Since Jordan had joined homicide last year, she had found the autopsy the least appealing part of the job. The body, already violated by violence, was about to be torn apart in a manner that always left her stunned. The older detectives accepted it as a matter of course, and she hoped one day she would as well. In the interim, she kept her emotions in check. A startled or visibly sick detective did not instill confidence. And with Spencer here, she did not so much as shift her feet or flex her fingers.

The body was bloated and already starting to discolor, but now that the plastic was removed, Jordan had her first unobstructed view of the dead woman’s face. She saw traces of an attractive woman under a twisted expression reflecting the victim’s last minutes. Her lungs would have been heaving, her head swimming, and her muscles cramping as she struggled to breathe. Like drowning, she would have fought to move, free herself, and suck in air. Just like Avery.

“The subject is a Caucasian female, five foot two, one hundred pounds with blond hair.” Dr. McIntyre pointed her finger to the loose skin dangling near the elbow. “There’s some evidence she used drugs. However, her teeth appear to be in good shape, suggesting the substance abuse was not extensive.”

Rigor mortis had come and gone, so that when Dr. McIntyre went to the head, the neck muscles were pliable enough to turn right and left. The doctor noted there was bruising on the victim’s jaw and a wound on the back of her head. “She was struck with a blunt object just above the base of her skull.”

“Like the first one,” Jordan said.

“Yes. Very similar wound patterns.”

“That’s how he subdues them,” Jordan said.

Mrs. Penn had said nothing about hearing a woman scream. And there was only a single set of footprints leading into the house. She had been unconscious when he’d carried her inside.

“Any theories on the weapon?” Ranger Spencer asked.

The doctor inspected the wound more closely. “Like I said, blunt. There’re traces of wood in the flesh,” she said. “A baseball bat? A two-by-four?”

Ranger Spencer nodded. “A bat is transportable and not illegal.”

“Nothing resembling a weapon was found at either scene,” Jordan said. “Presumably there would be traces of the victim’s blood on it.”

Dr. McIntyre continued the external examination, noting two tattoos, an old scar, and several broken fingers on the victim’s right hand. “These are most likely defensive wounds.”

Next, the doctor opened the chest cavity with a Y incision. The body’s slipping skin peeled back easily from the chest and belly. The internal organs appeared healthy, normal weight considering the decomposition, and there were no other wounds or bleeding that suggested additional trauma. A vaginal examination produced semen samples.