Page 1 of Wild Idol

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Red and blue lights flashed across the alley, bouncing off the damp brick walls. First responders swarmed the scene. A crowd of curious onlookers gathered.

Dietrich leaned in through the open side door of the dumpster and snapped photos. The camera flashes bounced off the green steel container.

I knew this wouldn’t be a pretty scene.

When Dietrich had taken enough pictures, Brenda pulled on a pair of pink nitrile gloves and climbed into the dumpster to examine the remains. I don’t think it was her favorite thing in the world to do.

JD and I approached to get a better look.

The smell of rotten trash swirled the air, mixed with the aroma of new death. The victim hadn’t been there long enough to turn sour, but the traces were unmistakable. Hints of perfume still clung to her skin. Light and floral.

Flies swarmed about the corpse.

It broke my heart.

The blonde in the dumpster was maybe 17 or 18. She had been pretty. A real head-turner. Now, her skin was pale and lifeless. Her blank, blue eyes stared at the sky. She lay atop black bags of trash and loose debris.

No blood stains. No spatter. Nothing to indicate violence.

“No obvious signs of trauma,” Brenda said, her voice echoing off the steel of the bin.

“Any ID?” I asked.

Brenda shook her head.

The girl wore a tight top, a leather miniskirt, and stilettos. The designer logo on the soles of the shoes didn’t come cheap. All done up, she was obviously trying to look older. Now, she’d be forever young.

At first glance, I didn’t see a purse near the body, but I’d let Brenda dig through the dumpster.

The green monstrosity was at the end of the alley, behindBeats. It was a thumping dance club that played electro-pop into the wee hours of the morning. The kind of place where it wasn’t hard to find cocaine, tabs of molly, and other illicit substances to keep you going all night.

“Time of death?”

“Judging by the body temperature, I’d say between 11:00 PM and 1:00 AM, give or take,” Brenda replied.

I snapped a reference photo on my cell phone of the girl’sface. The redness of her lipstick kept her lips from looking blue, but her skin had that sickly green pallor.

I backed away from the dumpster and found the sheriff. He looked on with a grim face.

“Who found the body?” I asked.

Sheriff Daniels pointed to a guy standing nearby. “Employee of the club. Found her when he was taking out the trash.”

JD and I stepped to him. I flashed my badge and made introductions. His name was Todd. He was late 20s with short dark hair, dark eyes, and a strong jaw full of stubble.

“When did you find her?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Maybe an hour ago now. I called you guys right away.”

“Do you recognize her?”

He shook his head.

“She looks like she’s dressed for a night on the town. Was she in the club last night?”

Todd shrugged again. “Lots of people come through the club.”