by Sydnie MacElroy
[Dulles airport]
Leo and Zenya were the first to arrive at the airport and sat down near the gate to wait for the rest of the team. Zenya had long since recovered from the embarrassment of Leo finding her book - so what if it was a cheap romance novel and so what if it ruined the impression that she only read 'serious literature', everyone needs a little mind candy now and then. It had been the look on his face that caused her some slight discomfort, or more precisely, the thoughts that had caused that look, and which were no doubt virtually identical to what she'd been thinking when she read it, as was further evidenced by his comment before they left the apartment. Again, so what? Hadn't they moved beyond that point and wasn't it now more a matter of when than if? Zenya laughed at her own typical over-analysis of the situation.
"Something funny," Leo asked.
"Not really. Just thinking that I should have loaned you that book. You did seem to be enjoying it."
"Well, maybe when we get back from New York," he said.
"Chapter ten is particularly.. interesting," she teased. "I think.." Over Leo's shoulder, she spotted Jordan at the far end of the terminal and waved to him. Leo glanced back just as Jim and Martin joined him, and the three of them headed in their direction. "Well, I guess that'll have to wait until we get back, too," Zenya said.
*****
[New York field office]
>"These look like teeth marks," Martin said pointing at >one of the pictures, "like fangs almost."
>"Coroner saw those also," Jameson explained, "His report >referred to them as mamilian."
>"So we're looking for a giant sewer rat," Leo said.
"Do you have a copy of the autopsy report," Jordan asked.
"Sure," Jameson said. He pulled the papers out of folder the pictures had come from and handed it to Jordan. "Cause of death was massive blood loss. There were assorted other injuries as well."
Zenya frowned at the pictures spread out on the desk. "He wasn't killed where he was found, then," she observed. "If an animal kills in defense of its territory, it will leave the body where it is. If it carries it off, it would probably mean that it sees the kill as prey."
"In which case it usually carries it back to its den," Leo added.
"There's nothing in any of these pictures to indicate that anything was using the tunnel as a den," Vanessa said.
"It could have been interrupted and dropped him."
"What about access to the tunnel?"
Jameson smiled and shook his head. "Don't know. Haven't been down there myself. Thought I'd leave that to you folks."
"What about the man who found the body," Zenya asked. She wouldn't balk at going down into the sewers if it was absolutely necessary, but she also didn't see any harm in attempting to avoid it if she could.
"Joe Richards," Jameson said with a nod. "The police talked to him. He couldn't shed much light on what might have happened, though. I've got his address here if you want to try it again."
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NRPG:
Just a short one while I get caught up with everything I've let slide over the last couple of weeks. ;)