Chapter Sixteen: Close to Home
Back at the Gold Springs County Medical Center, the autopsy of the murdered victim is well underway. Since Edmund is the primary officer on the case, he sits and tries to wait patiently in the coroner’s office for the final report.
His phone buzzes and he checks the screen. A text from Denis.
Edmund’s fingers hover above the keyboard when the office door opens. Dick was leading the way, while Megan trailed behind. They both wore clean, white robes, indicating the completion of the examination.
“Well?” Edmund asks while returning the cell phone to his pant pocket.
Dick sits behind the large oak desk which is bare besides the manila envelope he places on top. The office itself is rather boring, with the beige walls vacant of any wall hangings. Only a certificate is framed and placed in the center of the wall behind the office chair. The whole ambiance is depressing and morbid, which seems only appropriate due to its grave purpose.
Megan sits beside Edmund in the vacant chair, still clutching the notepad to her chest. As if this alone could protect her from the harsh and cruel world. If only the victim had a trusty notebook, but then again, no thickness of paper could ward off one’s true destiny.
Dick straightens his back and opens the folder. Edmund braces himself for the worse. “As we figured, the victim passed away due to a stab wound. Upon further investigation, the object, which we conclude is a knife, went straight through the heart. She was killed instantly and calculated the time of death anywhere from 10 pm till 12 am on the night of the eighth. Also, based on the pictures taken at the crime scene, we suggest searching for another location where the stabbing happened. No other wounds nor bruising, besides the stabbing, was discovered upon inspection.”
A long pause as Dick closes the folder and places his interlaced hands on top. Megan visibly stiffens in her seat. “The victim is a young teenage girl who ranges in age from 15 to 17. She is 110 pounds, 5’ 2” who has,” he has to clear his throat and Edmund notices Dick’s eyes glisten. “Excuse me, had blonde hair and blue eyes. The clothing she wore was a pair of blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and a pair of glasses. The pockets were vacant and no other bag was found near the scene. At this time,” Dick takes a deep breath, “we are unable to identify the body. We completed fingerprints to run through the database. Since she is most likely a minor, the body has only been cleaned and placed inside the morgue until we contact the next of kin.”
Edmund knew it was going to be sad but wasn’t fully expecting this. Lewis was around the same age. He tried not to think about his only son laying inside a refrigerated cell with no way of knowing what happened. His heart rate spiked, so he grabbed the armchair sides and planted his feet firmly to the ground, hoping to look composed.
“What kind of knife was used to kill her?” Edmund asked.
“From the research, it was most likely a chef’s knife commonly found in kitchen households,” Megan finally speaks up and Dick remains stoic.
Edmund nods his head and thinks, so the investigation of a murdered teenage girl begins. He has more questions but can’t bring himself to ask them because this oddly feels all too familiar and all too close to home.
