M-13

The Autopsy

I groan and lay my head on the table.

"She said you could wait," Atticus says, because he knows that I do not want to go into work.

However, both he and I know this is a rare occasion. If it really was someone with the Mistacesemia malfunction, I need to confirm that so we can start narrowing down our search field.

"So much for our common day off," I say, forcing a smile as I peck Atticus' lips. "You wanna come with?"

"Yeah, sure. It seems as though we'll be working on this one together, so we might as well both be present," Atticus says as I disappear into our room and put on my work scrubs before finishing my coffee and getting in the car.

It is way too early for this; especially as a specialist who gets to work in the late morning most days. Waking up at six is cruel and unusual punishment.

"How long do you think it'll take?" Atticus asks me as we pull onto the unsurprisingly clear road and head toward my office.

I shrug. "Normal ones only take a couple of hours, but because this is unusual territory, it may take up to four... if you want to come pick me up at the end, you can," I tell Atticus, because he deserves more sleep.

"No, it's alright. I was just wondering because I'm starving and want to order some food," he responds, reaching over the center console and patting my thigh. "Take your time."

I am so in love with this man.

When we arrive at my office, Danielle is sitting at the receptionist desk, despite being a Mistacesemia specialist like me. She catches the confused look on my face and rolls her eyes dramatically.

"Kasey called out again," she grumbles, referring to the new front desk guy who was hired and has a tendency not to show up. "As soon as we find someone new, he's out of here."

"He's a brat," I agree, taking the file that she hands me. "Have you done your own analysis?"

Danielle nods. "I think it was someone with the malfunction. I called the Oregon Supernatural Investigation Unit and they said there were no cameras in the area so they don't have solid proof. You wouldn't happen to know anything, would you Atticus?"

Atticus shakes his head. "I only did one interrogation today but I haven't even seen the crime scene images. Today is supposed to be our day off," he explains, kissing my cheek so I can take off and go preform the autopsy. "Have fun!"

"Always do," I respond sarcastically.

It's never fun to preform an autopsy... especially for someone this young. He looks like he's in his early twenties, only a few years younger than me. His body is in terrible shape; his stomach has been torn open, his eyes are gouged out, and his throat is torn open.

All of his internal organs have been taken, and it is clear that based on the state his body is in that he was still alive when he was ripped open. His hands have deep marks from knives and most of his bones are broken. Only someone of immense strength could do this, or someone with powers. So, either an MMA wrestler decided to kill him, or someone with the malfunction killed him, and that is unfortunately the conclusion I am leading toward.

I finish my report before covering up the body, taking a minute of silence for the boy. We still don't have a name to the mauled body, but it will not be long until they match the body to a name.

My only hope is that the family does not ask to see the body, because that would be horrible.

Danielle and Atticus are conversing when I leave the room, both of them eating sandwiches from my favorite sandwich place.

My heart warms when Atticus' eyes find me and he holds up a bag with lunch for me, but my appetite is ruined for the time being. I hand Danielle my report and sigh, sitting in the chair beside hers, since my childish boyfriend is sitting on the counter.

"Someone with the malfunction killed him," I tell her, grabbing the phone on the desk. "Does the boss want me to call him?"

She nods. "Yeah, most likely. He was really eager to hear your analysis," she tells me, finishing her sandwich. "Also, I have an appointment at ten for a four year old to test their blood and plasma. Would you be willing to hang out here until Jada comes in at eleven?"

I look over to Atticus for clarification that he's fine with it, and he nods. "Yeah, I can," I tell her as I dial my boss' number.

He answers on the first ring.

"Hi, Mr. Mora, this is Lincoln. I'm just calling because I did the autopsy and I wanted to let you know that it was an individual with the Mistacesemia malfunction who killed the boy. We still don't have a name, but I believe that the OSIU is on that and should be passing that information onto us soon enough."

"Sounds good. I'm sorry I couldn't come in, but I'm in Texas visiting my sister and this is a pretty sensitive case. Thanks for coming in."

"No problem, we're going to have the body transferred as soon as they find the name so we can have the OSIU contact the family," I inform him, before we say our goodbyes and hang up.

"It's really weird," Atticus says, pursing his lips. "Most people with the malfunction would hide it if they planned on murdering someone... bigger mass of people to search, you know?"

I nod, because this is surprising, and nothing we have ever experienced. Usually it's an accidents injury involving a person with the the condition, since they usually do not fight back when attacked, but we have never seen a purposeful murder like the one before us.

"It's strange, for sure," I agree, my mind wracking with ideas over what could have happened. "The only thing I can think of is that they would want to be known... like one of those crazy ones that gets on the news because they believe themself to be all-powerful and want to prove their power. If that was the case though, why do it at a random time with no cameras?"

Atticus shrugs. "Maybe it was a fight between the two people? We won't know much until we have a name and know a bit more about the victim."

He's right, but it doesn't stop my mind from racing through new ideas and what could have possibly happened.

For some reason, I have a feeling that this will not be an open and shut case.