Aidan to Mia, those damn dark brows of his lifted. He looked like Satan, for God’s sake. Solliday, not Aidan. Aidan just looked upset.
“Can you give us a minute, Solliday?”
He nodded, obviously still curious. “I’ll wait for you inside.”
She turned to Aidan Reagan. “Kristen already chewed my ass this morning,” she said before he could say a word, “but I’m going to the hospital to see Abe tonight, so if you want to meet me there and take what’s left, be my guest.”
Aidan quietly assessed her face, just as Kristen had done. “Okay. I will.”
His voice was heavy with disappointment. She hated when people were disappointed. And she hated that she hated it. “I have to go.”
“Mia, wait.” He held out his hand, then let it drop to his side. “We were worried.”
“Yeah, I know. Look, Aidan, I fucked up. Somehow I’ll make it up to Abe.” She moved toward the door, but Aidan caught her arm and she sucked in a painful breath.
Instantly he released her. “You still hurt.”
“I’ll live,” she said curtly. “I’m in far better shape than Abe.” Solliday was already talking to the ME. “I really have to go, Aidan.”
Aidan followed her gaze through the window. “Who is that guy?”
“Solliday. He’s with OFI and my new best pal until Abe comes back or we solve his homicide, whichever comes first. Solliday’s fire turned up a body with a bullet.”
Aidan grimaced. “Yeah, I got a glimpse of it. Better you than me, Mia.”
“Gee, thanks.” She pushed past him into the morgue, trying to ignore the odor that always hovered there. It was much worse today. Chemicals combined with the stench of cooked flesh to make her stomach churn. ME Barrington was sliding X-rays onto the light board and Mia forced her mind to switch out of self-pity into detective mode.
The X-rays showed a neat round hole at the base of a skull.
“There’s no exit wound,” Barrington was saying. “The bullet’s still in there, but I can’t guarantee what shape it will be in. Detective Mitchell. Good to see you back.”
“Thanks.” She stared at the X-ray, focusing her thoughts. “Bullet came from a .22?”
“That would be my guess.” Barrington pulled the X-ray down. “No carbon monoxide in her lungs. She died before the fire started.”
“He shot her execution style,” Solliday noted and Bar-ring-ton nodded.
“I found three breaks in one of the leg bones. Two are current. One is healed, the bone set properly, a few years ago at least, so you know she had access to good health care at one time.”
“Her dad’s a cop,” Mia said.
He didn’t blink. Not a damn flicker of emotion. “Well, find out who her dentist was. I’ll get her records and make a formal ID. Until then, she’s a Jane Doe.” The ME walked to a table and carefully pulled back the sheet. Mia took in the sight for a split second. It was all she could manage without losing what little breakfast she’d consumed. It was bad. Worse than she’d expected. Maybe worse than she’d seen before.
Her eyes flashed to Solliday and watched his body go rigid, his skin just a little paler. He’d seen this body before, probably many others just as bad. But it wasn’t revulsion she saw on his face. Just pain.
He has a daughter,
she thought. Young enough to still ground for bad behavior. Thinking that somewhere in the neat suit beat a heart helped her get over her own nausea at the sight of the blackened corpse. She forced herself to look at what remained of a nineteen-year-old girl. She had a job to do.
A macabre blackened face stared up from the gleaming silver of the table. Charred skin stretched tight over her facial bones. A few tufts of hair remained. Blond, like the driver’s license photo Solliday had shown her. She’d been such a pretty girl. So young. She’d been smiling for the DMV’s camera. Now her nose was gone and her mouth was open grotesquely, as if on a final, eternal scream.
What did he do to you,
“Can you give us a minute, Solliday?”
He nodded, obviously still curious. “I’ll wait for you inside.”
She turned to Aidan Reagan. “Kristen already chewed my ass this morning,” she said before he could say a word, “but I’m going to the hospital to see Abe tonight, so if you want to meet me there and take what’s left, be my guest.”
Aidan quietly assessed her face, just as Kristen had done. “Okay. I will.”
His voice was heavy with disappointment. She hated when people were disappointed. And she hated that she hated it. “I have to go.”
“Mia, wait.” He held out his hand, then let it drop to his side. “We were worried.”
“Yeah, I know. Look, Aidan, I fucked up. Somehow I’ll make it up to Abe.” She moved toward the door, but Aidan caught her arm and she sucked in a painful breath.
Instantly he released her. “You still hurt.”
“I’ll live,” she said curtly. “I’m in far better shape than Abe.” Solliday was already talking to the ME. “I really have to go, Aidan.”
Aidan followed her gaze through the window. “Who is that guy?”
“Solliday. He’s with OFI and my new best pal until Abe comes back or we solve his homicide, whichever comes first. Solliday’s fire turned up a body with a bullet.”
Aidan grimaced. “Yeah, I got a glimpse of it. Better you than me, Mia.”
“Gee, thanks.” She pushed past him into the morgue, trying to ignore the odor that always hovered there. It was much worse today. Chemicals combined with the stench of cooked flesh to make her stomach churn. ME Barrington was sliding X-rays onto the light board and Mia forced her mind to switch out of self-pity into detective mode.
The X-rays showed a neat round hole at the base of a skull.
“There’s no exit wound,” Barrington was saying. “The bullet’s still in there, but I can’t guarantee what shape it will be in. Detective Mitchell. Good to see you back.”
“Thanks.” She stared at the X-ray, focusing her thoughts. “Bullet came from a .22?”
“That would be my guess.” Barrington pulled the X-ray down. “No carbon monoxide in her lungs. She died before the fire started.”
“He shot her execution style,” Solliday noted and Bar-ring-ton nodded.
“I found three breaks in one of the leg bones. Two are current. One is healed, the bone set properly, a few years ago at least, so you know she had access to good health care at one time.”
“Her dad’s a cop,” Mia said.
He didn’t blink. Not a damn flicker of emotion. “Well, find out who her dentist was. I’ll get her records and make a formal ID. Until then, she’s a Jane Doe.” The ME walked to a table and carefully pulled back the sheet. Mia took in the sight for a split second. It was all she could manage without losing what little breakfast she’d consumed. It was bad. Worse than she’d expected. Maybe worse than she’d seen before.
Her eyes flashed to Solliday and watched his body go rigid, his skin just a little paler. He’d seen this body before, probably many others just as bad. But it wasn’t revulsion she saw on his face. Just pain.
He has a daughter,
she thought. Young enough to still ground for bad behavior. Thinking that somewhere in the neat suit beat a heart helped her get over her own nausea at the sight of the blackened corpse. She forced herself to look at what remained of a nineteen-year-old girl. She had a job to do.
A macabre blackened face stared up from the gleaming silver of the table. Charred skin stretched tight over her facial bones. A few tufts of hair remained. Blond, like the driver’s license photo Solliday had shown her. She’d been such a pretty girl. So young. She’d been smiling for the DMV’s camera. Now her nose was gone and her mouth was open grotesquely, as if on a final, eternal scream.
What did he do to you,
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