Declan
The coroner's office was not at all what I thought it would look like. From the outside you would have easily passed by it, probably with the thought that it looked like a bakery. Not that there were sweet treats on display, just the decor was questionable.
"I know, it's very pink," Jason chuckled as he pushed the cherry red wooden with a glass opening door open for me. A little bell chime rang throughout indicating someone had entered. "The old coroners office had a leak that damaged the structure and this was the only building available. I guess they never got around to redecorating."
The outside of the building was in fact pink painted over the brick. The frames of the window and door were painted in white. The inside still had a cake display refrigerator that was pushed to the corner and instead of waiting tables, there were dark grey couches with a wooden coffee table. A few magazines stacked on top.
A young man sat at the reception desk with a tired and bored expression as he clicked on the computer in front of us. It was only when Jason cleared his throat, did he look up with raised eyebrows before his rounder cheeks flushed. "Detective Young," he stood up with a small smile. "Sorry I didn't see you. It's been a long day."
"I can suspect," Jason chuckled. "Christian this is Detective Declan Killer."
I winched the moment he said my surname. Even more when I saw an amused smile spread across, who I guessed, Christians lips. "Killer?"
"Yeah," I said with a dry tone. "You can just call me Declan though."
Gears shifted in his head before he gasped. "Detective Declan! From New York. It's an honor sir, we were all impressed when you took down the underground gambling mob," he beamed as he eagerly shook my hand. "You're more handsome in real life."
That made me chuckle, "thank you I guess."
"Okay, okay calm down," Jason grinned. "Declan this is Christian Wallen, he's studying pharmaceutical sciences but does part time here."
"I'm planning to go into forensics though," Christian quickly explained. "Maybe narcotics."
I whistled, "trust me. You'll have a better peace of mind as a pharmacist."
"We're here to see Ken about the body that came in last week."
"Oh yes, he's outback. He just came back from his lunch. You can follow me," he led us behind his desk and down a short length of hallway. There was a thick metallic door that led into what honestly felt like a cold room. The air smelt sterile. There were fluorescent lights hanging above that my eyes nearly felt blinded.
The room was small with steel tables that had lab equipment and a corner with a computer with a book shelf behind it. By the looks of it you could tell the coroner's office was not the most funded in the town. Considering its murder statistics it made sense and if there were any autopsies required for natural deaths most bodies were sent to the neighboring hospital.
"Let me quickly go call him. He's probably out back," Christian smiled and went through the small door at the back. There was a short exchange of words before he came back out followed by a tall man with caramel skin, short dark hair, hazel eyes and glasses hanging off the bridge of his nose.
He was dressed in brown slacks, a white button up shirt with a sweater vest over it that had yellow and green. Not the best combination but okay. Over that he wore his white lab coat. When his eyes met mine a soft smile spread across his lips.
"Detective Declan, Ken Smith, what an honor to meet you," he shook my hand and a shiver ran down my spine from how cold they were. "Jason, always a pleasure," he turned his attention to the detective who gave him a smile in return.
"Nice to meet you," I answered, "Sorry for the short notice."
He waved his hand dismissively with a chuckle, "no problem at all. I understand you'd want to get busy right away. The town has been a bit restless. The sooner these cases are solved the better. Christians going to help me get the body out from the back. If you'll give us a second."
"No problem at all," I nodded. He and Christian quickly disappeared again. Jason and I stood in comfortable silence for a few minutes before the door opened again. The body was covered with a white sheet as they rolled it out on a table.
Instantly tons of questions were raised in my head. The man was evidently tall, 6ft2, with enough pounds to make it hard to knock him down. Whoever had killed him either did it with an element of surprise or was bigger than him which made it easier to track down a suspect.
Ken moved the body under the brightest fluorescent lights and he pulled the sheet down to reveal the face and his upper half.
The moment I took in the body I couldn't help but gasp. I knew he would be pale but not like this. "It looks like blood has been completely drained from him," I frowned and I leaned down to closely inspect the body. "You haven't drained him have you?"
He shook his head, "besides bodily fluid no. When I arrived at the crime scene he was just like this."
I scanned the body for injuries but didn't see anything. His skull didn't look caved in either and if you didn't know he just seemed to be asleep. As if nothing had happened at all. There wasn't a scrap or cut. Not even a bruise which confused me further.
"Okay then what killed him?"
Christian and Ken looked at each other before they turned the body over as gently as possible. That was when it hit me. Across his back were the largest gash marks I had ever seen…