The Second Coming by J. Fritschi Read Free Book Online Page B

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    Emergency vehicles with flashing lights, television vans with satellites, construction vehicles and heavy equipment were parked out front as Mike pulled to a grumbling halt. Uniformed police officers, lab technicians and news crews were milling around waiting for answers as Mike and Big Pete ambled around and popped the trunk. Medical boxes with latex gloves and hand sanitizer were neatly stacked. Mike grabbed a bottle of sanitizer and offered it to Big Pete.
    “No thanks.”
    “Suit yourself,” Mike said as he proceeded to scrub down like a surgeon. Big Pete struggled to stretch latex gloves over his chunky hands. “Why do you sanitize before you put the gloves on? It’s not like you’re going to give the victim germs.”
    “There are three keys to living a long, healthy life; water, aspirin and hygiene. The body is made of 90% water. If you keep yourself hydrated, take aspirin daily and wash your hands, you have less of a chance of contracting any germs.”
    “In your case the body is made of 90% alcohol.”
    Scotty approached wearing a lab tech jacket, looking like he had been surfing and smoking weed. “Well if it isn’t Riggs and McMurdock,” hequipped referring to the white and black partners Mel Gibson and Danny Glover made famous in Lethal Weapon. “Nice of you guys to show up.”
    “Danny Glover’s character was named Murtaugh, Scotty,” Big Pete corrected him. “What’s that make you? Joe Pesci?”
    “What’d we got?” Mike asked as the three men stood at the perimeter of the crime scene.
    “Dead female in her 20’s, stabbed in the heart and disemboweled. It isn’t pretty.”
    “It never is,” Big Pete replied as he ducked under the yellow tape.
    “This is different,” Scotty told him as he reached for the handle on the large wood plank door. “I wasn’t prepared for what I saw, so I’m just warning you.”
    As Mike slipped past Scotty, the pungent stench of rotting flesh hit him like someone opened an unplugged refrigerator. He held his hand up to his face.
    The sanctuary was shrouded with shadows. Dust was caked on the pews and floor. Mike’s feet crunched as he walked down the isle. It reminded him of clearing a dilapidated hovel in Iraq. Mike could sense the evil that preceded him as he cautiously made his way towards the altar.
    Pausing halfway down the aisle, he could see a body lying on top of the altar. Her skin was pale and waxy and her hair hung limply down the front. Mike was scanning the room when he spotted the symbol smeared on the wall like the finger-painting of a child.
    “Do you know what the symbol means?” he asked Big Pete.
    “I don’t know what it means, but it looks like the number six with a peace sign in it.”
    “An upside down peace-sign,” Mike corrected him as he approached the altar. Her stomach was spread open like an unzipped duffle bag and her intestines were gone. “Do you know where her guts are?” Mike asked Scotty.
    “We haven’t found them yet.”
    “Maybe he took them with him,” Big Pete chimed in.
    Mike crouched down and examined the floor. “Wouldn’t there be drops of blood if he killed her here?”
    “Probably,” Scotty replied. “Unless he has the precision of a surgeon.”
    “Even if he does, there would still be some evidence.”
    Scotty nodded his head.
    “It’s like he was never here. There are no footprints or any sign of disturbance.”
    Mike stood up and examined the shiny handle that was protruding from her chest. “Take a look at this knife. It looks like it’s made entirely of sterling silver.”
    The flash from Scotty’s camera startled him. He walked cautiously around Shelly, gazing at her bruised and swollen face. His heart ached for her. While fighting terrorists in Afghanistan, Mike had seen many crime scenes, but most of the victims were willing combatants. This innocent girl was snatched from the prime of her life. She was someone’s daughter and Mike vowed to make the killer pay for his