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“Their necks were snapped,” Faith summarized.
“Yes. The silver lining is that they would have gone out quickly. The action was completed very cleanly. They were dead within seconds and felt no pain.”
“Do you think this was a practical action on the killer’s part or a sympathetic one?” Michael asked.
Dr. Test lifted his hands. “That’s where we’ll need your expertise.”
Faith clarified the question. “I think what my partner’s asking is if there’s any sign that the killer showed extra care to the bodies. Were they treated gently or cleaned up at all? Anyevidence that they were touched in an affectionate or a sexual manner?”
“No sex. I can tell you that right away. There’s no bodily fluids anywhere, not even trace amounts of saliva that would come from breathing on them. Your killer wore a mask.”
“Good to know.”
“No bruising around the nipples or groin that might indicate manipulation. Both victims were touched around the hips and waist, but more on the outside. Samantha’s legs were opened, but it looks like she was grabbed at the ankles. The killer might have enjoyed the visual of two attractive naked young women, but his or her hands stayed well away from their more sensitive areas.”
“How can you tell if there are no fingerprints?” Michael asked.
“Traces of talcum powder from the latex gloves the killer wore,” Test replied. “And before you ask, no, the talcum doesn’t match the colored powder sprinkled over the victims.”
“And you still have no idea what that was?” Faith asked.
“No. I understand CSI took a sample and is waiting for an analysis.”
“Were there any defensive injuries?”
“None. No sign at all that the victims were even aware of the attack until their necks were… until the killing blows were struck.”
“So the killer sneaked up from behind,” Michael deduced.
“Yes. It appears the killer did place a hand over Samantha Reynard’s mouth before killing her. Based on the bruising around her mouth, he had to lean over her. With Cassidy Holt, there were no other injuries of any kind.”
“He probably killed Samantha while she was sitting on the couch then,” Faith surmised. “Covering her mouth wasnecessary to give him the extra half second to position his other hand and twist before she could scream.”
"I do want to clarify," Dr. Test said, "that we aren't sure if it's a he or a she yet. Looking at the bruising around Samantha's mouth, the killer's fingers are relatively delicate. Not necessarily female, but possibly so."
“We’ll keep that in mind,” Faith said. “Thanks for the reminder. We sometimes refer to killers with a male pronoun because in our experience, ritualistic killers—especially spree and serial killers—are almost always male.”
Dr. Test sighed. “Why is that? I mean, I understand the idea of sexual obsession. I’m just as sexual as any other man, but I don’t understand the association of sexual gratification with violence and death. Why would you fantasize about hurting a woman or forcing her to have sex with you? Not that our killer did, but…” he sighed. “I’m sorry. I suppose it’s not professional of me to say this, but deaths involving younger women affect me in ways other deaths don’t. I guess we all fixate on beauty in one way or another.”
“It’s very possible that there isn’t a sexual component to this crime,” Faith said. “We naturally gravitate toward that assumption because the victims are naked, but each time we approach it, we find nothing other than the nudity to back it up. It’s probably important to our killer that the victims are women, but if he really was this businesslike with his actions, then we can probably put sex to bed—pardon the sort of pun.”
“That could suggest that our killer is female,” Michael offered.
“It could,” Faith agreed. “Would it take a lot of physical strength to snap someone’s neck, Doctor?”
“It would take a firm motion,” Dr. Test replied, “but well within the parameters of normal female strength. If doneprecisely—and it was—then you could snap someone’s neck with only moderate effort.”
“That’s a lovely thought,” Michael said.
Dr. Test smiled sadly. “Ours is a bad line of work for people who like to sleep at night.”
“You can say that again.”
“What about the way the bodies were positioned?” Faith asked. “With Cassidy turtled and Samantha starfished?”
Dr. Test grimaced slightly at Faith’s marine analogies. “Beats me. I don’t really have a head for motives. I’m much better as a scientist. That’s why I went to medical school instead of the police academy. I can tell you that the positions were important to the killer because Cassidy Holt was positioned so that her body wouldn’t move out of that pose. Her head was placed in between her knees and her arms and legs were manipulated so that by lying her on her left side with her right hand under her left knee, gravity would hold her limbs roughly in place.”
“How roughly?” Michael asked.
