Page 67 of Shadow of Doubt
She snuck a look at him, and her heart tripped into gear. There he was. Standing tall. Holding his own in the conversation, his rugged jaw set when he wasn’t talking. His dark eyes were rapt with interest as Blake ran down the procedures the Center followed to secure evidence.
She had no interest in evidence protocols unless it involved digital evidence. She could get behind a visit to Nick’s lab. She hadn’t been able to take a tour because Kane knew of her friendship with Nick, and they never knew if Kane would track her here. But it was a certainty that she wouldn’t be leaving this building without seeing it this trip. Plus, she might need to use a computer to tempt Kane to come out into the open.
Blake tapped the button for the lower level. “Kelsey has asked to see you right away, so we’ll be starting with her.”
“Did she say why?” Colin asked.
He shook his head. “No, but I believe she’s discovered something of interest.”
The elevator carried them to the basement, everyone falling silent and leaving the tiny space filled with a different kind of tension. Pondering-life-and-death kind. If the others were like Brooklyn, they were trying to figure out what Kelsey might have discovered in the gruesome recovery of the body.
When the elevator stopped, Blake held up a finger. “Before we exit, just a reminder that you need a staff member with youat all times and you must always wear the security pass. Any questions?”
Brooklyn looked down on the white plastic badge hanging from the lanyard around her neck and shook her head.
“We’re all glad to respect your rules,” Colin said.
The doors split open to a brightly lit but windowless hallway holding several doors. An unpleasant smell permeated the air. Brooklyn hoped Blake would explain it.
He held the doors so they could exit the car. “The osteology lab occupies this entire floor. Everyone calls it ‘The Tomb’ for obvious reasons.”
Yeah. All the bones.Brooklyn shuddered and stepped into the hallway with the others.
Blake let his hand drop, and the doors whooshed closed. “The odor is one of the reasons she has the entire floor when other labs share floors.”
“I’ve been trying to be polite and not point it out,” Dev said. “But it’s been hard.”
“Sorry about that.” Blake glanced over his shoulder as he led the way down the hall. “Even though we have an industrial exhaust and clean air system installed, sometimes the odor seeps out when she cleans bones. We don’t like to offend our private DNA customers, so we contain the odor down here.”
“Cleans the bones?” Brooklyn asked, but the minute the words came out, she really wished she hadn’t.
He continued walking. “Before bones can be examined or analyzed, the remains almost always must be macerated or boiled to remove any flesh and connective tissue.”
Her stomach roiled, and she regretted asking even more. She had to change the subject before he shared additional details. “Do you know Sheriff Abby Day? That’s who we’re working with on the investigation.”
“I know of her, but haven’t worked with her.” He stopped outside a door marked Osteology Lab. “She has a solid reputation in the law enforcement community though, and that speaks volumes to her skills and dedication.”
“Good to know,” Brooklyn said.
Blake pressed his fingers on a keypad on the door, and it popped open to reveal a well-lit room with several stainless steel exam tables. The back wall held a display case filled with bones that were labeled with their names.
A human skull sat on one table, and a full skeleton lay on another of the long, stainless steel tables. Kelsey stood over the skeleton, a long bone in hand.
Was this their victim? Had she already cleaned the bones?
As if she could read Brooklyn’s mind, Kelsey held up the bone. “My latest investigation before I got called to your crime scene. I’m trying to determine a cause of death.”
She set down the bone and stepped out from behind the table. She wore a frilly patterned dress in a vibrant fuchsia color under a lab coat and stunning black pumps with three-inch heels that Brooklyn would love to own. She seemed so delicate and fragile, and yet she worked in such a harsh field. Maybe she wore the dressy and feminine clothing as a counterbalance. At least Brooklyn could see that happening.
“Sorry about the odor today. We’re working on several investigations, and my assistants have kept the wet lab running nonstop.” She pointed at a glass-and-metal door, sealed tight.
Brooklyn took a quick look into the room that held similar metal tables, but these were connected to large stainless sinks against a wall. A huge burner and large pots sat on another wall. Tools took up yet another wall.
She looked at Kelsey. “That’s where you boil the bones.”
She tilted her head. “I’m surprised you know about that.”
“Blake told us.”
