Chapter 1 - February
Hospital clinics, they’re supposed to be sterile and clean environments. Where people go to get medical help or treatment in a safe place. They aren’t supposed to be coated in blood and brain matter at one o'clock in the morning. Unfortunately for me, this is exactly what had happened at Mercy Medical, which lead to me standing in a puddle of blood, looking at the mangled bodies, rather than curled up in bed beside my husband. About ninety percent of my waking hours are spent looking at bloody crime scenes the other ten percent is spent doing paperwork.
“Carter, do we know who the victims are yet?” Special agent Thompson's voice startled me out of my wish to be home in bed beside Jonathan, and I immediately responded to his question, “No sir, not yet." My voice trailed off and the rest of my sentence was barely a whisper, " But I’m willing to bet one of them is Yas, Thursday’s are her turn to work the graveyard shift at Mercy...”
We'd have to wait for a positive ID from the coroner, but I can safely say I'm almost Ninety-Nine percent sure that one of the poor twisted souls belongs to Yasmine Bowers, my baby sister.
Yas was always so bubbly and friendly when we were growing up, but once puberty hit she got herself into some trouble hanging with the wrong crowd. Mom and Dad worried about her and tried their best to help her turn her life around, but all that did was push her further down a destructive road. She got clean long enough to get her nursing degree, but when she came home from college with Jake Bowers in tow her life started to spiral again. She was barely nineteen when she came crying to me saying she got pregnant and not to tell mom and dad because Jake was going to take real good care of them and do right by her.
About 4 months before the baby was due she and Jake ran off to Vegas and got married. Mom was furious, but there was nothing she could do. The last time any of us really spoke to Yas was the day Nicholas was born. That was almost 5 years ago, and since then Yas had settled into life as a working mom, spending her days at home with the kid and her nights at the clinic. Jake on the other hand had sunk into the bottom of a bottle and never fully resurfaced. If the body we found tonight really was Yasmine, he was going to be in for a real wake up call.
"Yo Carter," one of the crime scene techs calls to get my attention, "We're going to start collecting evidence, are you sure you want to stand this close?" I shake my head no and walk over to where the other agents are gathered around the security desk.
"Anything useful on the security tapes?" Agent Thompson turns around and by the look on his face I know they haven't had any luck yet. Once the tapes have been copied, and the evidence gathered I give the to ahead for the coroner to collect the bodies. Tonight is going to be a long one, and until we get a positive ID on the victims I'm not going to be able to focus too much.
All I can do is hope that one of them isn't Yasmine, despite what my gut is telling me. Once we get back to the office I'll be able to do my part.
I was brought in by the FBI because of certain, let's call them quirks that I posess. My grandmother would call them gifts, but I don't see them that way. Would you call them gifts if you want to a yardsale as a child and picked up a teddy bear only to see horrible images of a little girl drowning? I dont think so.
I avoid touching objects that belong to other people as much as I can, but when it comes to work that's what I get paid to do. I get paid to see the victims last moments. That's how we sometimes catch the bad guy. The one responsible for their death. Other times I don't see anything useful, but everytime I wind up with nightmares for weeks.
I haven't touched anything at the crime scene yet, I'm too scared of what I'll see, but I know sooner or later Agent Thompson is going to ask me to. Until that time comes I'm going to stay as far away from the bodies as I can.
Watching the black bags being zipped over the remains leaves a hollow in the pit of my stomach. Whoever these people are, they didn't deserve to die this way.
As everyone was packing up to head back to the office I sent Johnathan a quick text message letting him know I won't be home until late tonight. Once that was done I set my phone on silent and climbed into the back of one of the waiting SUV's more than ready to leave this bloody scene behind.
I must have dozed off at my desk, because I woke up around nine in the morning to Agent Thompson standing over me with a file folder in hand. "Carter, the autopsy report came back. We have a positive ID on the victims." My heart dropped into my stomach with the way he was looking at me, I didn't need to hear him say the words, I already knew. "Yasmine.. She was," My mind was having trouble processing the words, "She was one of the victims wasn't she?" He nodded at me, his eyes full of something akin to pity. "I.. Sir can I.. I need to call my parents.. I.." I broke down, right there in the office, my worst fear catching up to me, my little sister gone...
When I pulled myself together Agent Thompson sent me home, I was off the case now that I had a personal conflict of interest. I would have to wait until the killer was caught just like any other victim's family member. Waiting, maybe never knowing, my sister becoming just another evidence file on the cold case shelf, never getting justice...
