That did it. The mere mention of his wife brushing her teeth, of doing something so monotonous and normal, broke Ryan Ragland all over again. He let out a single, stifled cry before letting the next one out unhindered. He buried his head in his hands and screamed. When he got up to head for the stairs, Rachel saw that shed guessed correctly. The officer by the stairs blocked him from going up.

Rachel and Jack shared a strained glance as Rachel let the hard facts of the moment settle in. Someone had killed a woman in her own bedroom and then escaped without being seen. In and out, despite the presence of a police cruiser parked across the street. And from what they could tell so far, the bastard hadnt left a single clue behind. In other words, it felt like a dead end despite the sudden burst of activity. And as the night crept beyond midnight, that dead end felt a little more resolutelike slamming a head into a brick wall.

Rachel nodded her head towards the door, and Jack walked over to meet her there. Any ideas? he asked.

Just one, she said. I think we need to go back to the coroner.

***

It took a few phone calls and some very grumpy replies from the other end, but Rachel managed to touch base with the graveyard shift coroner on duty. She and Jack left the Ragland residence had headed back to the coroners office at 1:45 in the morning. The on-duty coroner seemed both irritated and elated that he had companytwo conflicting emotions all at once that somehow seemed to fit the personality needed for someone to work such a job in the late-night hours.

I regret to inform you, he said as they entered the larger observation room, that the body of Bruce Webber has been moved to the funeral home. His services are scheduled for the day after tomorrow. I get the impression that the family just wants to move on and give him a proper burial.

Rachel had not been expecting this, but it didnt matter in the grand scheme of things. As long as they had digital photos of the wounds prior to clean-up, they should be okay.

As for Maria Ramirezs, the coroner had already taken the liberty of bringing the body out. Rachel looked to the wounds, which had been fully closed and dressed. Two in all, the same as when shed viewed them before.

The one to her stomach…was a very deep one? she asked.

Not too deep. Deep enough to do damage, but when compared to the cut at her neck, the one along the stomach seemed almost accidental.

Rachel nodded to the laptop sitting on the small rolling desk. Can you bring up Webbers pictures?

Sure. Before or after?

Both.

He did as he was asked, sipping from a small mug of coffee as he did so. Is there anything in particular youre looking for?