𝑯𝑰𝑴 - Chase Graves

twelve.

12|MIND BLOWN

"So now, Harrison Ford loves millennials and haunted houses." Ravi said as he, Liv and Winter walked towards a murder scene, ignoring the tense atmosphere around them.

"Hold on, what's this?" Liv questioned as she walking up to a post covered in posters. "Don E and DJ Deep Cuts present 'Scratch-Up' Human vs. Zombie Night every Tuesday night at The Scratching Post." She read out loud. "Can't we all just get along?"

"That can't be real." Winter laughed as she peered over her cousins shoulder to see the poster.

"Very real. Very tone-deaf." Ravi confirmed, also re-reading the poster. "Very much in their wheelhouse."

"Exploiting the fragile state of human-zombie relations for a topical dance theme?" Liv scoffed as they started walking again.

"Blaine must be really hard-up for business." Winter commented, finally spotting a large group of people trying to take pictures of the murder scene, a yellow tape stopping them from getting closer.

"Or, you know, he's Blaine." The main medical examiner shrugged. "Excuse me." The three made their way under the tape, finding Clive by the body.

"The victim was shot through the heart." Clive informed them as they got closer. "Point blank range. Execution style. The bullet is lodged in the wall, there."

"One in the chamber." Ravi raised his finger to exaggerate.

"Right through the chamber." Liv continued, slamming her hand down dramatically.

"Heart chamber. Medical humour." Winter explained to the detective as she and him rolled their eyes at the pair.

"The best jokes are the ones you have to explain." Clive stated sarcastically, raising his eyebrows as he looked between the two.

"Sick burn."

"Ballistics should be able to match the bullets to a firearm and narrow down the murder weapon, but that's all we got." Clive went back to serious mode, telling the three medical examiners all he knows so far. "I'm gonna need your A-game on this one, Liv, even though you don't have much to go on. Literally. Most of the victims brain is missing."

"What do you mean missing?" Liv asked, looking down at the black sheet that covered the murder victim.

"I mean, someone tried to steal the whole kit 'n' caboodle, but got interrupted." The detective clarified before crouching down and removing the black sheet. "So all you have to work with is the "kit"."

"That is disgusting. Thank God I suffer PTSD!" Winter cheered, ignoring the glare her cousin was sending her.

"That does not look good for human-zombie relations." Ravi grimaced at the sight while bringing up their previous conversation.

~•~

"Clive's theory holds." Ravi informed the two assistants as he examined the victims head, looking through the hole into her brain. "Whoever did this was acting fast and loose with one hell of a bone saw."

"The murder was so clean. Why was the brain robbing such a mess?" Liv questioned out loud.

"Could've been different culprits." Winter suggested, looking into the massive wound on the victims head.

"One guy's whack is another's snack." Ravi added, sending the pale haired woman a small shrug, agreeing with what Winter said.

"Ready to have your mind blown?" Clive announced as he walked into the morgue. The three medical examiners sent him a look, gesturing down at the dead woman on their table who quite literally had her mind blown. "Sorry, scratch that."

"Come on, mate." The three scoffed, also muttering a "too soon".

"I got an ID on our murder victim." He said, ignoring their laughs at his puns.  "Annie Wallace. 25 years old, from Johnson County, Kansas, where she was living until three days ago." He lifted up the small picture of her. "Her parents reported her missing yesterday. And from a preliminary investigation into her recent internet searches, as well as a transfer of $25,000 into an untraceable account."

"So she was smuggled in." Winter nodded her head in understanding, glancing down at the woman who wanted to enter a zombie infested city.

"Yeah, it's looking like Annie hired a Coyote to smuggle her into Seattle." Clive confirmed for her.

"Why? She was perfectly healthy. No need to be zombified." Ravi asked.

"Something must've brought her here that was worth dying." Liv concluded. Everyone glanced down at the woman, questioning her choices.

"Somthing, or someone..." Clive trailed off before grabbing his notepad from his pocket. "There's a Seattle number that Annie called and texted non-stop. A guy named Allan Fox. Not sure what their relationship was, but transcripts are on their way in, along with Mr. Fox himself."

"Which means you better make yourself a little snack." Winter grinned evilily at her cousin, knowing there was only a small bit of brain covered in dirt left in the victims head.

"It will be just a little snack, thank you very much. Because this has to last me a week." Liv shot her cousin and the detective a small glare as she made her way to the kitchen.

"Don't you always say you wish you were on a diet?" Ravi joked, pointing at the very small amount of brains on the silver plate.

"I'm kidding!" She snapped, shooting a narrowed eye look over her shoulder at her boss. "I am mocking people who say that. That's how anti-diet I am. I have bits about my hatred of that lifestyle choice!"

"All right! You are hangry and you haven't even started yet." Ravi snapped back, sticking his tongue out childishly.

While Liv left with Clive, Winter stayed with Ravi to finish off preparing the body and placing it in the wall.

"Mind if I leave early, I have a wedding to plan." Winter questioned, leaning forwards on the now clean table.

"Only if I can come dress shopping with you." He smiled widely causing them both to squeal with excitement.

"Let's go!"