The girl's body had arrived at the coroner's office just before dawn. She was soaked, pale, and heavy with silence—like the lake had tried to keep her, but someone had interrupted that quiet drowning.
Reyes stood behind the glass observation panel, eyes sunken, arms crossed. He hadn't slept. Again.
"She was shot from a distance. Clean entry. No exit. The bullet's still in her," the coroner said flatly, his gloved hands already cutting through fabric with slow precision. "Judging by the wound and rigor... she died quickly."
The metal table echoed faintly as tools were placed down. Scalpel. Forceps. Bone saw. Each one gleaming under cold white lights.
Reyes said nothing. He was focused on the chest cavity now opening before him.
"It's always worse when it's someone young," the coroner muttered, more to himself. "Looks like she ran hard before she was hit. Adrenaline... lungs are expanded."
"She was cornered," Reyes finally spoke. "She knew it was coming."
The coroner glanced back, briefly disturbed by Reyes' tone—calm, too calm. Like he'd replayed the moment a hundred times in his head.
The assistant laid out the personal belongings found in the pockets of the girl's coat—phone, broken headphones, a mint tin with a photo folded inside.
Reyes picked it up. It was a picture of the girl and her younger sister, arms around each other, a lake behind them. A cruel circle.
He exhaled slowly.
"Let me know when the bullet's out. I want the rifling matched."
Then he turned, coat swirling behind him, walking back into the rain.
many detectives knew this:
"The body didn't lie, only if you know where to look on"
Step 1: External Examination
•The body is photographed from multiple angles.
•Notes are made about clothing, injuries, tattoos, marks, and decomposition signs.
•Identification is confirmed, if possible.
•Any signs of struggle—bruises, cuts, ligature marks—are documented.
Step 2: Body Weight and Measurements
•The body is weighed and measured.
•This can help estimate health condition or signs of malnourishment or trauma.
Step 3: Cleaning and Preparing the Body
•The body is washed to better view wounds or hidden marks.
•Fingernails are scraped and swabbed for DNA.
•Hair and skin under UV light can reveal chemical or biological traces.
Step 4: Y-Incision
•A Y-shaped cut is made from both shoulders, joining at the chest and down to the pubic bone.
•Skin and muscle are pulled back to access the thoracic and abdominal cavities.
Step 5: Internal Organ Removal
•Each organ is removed carefully and weighed.
•The heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, stomach, and intestines are inspected.
•Contents of the stomach help estimate time of death.
Step 6: Head Examination
•The scalp is opened and the skull is sawed in a circular cut.
•The brain is removed for inspection, especially in suspected head trauma or poisoning.
Step 7: Collecting Evidence
•Blood, urine, and other fluids are collected for toxicology.
•The bullet (if present) is retrieved and preserved for ballistics analysis.
•Tissues may be preserved in formalin for microscopic testing.
Step 8: Cause and Manner of Death
•After analyzing the findings, the coroner determines the cause (e.g., gunshot, asphyxiation) and manner (homicide, suicide, accident, etc.).
•A detailed report is written.
Step 9: Closure
•Organs are returned or stored for further study.
•The body is sewn back and prepared for release.
•Evidence is logged and sent to investigators.
Reyes was sitting outside the station. Tired, eye bags were formed on his face, wishing all of this could end.
"First I have to deal with 'Hell hound' now... a sniper... this city is making my skin thicker day by day" Reyes grumbled on the bench but suddenly, he got something.
he grabbed his buzzing phone out of his pockets knowing that his wife is calling now, as he checked the time it was already late—he should go back home now, even though he doesn't want it.
****meanwhile**** somewhere else
Otto extinguished the final candle, the old priest stood in silence before the crude altar. A soft hum vibrated through the chamber walls — like something ancient stirring just beneath the surface of the earth.
He picked up a cracked wooden mask — shaped like a bird's face, painted with dry, flaking red lines. Holding it to his face, he whispered in a voice not entirely his own,
"The shrike watches… and it is pleased."
Suddenly, the chapel's floorboards above creaked.
Someone was inside the church.
Otto didn't flinch. Instead, he turned slowly toward the stone staircase and said to the shadows:
"Come down, child. You've been expected."
a soft crying was heard from afar, outside the church. Otto smirked a bit as he sees the figure