Chapter 9
I looked up to see that the weather had turned gray.
Now it felt more like a typical San Francisco afternoon.
It also matched my mood after having to leave Julie to come here.
I saw several officers and detectives I knew.
They didn’t lift my spirits either. I liked all of them just fine, but they weren’t my daughter.
I noticed Claire near a clump of trees, silently watching the CSU’s personnel survey the area and take photographs, while Edmund sat on a checkered blanket, leaning against a tree, looking at his phone. I decided not to disturb him. Instead, I kept marching toward Claire.
She looked up as I approached. “Did you learn anything?” I asked.
“Yeah. That I prefer examining bodies in a controlled environment. All this nature—the wind, the bugs and animals—is driving me nuts. Maybe it’s because I’m a control freak.”
“No, it’s definitely because you’re a control freak.” At least I got a smile out of her.
Then I got my first look at the body, sprawled on the grass near the corner of the park: a tall woman with blond hair splayed out around her head like she’d fallen backward and it had floated in the air before settling on the ground. A shiny necklace that spelled “Audrey” hung from her neck.
Her cheeks and eyes had an odd color and texture. I mentioned it to Claire.
She said, “I noticed that too. I thought maybe it was some kind of cosmetic, but on closer examination, I’m not sure. Once I get her back to my lab, I can do a scraping and get an idea of what it is.”
I said, “Can you take a stab at what you think the cause of death is?”
She slowly shook her head. “If you’re trying to tie her to your body from Marshall’s Beach, it might be tough. I can tell you this woman wasn’t strangled. She appears to have been struck in the face and maybe the throat. Again, I’ll know more once I examine her.”
Randy Hicks, the homicide official on duty, came up to me with a quizzical look on his face. I beat him to the punch. “I’m not trying to steal your case, Randy. Claire called me because we’re friends.”
The stocky Black man looked at Claire and said, “Remind me again how the medical examiner’s office beat me to the scene?”
Claire said, “It’s all part of our new policy to act quickly on every call.” She waited a second and then let out a laugh. “I have the day off and was already here at the park having a picnic.”
The detective nodded. “Sorry about your day off,” he said with a smile, then went about directing everyone on the scene.
I said to Claire, “I think you’ve done just about all you can here. You should probably take Edmund home.”
Claire’s eyes opened wide. “Oh my God! I forgot all about Edmund.”