Page 76 of Girl Between

“How do you mean?” asked Dr. Cruz.

“Prolonged drug use severely damages organs. No organs are missing from this victim. And I see no evidence of transnasal tampering. She suffered blood loss due to her injuries, but no additional blood has been removed. There’s also the fact that this woman has no ligature marks. She wasn’t bound and held, unlike the first two.”

“Right, but doesn’t that all point to a different killer?”

“It could, but just like the first two victims, this woman has no defensive wounds. What could that point to?”

“She was drugged before being abducted?” Dr. Cruz guessed.

“Yes. And these festivals are the perfect hunting grounds. A crowded place, where people are overindulging? A killer could easily slip these women something and whisk them away without it seeming out of place.”

Dr. Landry butted in. “That’s a whole lot of conjecture, Dr. Gray.”

“We have a whole lot of victims, Dr. Landry. Do you have any better theories?”

“Well, no, but assuming you’re right, you don’t have much to go on to help you catch this guy.”

Dana studied the twitchy old man. “What makes you so sure it’s a man?”

“Look at the body,” he said sadly. “Women don’t do this to women.”

Dana hated that she agreed with him. “Despite all the differences in this victim, I think we’re dealing with the same killer or killers as the first two.”

“Actually,” Dr. Cruz said. “It might be more than that.”

“What do you mean?” asked Dana.

Lena scooted her sliding exam stool over to the wall of glistening stainless-steel cabinetry. She pulled open a drawer. “Remember how you told me to look into any past cases with missing organs?”

“Yeah.”

Lena hefted out a stack of dingy green folders. “I think I might’ve stumbled onto something big.”

Dana rushed over, immediately flipping through the stack of folders. “How far back does this go?” she asked anxiously.

“Two years, at least. All Jane Does. I’ve just started, but from the photos alone I see evidence of transnasal craniotomies.”

“I can’t believe this,” Dana admitted, flipping through the dozens of case folders.

“I can’t believe I didn’t see it before,” Dr. Cruz muttered.

“You didn’t know there was something to see,” Dana objected.

Dr. Landry sauntered over, eager to play the patronizing voice of reason. “Now, ladies, there are things to consider before opening up a can of worms like this,” he warned.

“You’re not seriously suggesting we ignore evidence in an ongoing investigation?” Dana accused.

Dr. Landry held his withered hands up. “I’m merely proposing you tread carefully.”

“That sounds like a threat,” Dana countered.

“Dr. Gray, New Orleans may appear like a big city, but we operate more like a small town. Everyone knows everyone. That means if one of us suffers, we all suffer. And this city has had more than its fair share of tragedy. Dredging up past grief that people have barely laidto rest…” Landry paused. “It’s something that needs to be done with a level of finesse and familiarity an outsider can’t comprehend.”

“And let me guess,” Dana hedged, arms crossed. “You’re the only one in possession of these skills?”

“Well now that you mention it …”

“If you want to be part of this investigation, which will definitely be federal thanks to Dr. Cruz’s exceptional work, you’re welcome to throw your hat in the ring. But if you’re looking for recommendations, you won’t find any on my end.”