Red Blood

Millie Hanson

The body lay before her on a recently cleaned silver autopsy table. The overhead lights illuminated the decomposed remains of a young girl.

“Dear God,” Millie whispered under her breath.

She glanced up at the woman standing on the other side of the table. Judy Bennington, a forensic anthropologist for three years, was scrutinizing the body, a deep crease forming on her brow. Despite her relatively short tenure in the field, Millie couldn’t shake the feeling that Judy carried herself with the seasoned confidence of someone who had been doing this for much longer.

“She’s only a child,” Bennington murmured, her voice trembling as her eyes roamed over the remains.

The sight churned Millie’s stomach, but she had come down to hear the examination results and braced herself for the details.

“It’s terrible, I know,” Millie said softly. “I can’t wait to find the person who did this. I’m guessing you haven’t finished your full report yet?”

Bennington shook her head. “I’ve only gone through a little so far. Our victim was...” she paused, swallowing hard. “There’s evidence of sexual assault.”

Millie’s fists clenched at her sides. She inhaled deeply, forcing herself to remain composed, then exhaled slowly before meeting Benningtons’ gaze. The forensic anthropologist’s face had grown pale, her professional detachment struggling against the horror of the case.

“I’ve... never worked on a case involving a child before,” Bennington admitted, her voice barely audible.

Millie gently rested her hand on the edge of the autopsy table, inches away from the remains. “I have,” she said quietly. “Don’t beat yourself up if this feels like too much. I wouldn’t want to handle this case either, but I want to find the person responsible for this. Can you keep going with the report, seeing as I’m here?”

Bennington was silent for a few moments before nodding. She pulled a four-wheeled table closer, which held a monitor and keyboard, and began to type, her eyes flicking between the screen and the remains.

“Victim’s identification is Jessie Abigail Ardon,” she read aloud. “Aged fourteen, attended Dreghorn High School.”

She hit enter and turned back to the remains, slipping on plastic surgical gloves. Pointing to various parts of the body, she continued, “The occipital bone has been badly damaged, but I’ll be able to assess it properly once the remains are cleaned. I have an assistant who can help with that.”

Her gaze traveled down the body as she resumed her report. “From what I can see, there are fractures to the rib cage. It’s spread out, but... it looks like the stress fractures are concentrated on the chest.”

Millie nodded. “So it’ll be easier once the bones are cleaned, by the sounds of it.”

Bennington nodded. “There’s too much decomposition right now for me to give a full report.”

Millie sighed and stepped away from the table. “Alright, that’s fine. Let me know once the remains have been cleaned. I’ll be back, and we’ll go through the report together.”

Bennington offered a weak smile before returning her attention to the computer. The remains glistened under the harsh lab light.

The remains of Jessie Ardon had been discovered by a young couple walking through Nyaania Creek Reserve. Her school wasn’t far from where she had been found.

Was she taken from school? Or from somewhere else?

As Millie stepped into the hallway, her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen.

Shit, Captain Jenkins. What does he want?

Quickly answering, she heard his rough, deep voice on the other end.

“Agent Hanson, hope you’re well. You’re down at the lab with Bennington, right?”

“Yes, but she needs to do a little more work on the report for us. I just stepped out into the hallway. Do you need to speak to her?”

“No, no, it’s fine. But I need you to come to my office, please. This is still about the case, but there’s someone I want to introduce you to.”

Millie frowned. I don’t recall expecting anyone. Who the hell is it?

She shoved her phone into her suit pocket after hanging up and made her way out of the building. Sliding into her car, she started the engine and headed back to the office.

*

Captain Arlow Jenkins was a chubby man dressed in a pastel pink dress shirt that barely supported his beer belly, paired with black dress pants held up by a leather belt. Millie noticed he had gotten new shoes as well.

Maybe he treated himself?

She also noticed a man sitting with his back to her. He didn’t bother to turn around to acknowledge her, and that’s when she knew something wasn’t right.

“Hello, Captain,” she greeted, taking a seat next to the other man, who still hadn’t acknowledged her. His posture and demeanor radiated discontent. Jenkins, however, seemed unfazed by the man’s sour attitude. Instead, he turned his full attention to Millie and smiled.

“Agent Hanson, this here is Agent Nova Thompson. He’ll be joining you on the Jessie Ardon case.”

I’m sorry, what?!

Millie shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “I, uh... might I ask why?”

Jenkins slid a red file across the desk. Millie picked it up, realizing it contained additional information about the Ardon case.

“The last case Thompson worked on has been resolved, and I believe this case can be solved quicker with a partner working alongside you.”

Okay... This isn’t going to work. And is he implying I’m too slow?

Millie gripped the red file tightly, doing her best not to let her frustration show. She refused to look as sour as Agent Thompson, who still hadn’t softened his demeanor. Suddenly, Thompson spoke up, his tone sharp and irritated.

“Do I really have to work on this damn case? I have other cases that need attention from the beginning. This one’s already active, and I don’t want to play catch-up with... her.”

Millie immediately disliked the way he addressed her. Gritting her teeth in annoyance, she returned her attention to Jenkins. “I honestly think I can handle this case by myself, Captain.”

Jenkins nodded, his expression firm. “I know you can. But as your Captain, I’m not asking—I’m ordering.” He then shifted his gaze to Thompson. “And I don’t think you should say anything else, Agent Thompson.”

Millie wasn’t sure what was going on, but it was clear Thompson was in trouble for something. She made a mental note to figure it out later.

I guess it’s something I can find out in due time.

From the looks of it, she could tell this was going to be a bumpy ride. Agent Thompson seemed like a hard nut to crack, but hopefully, she could get through the case without too many hassles from him.