Page 15 of Silent Prayer

She hasn't gotten over it,he thought.Then again, it's been less than a year…and besides, do youeverget over something like your sister's suicide?

He felt an urge to follow her, to try to help her work through whatever she was dealing with, but he couldn't just leave the body unattended. First and foremost, he needed to secure the crime scene.

As he dialed dispatch to call in the discovery, Finn found himself reflecting on how different Sheila had been since her sister's death. The vibrant, determined woman he'd grown to admire seemed to be slipping away, replaced by someone haunted and withdrawn.

Would she always be like this? And if so…what did that mean for their future? At the risk of sounding cruel, could he really build a life with someone who seemed so stuck in the past?

The call went through, and he cleared his throat. "Dispatch, this is Deputy Mercer. We've got a 187 in the alley behind Chester's Bar and Grill. Victim is Sophie Tournay. We need forensics and the M.E. here ASAP."

As he spoke, Finn began securing the crime scene, his movements automatic after years on the job. He unrolled the yellow crime scene tape, cordoning off the area with practiced efficiency. His mind, however, was elsewhere, grappling with his feelings for Sheila and his fears for their future.

He glanced over at her. She was now leaning against the alley wall, her eyes closed, taking deep breaths. The sight of her,so visibly shaken, tugged at Finn's heart, and he found himself making his way over to her.

"Sheila," he said softly, reaching out to touch her arm. "Are you okay?"

Her eyes snapped open, a mix of emotions swirling in their depths. "I'm fine," she said, straightening her shoulders.

Finn didn't buy it. "It's okay not to be fine, you know. This is a tough case, and finding Sophie like this..."

She swallowed hard, as if unsure what to say. "Let's just…just focus on the job, okay? Please?"

Finn held up his hands in surrender, recognizing there was nothing more to be done. "Okay," he said. "But I'm here if you need me."

Sheila nodded, then pushed past him and made her way to the mouth of the alley, presumably to flag down the emergency vehicles that would be here soon. Finn watched her go, worry gnawing at his gut. He wanted to help her, to be there for her, but it was clear she wasn't ready to let him in. With a sigh, he turned back to the crime scene, hoping that somehow, solving this case might help Sheila find her way back to herself.

The sound of approaching sirens cut through the night air, growing louder with each passing second. Soon, the alley would be swarming with officers and crime scene technicians. Finn steeled himself for the long night ahead.

His eyes were drawn back to Sophie's body. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the alley, he could see her more clearly. Her blonde hair was matted with blood, splayed out around her head like a macabre halo. Her blue eyes, once vibrant with life, now stared blankly at the night sky. Her lips, slightly parted, seemed frozen in a final, silent plea for help.

Finn felt a lump forming in his throat. She looked so young, so vulnerable. He thought of the bright, religious woman Jonah had described, so unlike the broken form before him.

A wave of anger washed over him, followed quickly by a deep sadness. This woman had had her whole life ahead of her, and now she lay discarded in a dirty alley like she was nothing. Finn clenched his fists, a mix of grief and determination surging through him. He silently vowed to find the person responsible for this, to bring some measure of justice to Sophie and her family.

"It never gets easier, does it?"

Finn turned to see Dr. Zihao standing behind him. He hadn't heard the coroner approach, too lost in his examination of Sophie's body. Finn straightened, trying to compose himself.

"No," he agreed, his voice rough with emotion. "It doesn't."

Dr. Zihao nodded solemnly, his experienced eyes already assessing the scene. "Let's see what she can tell us about her final moments," he said quietly, kneeling beside Sophie's body.

Finn stepped back, allowing the coroner to work.

"Cause of death appears to be blunt force trauma to the head," Dr. Zihao said after a few moments. "Likely from a heavy object. There are multiple impact sites, suggesting repeated blows. I'll know more after the autopsy, but the injuries are consistent with those found on Laura Hastings."

Finn nodded, his suspicions confirmed. He felt a chill run down his spine at the thought of the brutality Sophie must have endured in her final moments.

"Think it could've been a candlestick?" Finn asked. They had recovered the candlestick used to kill Laura, of course, but perhaps the killer had more. It might be part of his signature.

"Could be a brick, for all I know," the coroner answered. "I'll have to get her to the lab and examine her properly."

Sheila was hovering a few paces away, looking on with a detached expression, her arms crossed. Finn joined her, and together they retreated a short distance from the body.

"Both killed the same way," Sheila murmured, her voice hollow. "Both religious women, both of them attacked by priests or people pretending to be priests."

It occurred to Finn that, technically speaking, they didn't know that Laura had been attacked by a priest. But, given the fact that she was killed in a confessional and there was no record of who she was supposed to meet with, it seemed the most likely explanation.

Finn nodded. "Both killed in very violent ways, as well. Think it's some kind of punishment?"

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