Blood & Sex, Volume 1: Michael

Victoria Tyler knelt in front of the nude corpse in the dark alley between the worn brick buildings of Third Street, the home of Collins Bay?s strip clubs, peep shows, and tattoo parlors. She managed to tune out the traffic roaring down the streets that met the alley on either side, but when the scent of blood and garbage wafted upward on the sudden breeze, her stomach flipped. She breathed out hard, just like she always did to clear the smell of death from her nose, and fought back the twinge of nausea.

Her hand was steady as she used the slim metal pointer to move a blood-matted clump of long blonde hair away from the corpse?s neck. She saw a big bruise that matched the others that were scattered across the body. She aimed the flashlight at the spot, but couldn?t tell exactly how old the injury was. The mix of hot days and cool nights could do strange things to a body in Florida in October.


Another dark spot peeked out from beneath the girl?s arm, and Tori gently raised it for a better look. Just to the left of the breast was a circle of bloody dots and dashes, with long trails of fluid that crusted on the skin. She?d bet they?d find more bruises, just like this one, when the body wasn?t slumped beside a dumpster on a cloud-covered night. After all, the bite marks were why the newspaper had given the killer the name ?Bay Gnasher.?

Footsteps shuffled behind her. She glanced up and saw Joe Phillips looking over her shoulder. Joe was one of Collins? finest, a clean cut uniform with dark hair that remained in a perpetual crew cut. He was a little cheesy and a few brain cells short of detective material, but he seemed nice enough. He?d been with the force for years, even before she started, and tried to downplay his interest in crime scene investigation, but they all knew. It was hard not to know when he never stopped talking about those damned forensics shows on television.

Tori shook her head to fight back a smile that tickled her lips, and then motioned to the mark. ?What does this look like to you, Joe??
He hovered over her shoulder, and his uniform pressed against her back. If he?d been anyone else, she?d have clocked him for invading her space. ?Bite marks??

?Looks like it.? She glanced again at the woman?s wrist, where a hunk of flesh was missing, then to what was left of a youthful face. Such a shame. ?You said no one was around when you found her, right??

?Yeah.?

Tori stood so quickly that Joe stumbled back to dodge her shoulder.

?Alright, get statements from everyone who is within sight of this dumpster, including those apartments.? She pointed down the alley, toward another brick building that erupted from the concrete at the opposite end. ?If they?re not home, come back tomorrow. Right now, we have nothing and this guy?s got eight victims in two months. I don?t think he plans to slow down anytime soon.?

?We?ll get on it, Tori.?

She gave him a pat on the shoulder. If they did great work, they?d save her a lot of time. ?I know you will.?