Before Evil

Chapter 4

4 Richmond, Virginia“Whoa! She is seriously messed up.”

This was the first thing out of Turner’s mouth when they arrived. No “hello.” No apology for their delay. With only a glance at the corpse, Maggie realized that was an understatement even before the M.E. scowled at them over his half glasses. They were twenty minutes late though it took only five to go through the fast food drive-thru.

“I’m sure you won’t mind that I started without you, Agent Turner.”

Stan Wenhoff was clearly not happy. But it was hard to tell. Head down, shoulders hunched, his eyes didn’t leave his fingers. He had already sliced the body open and started to examine the internal injuries. Maggie had worked with the medical examiner about a dozen times. His facial expression rarely changed as if it were stamped on with an eternal look of disapproval. She knew lack of emotion could be an advantage in his line of work.

Wenhoff finally glanced up. To Maggie he nodded and said, “Agent O’Dell, good to see you again.” Back to Turner. “Gowns, masks, shoe covers—” He pointed with his scalpel to a metal rack against the far wall behind them.

“This is not the missing councilwoman from Boston,” Wenhoff told them, getting down to business.

The story had made the national news, a constant loop with photos and interviews of panicked family members. The woman had gone missing several days ago, her car found in the parking lot of a restaurant she frequented.

Now that Maggie stood over the corpse she wondered how Wenhoff could be so certain. The tangled hair, the bruises and gashes on her swollen face made her unrecognizable.

As if reading Maggie’s mind, Wenhoff said, “This woman’s been gone more than a few days. I’d say a week, maybe even two.”

“She doesn’t look like she’s been dead for that long,” Turner said, towering over Maggie’s right shoulder.

She noticed Turner hanging back behind her instead of alongside her, his facemask clasped firmly in place. She left hers dangling at her neck. Autopsies didn’t bother her. She’d considered pre-med in college until she realized a medical doctor might require social skills she didn’t have. Fact was, she felt more comfortable with dead people, and yes, she had a minor in psychology so she also knew that preference wasn’t quite normal.

“I’m guessing she was dead for only a few days before her body was discovered.”

“Where was she found?” Maggie asked and watched Wenhoff nod his head toward Turner for him to answer.

“Shenandoah County.”

“That’s northern Virginia,” Maggie tried to picture the area. But she also knew there were four district offices in Virginia’s medical examiner system. Wenhoff was the forensic pathologist for the Central District. Shenandoah County wasn’t his jurisdiction.

“Filmer’s on vacation,” Wenhoff told her. “I’m covering for him. Lucky me.” He pointed to the counter. “Forest worker noticed a flash of color in the woods.”

On a separate tray sat one lone running shoe. Despite the mud, Maggie could see the shoe was a fluorescent orange.

“Any chance she got lost while out for a run?”

“From what I understand there’s only one service road that winds into the forest,” Turner said. “That forest isn’t open to the public. Almost 600 acres. No trails. No hunting. No fishing. No access.”

“So she could have gotten lost.”

“And wandered around for two weeks?” Wenhoff shook his head. “I know that area. She would have needed to drive there. It’s an old watershed at the base of the mountain. The land was donated to the state, and about all they could do with it was make it into a wildlife sanctuary. It’s called Devil’s Backbone. Not exactly someplace you go to jog.

“Who knows how she ended up out there,” he continued. “But she definitely was left stranded to fend for herself. She’s dehydrated. Undernourished. Welts from insect bites. Scratches and cuts on her legs and arms.”

The medical examiner put down his scalpel and reached around to grab a basin. Maggie and Turner both leaned forward to see inside. When Wenhoff announced that it was the women’s stomach contents, Maggie heard Turner suck in air. She avoided looking back at him. Wenhoff either didn’t notice Turner’s discomfort or he didn’t care, because he poked around the goop, eager to show off what he had discovered.

“Tiny little berries. Maybe crabapples. I’m not sure. And this,” he stabbed at a more solid piece. “I think it’s some kind of raw fish.”

“Not sushi?” Turner asked, almost hopeful.

Wenhoff shook his head. “No, the scales are still attached.”

A moan from Turner and she heard him take a step back.

“You’re saying she may have had to eat raw fish that she caught? So she could have gotten lost in the woods,” Maggie persisted.

“I said stranded, not lost.”

“What’s the difference?” Turner asked.

“Lost suggests she did this to herself. Stranded implies someone left her in the middle of nowhere.” Wenhoff placed the basin back on the counter and returned his attention to the corpse. “She didn’t do this to herself.”

He reached and pulled down the cloth he had draped over the woman’s lower body. Immediately Maggie could see what the medical examiner meant. The woman’s left calf had been pierced with an arrow and part of it was still intact.

Turner let out a low whistle. “I knew I should have read the entire sheriff’s report.”

“Someone shot her with a bow and arrow?” Maggie leaned in for a closer look.

“A crossbow,” Wenhoff corrected her. “I’m speculating about that, but I do believe much more velocity would be needed. Lots of crossbow hunters in these parts. But these carbon arrows? There’re difficult to break. Can splinter and cut your hands.”

Wenhoff pointed at her hands. The palms were covered in small cuts.

“At least she knew not to pull it out,” Turner noted.

“Looks like the wound started to heal around the arrow,” Maggie said, examining both sides. “That’s why you think she was stranded in the forest for several days.”

“Correct.”

“If a lot of hunters use crossbows these days, you sure this wasn’t an accident?” Turner pointed out.

Wenhoff shook his head, and he looked a bit frustrated with Maggie and Turner. “Still doesn’t explain this.”

Now the medical examiner grabbed the cloth where it had bunched up at the victim’s feet and pulled it completely off.

The woman’s big toe on her left foot was missing. It had been cut off.