THIRTY-EIGHT

6.30 P.M.

‘I bloody knew it,’ Kim said after ending the call from Stacey. ‘The bastard was there this morning. He’s watching us. I knew there was a reason that damn label was missing.’

‘You think he was there from the start?’ Bryant asked as they headed towards the morgue.

Kim shook her head, getting out of the way of a group of visitors who weren’t separating for anybody.

She narrowly avoided a ‘Get Well Soon’ balloon that seemed to have a mind of its own. ‘He would have stood out if he’d been amongst the group at the briefing, but once everyone was involved in the search, they wouldn’t have really noticed an unfamiliar face.

We could have walked right past him. Jared, Ryan or Eric could have been there and would have avoided us easily. We weren’t even looking for our guy cos we were too busy looking for a damn box.’

‘I’ll say this. He’s got some bloody neck,’ Bryant said as they turned the corner to find the forensic techie waiting for them.

‘You know, I always wondered why Keats gave you such a hard time,’ Mitch said, keying them into his small lab close to the morgue.

She nodded towards her colleague. ‘Well, Bryant could have helped you out with that one. I’m just as shitty to him.’

‘Was it really necessary to harass me at the pub with my wife?’ he asked, not letting her off the hook that easily.

‘Shoulda answered your phone,’ she said without apology. ‘Now, what you got for me?’

‘You’re not even sorry for the shit I’m in when I get home?’ he asked incredulously.

She shook her head. ‘Just imagine how badly life would suck for you if your work colleagues were pissed at you as well,’ she said, patting his arm to reassure him that wasn’t the case.

He gave in and walked to his work bench.

‘Okay, the teeth were extracted crudely and without doubt painfully.’

‘For sure?’

‘Oh yeah. Firstly, the teeth weren’t in great condition, weak and full of cavities, meaning it was unlikely they were pulled out with one swift movement. There would have been intense tugging and pulling to get them out. Especially these.’

Mitch pushed forward the molars.

‘Pulled out with what?’ Kim asked, already dreading the answer.

‘Household pliers would be my guess. Dentists use special forceps that can help loosen the teeth first. They’re designed to get the best grip to lessen the pain, and that’s with anaesthetic.’

Kim shuddered and moved on. ‘Last couple of questions and then I’ll let you go home and face the music.’

‘Shoot,’ he said as the tension dropped out of his face. He could now see the light at the end of the tunnel.

‘Can we confirm if the fingernails and teeth are definitely from the same person?’

‘Yeah, in about two weeks. Extraction of DNA from teeth takes time. It ain’t like a mouth swab.’

‘But you have blood on both the fingernails and the teeth,’ Kim argued. Blood was good for DNA surely.

‘It’s too late on a Sunday to talk to you about leukocytes, thrombocytes and erythrocytes…’

‘Gotta be a song in there somewhere,’ Bryant quipped.

Nobody laughed.

Mitch continued. ‘Only leukocytes contain a nucleus, so we have to?—’

‘You’ll look at it tomorrow?’ Kim pushed. If she’d wanted to know the details of forensic procedure, she’d have taken a course.

He sighed. ‘I’ll make a start tomorrow.’

‘And I’d like to know whether there’s the trace of any painkillers in his blood.’

‘I can try to look for some of the obvious over-the-counter medications if there’s enough blood, but how does that help you find your homeless guy?’

‘It doesn’t, but it does tell us a lot about the person who has him. Just how ruthless he is or if there’s an ounce of compassion in there somewhere.’

Mitch nodded his acknowledgement.

‘Thanks, Mitch,’ she said, heading out the door.

‘See you tomorrow,’ he called after her. She was unsure if it was a harmless farewell or a statement of fact.

She let it slide. He might be right… but who knew what they were going to find in the next box.