Jillian Chantal

This week’s word prompt for Tuesday Tales is smudge. I’ve started a new story where the heroine is a homicide detective and is investigating a murder of someone who used to be her friend but treated her abysmally. She’s emotionally torn as she remembers how their relationship deteriorated and the break up of the friendship but she never wished any such disastrous ending for the lady.

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They drove the few miles to the hospital where the morgue was located and made their way to the bottom floor of the facility.

Inside the morgue, Martinez led them to the table where Drusilla lay.

Maggie had to cover her mouth. It was always hard to visit this place but when it was someone she knew on the slab it made it that much harder. True, she and Drusilla had fallen out long ago, but it was still mighty difficult to see her there with the y-incision and the top of her skull still in the pan on the side table.

“What’s the cause of death?” she asked.

“You’re looking pale again, Blaine. You sure you want to be on this case?” Jacob asked.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re face is the same color as your hair. White on white isn’t your color, darling.” Jacob laughed. He leaned over the table and whispered to the coroner, “She likes to say she’s a natural blonde but have you ever seen hair that blonde?”

“Forget my hair. What’s the cause of death?” Maggie asked.

“It’s complicated but I think I’ve narrowed it down.” Martinez handed Maggie a piece of paper in a plastic bag. “Found this embedded in the fabric of her blouse in the back.”

She peered at the paper. It had a number of brown smudges and streaks on it that she presumed was dried blood. After she read it, she passed it to Jacob. What it said was true. Maggie knew from firsthand experience.

He read it out loud. “Back stabber.”

Looking up at Martinez, he asked. “You found this actually on her back?”

“When they CSIs got done with photos and rolled her over, the note was stuck to the blood on her back. Her blouse was in shreds where someone had stabbed her six times.”

“Was that the cause then?” Maggie asked.

“It would have eventually led to death. One of the wounds nicked her left kidney and another one hit the bottom of her heart. She was able to keep on her feet and walk out of her office.”