Chapter 2

I stepped onto the river banking, thankful that I always keep a pair of flats in my handbag. I walked over to the yellow tape. Everything was already cleaned up, just a few agents and individuals from their forensic lab doing a final sweep.

" Why did you want to come here?" Farhad asked. Honestly, I was hoping to see or feel something that could help me figure out what was happening.

" Why did you come here?" I asked her knowing that I was somewhat pissing her off.

" For evidence, all the evidence in your expertise is being sent to the Athanasius ." She said, stepping up beside me. I could feel her reddish-brown irises focusing on me, and I turned to meet her gaze, looking her over. She had sharp features, a slender face that came to an end with a round chin. Cheekbones that could cut and eyebrows were thick but well-groomed, pink lips that stood out on her tan skin with small but somewhat noticeable beauty spots. She was nothing short of gorgeous; she had features that some would describe a classical woman. If she got tired of the whole FBI thing, she could definitely succeed in the modeling industry; they would eat up her rare but beautiful features.

" Well, I'm here for evidence too, not just the physical stuff, sometimes you just have o get a feel of the scene," I said, hoping she would drop it. I should have known better.

" You came here for a feel of the scene?" She questioned with nothing but shock on her face. I sighed; working with her is going to be a struggle.

" Yes, you have your own way of working, and so do I," I said before walking away; I wasn't picking up anything. Not sure if it's because I am still on edge about my book involvement or because of Agent Grumpy.

" You're rather derelict." She said as she caught up to me. I stopped dead in my tracts, and I blinked a couple of times, trying to process what she said and how I should tell her to fuck off in a beautiful way.

" Look, Farhad, if we are going to work together for this case, I need you to understand that I have my methods and respect that," I said and continued walking before stopping and turning to her again. " I'm not only of the best forensic anthropologists in the Athanasius but the entire region by being negligent. I haven't had to refuse several FBI agents because they think I'm derelict; you wanna what I do, go and ask your colleagues." I said and walked away from the river and stunned the agent.

She has some nerve; I thought as I slammed my SUV door. I drove away from the crime scene and headed straight to the Museum.

" When did we start taking consultations?" Sage said as I entered my office, Sage and I have been friends since I first started working here. She helped me with my first ever consultation, and she also helped me when they began to become taxing. Sage's the only person that knows me, other than Kal. She thought I was crazy the first time I told her I could see and communicate with the dead, until I basically prevented her from dying since then; we've been inseparable; at one point, I thought Kal got jealous.

" Since my book was involved in a murder," I said and watched the look of her horror that appeared on her face," that and the killer only left behind a freaking skeleton," I groaned as the various FBI agents walked in with a few museum technicians.

" Well, that's shitty." She said, and I nodded. I watched the exchange between the agents and the technicians and started to get ready when I realized the agents were wrapping up. I dragged my coat over my body and slipped on some gloves, and got to work.

I looked at the skull on my examination table. The bastard really wanted us to work. He removed the teeth of the victim so that identification will be a bitch.

" Send it over when your finish," Sage said before entering her workspace. I gave her a thumbs up then got to work.

" Base on skull structure, it belongs to a human, due to the ossification of the fontanels the victim is estimated to be around 18-20 years old. Skull structure is that of a female". I said into my voice recorder. I opened the skull's mouth and saw antemortem scarring where the teeth used to be, fucking bastard removed her teeth before she died.

" Antemortem scaring in the mouth indicates that the teeth were removed before the victim died." I recorded. I sighed, this didn't happen in my book, the left behind the skull, but it had all its parts. No words were carved into it. The only thing that ties this crime to my book is that the killer cut it into the skull and that, well, a skull was left close to a water body. Even though I repeatedly told myself that this wasn't my fault, that I didn't kill that girl. I can't help but feel some blame. Maybe if I didn't write the book, this wouldn't have happened; maybe if I didn't write such cruel and vivid scenes, that girl wouldn't have endured the pain she possibly felt. I can't help but feel responsible for her death like I pulled her teeth and carved those words into her skull. I can't help but feel like her murder.

***********

I groaned and slouched over and gripped my knees; sweat ran from my hairline to my eyes and lips. I slowly fixed my posture to get ready for my cool down when I heard my doorbell ring. I groaned and paused my workout video, and made my way to the door. I opened the door angrily, not in the mood to be bothered but came face to face with no one. It was probably just one of my neighbors' children being bored and stupid; I moved to close the door when something at my feet caught my eye. I squatted and came face-to-face with a "floral" arrangement, a clear vase with bones attached to mimic various flowers' appearance.

I looked up and down my hall again, hoping no one could witness this, especially a child. Like how do you explain this? I quickly ran inside, grabbed some paper towels and picked up the vase; using them; I kicked my door shut and made my way over to my island. I gently place it down, not wanting to shift anything.

" What if that had a bomb?" Kal questioned. I ignored her, not in the mood to talk to her after what transpired today.

" You're still not talking to me?" She questioned, and my answer was me walking away from her and grabbing my phone. I heard her groan and mumbled something about me being a bitch.

" Agent Farhad," She answered the phone. I stared back at my "flowers" and started to panic.

" Kole!" She yelled, snapping me out of my thoughts. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my breathing and a racing heart.

" You need to come to my apartment, bring forensics," was all I could say before hanging up. I slid down the back of my couch, my cool down long forgotten. It knows where I live, whoever-whatever is out there knows where I live. That's how my book came into play; they weren't trying to mimic it. They had one goal, and that was me, to get my attention; well, they definitely succeeded.