Detective Mackey speeds through several stoplights, siren blaring and lights activated. Dave glares at Mackey from the passenger seat, his arms folded across his chest.

  "I thought you said the welcome wagon wasn't needed? 'We're not apprehending him,' you said. So what's with the damn lights and the siren?" Dave roars.

  "You like big trucks. I like playing with all of my accessories. We all have our vices, Deputy Newsome," James says with a smirk. "Sit back and relax. We're almost there."

  "How can I sit back and relax when you're nearly throwing me into the dashboard with your slapdash driving?" Dave bellows.

  "Okay. Don't sit back. Just relax. We won't get there any faster with you passenger seat driving," Mackey says between a loud laugh.

  "Any faster? You silly bastard! If you went any faster...We'd break the speed barrier. Slow your maniac ass down before you kill someone!"

  "Nah. Not until you agree to stop riding my witnesses so hard...And that you'll stop acting like a major pain in the ass!" Mackey yells.

  "Is that some kind of a threat?" Dave roars, his eyes flashing in anger.

  "No," Mackey says, turning his head slightly to wink at Dave. "But I am the one behind the wheel. We have a deal?"

  "No!"

  "You sure about that?" James says, slowly pressing down more on the accelerator.

  Dave watches the speedometer go up 1mph, then two, and then five. He glares at Detective Mackey from his side of the vehicle.

  "This is reckless endangerment!" Dave yells.

  "Ah. Only if something really bad happens. You are in full control of that, Dave. All you have to do...Is agree to stop being such an ass. Treat my witnesses with kindness. Stop endangering my investigation with your delusions of control. When we think we are most in control...We are actually very little in control. Make the deal, Dave. It's not that hard. Live to plow your little honey bear another day."

  "What the hell? Are you sick?" Dave inquires, disgust on his face.

  "I was hoping that'd make you say 'yes'. Sorry old boy!" Mackey says.

  "Okay," Dave relents. "Okay, dammit! I'll treat your damn witnesses with respect."

  "And...Stop fouling up my investigation with your even fouler attitude. Say it!"

  "And I'll stop...Fouling up your investigation with my foul attitude," Dave finishes. "Are you happy now, Detective Mackey?"

  "Yes. Quite," Mackey says, bringing the speed of the Crown Vic down incrementally. "I knew mentioning your little honey bear would smooth things out. She is quite a catch. I'm sure Sheriff Northrop would think so too."

  This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

  Dave seethes from his seat, eyes narrowed and staring straight through the windshield. Detective Mackey pulls into the parking lot of the coroner's office a moment later.

  "We're here!" James says in a singsong voice.

  "And you're the weirdest detective I've ever met," Dave pouts.

  "Thank you," Mackey says proudly.

  "That wasn't a compliment!" Dave growls.

  $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

  "Hey, Bertram!" Detective Mackey says, knocking on the door to the autopsy room before entering.

  Deputy Newsome slowly follows Mackey inside. The expression on Dave's face illustrates that he is in a pissy mood. The longest serving coroner in Merrville County, Bertram Isaacks steps out of a side room and hastens to remove his soiled gloves. Dave's stomach lurches at the sight of blood on the coroner's apron and gloves.

  "Hello, detective. Hi, deputy. If you will follow me over here...I'll show you what I found in the victim's stomach while performing the autopsy."

  "In her stomach?" Dave exclaims, incredulously. "What did you find in the girl's stomach that would be pertinent to our investigation? Was she poisoned? We don't want to know what she had for lunch!"

  "Now, Dave," Detective Mackey warns with an arched brow. "What did we say about respecting the investigation?"

  Bertam becomes confused. He looks from Dave to Detective Mackey. Exactly who is in charge?

  "Uh...Well," Bertram stammers. "I think it's very important because it shouldn't have been there. Here, see for yourself."

  Bertram removes a teal colored stone from a shiny metal tray. He hands it to Detective Mackey, who just so happens to be closer. Detective Mackey turns the stone over in his hand. On one side of the smooth teal stone there is a symbol resembling a bucket with water spilling from its top. Mackey studies it for a moment more and then hands the stone to Dave.

  The detective's mouth is drawn downward, and his eyes take on a faroff look. Dave scrutinizes the rock from every angle, trying to make sense of what he is seeing. He fixes his gaze on the flustered coroner.

  "You found this in our Jane Doe's stomach?"

  "Yes. But that's not the only strange thing. I think we can conclude that the woman on the table is in fact Rose Perry. That missing strip of flesh on her back is very fresh. At first, I thought it might have been caused by an accident or something like that. But after my conversation with Detective Mackey, I knew what I was looking for. I started paying closer attention. Parts of the tattoo remain. Little spots of ink here and there. Some of the red petals and the green stem. This is likely Rose Perry."

  "Oh damn!" Mackey says, clenching his right hand into a fist at his side.

  "It gets stranger," Bertram continues. "I went back to check the other girl. She has a patch of missing skin too. Very recently taken. Behind her left ear. And another missing patch close to her navel. I found tattoo ink there as well. I think someone is removing their tattoos...For a purpose."

  "Oh god!" Mackey abruptly cries out. "Let me see that stone again, Dave!"

  Dave hands the teal stone back to Detective Mackey. Mackey studies it much harder this time.

  "Our guy is definitely leaving us a calling card," Mackey mutters nearly under his breath.

  "What makes you say that?" Dave inquires in a bitterly sarcastic tone.

  "This...Is an astrological sign. Well, not the official symbol...But a very common one. It represents one portion of the zodiac. The sign of Aquarius, the waterbearer. I thought something was eerily strange about how he shaved those girls. And how, the first Jane Doe was found curled up like that. It felt childlike...Fetal. That's why he shaves them. That's why he removes all blemishes. He's claiming to give them a new birth. Under his sign. The sign of Aquarius."

  Bertram removes his glasses and rubs them on the front of his collared shirt.

  "You got all of that from looking at a stone?"

  James Mackey simply stares at the stone in his hand, mind too numb to respond.