Page 30 of Rookie Days

“Alright. These are indications of strangulation.”

“Yes. Severe injury to the back of her head as well. She bled. No broken nails but she kept hers short. Her wrists are bruised. Her right one looks broken. She was held down for a while.”

Ellie spotted a few shards of broken glass and spilled liquid as she glanced aside.

“Smells like vodka over there. Fresh. So, she wanders down here with someone? It’s cold again tonight, but maybe not so bad if you’re a bit drunk and your blood is hot. It doesn’t look like too many defensive injuries on her.”

“Maybe she didn’t have time to fight.”

“She may have known her attacker.”

“She may have.” Quinn nodded slowly.

“Perhaps someone she met at the club. Did she have any ID on her? She doesn’t look like a hooker.”

“She wasn’t.”

Quinn’s rough tone made Ellie’s nerves tingle in alarm. She looked at her, noticed flashing anger in her eyes. And something more. This was not just standard outrage at a brutal murder.

“You knew her.”

“Yes.” Standing up, Quinn blew a hard breath. “Her name is Bryn O’Connell. She’s a—was,a nurse at the hospital. I used to see her in town at the gym where Lia works out from time to time. She was good friends with Janet too.”

“I’m sorry, Lieutenant,” Ellie murmured.

“She wasn’t a personal friend.”

“But she was close with Janet, you say?”

“Nothing serious, just fooling around a bit. You know what Jan is like.” Quinn shrugged it off and Ellie thought it best not to comment. “Bryn was the same. I do know that she was bisexual. She liked to play with different partners. Enjoyed a good amount of spice and adventure in her relationships.”

Ellie glanced back at the woman’s body.

“To the point of following a total stranger into a dark alley for random sex?” she asked.

“Probably not, eh. I think she’d be too smart for that.”

“From what you say, I think so too.”

A pathologist from the ME’s office arrived on scene and confirmed a lot of what they had already noticed and deduced. Then two techs showed up, pushing a stretcher and a black body retrieval bag.

“Lieutenant. Ready for us?”

“Yes, take her away,” Quinn replied. “Bag that broken glass and a sample of what was in it too. Screen it for drugs, see what you can find.”

“You got it.”

chapter 10

Dinner was swiftly forgotten in the wake of the murder. Ellie got it in her head that the invite would never be mentioned again. Perhaps it had just been a spur of the moment thing for Janet, only because she, Ellie, a female, happened to be around at the time. ‘You know what Jan is like.’ If even her best friend said that, then it was probably just her standard MO, nothing more to it or personal. The thought stung quite a bit more than Ellie thought it would, or wanted it to, but she managed to put it behind her. Quinn was supervising multiple cases at this point, including the O’Connell murder, and she assigned her to the case full-time. It would be her first homicide, which Ellie knew was as much an opportunity for her as a test. Definitely one that she intended to pass with flying colors. She pushed any and all other matters aside and buried herself in the work. There was plenty of it to be done: reviewing CCTV camera footage from the club, speaking to staff on duty that night, and members of the victim’s family... Informing her mother of the tragic death was especially hard. Quinn went with her to her house in Old-Lewiston but she let Ellie handle the proceedings. Another test, and she was nervous. But Ellie discovered that as soon as she started to speak, naturalcompassion took over. She found the right words and, perhaps even more importantly, the right way to be with the distraught mother. She was also fine afterwards. Not jumping for joy, sure, but there was no crazy rush of emotion. Certainly, no flashback. Quinn slapped her on the shoulder and gave her a little, ‘Well done, rookie’, which did wonders for morale. She was at her desk when Ellie went to find her the following day, eating her lunch and filing reports at the same time.

“Got news?” She waved her in with her mouth full.

“The toxicology report just came in. You were right,” Ellie stated. “The vodka was spiked with Rohypnol. Traces of it were found in the victim’s blood.”

“Ah. The famous rape drug. This shows premeditation.”

“At least for the rape, yes. I’m told it would have been just enough to make O’Connell feel woozy and compliant. She was aware during the whole thing.”

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