The Temple by Emily Shore

Author:Emily Shore [Shore, Emily]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Clean Teen Publishing, Inc.

Part II

18

D e J a V u

Luc

“She was bound,” I remark as I bend to examine the body, which lies face down on the glass floor. “You can see the chafing on her wrists.” I circle the area above them without touching her.

Using a pen, I sweep aside her hair to study her neck, confirming my suspicions based on her skin palette. “There are signs of strangulation, indicating a necessity for control over the victim.”

“Good observations thus far, Aldaine.”

It astounds me how that man can pay compliments at a time like this. Always playing the charming director mask despite my knowing the contrary. I suppose we all don them in some form or other. I have my own, but at least I’ll admit it.

“I need gloves.” I turn to look over at Force, who squats next to me. “Don’t you have a forensic pathologist or medical examiner on staff?”

“Retainer,” he clarifies. “Situations like this don’t occur too often. Naturally, accidents happen in the line of duty for girls here, and we avoid the negative publicity and compensate the families if such families exist. In this case, Star Fruit—” he gestures to the victim, “—was one of my Exhibit Girls of the Year. There is one for each level.”

It doesn’t surprise me. We had our own system at the Aviary with girls who had performed more admirably than others and rose to become Higher Birds. None such as Serenity. Just beckoning the Aviary memories where she was under my control and not her sadistic father’s stirs the killer inside of me. My greatest regret is the auction since it didn’t make a damn bit of difference anyway. She walked right through the doors of the Temple.

“What do you think, Aldaine?” Force diverts my attention. Necessary at present. “Jealous rival? Obsessive client? Lustful guard?”

“What about the security cameras?”

“None for this particular area.” He circles a finger around the back employee stairwell. “Higher levels are equipped with better security.”

It does not necessarily mean the killer was employed with the Temple. With proper motivation, an obsessive client could easily determine what avenues don’t have as much security.

“What about other areas? What was her schedule like today?”

“She was off-duty until later this evening. Exhibits of the Year are only featured once a month, and it shifts for each level. Star Fruit could have been in her dressing room or on any other level for all we know. Why?”

“She was not killed here.”

“And how do you know that?”

“The angle of the body, how she was placed—they are all wrong. Her hair is also damp as well as her clothes, which could be a result from drowning, but there is no water in the stairwell other than directly around the body.” I trace the outlines of the corpse. “A lung ‘float test’ during the autopsy will help determine whether she was killed by strangulation or by drowning.”

“We have well over a hundred pools in this complex.”

“Don’t forget whirlpools or private baths or on rare occasions even sinks or toilets.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.