“Age, height, profession? Any indicators?” asked Edis.
“25-45 years old based on the victimology. Probably white, most likely works a manual labor job given his physical capabilities. That’s all I can really say without knowing a few more details. I’m guessing forensics are still looking the second scene over?”
“Yes they are, and-,”
“There’s something wrong with this,” Paige chimed in. She glanced between Ella and Edis, almost as if she was waiting for permission to continue. It was a look Ella was all too familiar with.
“Wrong how?” Edis asked.
“This leg. He hasn’t cut it off and left it behind.”
Ella wasn’t sure what Paige was talking about. “What do you mean?”
“Umm,” Paige stuttered. “I mean, I’m not sure. It might be nothing.”
The days when Mia would shoot down Ella’s outlandish theories were still fresh in her mind. She recalled the times such restrictions prolonged investigations further than they needed to. Ella wasn’t going to foster the same kind of environment.
“Just go for it,” Ella said. “Say whatever’s on your mind.”
Paige held up a photo for both of them to see. “This victim here, the second one. She’s got a tattoo that runs from her arm down her ribs.”
Ella checked her own copy of the picture. She’d noticed the tattoo but didn’t think anything of it. The tattoo was a nature scene. Trees, mountains and birds near her shoulder, waterfall running down the side of her body. “Right.”
“Even if we reattach her leg, that tattoo just ends abruptly. I’ve seen a hundred tattoos like this and they don’t just stop.”
Ella followed her train of thought. She inspected a close-up photo of the severed leg and then a full body shot of the victim.
Paige had noticed something quite important.
“Oh my God. You’re right.”
“This isn’t her leg,” Paige said. “This is the first victim’s leg, left at the second crime scene.”
There was a moment of silence while Ella concluded the same thing. When she looked a little closer, she was happy to confirm Paige’s beliefs. Quite impressive, Ella thought. She wouldn’t have noticed that herself, at least not so quickly. Beginner’s luck? Or maybe Paige had some decent investigative skills behind her glossy exterior.
“Her toenails too,” Ella said. “There’s chipped nail polish on both feet. Red on the left, green on the right.”
“Red and green should never be seen,” Paige said. “A woman like this wouldn’t be seen dead wearing…oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”
Another familiar expression, Ella thought. The one after you put your foot in your mouth.
“Don’t apologize. I was going to say the same thing.”
Edis squinted at the photographs. “Good spot, Miss Ellis. You can look at the rest on the plane. If you need to consult Miss Dark, you can call her from…”
Ella interjected. Her protective instinct took over, despite only knowing this woman for a few minutes. “Woah, director, are you sending Miss Ellis out on her own?”
Edis took off his glasses and threw them on the table. “I’d rather not, but I need someone on this. Miss Ellis, I’m not demanding anything of you. I just want you to go out there and get some experience. If you happen to progress the case, even better.”
“Will do, sir,” Paige said. The look on her face didn’t match her comment.
“There’s no one you can send out with her?” Ella asked. “Not a single agent?”
“I’ll be okay,” Paige offered. “I’m pretty handy with a pistol.”
“Miss Dark, there are no agents available. At least none that can abandon their current duties.”
Ella flicked through the file again. There were a lot of unanswered questions in there, but the only thing she could say for certain was that they were dealing with a highly disturbed individual. Sending a rookie, especially one that matched the demographic of the victims, could be a death sentence.