The Executioner

Forty-Eight

Hunter braced himself. What else could this killer have done?

‘I have indications that the injuries to her face were caused while she was still alive,’ Doctor Winston continued. ‘He tortured her by melting her face first.’

Hunter frowned. ‘How?’

‘A guess – heat lamps. The victim was tied to an armchair, right? Now imagine the killer had one or even two heat lamps mounted onto a pedestal or a tripod or something, very close to and pointing directly at her face – old interrogation style.’

It suddenly seemed as if there wasn’t enough oxygen in the room.

‘The UVB rays together with the accelerant and the rubber compound used would’ve caused her face to fry and melt, but the injuries wouldn’t be enough to kill her. Unbelievably painful, but not life threatening. Not for hours.’

Garcia coughed twice, trying to clear something from his throat. ‘So you’re saying the killer allowed her to suffer grotesque pain for many hours before finally turning on the fireplace and cooking her alive.’

The doctor used his thumb and index finger to rub his eyes and he nodded slowly. ‘That’s my theory anyway.’

Hunter circled the autopsy table.

‘What about her back, doc?’

‘Yes. She’s no stranger to fire.’ The doctor stepped away from the body, approached a metal cabinet by the west wall and retrieved a paper envelope from the top drawer. ‘Her body’s in a very fragile state and I don’t wanna keep on moving it. So let me show you on these pictures.’ He pulled four photographs out of the envelope and arranged them neatly over his desk. ‘She’s been severely burned before. As you can see, most of her back and neck are scarred.’ The doctor pointed to the first two photographs.

‘Any idea of how long ago?’

‘Very hard to be precise, but she was probably a young girl or a teenager.’

‘That long?’

Doctor Winston nodded. ‘The skin has stretched quite a bit since it’s healed. Meaning she’s grown. I’m certain those burn marks aren’t from her adult life.’

‘The number drawn on her back.’ Hunter pointed to the third picture. ‘Did the killer use blood again?’

‘Definitely. It’s already been sent to the lab, and I’ll have a result sometime today.’

Both detectives looked at all four photographs.

‘How long would you say she was exposed to the heat, doc?’ Hunter asked.

‘Probably from Saturday night all the way until when she was found. I heard the fire was still on when the police came into the house yesterday.’

Hunter bit his lip and nodded.

‘The killer didn’t stop cooking her after she died, Robert. This was more than torturing a victim. This was a demonstration of his resolve. He knew we’d find her. And he wanted us to find her looking like this. He’s showing off how evil and brutal he can be. I’m just not sure why.’

‘Maybe he isn’t showing off, doc,’ Hunter shook his head. ‘Maybe he only stops when the monster inside him is satisfied. That’s not uncommon. Sometimes death alone isn’t enough to soothe a killer’s rage or evil or whatever the hell it is that made him wanna kill. There’re cases upon cases of killers who carry on shooting, clubbing, stabbing, cutting their victims or whatever, way after they’re dead. Some even keep them for days, weeks, months…’

‘Maybe you’re right,’ Doctor Winston agreed. ‘Maybe just killing them isn’t enough for him.’ He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. ‘There’s something else I need to show you.’

The doctor’s tone made Hunter stare in his direction.

Pulling a round magnifying lamp mounted onto a pedestal towards the autopsy table, the doctor summoned Hunter and Garcia closer. He positioned the lamp sideways, its beam illuminating the right side of the victim’s abdomen. ‘Have a look.’ He moved out of the way.

Hunter stared through the magnifying lamp unsure of what he was looking for. A few seconds later his eyes narrowed as they locked their focus on something just under her right breast.

‘No way!’ he exclaimed, feeling a chill electrify his body.

Doctor Winston nodded calmly.

‘You’ve gotta be shitting me, doc.’