Page 14 of Autopsy of a Fairytale

“I have cookies from my neighbor,” Bel called loud enough for the small station to hear. “Someone please eat these before I do.”

Deputies descended on her like locusts, Sheriff Griffin not far behind.

“We are on our way to discuss the autopsy result,” Bel said to her boss as he smiled at her for sharing.

“Excellent.” He grabbed four cookies. “Keep me updated and let me know if you need anything.”

“Will do.”

“Thanks for these… like I need them.” He laughed as he saluted her with his full fist, and Bel mockingly rolled her eyes. Sheriff Griffin looked like a man who could eat whatever he wanted and still have it transform into muscle. That was why she brought the baked goods for the deputies instead of leaving them all at home. Their instant sugar was too convenient for her to eat rather than forcing herself to cook a proper dinner, but she had saved a small batch for herself. Chocolate was healthy for the soul, after all.

“You ready?” She looked at Garrett. He nodded his agreement, his mouth full of chocolaty goodness, and Bel gripped the latte tightly for courage.

“Yes.”

He choked behind her, almost spitting crumbs, before he gulped his coffee. “Yes… as in?” he croaked.

“One date.” Bel opened the car door and slid into the driver’s seat. “As a trial run.”

Garrett practically tripped over himself as he sat next to her. “I’ll take it.”

* * *

“Cause of deathwas exsanguination from the chest wound,” Lina Thum began when they arrived at the morgue. “Since I have not received it, I assume we still have not located the heart?” Both Garrett and Bel shook their heads.

“Right.” Lina nodded. “This is where it gets weird.” The detectives squinted at her, and she amended her statement. “Weirder. The wound was caused by curved blades digging into his skin in four equal gouges before both the flesh and the rib cage ripped free.”

“Do you know what kind of blades were used?” Garrett asked.

“No.” Lina shook her head. “Since part of the chest and the heart are missing, I only have the surrounding torn muscles and the outermost portion of the blade’s wounds to measure. I didn’t find fibers or any trace evidence in the chest cavity, either. This is going to sound bizarre—trust me, I don’t even like saying it—but honestly, the injury reminds me of a clawed fist. As if someone reached into his ribcage and ripped it out with a hand.”

The claw-foot base of the chandelier flashed through Bel’s memory. “Like the carvings?” She asked.

“Yes, almost like a larger version,” Lina confirmed. “I know a beast didn’t kill Brett Lumen, but whoever murdered him wanted it to look like it.”

“It fits the narrative,” Bel said. “He turns the body into a work of furniture art, making it appear like a monster killed him and replacing his heart with roses. I can’t help but feel the killer is trying to tell a story. I’m just not sure what that story is yet.”

“That’s not all,” Lina continued. “The only antemortem wound on Brett Lumen’s body was the chest wound. The killer drilled the screws in postmortem after he had been drained of blood, but besides those, he sustained no other injuries.”

“No defenses wounds?” Bel asked.

“None. No blood or tissue under his nails. No bruising on his knuckles. No cuts or scrapes. Not even a paper cut. No blunt force trauma to knock him out or stun him.”

Garrett shuttered. “So, he was drugged to keep him compliant?”

“That’s what I assumed,” Lina said. “I put in a rush for a Tox screening. It came back negative.”

“Negative?” Bel wasn’t sure she had heard the medical examiner correctly.

“Negative,” Lina repeated. “Brett Lumen had no drugs or sedatives in his system when he died. No alcohol. Nothing that would impair his senses or reflexes.”

Bel stepped backward reflexively, Garrett’s muscular chest absorbing her shock as she bumped into him.

“He did not fight back. He was not sedated or unconscious.” Lina sucked in a fortifying breath. “From what I can tell, Brett Lumen sat there and willingly let someone carve out his heart.”

Hours of paperworkdid little to lessen the knot in Bel’s stomach. Who stood by and let someone rip open their chest? Why had Lumen not resisted? Her fingers drifted to the scar on her neck. She had been helpless against her attacker that night, his power far surpassing hers, yet she had fought tooth and nail to escape. It wasn’t until she had nearly bled out that she finally stopped struggling, her strength pooling on the pavement with her blood. Defensive wounds had coated her arms, but whoever her assailant was, he had been careful of her nails. She had scraped no DNA from him despite her best efforts, but that was what made this case so confusing. She had put in great effort not to die. Even when hope abandoned her, she still fought to survive, to keep breathing. Bel fiercely wished to see another second, another day, another year, and she refused to go gently into that dark night. But Brett Lumen had just accepted an excruciating death without fighting, without inhibitors to subdue him.

“I’m starving.” Garrett pushed away from the desk, the sun setting behind the station. The idea of lunch after their meeting with Lina appealed to neither of them, so they had worked through their breaks, but now Bel’s stomach growled at his statement.

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