Page 27 of Devil Bound
14
Lionel
Thewhitetentgavethe forensics crew an environment to work in that was both sheltered from the elements and from the cameras waiting to catch a glimpse of whatever horror had been unearthed here in the marshes.
I was a necromancer and not squeamish, but I did associate the white canvas with human remains in various stages of decomposition, with the smell of decay, with the sight of bodies meant to be whole having been taken apart.Yet at the same time, I could help the victims help us in stopping whoever had done this to them, plus, I didn’t know that anyone had been chopped up here.For all I knew, it was something simple that had killed them, like a bullet to the brain.
Christine pointed right at the white tent.“We found body parts, similar to the one in the morgue.Our people aren’t quite sure it’s the same guy though, whether our morgue case was an early victim, or whether someone else is responsible for these.I’m keeping an open mind for now.See what you’ve got to work with and what you can give us.”
Fuck me thrice.It was dismemberment.I really didn’t like that kind of thing.I’d stopped eating meat after I first used my necromancy, so the way parts too often looked like a well-hung cut of meat with bone peeking out should not have made my stomach twist into knots, but it always did.I was really, really glad Christine had called me before I’d gotten a chance to even consider breakfast.
“Will do,” I said.
I concentrated on keeping my breathing even, just in case what I saw once I got inside the tent made me heave.Breathing through my mouth helped.Usually.
“Would it be okay if I observe?”Mitch asked, aiming a wide smile at me.His curious brown eyes matched his smile.
“I—of course.I’m not sure it’ll be all that exciting, but you’re welcome to watch.”
Christine rolled her eyes.“Hawkes, you are embarrassing yourself.Go inside the tent and do your damn job.I have murders to solve.”
Yes, Christine had definitely gotten less sleep than I had.Before I could apologize or say anything else, an officer in big rubber boots walked up to her.
“We found another bag,” she told Christine.
“Excellent.”The sarcasm was strong in Christine’s tone.“Hawkes needs all the bits he can get.”She shooed me toward the tent flap before following the officer to the ominous bag.
With Mister Sexy Detective still smiling his curious smile, I straightened before I walked into the tent.
“What a time to start working homicide,” I said, mentally congratulating myself on this not half bad conversation starter.Then I saw a severed and partially rotted foot and staggered a few steps to the side.
“Hey, careful there,” Sexy Mitch said, catching me by the arm.“Are you okay?Was that a psychic thing?”
I cleared my throat and straightened.The crime scene tech working on the table with the foot and a few other parts looked up from her work.Her suit and mask hid her expression, but she seemed anything but happy to see me.
She pointed to the dispensers on a rolling table to my left.“Masks, gloves.”
I started toward the gloves and masks.Sexy Mitch had steadied me all this time, and I would have been blushing if the foot hadn’t drained all the color from my face.
“I’m not psychic,” I told Mitch.“That’s a different thing.I’m just not a huge fan of the decomposition smell.”
The tech snorted and shook her head, but thankfully, she kept her mouth shut.I watched as she used her tweezers to pick something out of a severed thigh, then put it in a clear plastic container and labeled it.Her hands were dead steady.I could barely look at where she’d put those tweezers.
Mitch nodded, and I couldn’t, for the life of me, see the slightest hint of mockery in his eyes.
“I’m still getting used to that myself.Had to deal with some vile situations in vice, but a field of dismembered corpses is quite a first day event.”His eyes took on a darker tint.“So’s meeting a necromancer.”
That actually got me to blush a little bit, and I held my breath when Sexy Mitch reached around me to get to the gloves and masks.He was taller than me, and broader.I liked the broadness especially, and to distract myself from the foot, I allowed myself a small fantasy of him just leaning in and pulling my mask down before pressing his lips against mine and dipping his curious tongue into my mouth.
Luckily, I remembered where I was and why I was there before I could moan out load or do anything else embarrassing.I had to determine the provenance of body parts, and because my life sucked, none of them were fresh.
I approached the tech who had pointed me to the gloves and masks.“Do you have… Is there a head?”
She pointed behind her.“Simon has one, and there’s another two bags we haven’t opened yet.Once you’re done with that, you can help us match what belongs to which victim.”
Oh, great.Use the necromancer instead of forensics to solve the people parts puzzle.The CSI crew loved me for being fast at that, and I hated them for making me do it.
I gave the tech I’d probably worked with before a nod and walked over to Simon, who I did remember.A few cases ago, he’d tried hitting on Christine.She’d told him she was flattered but also ace, thank you very much.
