The Crucifix Killer

Thirteen

The technicians at the County Department of Coroner had used a software program specially developed to reconstruct full images from partial ones. The program is similar to the ones used by film studios on the latest computer-animated motion pictures. The basics are simple – in the animation process, the designer first creates a wire frame of the character as a base and then covers it with a ‘skin’ layer. The process used by the Coroner’s technicians followed the same steps, although no wire frame was needed. Their base was the victim’s skinless face image.

This process is mostly used to re-create an image out of bone structure – a body that has been discovered in a very advanced or complete state of decomposition. In the case of last night’s victim, the process was made easier because the muscle tissue around her face was almost intact. The computer didn’t have to calculate the fullness of her cheeks or the shape of her chin and nose. It only needed to apply a skin layer over the already existing lean tissue, calculate skin age and pigmentation and Hunter and Garcia had a face.

Hunter was right, she’d been a beautiful-looking woman. Even though the computerized image made her look like a character out of the Final Fantasy video game series, Hunter could easily see the soft lines, the model-like features that made up her face.

From his car, on the way back from the Coroner’s office Hunter called Captain Bolter.

‘Hunter. Tell me something good.’

‘Well, the computer guys at the Coroner’s office managed to re-create the victim’s face using some fancy computer program, that should help us identify her.’

‘That’s good news, what else?’

‘That’s about as far as the good news go,’ he paused to take a deep breath. ‘According to Doctor Winston, it’s more than probable that we’re dealing with the same killer as before.’

Silence followed. Captain Bolter had expected this since finding the double-crucifix on the back of the victim’s neck.

‘Captain?’

‘Yeah, I’m here. This is like the fucking twilight zone.’

Hunter agreed but said nothing.

‘I’m setting you and Garcia up in a separate office, away from the main floor. I don’t even want the rest of the RHD detectives to get involved in this.’

‘That’s fine by me.’

‘The last thing I need in my hands right now is widespread panic around this city because some shitty reporter got hold of this story.’

‘Sooner or later some shitty reporter will get hold of this story, Captain.’

‘So let’s try and make it a lot later than sooner shall we?’

‘You know we’ll be doing our best, Captain.’

‘I need more than your best this time, Hunter. I want this killer caught, and I mean the REAL one.’ The anger in his voice was undeniable as he slammed the receiver down.