Chapter 1
“What a bleedin’ waste,” Kayleigh muttered through clenched teeth as she forced the tap into the off position. It’d been sticking for a while now and today was not a good day for it to be anything but working properly. She knew that if she’d spent much longer washing her hands she’d have made them bleed, but the pain felt good, cutting through the fog and allowing her to think straight. It was a godsend at times like this.
Sighing Kayleigh snapped on the latex gloves and strode over to her equipment to begin the last cleaning routine. As she did she looked over to the lifeless body of the young woman, not really much more than a girl, on her table. She sighed again, trying to regain her professional distance. After all she saw dead bodies every day, why should this one be any different? But, getting a closer look as she carried her equipment to the stand next to the body, it was still such a damn waste.
Glancing again to make sure that everything was in place, Kayleigh double-checked that her notes were in order and up to date. After all, her guest would probably want to read them when she arrived. Everything in place, Kayleigh took one last look at the body. “Rath Dé ort, and with us all.”
“‘Grace of God be with you,’ interesting sentiments. You have Irish heritage I take it.” At the sound of the cool feminine voice behind her Kayleigh turned, not exactly sure who or what she was going to see and not expecting what she did.
The woman who was standing near the door was stunning, that was the only word to describe her. The poise with which she held herself gave her an air of natural and effortless confidence, which her figure hugging leather clothing did nothing to counter. Blue-black hair fell framing an aristocratic face accented by two distinctive black tattoos.
Kayleigh knew she must look a mess by comparison. She had a figure that could be described as well-built at worst or valkyrie like at best, and was definitely no comparison to the woman in front of her. The plastic apron slung over jeans and a plain, functional shirt made her look plain and somewhat masculine. And her hair. Oh Jesus. Her hair. She knew by now, from the tingling feeling in her scalp, that what had started out a fairly average brown was now a flaming red.
“You must be Sage,” she blustered, “I normally work with Amara. So, how come you’re here?” she continued, hoping it would cover up her embarrassment and distract from her hair.
.
“Amara is on a leave of absence. You are Kayleigh Del’Cairn, the LAPD coroner. You are a mutant whose hair changes colour dependant on mood.”
“Wow. You must have an incredible memory to remember all that shite from my file.” Kayleigh said, with a slightly embarrassed cough. ‘Jesus’, she thought, ‘way to show how sophisticated you are.’
However, Sage said nothing about the lapse, only quirked an eyebrow slightly. “My mutation allows me to have perfect and instant recall of everything I see and hear, as well as other things.” She didn’t go into anymore detail, as if not wanting to brag.
Kayleigh was impressed. She’d known that detective they were sending was a mutant, after all Amara was and they were both from the XSE, but not one with such a useful mutation. She sighed, slightly bitter. “Impressive. Your mutation is to mine what having an extra pair or arms is to having a sixth toe.”
“Actually, having a sixth toe would be exceptionally useful considering the improvements it would make to your balance.” Sage pointed out in a totally objective way.
Kayleigh said nothing to that, couldn’t really. She felt her hair shifting from the flame red of interest to the rose pink of embarrassment and shame, and she felt slightly bitterer. After all, she knew her mutation was about as useful as a chocolate teapot, but there was no need to rub it in. Especially in such an offhand manner.
She took a deep breath, annoyed with herself for getting out of control. She wasn’t normally this volatile. She forced herself to take a mental step backwards, taking several deep breaths. She needed to regain her professional detachment. Quickly.
“Shall we begin?” Sage asked from where she had finished reading the preliminary notes that Kayleigh had left out for her. It wasn’t obvious but Kayleigh swore that Sage had been giving her time to compose herself, despite how quickly the woman had gone through fifteen pages of note. She nodded and turned on the recorder.
“Autopsy No. 213684. Conducted by LAPD coroner Kayleigh Del’Cairn. Present is detective Sage of the XSE.” Kayleigh shifted over to her equipment, letting the recorder hang on its support.
“Subject is a mutant female of Caucasian decent. Her mutation consists of dark feathers instead of hair, which covers her scalp and upper shoulders and back.”
She referred to her notes briefly. “Subject’s name was Maria Saunders, and she was, 18 years old.”
Kayleigh paused and Sage added “She was a runaway, reported missing by her parents over a year ago, and was apparently living in a shelter at time of death.”
Kayleigh continued, slightly put out by what she saw as an unnecessary interruption. “There appear to be almost no defensive wounds to the arms, hands or nails, but scrapings have been taken and sent to trace. This could indicate that either the subject knew her attacker or was incapacitated.”
Kayleigh began the autopsy properly, making the Y incision and following procedure to the letter. She would prove to Sage that she was a professional, despite her earlier slip ups. As she cut she continued her narration to the tape recorder. “Subject shows no signs of rape, but a sexual assault kit has been collected and sent to DNA. Subject’s organs all appear to be in perfect condition although her bones are hollow. However, Detective Sage assures me this is common in avian mutations.”
“Cause of death appears to be strangulation, with petechial haemorrhaging around the eyes and visible finger shaped bruising around the neck. She also has a crushed larynx. No weapon appears to have been used, and there is no fibre or trace evidence to be submitted.” Kayleigh shuddered slightly, but continued to do what was necessary.
Finished with the autopsy she stripped off her gloves and turned back to the recorder to deliver her verdict. “The conclusions of this autopsy are that the cause of death was asphyxia due to strangulation. End of report.”
As Kayleigh reached up to turn off the recorder she knocked against her equipment table, bringing her whole tray tumbling down on to the ground. Before she could react, grab a pair of gloves and bend down to pick it up Sage, who was still right next to her reacted instead. As she did, Kayleigh got a view of a perfect, firm pair of leather-encased buttocks.
Feeling the tingle of her hair changing again she hastily muttered an apology, fleeing towards the bathroom before Sage had a chance to look up. As Kayleigh fled she muttered under her breath “Not purple, Jesus fucking Christ please not purple.”
Standing in front of the mirror she looked in disgust at the lust-induced purple of her hair. ‘What was she coming to?’ she asked herself, a thirty year old woman allowing her hormones to control her like this. Besides, a woman like Sage could have anyone she wanted, and was more than likely already taken.
“Pull yourself together girly,” she told her reflection sternly focusing on calming down again. A few minutes later, when she had managed this feat and her hair was back to its normal colour she made her way back to the autopsy room, where Sage was still waiting patiently.
“How long until we get those DNA and trace results back?” the raven haired woman asked her as Kayleigh stripped off the last of her protective gear and bundled it into the bin waiting for it.
“The trace might take a little while, Jean is pretty slow, but our DNA tech, Greg, is bloody good. So it shouldn’t be long, two or three days at the most.” She shrugged, not really knowing too much about that side of things. “But I should have the tox report back by tomorrow.”
“When you do get it through please be sure to email them to us so that my partner Bishop and I can analyse them further.” Sage asked. Kayleigh nodded and watched as the detective left, amazed at the effect the woman had had on her. Even now her hair was probably shifting itself back to red. Pulling the long plait over her shoulder she nodded, yep it was red alright. That meant it was the headscarf for tonight’s walk home then.
Her shift now over Kayleigh headed into her small office and retrieved her emergency headscarf from the drawer she kept it stashed in. It never hurt to keep one around, for ‘just in case’ times, like these. Taking care to make sure she covered every last piece of hair she meticulously wrapped the scarf from her roots all the way down to the end of her plait at hip level.
She walked home fairly briskly, glad that it was the early hours of the morning and that the heat had not yet risen with the sun although it was hot enough without it, wishing she was in bed already. It had been a long night and she was tired. Making her way through the nearly empty streets, she was also glad that there were just enough people around that they weren’t deserted.
As she walked Kayleigh reflected on the things that Sage had said to her, focusing in particular on the fact that she had referred to this Bishop person as her partner. Sure, so she probably meant that she worked closely with them, but a woman like Sage, who could have anyone she wanted. Really it just confirmed what Kayleigh already thought, Sage was taken and there was no point in being interested.
She sighed as she let herself into her apartment and swept the headscarf off her head with annoyance. She would have to remember to take it back with her tomorrow; there was no way she was going to be caught without it. She shook her head, it had been months since she had to wear it, months since she’d lost so much control, and all over one woman.
Admittedly, Sage was in an incredible woman, with not only a sharp and impressive intellect but a body to match. Kayleigh shook her head, closing the door behind her with a click and making her way into the bathroom, shedding her coat and bag onto the hanger as she went. Stopping in front of the bathroom mirror she looked at her treacherous hair, still faintly red even now. Turning away she quickly stripped off her clothes, placing them into the laundry basket before getting in the shower.
The coolness of the water was a blessing especially after the heat of the walk home. As with early summer in most cities the buildings held the heat between them, creating a sauna effect that rivalled any spa treatment. She was once again glad that the new day’s heat had not been added to it.
However, her mind soon became a curse, drawing her thoughts back to the events of the night. First of all it brought back the embarrassment at how clumsy and awkward she had been, fumbling around despite being a skilled professional. It reminded her of being back in school, desperate to show off her first crush, not realising what a pillock it had made her seem.
That train of thought led her to the object of her attraction, Sage. Her thoughts roamed over the woman’s body, the sleek muscles showcased under the tight black leather, the way everything was on display despite her being fully clothed, and finally her piercing blue eyes. Eyes the colour of the sky after a thunderstorm.
It was the eyes that really did Kayleigh in, and no amount of cold water was going to take care of the burning lust that Kayleigh felt clawing its way through her. Frustrated, she did the only thing she could, and once finished took herself to bed to try and forget. After all, she told herself, no point in lusting after what isn’t available.