They went through the waiting area and Morgan waved to the receptionist, then into the suite of offices and exam rooms. He unlocked the door to his office and they went in. He gestured to one of the chairs for her to take a seat and then sat down behind his desk.

Hernandez nodded. Ive seen how that works before, how sometimes people need to really see someone to know theyre gone. She crossed her legs and picked a little piece of lint off her sharply creased trousers. So what was it that you noticed while you were there?

Lexa had some scrapes on her knees. I didnt think too much about them until I got home and got in the shower and realized I had the exact same scrapes. I got mine when I knelt down in the alleyway to do CPR. I think she might have gotten them when she knelt down in the stairwell to help someone. There was a pool of blood on the landing above where it looked like Lexa was attacked.

Hernandez smiled slightly. Actually, not blood. According to the lab, it looks like it was a mixture of cornstarch, corn syrup, cocoa, and red food coloring. In other words, fake blood. Something someone might make for Halloween. We havent been able to figure out why its there or if its even connected.

Morgan scooted forward in his chair. That fit his hypothesis perfectly. What if someone pretended to be injured to lure Lexa close enough to them to attack her?

Hernandezs brow creased, but she uncrossed her legs and also scooted forward. Explain.

Morgan took a moment to gather his thoughts. If you wanted to get a nurse or doctor into a vulnerable position, the best way to do that would be to make them think you needed their help. Thats all theyd be focused on. What the injury was, what to do to treat it. If the person wasnt actually injured, theyd be able to attack at that point without the nurse or doctor expecting it.

So you think that someone played possum and used the fake blood to make her think they had a serious injury? Then when she stopped to help them, that person attacked her? She tapped her index finger against her lower lip as she considered.

Morgan steepled his fingers in front of himself. It fits all the things Im seeing. It was like making a diagnosis. Hed taken all the different pieces, some of them seemingly unrelated, and shifted and turned them until theyd coalesced into a picture that he could recognize and understand.

It was tremendously satisfying and if it brought Danielle even one step closer to finding the bastard whod killed Lexa, it would go a long way to soothing the hole in his heart that losing her had created.

Indeed it does. Hernandez tilted her head to one side and gave him a long considering look. You have an amazing attention to detail.