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performing the surgery, to mark the correct location with a pen.’
    ‘But so would someone who found the information in a book, or over the Internet, as you said, Doc,’ Garcia countered.
    ‘That’s also true,’ she agreed, ‘but check this out.’ She walked back to the first examination table and Derek Nicholson’s torso. Hunter and Garcia followed. ‘During an amputation, it’s vital that all major blood vessels, like the brachial artery in the arms and the femoral artery in the legs, are properly tied off, or else the patient will bleed out in no time.’
    ‘They weren’t tied off,’ Hunter said, bending down to have a better look. ‘I checked it at the crime-scene. No suture, no knot.’
    ‘That’s because the killer didn’t use a thread to stop the blood flow, as most doctors would. The brachial artery in the right arm was clamped. The marks can be seen under a microscope. He used medical forceps.’
    Hunter straightened up his body. ‘Only in the right arm?’
    Doctor Hove adjusted her surgical cap. ‘That’s right. And the reason is probably because the victim’s heart gave in before the killer could amputate anything else. The fact of the matter, Robert, is that the killer prolonged the victim’s life and suffering for as long as he could. But to do that without a surgical team to help him, he had to perform the cuts as quickly and as cleanly as possible, and contain the hemorrhaging as best as he could,’ Doctor Hove concluded.
    ‘And you’re sure there’s no chance he could’ve used a professional saw like the ones used here at the morgue?’ Garcia pushed.
    ‘No,’ she replied, reaching for the Mopec autopsy saw on the worktop behind her. ‘Portable autopsy saws use small, circular blades with extremely fine teeth.’ She showed them the instrument. ‘The finer the blade’s teeth, the more accurate the cut, and the easier it is to cut through tougher surfaces like bones and muscles in full rigor mortis.’
    Both detectives quickly examined the saw and its blade.
    ‘But an autopsy blade isn’t wide enough. You need something that transcends the entire width of the body part being amputated. Circular saws also leave a very distinct cut pattern, smoother than most.’
    ‘And that’s not what we have,’ Hunter guessed.
    ‘Nope. We have a friction pattern. Two very sharp blades, side-by-side, moving back and forth in opposite directions to create a sawing action.’
    Hunter handed the autopsy saw back to her. ‘You mean . . . something like an electric kitchen carving knife?’
    ‘You’re kidding,’ Garcia interjected.
    ‘That’s exactly what I think the killer used,’ Doctor Hove said. ‘A large, powerful, electric kitchen carving knife.’
    ‘Will those cut through bone?’ Garcia asked.
    ‘The most powerful ones will cut through a frozen joint of beef,’ the doctor said, ‘especially with brand new blades.’
    ‘Do we know if the victim had one in the house?’ Garcia asked.
    ‘If that’s what the killer used,’ Hunter said. ‘The knife didn’t come from the victim’s kitchen. The killer brought it with him.’
    ‘How do you know?’
    ‘Because not having the amputating instrument with him would suggest that the amputations were unplanned and that the killer came into the house unprepared.’
    ‘And that’s something this killer certainly wasn’t,’ Doctor Hove said. ‘And that reminds me. To keep the pieces of his sculpture together, the killer didn’t use only metal wire, he also used a super-fast bonder, like superglue.’
    ‘Superglue?’ Garcia almost chuckled.
    The doctor nodded. ‘Perfect for the job, really – easy to use, dries in seconds, easily adheres to skin and creates an extremely firm hold. But what gets me is that this seems like a totally pointless killing.’
    ‘Aren’t they all?’ Hunter commented.
    ‘True, but what I mean is that there was very little achievement in killing this victim.’ She walked towards a chart on the