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David looked at Abby Abby hite and pinched, but she didn’t turn away "Can you tell?" David asked her

To Malachi’s surprise, Abby nodded "It’s not Helen," she said

"And you know that because?"

She pointed to the corpse’s left breast--in relatively good condition "Helen had a tiny clover tattooed right there She told a bunch of the girls about it one day, as long as ore not to say anything to the guys she worked with She liked to tease theuess where, and when she had all their guesses, maybe she’d tell them And the hairI don’t think that’s the shade of Helen’s hair She was alirl had a manicure and Helen didn’t manicure her nails She always said wenches didn’t use polish"

"Okay, then" David let out a sigh "We’re still looking for Helen And we have to find out who this poor girl -person reports back at the office Thank you for co in"

Malachi didn’t want to leave yet He walked closer to the table and stared at the dead woht help hiation "Death was by drowning?" he asked

"Her lungs were filled ater from the river," Dr Tierney said "They’ve scraped her nails, searched for trace evidencebut I don’t know She was in the river about a day and a half to two days, until she washed up near the dock"

"So, she died around the tilanced at David

David shrugged "That tiht," he said

Malachi didn’t want to act like a ghoul but he wanted to touch the body Heto study the remains of her face He touched her arm; she was cold and he felt no sense of her But he noticed so he hadn’t seen before Perhaps it was a detail the medical examiner’s office and the police had wanted to keep quiet

Her hands were darkened and curled at her side but there was so odd about her left hand Malachi raised his brows at brow at Tierney and touched the icy hand He looked at Tierney

Tierney returned his look with a fierce frown

Malachi straightened "May I see the other corpses?" he asked

Tierney swung around to face David

"He’s one of my old partners, Doc And now Mr Gordon is a consultant with the FBI I would appreciate it if you’d help us"

Tierney hesitated and pulled back his sleeve "It’s late," he et out of here?" Dirk pleaded

"Abby?" Malachi asked

She wanted to stay and help--that was clear in her eyes--but it was obvious that she was the one who needed to be with Dirk

"I’ll take you home, Dirk," she said

"I’ll take Mr Johansen for a coffee across the street We’ll wait for you," David offered "Abby should be here since she just graduated froent now"

"So I’ve heard," Tierney murmured It didn’t sound as if he was i at her Learn to live with it, he told her silently

Whether she understood his e or not, she handled it "Thank you I believe it’s important that we see all the victione, Malachi spoke to Tierney "She’s nawed off, it was cut off," he said

"We’re not letting that information out," Tierney said curtly

"I understand" Malachi nodded "Is it the same with the other corpses?"

"Yes"

Tierney walked over to a ith nu doors and placards in little slots He went straight to drawer nine A handwritten naently removed the sheet froirl they’d just seen Most of her face was intact Malachi saw the e that had been described in the autopsy notes He also saw that the ring finger on her left hand had been severed at the knuckle

"Head injury is here," Tierney told hi

She’d been struck on the back of the skull--one solid blow

"It would’ve knocked her out?" Malachi asked

"Probably ca the skull, so, yes, likely she would’ve been knocked out But if you look at the wound closely, you can see there’s healing So she regained consciousness again--a day, a few days?--before she was killed," Tierney explained

That ut Dead was dead--but he wondered what torture she’d gone through before death

"What about Rupert Holloway?" he asked

"That was different As far as I can tell, Holloas knocked out and killed soon after Maybe a few hours later, so woer I assuh I can’t state it definitively, I believe both were sexually molested, and killed later I don’t think they were in any condition to fight off the rapist They were probably knocked out and held until they annoyed their attacker--or he tired of them Ms Shepherd was the last victiht here"

She could have been anyone "How did you ID her?" Malachi asked