Page 8 of Little Child Gone

“It could be something else that leaked.” Nikki looked at Courtney. They’d both had the same thought about the leaking fluid. “I mean, doesn’t have to be decomposition, right?”

Courtney rolled her eyes. “The decomposed body in the opposite corner would suggest this is likely another body. You know that.”

“Do you have any kind of rapid field test that detects decomposition?” Matt asked from the doorway.

“Nothing that quick,” Courtney said. “There should be lipids throughout the carpet. We may be able to narrow down time of death.”

Lipids were one of the main byproducts of decomposition and could be detected in soil and textiles. “We can’t see them with the naked eye, so we need to get a sample.” Courtney pushed against the floorboard in front of the trunk. “This is half rotten, probably from decomposition.”

Courtney slipped on latex gloves and reached for the padlock. “This is an old steamer trunk. The lock isn’t nearly as old. We should remove the entire thing as one piece.” She looked at Matt. “I hate to say this, but I’d like to remove these rotted floorboards. That’s likely our best source for any biological material that isn’t in the trunk.”

Nikki looked at her. “Do you have a tarp in that bag?”

Courtney shook her head. “I didn’t think to grab it.”

“What do you need a tarp for?” Matt asked.

“To secure the trunk and anything inside of it,” Courtney said.

“I might have one in the house,” Matt said. “I know I have plastic sheeting.”

“No, we can’t risk contaminating the evidence.” Courtney reached into her bag and dug around, retrieving her flashlight. She dropped to her elbows and shined her flashlight into the quarter-sized hole in the chest. “Pretty sure I see plastic.”

Wrapping the body in plastic would help prevent air circulation and retain moisture, slowing decay, but insects would make their way through. And plastic alone wasn’t enough to hide the smell. Nikki looked at Matt. “Did Spencer mention when this apartment was last used?”

“Years ago, is all he said. His grandpa had it boarded up. They were still there when I bought the place.”

“Did he say why he boarded it up?” Nikki asked.

Matt shook his head. “He just said his grandpa went downhill after that.”

Courtney shined her flashlight on the back of the closet wall. “See that white staining? I’ll have to test to be sure, but that looks like lime.”

“Does that really work?” Matt asked.

“It slows decomp and covers the smell, yes.” Nikki looked at Courtney. “We need to call the medical examiner’s office and get them out here. They’ll be able to secure the trunk before they move it. We’ll have to bring in a forensic anthropologist, too.”

“Except it’s a holiday weekend and they’re short-staffed,” Courtney reminded her. “You’d be better off calling Doctor Blanchard directly.”

“I’ll call her and Miller in a minute,” Nikki said. “Where’s the luminol? We don’t know if this room is the crime scene or just where the victims were left. I’d like to have some idea before I talk to Sheriff Miller.”

Courtney pulled a spray bottle out of her bag. “This stuff is supposed to be the holy grail.”

“Lumiscene?” Nikki didn’t recognize the name.

“It’s the upgraded version of Luminol,” Courtney answered. “Has less peroxide chemistry, which mean more protection from DNA degrading.”

Courtney stood up and stepped away from the closet and told Nikki to do the same. She soaked the adjacent wall and the corner of the wall next to the closet.

A single spot of blood spatter stained the closet door, right where someone would have grabbed to open it. Courtney sprayed the rest of the floor and walls, but the chemical didn’t react.

“So, they weren’t killed here,” Nikki said.

“I wouldn’t think so,” Courtney agreed. “They were left to decompose.”

“Start taking photos while I make the calls.”

“Wait,” Matt said. “Could you please make sure Chisago County isn’t involved? If this goes out on the radio, they’ll show up.”

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