Final Truth by Mariah Stewart

Author:Mariah Stewart [Stewart, Mariah]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, Suspense
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2006-06-12T04:00:00+00:00

Fourteen

Mitch knocked on the medical examiner’s door and waited to be admitted. This was, he knew, a courtesy on his part. He could have walked in and announced himself, but he didn’t like to start off a new case by pushing his federal credentials down anyone’s throat.

To his mind, Sheriff Herbert Dempsey was just asking for a little federal push and shove. Mitch had a feeling that before the weekend was over, Dempsey would get at least one, and from someone much higher up than Mitch.

The ME’s assistant came to the door, and admitted Mitch as soon as he held up his ID.

“We’re still working on her,” the assistant told him. “Come on in.”

“Who is it, Mary?” the ME asked without looking up from her work.

“Special Agent Mitchell Peyton,” Mitch told her.

She glanced up and looked behind Mitch.

“The sheriff didn’t come with you?” she asked.

“Was he supposed to?”

She grinned. “He never has in the past, but I was wondering if maybe he wouldn’t want it to look like the FBI was showing him up.”

She held up her gloved hands.

“Sorry, can’t shake. I’m Virginia Moffitt.”

“Nice to meet you, Doctor Moffitt.” He walked closer, close enough to see that the late Pamela Hobbs had had her throat slashed from ear to ear.

“The mouth that’s painted on.” He pointed to the victim’s face, where a clownlike mouth grinned at them ghoulishly.

“Blood. Hers, I’m thinking. The lab reports should be back in before the end of the day, but I’d bet the Porsche it’s hers.” Dr. Moffitt’s focus was back on her work.

“You have a Porsche you’re willing to bet?” he asked.

“Vintage 911, 1989.” She smiled without looking up. “And since my daddy always told me not to bet anything I can’t afford to lose, I only bet on sure things.”

“So what can you tell me about our young lady?” Mitch asked.

“She’s in her early twenties, well developed, well nourished, but doesn’t appear to have worked out much the way so many young girls do today. She’s soft, poor muscle tone. Could have used some dental work, but it’s too late to worry about that. Stomach contents, mostly alcohol. BAL was two point one, so she’d been partying with someone until shortly before her death.”

“Drugs?”

“Drug screen has been run but like I said, the results on the blood work won’t be in until later today.”

“Official cause of death?”

“Exsanguination from a slash wound to the throat,” she said without expression.

“Any other wounds?”

“None. That one was enough to do the job.”

“Any sign of sexual assault?”

“There’s evidence she had intercourse before she died, but no signs of a struggle.” The doctor looked at Mitch over the girl’s body. “I’d say she knew her killer well enough to have sex with him.”

“But not well enough to know he was a killer.”

“Right. There’s no sign that she struggled, though there is some sign that she may have been suffocated.”

“Strangled?”

“No, there’s no visible sign that she’d been strangled, no bruising to her neck, the hyoid bone is intact. But there are signs of petechial rash around the eyes, so she’d had her oxygen cut off at some point.

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