Chapter Thirty-eight
1475 Words
“Correct,” I answered her, sneaking into Gilbert Jacobson’s work area.
“Sergeant!” Hanna jumped. “You need to stop sneaking up on people. That’s not nice!”
She turned around glaring at me with her finger pointed in my face. Her eyes, however, held a twinkle in them.
“How much longer do you need?” I asked.
“Some things just shouldn’t be rushed, Sergeant,” Hanna reminded me. She lifted the sheet up more to remove the larvae and puparium from some visible wounds. Hanna turned her head quickly away from the sight, fighting the urge to vomit.
“You okay, Miss Grimm,” Noah asked with concern. Hanna gave him a weak nod.
“Those scratches,” she whispered. “They’re claw marks.”
“You positive?” Doc Jacobson asked, his curiosity now engaged. “I’ve been stumped about what could have caused those.”
“Claw marks?” I asked. “From what type of animal?” I just had to know.
“From what I can tell, offhand, a Canis lupus,” Hanna mumbled. “However, I would need to examine it closer for further analysis. Just to be most certain.”
“A wolf. Are you sure?”
“Pretty. I am a biologist, remember? But wolves don’t act that way. I don’t understand this one’s behavior.”
“If it would help, those claw marks were applied postmortem,” Noah simply stated.
“That would then confirm that it isn’t wolven behavior. Wolves don’t just scratch, they also bite their prey. Are there any bite marks as well?”
“None. Just those marks.”
“Okay, well, if you can measure the claw marks, width, depth, and spacing, maybe I can figure out the size of the animal in question.”
“I’ll do that and send it over,” Noah eagerly agreed.
“You can figure that out, just with claw marks?” I asked, being intrigued.
“It’s not an exact science. A full paw print would give more information to figure that out. But even that is still only a guesstimation too. Let’s just say, I like the challenge.”
Standing near one of the marks, Noah had Hanna show him the specific measurement that she wanted.
“What’s that flake?”
“What flake? Are you sure it’s not an egg?”
“I know the difference between a cutaneous membrane and an insect’s egg.”
“Sorry, I asked,” Noah muttered to himself.
Wolfdale City University Biology building...
Hanna led George and me to Dr. Matthew Brigsby’s office. His office is exactly how you’d expect it to be. Shadow boxes filled with taxidermied bugs lined his walls. Nerd extraordinaire.
“Miss Grimm, what brings you to my office today? Is Professor Bryant giving you a hard time again?” he asked with concern.
“No, Dr. Brigsby. It’s not that. There’s something more important that your expertise is required,” Hanna answered sincerely. “You’ve been wanting a challenge, correct?”
“Oh, okay,” he sounded intrigued. “What challenge am I to help with?”
“We need your help in establishing the time of death of a victim,” I butted in. “You will be doing a great deed for the Wolfdale City Police Department.” Hanna handed him the bug stuff—some eggs, larvae, and puparium.
“Blowfly eggs?” he asked with excitement in his voice. “I will gladly accept this challenge. Thank you Miss Grimm, and...”
“Sergeant Detective Micah Black, and Officer Detective George Harper,” we finally introduced ourselves. I extended my hand to shake his and then handed him one of our cards to contact us with the results.
The next stop is Dr. Lila Montgomery’s office...
Sitting off to the side of the Biology building stands a large greenhouse. It’s in a Gothic architectural style. Flowers, plants, and tree saplings of different sizes and species fill the greenhouse. Oddly, it looks like there’s a smaller greenhouse attached to the larger one. A giant warning sign is posted on it. “Beware: These Plants Kill. Do Not Enter!” Just great.
“Uh, Hanna, what’s this?” I cautiously asked her. George is smart enough to stay a good distance back.
“Yeah, so, Aunt Lila...ahem, Dr. Montgomery, kind of has a fetish for plants that can kill...” she tried to explain, stating it in a form of a question.
“Aunt Lila?” I nudged her with one eyebrow arched.
“Aunt Lila, or Dr. Lila Montgomery, Ph.D. is “Uncle Mac’s” ex-wife,” she stumbled getting her words out. She shrugged her shoulders in apology.
“Okay...lead the way,” I told her. She cautiously knocked on the door that separated the two greenhouses.
“Just a moment,” a woman’s voice sang out. A few minutes later, the woman unlocked the door and greeted us. Her looks I would describe as a slightly older version of Morticia Addams but still very beautiful. “Hanna, I mean, Miss Grimm, what brings you to my humble flora abode?” she asked almost condescendingly.
“I need, excuse me, the Wolfdale City Police Department would like your assistance in helping to identify this substance,” Hanna quickly spat out, handing over the sample.
“It’s pollen,” Dr. Lila Montgomery snapped, not truly looking at the sample.
“That much, I figured out. But could you identify which plant group it derived from?” Hanna kept at her. “Please, Aunt Lila,” she begged, whispering her plea.
“Oh, you and those eyes! Give me the sample. I’ll give it a look,” she surrendered.
Hanna smiled brightly and handed Aunt Lila the sample. We followed her to an area that had microscopes. She readied a slide and proceeded to look at it.
“There’s cutaneous membrane mixed in with this sample,” Dr. Montgomery voiced out her surprise.
“Um, that’s because it came off of a victim,” Hanna explained sheepishly.
“A victim?” Dr. Montgomery seemed shocked, but there was also a hint of amusement in her voice. She’s a strange woman indeed. “Well, in that case, I’ll be diligent in finding which specific species of flora this came from. I don’t know the specifics of the case, but I’ll send them along with my findings. I hope it helps.”
“Thank you, Dr. Montgomery, it’s greatly appreciated,” I told her in my sincerest voice. I handed her my business card.
“Sergeant Black,” she spoke, reading off of the card. “Please make sure Hanna gets back to her lonely laboratory for me. But before you do, may I speak with her privately?”
I nodded, then George and I stepped away to give them privacy.
In hushed voices, they talked. “ Have you heard from Miya lately?” Lila asked Hanna in an almost panicked voice.
“No, I haven’t. I was going to ask you the same,” she answered.
“Just what am I to tell Malcolm?”
“I’m sure she’s fine Aunt Lila. She is the same age as me. She’s not a little girl anymore. Have some faith in her. Uncle Mac tries to,” she tried to reassure Lila.
“You’re right. I totally should start having a bit more faith in my daughter. She isn’t so little and helpless anymore. Thank you, Hanna,” she said, giving Hanna a motherly kiss on her temple. “Okay, off with you now. Sergeant, she’s in your care,” she directed the command at me.
“Aunt Lila...” she tried to protest.
“Not with the kidnappings! I want you to be safe,” Lila sharply reprimanded her.
“Sergeant, please. And Hanna, call me when you reach your lonely lab,”
The three of us briskly walked back into the Biology building and down to her lab.
“Safe and sound,” I grumbled upon reaching the doorway.
“Don’t forget to call Aunt Lila,” George politely reminded Hanna.
“Thank you, both of you. I won’t forget,” she said, her voice suddenly shaky.
“Are you okay?” George asked her with concern. Hanna just stood there, her face slowly draining of color. She began to zone out, blocking everything around her.
“Hanna!” I yelled, gently grabbing her to keep her from falling. No response. I stooped down to get at eye level with her. “Hanna, please,” I tried again to snap her out of it, gentler than before.
“I’m contacting Chief Edwards,” George said, dialing his phone. I nodded in approval.
“Hanna, please. Don’t do this,” I whispered, finding myself becoming concerned also.
- Writer
