Page 19 of First Blood

He took more photos and laid them out while gathering the others. ‘There are three modes of dismemberment, which are: disarticulation around the joints, which is basically the separation of two bones at their joint either by injury or surgery; transection of bone via chopping; and transection of bone via sawing.’

‘And we have?’ Kim asked.

‘The head was cut off with a saw,’ he said, pointing to a close-up of the jagged edge of the flesh where it had been chewed up by a heavily serrated saw.

Even on the photo Kim could see that the wound which had been inflicted to kill him was an inch higher than the saw marks, and it was that first cut she wanted to understand. The psyche of someone who could get on their hands and knees and saw someone’s head off she would consider later. But as Bryant had noted, the victim had been beheaded after death so the kill wound was the priority and told them more about both the crime and the criminal.

‘Bryant, would you mind lying on the floor?’ she asked.

The two men looked at each other and then back at her.

He didn’t move.

‘Guv, are you?…’

‘Look, I’ll lie on the floor if you want. I just need to…’

‘Okay dokey, I’ll do it,’ he said, removing his jacket and lowering himself to the ground.

‘Adopt the position of the victim,’ she instructed.

He put his arms out to the side and opened his legs wide.

‘Jeez, I can’t even think what’s been on this floor,’ he said, turning his head to the side. ‘Hey, Keats, there’s a pound coin under your fridge.’

‘Noted,’ Keats said, keeping his eyes on her.

She walked in between Bryant’s legs. His eyes were watching her closely.

‘If you couldn’t move, how would you be feeling right now?’

‘Well, my hands are itching to cover my knackers quick smart.’

‘Give me an emotion, not an action,’ she said, peering down at him.

‘Vulnerable,’ he admitted. ‘And please don’t let this leave the room.’

Kim continued to stare down at him.

She changed her position and stood with her feet either side of his waist.

‘How about now?’

‘Not so much but I can see your expression better. I feel like I can read your eyes now.’

Kim held her hand out. ‘Keats, you got something?…’

A ruler was thrust into her hands.

Watching her, following her thought process and anticipating her next move, definitely earned him a couple of Brownie points.

Kim continued to move up her colleague’s body. The tips of her boots were almost touching his armpits.

‘How do you feel now?’ she asked, staring down into his eyes.

‘Intimidated, powerless, maybe just a little freaked out seeing as we only met a few hours ago.’

Kim lowered herself and placed the ruler half an inch below Bryant’s ear. He swallowed deeply but her eyes never left his as she slowly pulled the ruler across his throat.