Page 6 of Gemini
“Grass,” I said.
“Close.” Jana placed the bit of hair in a slim container, then handed it to me.
I looked it over closely.
Hay.
From what I knew, there were no farms in the city. I took the container and placed it on the counter.
“Aright, let’s open him up.”
Putting on a pair of goggles, Jana grabbed an electric saw and started cutting. Twenty minutes later, the torso was open. We examined the ribs, saw no damage, and started cutting. When it was clear there was no outward damage to the organs, Jana ordered a toxicology test.
“I think we’ve got enough here to start our report. Let’s go ahead and start bagging.” Jana took her tools to the wash basin while I started to bag the organs.
This guy got murdered and thrown out. It wasn’t our job to know by who or why, just to know how. Still, I was more curious than usual. Was it a gang? Or an individual? Why would someone need to go to such lengths? They either had to have really hated the guy, or it was some psychopath.
My mind lurched back to the twins, specifically Leslie. I didn’t want to believe they had anything to do with it, but that tattoo still had me questioning.
“Did they get an identification at all or are we going to have to send blood to the lab?” I tried to ask casually.
As she finished cleaning, Jana slipped off her gloves and threw them in the trash. “Thankfully, the guy had an ID on him after he was found. Police already sent it over. I’ll be adding it to the report.” As I continued to bag the organs, Jana washed up and took her laptop over to her desk. “Let’s see, let’s see,” she mumbled as she searched the records. “Ah, here we go. Mr. Luke Endo.”
Why did that name sound familiar?
I set the man’s liver on the counter and turned to Jana. “Can I see?”
She turned her screen toward me.
I took a few steps closer until I could see the man’s face fully. A blown-out picture from his ID showed brown eyes under a heavy brow and a jaw covered in the shadow of a beard.
Just when I was starting to get the warmth back in my body from the last initial shock, it was gone all over again.
I turned away from Jana so she couldn’t see my reaction.
“You alright?” she asked.
“Mmhm.” I went back to the bagged liver and took it to the fridge. “Hey, is it okay if I take a break? My legs are feeling a little shaky.”
I heard the wheel of her chair move as she turned in her seat. “No problem, I’ll get Cameron to clean up the rest here. I’ll see you in a bit.”
Without looking her way, I made straight for the hall. As soon as the doors closed behind me, I started to walk faster until I was practically jogging toward the bathroom. I trashed my gloves and mask, then washed my now shaky hands before making a beeline for the locker room. I didn’t even bother to shrug off my apron as I yanked open my locker door and plunged my hand into the pocket of my bag, finding my phone.
I pressed on the last number I had called and paced across the room as I waited.
“Come on, come on.”
The call stopped abruptly, ending on a voicemail. “Hey, this is Trish. Leave your message at the beep.”
I cursed a little too loudly as I heard the beep. “Trish, pick up your phone. We need to talk. I’m not messing around, this is an emergency. A real emergency. Please get back to me.”
Cursing again, I hung up, then quickly started to text. When my poor knee began to ache worse, I forced myself to take a seat.
A minute later, I got a call from Jamie, my other best friend, and the only other person I could confide in.
“Hey,” I breathed.
“Lena, you okay?”
