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Chapter 4 The New Team
Meranda stood alone in her lab, James had gone with Colette to find out what the pictures had to say about the murder scene. Meranda stayed there looking at the blood, the glass shards and the samples from Lucas’s car. She could hardly believe that her friend was dead. Staring at the evidence that now sat in front of her she needed to find the killer. The clues were staring her in the face yet she could see nothing.
“We’ve got the pictures back.” James said as he and Colette entered the room.
“What do we have?” She asked.
“Looks like the shard of glass found under Lucas was also in his back. He must have fought the killer.”
“I have to wait for the ME’s report to know that for sure.” Meranda said.
“We know. But so far the pictures paint a rather eerie picture. The gunshot wound seemed to have come from behind, what bothers me is that it didn’t take out the front of his face.”
“Maybe he was shot from an angle?” Meranda asked.
“That could be possible. There is no exit from what I can see, we will have to wait for the report on that. There was also blood on his shirt and scratches on his hands.”
“You did a good job.” Meranda said taking the pictures from Colette. She began pinning them up in a row, taking a better look at each, and then trying to match what she had already collected to what was now being shown.
“I am thinking the scratches on his hands came from the car. That would explain the blood on the passenger side door. The gunshot wound I am unsure of, I am thinking that was done on the scene of the murder. But where did the blood inside the car come from?”
“His arm, look at the bullet wound.” James pointed out. Clearly in one of the pictures was a shot of the front of Lucas and any wounds on his body could be seen.
“Damn how did I miss that?”
“You weren’t looking for it. It doesn’t look like a fatal wound so maybe that’s why you missed it.” James pointed out. Meranda had to agree but until they received the ME’s report they were at a stand still, she had run all the tests she could on the samples she had. But until she had a clear picture of what happened to Lucas there was no one she could point the finger at. Even if she had a hunch she knew who had done it, she needed more time to bring the evidence into play.
“Why don’t we get some coffee while we wait for that report.” Colette suggested.
Meranda wanted to look at the two other people in the small room, the quiet slowly getting to her.
“I have to do something, I can’t just sit here.” Meranda said leaving the room. James stood dropped his empty coffee cup in the trash and followed her from the room. As expected Meranda was once again in her lab. She needed the information and getting the results from the computer might be faster than waiting on the Medical Examiner. Punching a few keys she waited for the computer to find the information she needed.
“Damn it he’s not done with it.” Meranda growled. James shook his head and looked around the room.
“Why not just go see the medical examiner and find out what’s going on with the tests?”
“Because he’s on the other side of town.” Meranda growled. James shook his head and pulled up another chair.
“Believe me he’ll get those results here quickly. Let the man do his job.”
“Yeah.” Meranda grumbled walking away from her computer. Walking to the door she nearly knocked over the young man that was coming with the results.
“Agent Cross?” He asked.
“Yes?”
“I was told to give these to you.” He said handing her the envelope. Meranda nearly tore open the envelope to find out the contents.
“He was shot.”
“Duh we knew that much.”
“Lucas was beaten. The bullet isn’t what killed him.”
“What was?”
“Blunt force trauma. He was hit in the head hard. The ME says that it was either a lead pipe or something similar. But whom ever killed Lucas screwed up, there was a fight between Lucas and the aslant and it seems that he got in a few blows himself. There was fresh skin found under his fingernails. They are currently checking it against the DNA found on the scene and they are also sending over a sample of it for you to test, they figure that you know more about all of the Agent DNA in this dept than most.”
“Yeah, let me take a look at it. Give me a few hours and then I’ll let you know. Why don’t the two of you get something to eat and come back.”
“You’ve got to eat too.”
“I will.” Meranda replied as she began looking over the paperwork and then looking toward the door as the courier arrived with that package. Meranda took the package and signed the paper quickly before disappearing into the lab.

“What are we going to do about her? She thought her partner was the one doing the killings, but since he turned up dead, she’s not so sure.”
“I know. But Meranda is very talented and understands what her job is and knows what she needs to do to find Lucas’s killer.”
“James what are we to think? Meranda Cross is a fine Agent but what are we to think? She is to head up this new team, and at this rate she’s already emotionally involved.”
“Colette, you have to see things from Meranda’s point of view. To see things through her eyes.”
“Problem is I do.” Colette said looking back into the small room.

Meranda had already started her testing on the skin that had been found under Lucas’s nails. She also began looking over the picture of the body, she had wanted to examine it herself but the ME was still working on the other causes of death. From what she could see of the pictures, Lucas had taken one hell of a beating.
“I have to see this up close.” She whispered as she hurried out of the room. It was a lucky thing that the Medical Examiners office was just down the block. Hurrying from the building she made her way down the nearly dark and empty street to the Medical Examiners office, tapping a few keys on the keypad the door promptly beep and clicked open. She walked down the hallway, her heals clicking on the tile floor as she made her way to the morgue.
“Meranda?”
“Sorry Stan, I had to see this for myself.”
“Not a problem. I had actually expected you to want to see this. Looks like Lucas put up a fight before he was killed.”
“So it seems.” Meranda said as she pulled on some latex gloves to start touching the naked body. Reaching into her pocket she pulled a small tape recorder out and hit record.
“There are several bruises on the torso of the victims body, along with a large gash beneath his right arm. There are bruises over the entire face, eyes.”
“It seems that Agent Brian put up a good fight.”
“What was the fatal wound?”
“The shot to his upper right chest, it was as if the person knew exactly where to hit him. Your partner was wearing a vest.”
“Right beyond the vest, this was a professional hit.” Meranda said looking down at her former partner. Someone was out to kill agents, especially ones working on certain missing persons cases.
“Let me know what else you find. I am heading back to the office.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah I think I might have a lead.”
“Meranda this isn’t like you.”
“I know but you’re more than capable to finish this. I have what I need.” Meranda said disappearing out the door. Stan shook his head before going back to his own work.

Meranda hurried back to her office, she needed to fill in James and Colette on what was going on. Things had taken a strange turn and now she had a feeling that the entire agency was under attack. Nearing the door, she stopped when she noticed a car pulling up in front of the building. She knew that the building was closed to public access at this hour and wondered what the car was doing there. Standing outside she waited, suddenly the sound of a gunshot pierced the silence of the night and Meranda dropped to her knees as a blinding pain shot through her shoulder. Meranda looked up trying to see the face of her attacker, but the pain seemed to almost blind her.
“Goodnight Agent.” Was all she heard as her world went black.

James looked out the large window, wondering where Meranda was. He had already called over to the coroners office to find that Meranda had been gone for nearly fifteen minuets.
“Something’s not right.” James said turning and facing Colette.
“Yeah I know, Meranda should have been back by now. I really don’t want to call Ryan and tell him we’ve got another missing agent.”
“I don’t either, one of us should have gone with her.” James said. He headed to the elevator and waited for it to open so he could make his way to the lobby. As the elevator doors opened James barely had time to catch Meranda’s falling body.
“Oh my god, is she ok?” Colette asked helping James lower Meranda to the floor. James pulled the note off of Meranda’s coat and opened it.
* Drop this case or she will be the next to die, this is your first and only warning.*
“Shit, call an ambulance she’s been shot.” James said feeling the pooling of blood. Colette stood quickly and grabbed the nearest phone and dialed 911.
“We’ve got an agent down. No I don’t want the damned police, this is the FBI we’ve got an agent down we need an ambulance at the federal building NOW!” Colette shouted. Dropping the phone Colette dropped back down next to her friend.
“Is she ok?”
“Her breathing is labored but I think she’ll be fine.” James said putting pressure on the wound.
“She’s pale, when do you think this happened?”
“I don’t know, she was supposed to have been back over thirty minutes ago, so sometime during the walk back from the coroners office.” James said, he looked up as the elevator beeped and two paramedics stepped off. Behind them was Commander Ryan, James looked at him and then down at Meranda.
“What happened?”
“We are unsure sir, all we know is Meranda has been shot. There was a death threat attached to her jacket. But since she’s unconscious I am unable to ask her what happened.” James said as the paramedics took over what he had been doing.
“Why was Meranda outside?”
“She had gone to the coroners office to do some checking on Agent Brian’s body.” Colette said. She reached down and picked up Meranda’s coat and noticed that her small tape recorder was still inside.
“It’s still on.” Colette said absently.
“What?”
“Her recorder it’s still on.” Colette repeated as she handed it over to Ryan. Ryan looked down at Meranda as the paramedics started toward the elevator.
“Someone has to go with her.”
“I will.” Colette said heading into the elevator. James started to follow but felt Ryan’s hand on his shoulder.
“We need to listen to this before heading to the hospital.” Ryan said leading James into the office. Ryan placed the tape player on the desk and looked toward James.
“What was she working on?”
“Lucas case. She went to see what the coroner had found during the autopsy. She was gone for about an hour before we called the coroner to find out if she had left. He told us she had left thirty minutes before that. So we figured she must have stopped along the way, we gave her a short time before we started down to find out what was going on, that’s when the elevator doors opened and Meranda dropped into my arms. She was unconscious so I haven’t any clue how she even got into the elevator.”