head, I won’t be able to confirm it.’
Garcia nodded.
‘There’s only one glitch with that possibility,’ the doctor continued, pointing to the neck stump. ‘The head was severed with a single, powerful strike. Undoubtedly a very sharp and precise weapon. No hacking, no sawing. According to the forensics team, there were no marks, no dents, nothing on the floor surrounding the body. If the victim was lying unconscious on the floor, a blow from a sharp, decapitating weapon would’ve surely left some sort of impression. The cut line on the neck suggests the priest was in an upright position, probably kneeling or sitting down. The blow came from above and from the victim’s left, suggesting the killer’s right-handed.’
Hunter considered the doctor’s words for several silent seconds. ‘I don’t believe the priest was knocked unconscious.’ He stepped away from the body and leaned against the microscope counter.
‘Why not?’ Garcia asked. ‘It would’ve made things a lot simpler for the killer.’
‘This killer isn’t after easy or simple. You saw the brutality of the crime scene. Sadistic killers rarely show compassion. Killing an unconscious victim would’ve given him no satisfaction. This killer wanted the victim’s fear. I bet he was looking straight into Father Fabian’s eyes when he delivered the fatal blow.’
Garcia felt a shudder run through his body. ‘So if he was conscious, why didn’t Father Fabian fight back? Or at least lift his hands to protect his face? It’s only natural.’
‘Too scared to move,’ Hunter offered.
‘Very possible,’ Doctor Winston admitted.
‘Are you suggesting that he just sat there like a statue while the killer took a swing at him?’
‘It happens.’ Doctor Winston nodded. ‘Depending on how terrified a victim is, it’s not uncommon for the brain to simply shut down. No motor stimuli get sent anywhere. And even though the victim might want to, he won’t be able to move.’
‘Hence the terms
Garcia’s stare rested on the priest’s body once again. ‘Poor man. How about the weapon used, doc? An axe?’
‘An axe is an easy weapon to obtain, but very hard to handle and control,’ the doctor clarified. ‘It’s bulky, heavy and, contrary to what you might’ve seen in movies, the length of its blade isn’t ideal for decapitation. The killer would have to be a master lumberjack to achieve this sort of precision with a single swing.’
‘Any suggestions of what we should be looking for, doc?’ Both detectives faced Doctor Winston.
‘Because we haven’t found the head yet, I can only analyze the neck side of the cut. Judging by how smooth and precise it is, I’d say it’s very consistent with the type of cut achieved by a samurai sword.’
‘Samurai?’ Garcia’s eyes widened. ‘Like ninja style?’
Doctor Winston laughed. ‘They’re not the same thing, but you’ve got the idea.’ The doctor studied both detectives for a moment.
‘I wanna show you something that might just help.’
Twenty-Two
From the counter behind him, Doctor Winston retrieved a remarkable-looking sword. Its long, slightly curved blade had a distinctive mirror-polish finish.
‘Goddamnit, doc,’ Hunter said, taking a step back. ‘You gotta lay off those cheesy late-night kung-fu movies.’
Doctor Winston paid no attention to the comment. ‘This is a typical samurai sword, also known as katana. It can be easily purchased over the internet – no identity checks necessary. The blade is made out of carbon steel. Its length can vary, but it’s usually somewhere between twenty-two and twenty-nine inches.’ He stepped closer to the priest’s body. ‘This is a precise and laser-sharp weapon. Ideal for a decapitation job. If the sword handler is skilled enough, the strike can be lightning fast. Almost impossible to evade.’ He held the sword with both hands and slowly moved it down towards the body’s neck stump. ‘But the great thing about this weapon is that it’s so light the killer could’ve used a single hand for the fatal blow. And it would’ve been just as precise.’
‘Great,’ Garcia commented.
‘Some of the lab results are in.’ Doctor Winston changed the subject as he returned the sword to the counter. ‘As we expected, there were hundreds of fingerprints all around the church and the confessional.’ He pulled a few sheets of paper out of a manila envelope. ‘At the moment they’re being run against the national fingerprint database, but I wouldn’t expect any great breakthroughs.’
Hunter nodded. He knew they’d probably get positive matches for petty crimes, robbery, maybe even firearms offences. Compton is an underprivileged neighborhood, still heavy with gang activity. Most of its residents are no strangers to violence. ‘Did we get anything from the altar?’ he asked, his eyes scanning the sheets Doctor Winston had handed him.
‘Two sets of prints. They belong either to the victim or to the altar boy. Nothing from an unidentified source.’
‘How about the chalice?’ Garcia asked. ‘Didn’t the killer allegedly drink the priest’s blood from the chalice?’
‘Yes.’
‘So we can get the killer’s DNA,’ Garcia said with excitement.
‘No, we can’t.’ Hunter rubbed his tired eyes.
‘Why not? Can’t DNA be extracted from saliva?’ Garcia faced Doctor Winston.
‘Yes, it can.’
‘But the blood inside the chalice belonged to Father Fabian, right?’ Hunter asked.
Doctor Winston nodded.
‘That means that our killer’s DNA, taken from the saliva, would’ve mixed with the priest’s DNA in the blood. Once DNA gets mixed together . . .’ Hunter shook his head. ‘It can’t be split apart anymore.’
Garcia looked at Doctor Winston for confirmation.
‘Robert’s right.’ He nodded. ‘The lab will be able to tell you that there’re two different sources of DNA. But they won’t be able to split them.’
‘Fantastic.’ Garcia cupped his hand over his nose. The nauseating smell was getting to him. ‘This gets better by the second. Do we have anything conclusive?’
Doctor Winston took a deep breath. ‘The blood the killer used to draw the number three on the priest’s chest. It’s human, and it’s not Father Fabian’s.’
Hunter raised his eyebrows in anticipation.
‘It belongs to a woman.’
‘A woman?’ Garcia looked baffled. ‘I didn’t know you could tell gender from a simple blood test?’
‘You can from DNA tests, or if you specifically test for levels of estrogen.’
Hunter instinctively checked his watch. ‘There’s no way you would’ve gotten DNA results this fast, doc. And you had no reason to test for estrogen levels.’
‘So how do you know the blood came from a woman?’ Garcia pressed.
‘Unless . . .’ Hunter’s questioning eyes moved back to Doctor Winston.
‘Unless what?’ Garcia asked eagerly.
‘Unless she was pregnant.’
Doctor Winston closed his eyes and nodded slowly.
Twenty-Three
Amanda Reilly re-entered the numbers into her spreadsheet and pressed the RETURN button.
Nothing changed.
