Page 6 of Their Haunted Hearts
“The victim is a healthy white female between the ages of eighteen and twenty-two. Five feet, six inches and approximately one hundred pounds.” He examined her mouth. “The gunshot wounds to face and right upper torso, I assume, came from this morning’s shooter. The bullet went straight through and was collected along with others at the scene. I’ve checked them and they match the shooter’s weapon. I don’t believe the gunshots contributed to this person’s death.” He went back to the mouth. “We’ll concentrate on the victim and cause of death. She has a full set of porcelain veneers, blue eyes, and ear piercings but is without any other distinguishing features.” He glanced up at Jenna. “I already checked for any signs of sexual abuse or activity and found nothing significant. The finger- and toenails are clean.”
Jenna had attended many autopsies in her time as sheriff and understood the process. “I don’t see any defensive wounds on her anywhere. Have you completed a tox screen?”
“Yeah, we’ve taken a number of samples and they’re being run as we speak.” Wolfe turned back to the body. “As you can see, there are two small sharp forced injuries directly above her carotid artery approximately two inches apart. I will examine the marks under the microscope to determine what made them. Although from prior knowledge, they are not made by an animal.”
“There would be some distinct tearing if an animal had bitten her neck.” Emily turned to look at Jenna. “There would also be scratching or other indications of animal interaction. We would also find fur or saliva and we found neither of these.”
“Did she bleed out?” Kane had moved closer to the gurney and was watching with interest.
“Yeah, I believe so. The pale waxy skin tone and lack of livor mortis would indicate exsanguination.” Wolfe glanced over his shoulder. “I believe the body was drained of blood prior to death via the carotid artery. Likely using a wide catheter inserted directly. It is clean and she has no bruising or abrasions around the neck to suggest her killer restrained her. There is no doubt that she was unconscious at the time.”
“The stake wound appears to be postmortem.” Raven moved closer to Jenna and leaned his back against the counter. “It’s on a strange angle. Do you figure he hammered that through while she was standing up inside the coffin?”
“Yeah, that was my determination as well when I removed it to get her out of the coffin. The lack of tissue damage, as in no bruising, would indicate a postmortem injury.” Wolfe waved him forward. “The stake was plunged in with considerable force, although he used the interior wedges that suspended the original mannequin to support the body. Unless this is a powerful man, he must have used a mallet of some kind.”
“What type of wood is it?” Kane peered at the body.
“Treated pine as used in garden stakes.” Wolfe looked at Jenna over the top of his face mask. “They sell them all over town.” He looked at Emily. “Crack her open.”
Jenna looked away as Emily went to work. When Emily had cut through the rib cage to expose the internal organs, she gathered herself and lifted her gaze. “What else do you see?”
“There is an absence of blood in the major vessels and organs, which would confirm exsanguination as the primary cause of death.” Wolfe stopped recording and turned back to Jenna. “The marks on the neck and the stake could indicate the killer’s obsession with vampires. The positioning of the stake indicates a ritualistic mindset.” He glanced at Kane. “Don’t you agree?”
“I do.” Kane lifted his gaze to Jenna. “I hope this doesn’t cause panic with people believing we have vampires in town. You know what the townsfolk are like over the week before Halloween. The mist rolls in and everyone starts seeing things.”
“Do you figure it’s the man you caught shooting up the town?” Wolfe stepped away from the autopsy table, leaving Emily to remove the organs and weigh them.
Recalling the slight figure waving a gun, Jenna shrugged. “It could be, but I doubt it. The shooter was intoxicated and has a small frame. Someone dismantled the display, ripped out the mannequin, and installed a heavy body and then staked it. If the shooter did it, he had help.” She straightened. “Do you mind if we leave you to finish up here? I want to get back to the office and search for missing persons so we can identify this poor woman.”
“Not a problem.” Wolfe nodded sagely. “I’ll upload the reports to the server as soon as I’ve finished them. The DNA and toxicology screen will take some time but I’ve tested specifically for a date-rape drug and a few narcotics. The rest will take longer.”
“Thanks.” Kane followed Jenna to the door.
Jenna stood in the alcove and ripped off the scrubs. She lifted her gaze to Kane and Raven. “That’s all we need. A killer who has a fascination with vampires.”
“I’d keep a lookout for any large bats.” Raven grinned at her. “Since I’ve lived here, it seems nothing is impossible.”
Six
Jenna and Kane spent the rest of the afternoon hunting down missing persons from every county in Montana. They sent out the description of the victim to all the law enforcement offices throughout the state. She collected the names and descriptions of a few people but none of them seemed to fit the person she’d seen on the autopsy table. After writing a media release, something that she usually gave to Rio to complete, she contacted Bret Housing at the local media outlet. She discovered the media were already buzzing with information from the public. The rumor about a vampire being found in town was rife among the locals. Many people had called the local TV station to get information. A small segment had been on the news about a body being found on Main but nothing had appeared online yet.
She had little choice but to give a statement and rolled her eyes at Kane, sitting at the desk across the room. “Yes, a deceased woman was discovered on Main this morning after the shooting. We do not consider her to be a victim of the shooter, who is currently in custody. The investigation into the woman’s death is ongoing and we will keep you updated when necessary.”
“There are many people calling in and giving eyewitness accounts of seeing what appeared to be a newly bitten vampire killed with a stake. They are saying they could see marks on her neck. You can’t deny she had a stake through her chest because we have photographs taken at the scene.” The reporter sounded excited, as if this was the story of a lifetime.
Jenna’s eyes went to Kane, who shook his head in disgust. She cleared her throat. “I would request most strongly not to publish those photographs. This poor woman has a family, who has no idea she has died. Can you imagine the shock at seeing your murdered loved one splashed all over the news? You must wait until we identify the victim and notify the next of kin. I’ll need the names of the people supplying you with images and warn them not to post them on social media.”
“I can’t do that and there’s no law that compels me to reveal my sources, but I will make the request, as you have issued a statement.” Bret Housing tapped away at a keyboard. “One thing: do you believe that this is a sick Halloween joke or something more sinister?”
Jenna pushed both hands through her hair. “Honestly, we haven’t gotten all the facts together. The autopsy report is pending. I’ll give you more information as it comes to hand. There’s no need to panic the townsfolk. I can assure you the poor woman we discovered is not a vampire.”
“Have you considered she might have been stolen from a grave?” Bret Housing paused a beat as if waiting for a reaction. “Body snatchers or someone stealing from a medical facility?”
Considering that line of investigation might be a good idea, Jenna shook her head. “Right now, I can’t give you an answer. It’s under investigation. I’ll call you with another media release when we have more information.” She disconnected and blew out a long sigh. “This is going to blow sky-high.”
“I’ve read about people who are abnormally fixated on vampires.” Kane stood and went to the counter. He filled two cups with coffee and handed one to Jenna before dropping into a chair in front of her desk. “They fall into different categories. There are those who are fixated on horror movies, so this might not be one person. It could be a cult of likeminded people. Then there are those who dress like them, have their teeth filed into points and such like but are generally harmless, and others who descend into ritualistic meetings where they drink blood.” He sipped his coffee. “That would tie in with a stolen-body theory.”
A chill skittered down Jenna’s spine. “Okay, so I’ll make sure the graveyard and the hospital are checked for any missing cadavers. What’s the other kind? I know there’s something much worse. I can see it in your eyes.”
