Blood Wolf’s Path - стр. 20

“Linda was a good person. Find her killer.”

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“George Servanto, sir. My family and I have lived here twenty years. We knew Linda – she was our neighbor. We often visited her…” He seemed genuinely eager to help – or at least that’s how it looked at first glance.

“Notice anything suspicious?” I asked.

“No. Just that the power went out around midnight. I was reading when it happened. A minute or two later, the lights came back on – I’d just managed to pull a flashlight from the drawer,” Servanto explained in detail.

“And does that happen often?”

“In twenty years, I can’t remember it ever happening…”

“Alright, thanks,” I said, turning toward the house.

Inside, the front door and lock were untouched. The killer had either used a pick or – more likely – the victim had let him in. No sign of a struggle in the entryway. In the living room, on the couch, the body lay face down.

The left stocking was torn, the right missing entirely. The killer had strangled her with a bathrobe belt still tied around her neck. A comb protruded from her anus, handle first.

“Well, did the bastard leave us anything?” I asked when I saw the familiar scowl of Herner, the god-tier forensic tech.

“He didn’t just leave something – he left his underwear,” Herner said, clearly itching to share.

“Good. Hopefully they stink enough for the dogs to catch a trail,” I said, encouraged.

“They did. The scent led to the road, then stopped. Likely he got into a car,” Herner reported.

“Time of death?”

“Too early to be sure – the AC was running all night. But my guess, with the cooling factored in, is between midnight and one a.m.”

“Son of a bitch – left his underwear, but turned on the AC to throw us off,” I muttered.

“Maybe it was already on,” Herner suggested.

“No – judging by the stockings and warm sweater, she was the type to feel cold. Let’s check the cameras. Cherry, call Doug Quark at HQ – he’s sharp.”

“What should I tell him?”

“Just give him the address – he knows what to do. Have him pull city camera footage. There’s a gas station nearby – maybe it caught something. Give him the timeframe Herner just told you. He’ll figure it out.”

Cherry was already grating on my nerves.

“Well, this case is a mess,” I told either myself or Herner. “Only good thing – the killer’s left-handed. Easier to track.”

“How do you know?” Herner asked.

“Look at how the stockings were torn. Definitely with the left hand.”

Here’s what I had so far: jack shit. Every night I had to get into the “cage.” I didn’t know what happened after I transformed. My Black partner wanted to kill me. America faced a werewolf epidemic only I could stop. And now this Boston Strangler wannabe was on my plate. This bastard picked victims at random – which meant catching him would be tough. I’d need luck.

“Let’s work,” I said. “Autopsy as soon as possible.”

Half an hour later, Cherry reported that Quark had called back. They’d pulled footage from surrounding streets and nearby gas stations. His team flagged several suspicious cars – their owners would be questioned soon.

The meat wagon arrived. Two guys, with Herner’s approval, rolled the victim over.

One unzipped a black body bag, then they lifted her in.

“One sec,” Herner called. “Stop – photographer!”