INADEQUATE

2

"You get weirder and weirder every day." Danny's comment causes me to laugh but it gets interrupted by the deafening sound of my phone ringing.

When answering it there's silence then a short response, "On our way." It was the officer from earlier, the body is with the coroner. The phone then immediately ended. Danny downs the rest of his drink, as for I, my glass is left on the counter for later. I didn't even get to have a sip. What a disappointment. We make our way to the car and head straight to the morgue where Dr Murphy is waiting for us. Dr Murphy has known us for two years now, but it feels like a lot longer. She keeps to herself for the most part but enjoys the occasional flirting and excitement of a case. Over the years, I've observed her and seen her come out of her shell. As we got to the building, it sent a cold breeze towards us. It's something we've grown accustomed to as the morgue tends to send an aura. The bright lights reflect off the steel equipment and white walls, brightening up the room. The smell of the many chemicals burning the hairs in nostrils. Dr Murphy came out of her office and put her gloves on with her auburn hair up in a loose bun and glasses slightly balancing on the bridge of her nose. Her lab coats hung on her shoulders, showing how oversized it is compared to her small frame. "I'm guessing you took Gary's by accident." I point out while staring at the young doctor. Murphy's face filled with confusion then understanding as she follows my eyes, a small blush appears at the embarrassment. The simple mistake is adorable, Danny ends up laughing.

"So, the body," Murphy clears her throat and turns to the table where the corpse lays at rest, she takes the limp white sheet off slowly and stops at the lower half. The body looks different from earlier, it looks wet as if it's ice that's melting. "As you can see here, there's a small hole with puss. I found traces of this plant in his toxicology report, Gelsemium."

This intrigues my brain putting the information right in front of my eyes, "The plant can cause asphyxia, convulsions and paralysis. It's hard to find though and only found in specific places." Voicing them out, Murphy stares at me in awe.

"Yes! They're in specific flowering varieties, there's only three though. One located in China and the other two native to North America." A smirk grew on my face towards Murphy as she scrambles to her desk and gives us the report. "I couldn't find any other injuries on his skin except for his eyes been gouged out. I can also estimate his age to be between thirty and thirty-five. He seems to be quite athletic and healthy. His teeth haven't come up with any dental records. So, John Doe will just have to be called that for the time being. There's more in the report since I know you guys are busy."

Danny puts an arm on her shoulder followed with his charming smile, "Murphy we are never too busy for you."

Dr Murphy sends him a smirk and places a peck on his cheek, "Cute as ever Bridges!"

"Can you do me a favour and open his mouth please?" Both Danny and Murphy look at me, the doctor does it and looks back with a questioning look. "Usually when a killer has a message, from past cases I've seen that they put it on the wall or in the victims' mouth but instead he put it in his hands. I just find it a bit odd." There's discoloration in there and a small string that is almost impossible to see through the human eye. My flashlight gives me a clear view in which I use the surgical tweezers to extract it. "Take a look at this and let me know what you find. Also find out why and what burnt his throat." Murphy looked at what I'm talking about and her jaw dropped.

She ran into her office and closes the door immediately; I can only guess that she is mentally telling us that it's time to leave and let her work. "Hey, Captain just called. They've found something." I didn't even notice he had a call; my eyes were on the corpse. The man lying on the cold table. His dark hair with slight curls and pronounced stubble as his skin is pale. Parts of his body were still frozen and very much blueish. The large holes in his head where his eyes used to be, almost illuminating the red meat we call human flesh.