Page 17 of Marked

“Exactly.” Jack’s approving smile makes my stomach flutter. I hate it. I think. Or do I like the praise?

“Then where was she murdered? How long has she been dead?” I counter and look at Jack as he hovers his hand over her body, brow furrowing as he does. I scowl at him. “What are you doing?”

He hesitates briefly before answering. “Checking the body temperature.”

Did he just lie to me? Or am I just on guard from our interaction a few minutes ago? Taking a deep breath, I let it go and ask my next question. “So how the fuck did her body get here?”

“Dalton.” Scott scolds my cursing, but I wave my hand at him.

“We don’t know yet. The medical examiner will have to determine the time of death. We should get our definite results in a few days. As for the original murder scene, we have no idea. Not yet anyways.” Jack straightens, tucking his pen into pocket.

“Who is she?” Taylor speaks up again, stepping aside so a different tech can snap pictures of the scene.

“We don’t know.” Scott sighs.

I turn on my lieutenant. “What do you mean? Didn’t you ask the managers? The other entertainers?”

I can practically see the weretiger puff up. “Of course, we asked everyone. I don’t need you telling me how to do my job, Dalton. No one here recognizes her body.”

“I understand she’s missing her head, but they should still be able to identify her body if they work together, shouldn’t they? And, speaking of which, who found her body?”

“It was a bouncer and I already questioned him when you were on your way here. You can read the notes tomorrow,” Jack answers. “But no one has recognized her yet so we will have to go off of her fingerprints.”

I look down at the decapitated entertainer and then the area of the club we’re in. There’s an emergency exit a little too conveniently close by. “Do you think it’s possible she didn’t work here? That she was just dumped in this club?”

Again, my partner looks pleased. “I was thinking the same thing.”

“What the actual fuck,” I mutter under my breath, looking at the girl once again. “That’s insane, right? Someone coming here just to throw a headless woman into the back of a club?”

Jack nods once. “It’s definitely strange. I have a feeling this case isn’t going to be easy.”

Didn’t I say the same thing to myself earlier? Damn it.

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