“Interesting. What makes you call it a nice crate?” Annalise asked.
“Good quality, finish still on it. Cedar, I believe. Like something your grandmother kept blankets in.”
“A blanket chest,” Walt said.
“Chest, not crate. Yes, that is the right word.” They were speaking English, and though Dr. Adamicz was fluent, there were some words he’d stumbled over.
“I didn’t see pictures of the crate in the file,” Annalise said. “Do you have photos?”
“No, I saw it in the forensics lab when I went to flirt with Dr. Banik.” Dr. Adamicz gave Walt the once-over, and then winked suggestively.
Walt didn’t look put off or shocked.
He returned the wink with a playful grin.
Huh. Interesting.
Jakob rarely thought about other people’s sexuality. It didn’t matter to him for a number of reasons, first of which it was none of his damned business. Second, once he’d joined the Masters’ Admiralty, he had started diligently watching gay porn so he was prepared if he got a husband and a wife. Jakob would do his duty toward his spouses, and if, at least at the beginning, he would be thinking of Annalise, that was something no one ever had to know.
And yet, the fact that Walt was interested in men intrigued him, and he wasn’t entirely sure why.
He also wasn’t worried about the fact that Walt was standing shoulder to shoulder with Annalise. He trusted the other man, based on nothing more than instinct. Well, that and his behavior toward her. He’d taken care of, and cared for her in a way Jakob could not. Annalise trusted him too, that much was clear, though if Jakob had asked her about it, she wouldn’t say she trusted him. She no longer trusted her instincts or herself.
Though now that she was working this case…he wasn’t sure if that was still as true as it would have been a year or even six months ago.
“None of the rest of her was as carefully packaged. Not by the time we found her. Maybe there were other chests, and people emptied out the body parts and took the chests.”
That was a fun visual.
“I remember that the head smelled.” Dr. Adamicz grinned. “Not the normal smell. I remember that it smelled floral. Something strong, almost enough to cover up the scent of desiccation.”
Annalise arched a brow. “Why didn’t you note that?”
“The smell didn’t last long once it was unwrapped. Possibly her shampoo or perfume if she wore it here.” He touched his neck just under the ear. “That kind of transfer should be noted at the scene. Here, there are too many other possibilities for contamination. That is the only thing I didn’t put in the report because it couldn’t be verified by my colleagues or the on-site investigator.”
“Thank you,” Annalise said. “This has been very helpful. Walt, do you have any other questions?”
“No, but thank you for letting me look at the aorta.” Walt motioned to the man on the table. “I’d never seen a burst aortic aneurysm in person.”
Dr. Adamicz grinned. “A good way to die. Ow, ow.” He clutched his chest. “Then you’re dead.”
“Jakob, did you have any questions?” Annalise turned to him, smiling as she asked.
What he wanted to say was: No, I want to get out of here and away from that lunatic coroner, and I might break his neck on the way out because honestly, he might be the killer, he’s so damned weird and creepy.
He shook his head once.
They said their goodbyes and rode the elevator up and out of the basement morgue. They checked out at the desk, quiet as they walked past somber, grim people in the waiting room, some of whom were probably there to identify bodies or find out how, exactly, loved ones had died.
Once they were out on the street, Annalise stepped to the side, motioning for them to join her, though Jakob never got more than half a meter away from her.
“Jakob, can you get a copy of the full report on Alicja, including the pictures of the chest her head was in? I assume they tried to trace it, but I want to know more.”
He nodded, secretly thrilled she asked him to do anything. He angled his body so that she was fully protected—a wall at her back, Walt’s big body serving as a shield from one direction and himself from the other. Jakob pulled out his phone and texted his vice admiral, who would be able to get the records, though Pia was none too pleased that Jakob was being closemouthed about why he and Annalise had gone to Krakow, and therefore into the Hungary territory. Luckily, everyone was so used to him not communicating, they accepted that he wasn’t going to say anything until he was good and ready. Or in this case, until the fleet admiral lifted the gag order.
“If the head was carefully packaged, that means the killer…tried to take care of the body?” Walt asked as Jakob typed his text.
“Possibly.” Annalise sounded slightly distant, as if she were more focused on her thoughts than what she was saying. “There are certainly parallels between this case and Josephine’s, though the location of Josephine’s head had, I still believe, more to do with shock value. But if that came from the partner, possibly the dominant partner…” Annalise was thinking out loud, words rapid, sentences unfinished. “Placing the head in a basket, then leaving it in a place of beauty such as the library…to satisfy the killer’s compulsion…on the partner’s order, if it was a dominant and submissive partnership.”
“So Petro probably asked this guy to do the killing because he knew the killer had this need to cut off the head, and he could twist that so the head ended up where he wanted it.” Walt folded his arms, shaking his head.
Jakob’s phone binged with a reply. He tucked it into his pocket. “Pia Klein will send the files when she has them, though it may take some time.”
Walt frowned. “Shit, did you just use up your whole allotment of words for the week?”
Annalise’s lips twitched, but she playfully punched Walt. “Be nice.”
“I was just teasing. Remember, triplet.” He pointed at himself.
The mention of siblings wiped the smile from Annalise’s face. Walt’s eyes widened, and he glanced at Jakob, then put a gentle hand on Annalise’s shoulder. “How about that walk around Old Town?”
“We should go back to the hotel.” They’d arrived early yesterday afternoon, settling into their rooms and relaxing for a few hours before going downstairs for a quick dinner in the hotel restaurant. After dinner, they’d retired to their rooms for the night. Jakob had booked a secure suite for himself and Annalise—he’d slept on the couch—while Walt stayed in the room next door.
Walt looked at Jakob. How could he not see that being stuck in the hotel room again today was the last thing she needed? Before he could say anything, Annalise spoke up for herself.
“No, Jakob,” Annalise said. “Please. I need to do something normal. Something fun. I’m tired of hiding.”
Jakob frowned, and Walt could tell how torn the man was. Given the fact he’d designed Annalise’s dream house, it was obvious there was precious little the man wouldn’t give her. But that truth was warring with the Ritter’s unshakable determination to protect her no matter what.
“It’s not safe,” Jakob said as last.