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four. We found her purse by the front door, and we’ve done the visual, since our ME is outside puking.”
    They all laughed at the man’s discomfort.
    “You all had your moments, I’m sure,” Elizabeth offered, coming to Chris’s defense.
    “He’s going to quit his job. We have a betting pool going on, Agent. Do you want in? The majority thinks he’s gone by Christmas.”
    She stared at her.
    “Come on. Toss in a few bucks. The pot is up to three hundred.”
    “I won’t be betting against him,” she stated, getting their attention. “Plus, the first person who busts his balls about being human is going to be riding a lab table. As in, you’re off my team for my tenure with the FBI.”
    Immediately, the comments and snickering came to a screeching halt. She figured that would do it.
    “He’s new, but you all were once too. Cut him a freaking break. This is gross. If he wasn’t sick, then something would be wrong with him.”
    No one commented. They all knew that the lead investigator, or the ME, were the bosses in the field. They could make or break you.
    “Now, back to work.”
    Elizabeth hated when anyone picked on someone who was just starting out. Being at the bottom of the ladder was tough. She knew.
    She was there too.
    The newbies had to stick together.
    “Sorry, Agent,” the head tech stated. “Anyway, she’s been bled out and as you can see, he did a number on her. He took all the flesh from her bones. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a deboned victim before.”
    Yeah, she could see that.
    It was freaking gross.
    The woman looked like a deer after running into a couple hunters. All her meat was splayed out, and all that was left was a head, hands, and feet as she was spread out in some weird position. He’d taken her down to her organs, leaving them in. She swore the woman looked like some medical picture in a training manual.
    It was macabre.
    “This is going to be a fun one,” stated Carol the head tech. “You’re going to need a profiler for this. This guy is nuts.”
    Yeah, she could see that.
    “We’ll have the trace done and back to you as soon as we can. We’re going to need a few hours. Everything in here is coated in blood. We’ll have to do multiple swabs and hope for a miracle.”
    After seeing this woman, she didn't believe miracles existed. If they did, surely someone would have granted this woman one to spare her of this mess.
    Elizabeth crossed herself.
    “Yeah, that’s great. Thanks.” She couldn’t help but focus on that poor girl.
    As she took it all in, Elizabeth could hear footsteps across the floor behind her. She knew that gait anywhere.
    “Livy, I hope you didn't eat,” she said before the woman could arrive in the room.
    Once her partner saw this, she was going to be turned off from food for a long time.
    She knew she was.
    “Holy mother of God,” Livy muttered. “What the hell?” she asked, as she stared wide-eyed at the mess. It was like nothing she’d ever seen before.
    “Yeah, tag. We just got screwed. I think we were handed the sickest killer in all of DC. Someone wanted to make a name for themselves.”
    Livy swallowed as she scanned the scene. The woman’s face was serenely relaxed, and everything from the neck down was a nothing less than a horror show.
    Shit!
    This was bad.
    Elizabeth didn't hesitate. She jumped right into the case, catching her partner up to speed.
    “What’s her name?” Livy asked, seeing the one tech with the woman’s ID.
    “Her name was Stephanie O’Malley.”
    “Is,” corrected Doctor Leonard as he entered the room from behind them. “She’s dead, but she still has her identity. Let’s put her back together again and get her out of here.”
    Apparently, he’d gotten his second wind.
    When he came to stop beside Elizabeth, he patted her on the arm. “Thank you for the candy bar. You were right.”
    She smiled. “No problem, Doc. I knew you’d pull through,” Elizabeth offered, checking out his color. He