Page 29 of Dark Shadows
Savanah swallowed hard. The room tilted slightly. This woman had smiled at her just yesterday. Flirted with Mason like her life didn’t have an expiration date.
“She bled out,” Klein said, voice low. “Three slashes. One across the throat, the others on both wrists. Classic drain pattern. Killer wanted to empty her completely.”
“Good lord,” Savanah whispered.
“Rigor has already set in,” Klein said. “The coroner estimates time of death around ten last night. We’ll get a tighter window after the autopsy. ME’s ready to take her. Said we’ll have tox results and a preliminary timeline by morning.”
He turned to the wall, pointing.
“Spatter analysis tells us plenty. The arterial spray shows the killer stood directly behind her for the first cut. The void patterns suggest he knew exactly how to stay out of it. Blood was drained into the bowl first, then used for writing. Technicians say it was applied with a brush. He was calm. Precise. This wasn’t rushed.”
Mason studied the scene. “What about the symbols?”
“Already logged and sent to Quantico,” Klein said. “Chair’s going too. Behavioral team might flag it.”
Savanah’s eyes drifted to the wall. The blood had dried in thick, uneven strokes.
Welcome home, Savanah.
She didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Just stared, as if the message might vanish if she looked long enough.
Savanah clamped a hand over her mouth, the air in the room suddenly too thick to breathe. Her chest tightened, but she couldn’t look away from the wall. She didn’t speak. Didn’t move. Just stood there, frozen.
A voice called out from the hallway. “We found something.”
She turned, grateful for the distraction.
The technician led them to the bathroom and switched off the lights. A chemical mist sprayed across the tile. Under the blacklight, a faint trail appeared. Bloody footprints glowed, stretching from the shower to the bedroom.
“They were cleaned, but not completely,” the tech said. “The degradation suggests they were made during the murder. He covered his tracks, but he didn’t cover them all. Spraying luminol revealed his mistakes.”
“Great catch,” Mason said.
“And this?” The tech shined the light on the underside of the facet. “We’ve got a spec of blood.”
“The killer must have cleaned up and then wiped everything down but missed that one spot.”
“I agree. We’ll get the lab to fast-track it for latent prints and DNA just to be sure.”
Mason’s jaw tightened. “That could be our first real lead.”
Savanah backed out of the room. She didn’t stop at the hallway. She pushed through the front door, discarding her boots and gloves into the provided bag, and stepped out into the open air.
Behind her, Klein’s voice carried, but quieter this time. “She’s not used to crime scenes, but she’ll get there.”
“Hey, you okay?” Bill's voice was soft as he approached, concern etched on his face, despite his own obvious grief.
She nodded, unable to speak. Her throat was tight, her thoughts louder than anything she could have said.
Bill stood there for a second, just staring at the ground. Then his hand came up, resting lightly on her arm.
“I can’t believe she’s gone,” he said, barely above a whisper. “One minute I’m at work... The next, I come home to find her tied to a chair like a damn animal.”
His voice broke, and he blinked hard. When he looked at her, something shifted.
“And now you’re back...after all this time...and this happens?” He shook his head, more lost than angry. “I don’t know what to think.”
Savanah flinched. “Bill, I’m so sorry. I never wanted…”
