CHAPTER 7 | fast and furious

📎A/N. Hello dear friends, I hope you are well and ready to face the new week!

As usual, things have been a bit hectic in my neck of the woods and I'm a little behind in replying to all your comments. I do apologise and hope to get back on track this week...

Thanks for your support :-)

I hope you enjoy the chapter. Don't forget to vote if you do!

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A moment or two after Dayna and Marcus's car had turned onto the main thoroughfare, Keira recognised Ryker's squad car, with its dented front fender, making its way towards her. From the way he drove, she wondered how it only sported a single indentation. The speeds he had achieved the day before would have put Fast and Furious to shame.

Keira had been so focused on the road, she had failed to notice one of the waiters from the café approach her. "Excuse me, ma'am," he said after he cleared his throat. "These are for you."

She swung round to discover a freckled face teenage boy holding out two takeaway coffee cups with the café's logo on the heat sleeves.

Keira frowned as she stared blankly at the young man. After blinking twice, she shook her head in confusion. "I think you're mistaking me for someone else. I didn't order anything."

"But I did. Grab them and get in."

Distracted by the waiter, she hadn't registered that Ryker had pulled up to the curb and had flung open the passenger door from the inside. Before she had a chance to respond, the kid thrust the hot cups into her hands, waved to Ryker, then spun on his heels and sprinted back to the café to deal with his next customer.

Keira stood opened mouthed at his retreating back.

"I know things are laid back in LA," Ryker growled from within the car, "but here in the real world the clock is ticking."

Keira jolted out of her inertness, handed Ryker the drinks and got in. No sooner had she clicked her seatbelt into place, then they were peeling out into traffic and navigating their way through the narrow streets towards the city's outskirts.

"Green Tea," Ryker said breaking the silence.

"What?"

"I got you Green Tea. You ordered it before, so I assumed that's what you drank," he said as he reached for the second drink in the dual cup holder.

Keira wasn't sure whether she should be pleased or worried that he paid attention to the small things. She watched him take a gulp from his steaming cup while weaving in and out of traffic.

"Should you be drinking and driving like that?" she asked after griping onto the grab handle attached to the passenger door.

Ryker flashed her a boyish grin and casually placed the cup back into the holder on the front console. "Doc you're safe with me. In the one hundred odd years of driving, I've not had a single accident."

"That's not what the dent on your car tells me," Keira said as she raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

He let out a chuckle. "That ding? That was the result of a trouble maker resisting arrest."

Keira's both brows shot up. "And so you decided to hit him with your car? Great policing skills there."

"Doc, for someone as smart as you, you certainly have some missing cogs in that big brain of yours. You seem to forget that we have the highest population of Supernaturals in the country; that dent was the perps body hitting the car after he'd tried one too many swings at me." Ryker shrugged. "The car just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Not sure how she could come back from her incorrect assumption, she reached for her tea and took a sip.

"So who did you manage to get to agree to see us?" she asked.

His half snort, half laugh let her know he was well aware she was trying to change the subject. "What... no 'I'm sorry sheriff, I totally misjudged you and besmirched your stellar driving skills'"

Kiera held on tighter as he weaved out and overtook another car. She was sure that all colour had drained from her face. "I would, but I'd need my stomach to do that, and I think we left it behind about three miles back."

"Change of plans," he said shooting her a glance. "The Medical Examiner has completed his preliminary autopsy and needs to see us. We're heading to Boston; he's waiting for us."

Despite their breakneck speed, the drive took longer than expected. Even Ryker couldn't get around congested traffic the closer they got to Boston.

After what seemed like a lifetime, they arrived at the City Medical Examiner's office. Once they had signed in, the security guard gave them directions to the examination room. Before he could give them directions, Ryker cut him off. "Don't bother, I know where to find him."

"So Doc, have you been in an autopsy room before?" he asked as they neared their destination. The double doors had a sign above the entryway that read 'Hic locus est ubi mors gaudet succurrere vitae' Keira did a quick translation – 'This is the place where death rejoices to help those who live'. If nothing else, that alone would have told her what lay beyond.

She shook her head. While she had seen gruesome images from the crime scenes she had been brought into to consult on, and had been witness to a handful of dead bodies, what happened to them after they were taken away wasn't something she had been privy to.

Ryker halted his stride and reached into his pocket. "Didn't think so," he said, handing her a small bottle no larger than a lipstick tube. "If you rub a little under your nose before we go in, it might help."

Keira glanced down at the label that read 'Peppermint Essential Oils'. She opened it and sniffed the contents. Jolting back at the sharp smell that shot up her nose she quickly put the lid back on and blinked rapidly. "I think I'll be okay," she said handing him back the bottle.

He ignored her and reached for the door. "Keep it, you're going to need it." With that, he disappeared into the room.

Keira squared her shoulders and followed him through the door. The moment she stepped inside her senses were on overload. The room was a contrast between white floor to ceiling tiles and stainless steel counter tops, slabs and sinks.

Four large tables were lined up on the far side of the room. Over each table was a large halogen light that could be positioned, as needed, by the pathologist. Stainless steel mobile trolleys, with tools of varying sizes were dotted around the room. Some she had seen before, others looked like it was a torture device from out of a horror movie.

Keira gaze widened as she watched a gloved pathologist place someone's internal organs onto a nearby grocer's scale. She gulped as she took in the body that the tissue had been taken from. A quick glance at the other tables confirmed that a dead body was lying centre stage at each slab.

Somehow, without her knowledge, her legs had automatically trailed behind Ryker. He was deep in conversation with one of the occupants of the room and hadn't noticed her sudden change in pallor. However, no words penetrated Keira's cocoon. The only sound that came through was dull and muffled. Keira made the mistake of casting her eyes down at the body lying on the table beside her. A Y-shaped incision had been made from the woman's shoulders to mid-chest and down to the pubic region. The skin, tissue, and muscles had been peeled back, and ribs were broken off to reveal the organs they had been protecting.

A putrid and rotting odour wafted up her nostrils. Without warning, her stomach churned, and she felt bile rise from the depths of her stomach. The only thing that stopped the contents of her breakfast being plastered over the sterile room was Ryker's gentle shake as he placed himself between her and the horrifying scene.

"Hey Doc, you okay?" he asked, managing to break through her stupor.

Keira mentally shook herself and met his concerned gaze. "Yes, sorry. It just came as a shock."

The medical examiner, dressed from head to toe in green scrubs, scowled at her and said, "Young lady, if you don't have the stomach for this I suggest you get the hell out of my autopsy room. I will not have you compromising the evidence. This job is hard enough without you adding to it."

Not wishing to make a scene Keira quickly apologised. "Sorry. I'll be fine," she said before swallowing once again to make sure she wasn't about to projectile vomit over the irate pathologist.

Ryker reached out for her hand and pried it open. She was tightly clutching the small bottle he had given her. He opened it and quickly poured some of the oil on his finger. "Next time, might I suggest you listen to me," he said teasingly as he dabbed the substance between her nose and upper lip.

Once he was through he handed her back the bottle. "Perhaps we need to start this again," he said as he turned back to the older man. "Dr. Patterson, Dr. Wynter is the specialist that will be working the case with me."

"As I was just saying," continued Dr. Patterson, once the introductions had been made, "I'm not sure what makes your case more important than the hundreds we are already backlogged with; but when we get a directive from the Governor to expedite it, we did. I've got four pathologists working with me, and we've finished our initial autopsy on your first set of victims. The full will take a few more days."

"So what did you find," Ryker asked.

Dr. Patterson pulled his surgical gloves off, picked up a brown manila folder and handed it to Ryker. "Well," he began with a sigh, "we have more questions than answers, I can tell you that much. The carotid artery was cut and it's most likely that exsanguination was the cause of death, but I'm no longer one hundred percent."

"What do you mean you're no longer certain?" asked Ryker.

"With precise cuts to the carotid artery, the victims would have lost consciousness in fifteen to twenty seconds and bled out in a couple of minutes. When the artery was cut, the force of the pressure would have the blood gushing out in all directions. There was no blood found on the body or the surrounding area," Dr. Patterson explained.

"Could they have been killed elsewhere, cleaned and staged at the dump site?"

Dr. Patterson shook his head. "That was my original thought. However, blood in corpses pools to the lowest point in the body based on position. There was less than a half a pint of blood left in their bodies. For that to happen, they would have had to be hung from their feet, and we would have expected the pool to be in their brains."

"But..." Ryker prompted.

"Based on lividity and the pooling, they died in the positions we found them in."

"What are you saying?"

Dr. Patterson halted any answer to put his signature on a form that was thrust at him by one of the interns. Once this was done he turned back to Ryker and Keira. "We can't discount that they were killed in another method, and the blood removed post-mortem. That way it could have been more controlled."

"No, they were alive when the blood was being drained," Keira broke in.

"How can you be so sure?" Ryker asked.

"It was a ritual killing. For them blood is life. It has an energy, a life force if you will. The people behind this type of act are attracted to the promise of what it can do for them. They knew what they were doing, and I suspect they have either done this before or have been practicing." Keira turned to the medical examiner. "Did you find a paralytic in their system?"

Dr. Patterson readjusted his glasses and glanced to Ryker then back at her. "Yes, we did – a high concentration of Curare. Too high to be synthetically produced. How did you know?"

"The carotid artery is not exactly the easiest place to get to. With this type of sacrifice, we find there's a lot of pomp and circumstance that goes on with it. They would need the victim incapacitated but still alive and conscious," Keira explained.

The Medical Examiner shook his head from side to side and briefly closed his eyes. "It never ceases to amaze me the way man can be so malevolent towards others. I know, I should be used to it in this job, but there's always another depraved person around the corner."

He opened his eyes again, picked up another file from the metal counter top and looked directly at Ryker. "Which makes the next bit more tragic. Not that it already wasn't."

Ryker took the file and glanced down at the name on the folder. He frowned, and his head snapped back up again. "Ann Sermbezis?"

Keira remembered the youngest body they found at Mystery Hill. The one Ryker had fond memories of.

"She was about ten weeks pregnant," Dr. Patterson said sombrely.

Despite not having met Annie, Keira's heart was heavy. No words could describe the sense of loss. From the conversation with Ryker, the girl was an exceptional young woman.

Ryker flipped through the bundle of pages stuck to the folder and remained silent. From the way in which his jaw muscles were contracting, he was having a difficult time reigning in his emotions. "Did you managed to determine the time of death?" he asked eventually.

Dr. Patterson nodded. "Yes. I estimate death around 7 pm."

Ryker glanced up from the page. "What about the others?"

"That's the odd thing," came the reply, "As best as we can tell, they all died around the same time. At this point in time we have no idea the order in which they died."

"Which means we are dealing with a small, well-organised group of perpetrators," Ryker finished.

"I've given you the how," Dr. Patterson said. "The who is your job Sheriff."

Ryker remained deep in thought the entire way back to the car. After spending another hour firing questions at the medical examiner, they were ready to head back to Salem. Not to mention the smell was starting to overpower the peppermint that had held it at bay for a short while."

"Did you know she was pregnant?" Keira asked.

Ryker halted in his tracks. "What are you implying?" he asked with a slight irritation, "I have my pick of women, why would I try anything on with a child?"

"Get off your high horse, I didn't imply anything," she said with a groan. "I was just wondering if anyone knew she was pregnant. Besides, why would I assume you're the father? Vamps shoot blanks."

"But very skilled blanks I've been told," Ryker said with a grin.

Keira rolled her eyes. "Oh Mother Earth, I don't need to hear about your conquests."

He frowned. "You don't? But you might learn something. That spinster look can't be getting you much action, and that scruffy assistant of yours must repel anyone who does manage to see who you really are behind that granite wall you've erected."

Keira rubbed her forehead in frustration. "How did we manage to go from a teen pregnancy to your sexual conquests so fast?"

"Mine? I thought we were talking about yours... or lack thereof."

Keira opened her mouth to retaliate, thought better of it and snapped it shut. His mischievous grin told her in no uncertain terms that when it came to that particular subject, he would have an answer for anything. "How about we get back on track?" she said as they reached the car.

Once they were in Ryker sat staring at the steering wheel. "How am I going to tell her parents she was pregnant?" he asked, more to himself than Keira. "She didn't have a boyfriend; or at least not one that her family was aware of."

She let out a deep breath. "They have a right to know. You can't hold back the truth just because you think it will hurt them."

Ryker turned the key in the ignition. "Most of the time I love my job," he said once it had sprung to life. "Today, is not one of them."

They were back on the 107 heading north before Ryker spoke again. "So this curare, if it wasn't synthetic, where do you think they got it from?"

Keira was thankful for the distraction to take her eyes off the road ahead. The number of near misses as he resumed his fast-paced driving was unsettling to say the least. "Curare is used as a method of muscular paralysis without impairing sensation and consciousness. Naturals have been experimenting with it for hundreds of years but can never get the formula right. They began to produce it as a synthetic drug because of the problems they were having. Even within the magical community, the knowledge is hard to come by," said Keira.

"So who would know how to make it?"

Keira considered the question. Apart from her mother, she had never met another person with the skills. "I honestly don't know, but I'm concerned. That, coupled with the ability to ensure the heart remained pumping until the last drop of blood, quite honestly scares me."

"Do you think it's another coven?"

As much as it pained her, this was something she had considered. There were some witches over the years who voiced their displeasure at their treatment and might have gotten in with someone from the Order and turned. "At this point I'm not discounting anything," she said.

Ryker made an uncommitted grunt. "I can't discount any Supernatural," he said. "The more important question is why."

Keira tensed, she knew without help, he wouldn't believe what she had to say. "We had better go and see Deacon as soon as we get back." She then glanced down at her watch. To her surprise, it was mid-afternoon. "And I think we are going to need something more than tea and coffee to get the bad taste out of your mouth."

"What bad taste?"

She signed and turned to look out the window. "The one you'll get once our little chat with Deacon is done."

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📎A/N. Well that conversation should be interesting. Provided they get back to Salem in one piece..

It does sound like Ryker drives a little fast don't you think?

The initial autopsy results were interesting... I wonder what else will be uncovered as they continue with investigating?

Next chapter should be up by the end of the weekend. Don't forget to vote! :-)

Take care and be safe.

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