A POUND OF FLESH

Another Body

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5

ANOTHER BODY

Ron let out a frustrated sigh, it has been over a month since his partner retired and was starting to feel like a replacement was not coming. While Ron much preferred his own company, he started to understand the utility of a partner as he stares at the stacks of case files on his desk being proof. They always disappeared much faster before Art left.

Ron felt his mind tiring, the case of the mutilated prostitute tugged at the back of his mind, and he wondered if being burnt out was what left it unsolved.

"What's this?" Ron raised an eyebrow at the file that had been dropped on his desk. A few photographs tumble out. Ron barely glances at them as he tidies the disarrayed documents and places them back in the file before they become lost in the mountain of paperwork already there.

"These were sent over this morning. Take a look." The deep monotone voice of his supervisor jogs his mind back to reality. With one hand he thumbs the corner of the folder and the other runs through his salt and pepper hair. He makes a mental note to get a haircut as it starts to appear unkempt. He grazes over the notes on the first page before looking up questioningly to his superior.

"This is not my jurisdiction?" a puzzled look comes to his face when he read the site location.

"No, it's not. But just look at the file there are some similarities to a case you handled a few weeks back - when you are done make sure you send over your stuff to them... although it will probably become yours if you want it. Just requires some coordinating..." His supervisor slowly trails off his sentence as he becomes disinterested and went back to reading something in his hands ignoring him completely.

Ron returns to his own reading. He flips the cover page.

Some similarities is an understatement.

***

Based on this new development Ron is surprised that his supervisor did not seem more excited that they would have first dibs on the case. It would be high profile and it would likely mean another promotion for his young ambitious boss. Perhaps he thought it would be too much for Ron to handle and they would be better off leaving this one to the big city detectives, with bigger budgets and more experience.

Ron turns his attention to the large volume of photographs the scene technicians had taken. The black and white images have a haunting affect. The shadows make it seem staged - gore for shock. The lifeless eyes of the poor woman stare off to the right, the tongue rolled off and out at an odd angle. To her side, a plash of darkness pooled onto the ground. There was a dark gaping wound that ran the length of the neck. As had been the case with Martha, Polly's skirt was pulled up, almost to the height of her chest. Her lower abdomen gave off the appearance of a poorly carved Thanksgiving turkey.

Stab wounds, Ron deducts.

"Shit? How did I not hear about this sooner?" Ron's eyes grow wide as he looks up for an answer.

"Not sure how it didn't get the kind of publicity ours did - maybe Toronto just sees more of this kind of stuff?" His supervisor shrugs his shoulders and turns to make his way back to his office ending any further attempts at conversation.

***

Ron examines the pictures at length, spreading them across his desk, the macabre display drawing the attention of those who sit around him. Noticing the attention he is garnishing, Ron gathers the pictures up and tucks them back into the file. As he looks around, mixed expressions plaster the faces around him - horror, shock, intrigue, sadness and pity. The group quickly disperse as each individual turn to other tasks. Pushing the thoughts of those around him aside, he turns back to the file, pulling it open to look at the statements.