pulled the sheet down, revealing the short, crisscrossed slices across the victim’s upper arms and upper chest. “If this guy isn’t the same sadistic excuse for a human as the original serial killer, he knows his methods.”

Noelle’s breath caught in her throat. The visual of the cuts made her want to hurl. Why had she thought she could handle examining a body? Photos were one thing, but real flesh that she could reach out and touch… The material of her blouse rubbed against her arms, making her scars ache.

“Noelle?” Jonah’s hand gripped hers. “What can I do?”

Her eyes drifted up to meet his.

“You look a little green.”

His words barely registered. In an odd way, she recognized the way her mind had pulled back to protect itself. Almost an out-of-body experience.

“Elle?” A snap echoed in a faraway place. Jonah cupped her cheeks. The warmth of his ungloved hands penetrated deep inside her. “Talk to me.”

She blinked, then blinked again. The haze lifted. “Sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about. You worried me, that’s all.”

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