"The dead fae look weird under the microscope."
"Is that the technical term?"
He exhaled. "Look, science and the paranormal world are not the best bedfellows. If I had to determine when a human died, I could easily give you a time, down to almost the minute, because humans decompose the same across the board. Circumstances and environment may change up the numbers, but for the most part, they are identical. Paranormals, on the other hand, are a shake-n-bake bag full of different herbs and spices."
"I like him," Meryn whispered.
River laughed and continued. "If it were a group of vampires, I would just tell you that it was a lost cause. Vampire decomposition times are wildly different due to varying levels of transition. We are in luck since the group was all one race, and they were fae. Now, here is where it gets weird, like I told you. They are decomposing way slower than a human, but faster than any fae I have seen under a microscope."
"How?" she asked.
"You tell me," he countered.
She looked around and saw varying degrees of confusion and consternation. "Shit. Can you give me a ballpark for time of death?"
"Over a week for sure. Any more detailed than that, I am not going to be able to help you without brand new equipment."
Meryn leaned forward. "What kind of equipment?"
"Oh, gee, I do not know, how about the XB540?"
"The one with nanoscale and 3D imaging?" Meryn asked.
"How in the hell do you know that?" River demanded.
"Muwahahaha! I just arranged for some of those to be delivered to Noctem Falls for Magnus' center of healing. How quick can you pack a bag?"
"Fuck clothes! Get me to that workstation," River begged.
"Only if you promise to loop Dr. Rheia Bradley-Albright in on your findings. She has been working on a project documenting different rates of decay regarding ferals and reapers."
"Seriously? There's an existing project working on that?" Brennus asked, looking impressed.
Meryn turned to her uncle. "Unit warrior mates aren't slacking."
"Please, get me to Noctem Falls! I am packing specimens now," River’s voice had taken on a desperate tone.
"I will personally call Magnus and request you be given any and all materials you need to get as much information regarding these murders as possible," the queen promised.
"Your Majesty, you could bend me over and spank my ass as long as I got a chance at that microscope," River said, then went quiet. "Let us all forget I said that; I have been alone in my lab too long."
Meryn was laughing hysterically at her aunt's expression. "That was awesome!"
Darian was chuckling as he used his ring to open a portal. "Keep your pants on, River, I'm on my way," he teased.
"Gods above, shoot me now," River whispered.
"Update me the second you get something," Brie said, putting the man out of his misery.
"Sure thing, Wilson. Gotta go." River disconnected before she could say anything. She turned to the queen. "He didn't mean anything by it."
The queen simply waved off her concerns. "Being around Meryn, I have learned to value individuality that leads to genius over manners that lead nowhere."
Meryn thought about it. "That's good, right?"
The queen smiled at her niece. "It's a very good thing, especially at my age. The older paranormals get, the more we tend to get set in our ways. I swear just being around you for a week or so has helped me so much."
"Will he be able to submit an official report so that we can present it to the Tribunal?" Portia asked.