Page 43 of Wolf's Mark

“What do you mean?” Yep. I was thankful she hadn’t started the conversation with something like ‘why the hell are you dating my…’ Brother. Uncle.

Dad.

Oh, God. What if that was true?

“It wasn’t just a break-in. Was it? I can sense you’re curious and a little afraid still of whatever happened.”

“What are you, a mind reader too?” I asked her.

She shrugged and plopped down in the chair across from mine. “Maybe. I know you too well.”

I also considered her a friend. We were close in age and had the same likes and dislikes. However, even sharing what I’d seen with her was a bit dicey. Her family might think me insane as well.

“He was just… Well, there some abnormalities.”

“How so? And what were you doing here on a Sunday anyway?”

“I was asked to handle an autopsy.”

“By whom? Did I miss a murder?” She laughed until she noticed my face. “This is serious.”

“This is unusual. The FBI contacted me. And you can’t say anything.”

“Why in the world did the FBI contact you to handle an autopsy? Aren’t they affiliated with several morgues in Chicago? I thought they had their own people.”

I brought up my computer, still debating showing her the video. “That’s what I asked. Apparently, they were concerned about some recent murders. This one occurred in town.”

“Here? Ugh. We’re like safe zone, USA.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“What happened during the autopsy?”

Shit. She was the kind of girl to pick apart something until she had all the answers.

“Come on. You can share with little ole Daphne.” She gave me a puppy dog look.

“If I show you something, you need to understand that I have no understanding of what happened. I can’t scientifically explain it at this point. Yes, it’s freaking me out. I’ve always been able to answer questions based on scientific evidence but not regarding this particular case.”

“That sounds scary.”

“It is. The victim I autopsied did the damage in the lab before breaking free.”

She paled.

Just as I expected.

She snorted.

Just as I expected.

“Do you have this on tape?” Now she was excited.

Not what I’d expected, although she was a macabre girl herself.

“Yes, I do.”

“Oh, I gotta see.” She jumped up, moving to my side of the desk and bending down. She even planted her elbows on my desk.

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