"Can I take another look at the scene?" Jack asked.
Russell took out a flashlight and gestured towards the mansion's front door. "Julie and I will join you. After that, we'll have a chat with the victim's father."
As they walked into the mansion and up to the second floor, Julie Finlay began briefing Jack on what they had learned so far.
"The victim is a five-year-old boy named Hubble Riordan. The child's nanny, Shelby Brass, also went missing."
"This is a single-parent household. The report was made by the boy's father, T.C. Riordan. According to him, the nanny was putting the child to bed while he was already asleep."
"What about the timeline?" Jack asked as he used his phone's flashlight to illuminate the mansion's luxurious decor while climbing the stairs.
"The father said the child was put to bed by the nanny at around 10 PM. When he woke up to check on the child, it was about 11:30 PM."
Russell handed Jack a flashlight. "Your phone's battery is our lifeline now, so don't waste it."
Taking the advice, Jack turned off his phone's flashlight. As someone who becomes anxious when his phone's battery is low, Jack always kept his phone's charge above 80%. He even had a charger constantly plugged into his car and carried a large-capacity power bank in his work bag.
The three reached the second floor, passed through a long hallway and several rooms, and finally arrived at the last room.
"This is the nanny's room. The child's bedroom is right next to it. Be mindful of the evidence markers on the floor."
Standing at the entrance of the child's bedroom, Russell and Julie shined their flashlights to guide Jack inside.
Carefully avoiding the numbered yellow plastic evidence markers on the floor, Jack made his way between the window and the small bed, where there was blood everywhere, still fresh.
Blood drops had dripped vertically onto the floor, and there were streaks of splattered blood on the walls and even the ceiling. The small pillow on the bed and the sheets beside it were also stained with blood.
After positioning himself by the bed in various ways, Jack turned back and asked, "Have you found the nanny's body yet?"
Russell remained silent, but Julie Finlay raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Two lab partners are currently searching the area around the house for any suspicious traces. But how did you know the nanny was dead?"
Jack raised his flashlight, thinking the question was somewhat basic. Even without his soon-to-be advanced forensic skills, any regular viewer of crime dramas could answer that.
"The large, round blood droplets on the ceiling are typical of arterial spray, not from the force of a knife swing during an attack. Although the marks on the walls could be from that."
He then rubbed his foot on the floor. "There was likely a carpet here. The floor has a noticeable difference in shading, and the blood is only on one side of the line, indicating the carpet was removed after the incident."
"And what would the carpet be used for? To wrap a body, right?"
After speaking, Jack stood by the bed, his left hand mimicking holding someone, while his right hand made several stabbing motions, aligning his arm movements with the directions of the blood splatters on the walls.
"No need to use this much force against a five-year-old. The victim is most likely the nanny. While the amount of blood at the scene isn't necessarily fatal, based on the blood splatter pattern, the chances of survival are nearly zero."
Julie Finlay stepped into the room and shone her flashlight on the floor beside the bed, where there were some white residues, likely left behind after a liquid evaporated.
"We found some unknown white crystals here, and there were metal fragments on the bed. We've already packed them up and sent them to the lab, but given the current situation, who knows how long it'll take to get answers."
Jack nodded in understanding as he inspected the windowsill and the view outside.
"So you called the BAU. Hmm, this kind of semi-floor-to-ceiling window is very heavy, making it hard to open from the outside. The dust on the windowsill hasn't been disturbed."
"Considering the amount of evidence left at the scene, including blood fingerprints on the headboard, the perpetrator wasn't very professional. This rules out the possibility of an outside intruder."
"Moving a body and taking the child, I believe the perpetrator likely had an accomplice. So, have you investigated the household staff?"
Russell shook his head. "We've only had a brief chat with Hubble's father, T.C. The child's mother passed away five years ago. Detective Brass is still investigating the servants, including checking the nanny Shelby Brass's background."
"The lab is trying to work around the loss of equipment. DNA analysis is out, but they can still use chemical reagents to determine the blood type—Hubble's father provided his own fingerprints and blood samples, as well as a band-aid used by the child. We're also trying to visually match the fingerprints at the scene."
"Wow, that's quite a task," Jack remarked, then continued questioning. "Can the father be ruled out as a suspect?"
Both Russell and Julie shook their heads. Julie glanced at Russell. "I think he's very suspicious. He claims he was just asleep in the small room and didn't hear anything. But when we saw him, he was dressed in formal attire. Of course, he explained that he had planned to go out but then changed his mind."
Russell quickly countered, "True, but let's not jump to conclusions."
Julie Finlay seemed confident. "Keep in mind, it's been over two hours now. If it were a kidnapper, they would've contacted T.C. Riordan by now to make demands."
"I know, he's a bit suspicious. But I feel this case might not follow the usual patterns, which is why I called Rossi. After all, he owes me a lot of favors."
Although Russell said this, his eyes were on Jack, conveying, "I'm counting on you, don't disappoint me."
Jack didn't bother figuring out whether these two were just trying to play him. Since he was already there, and given the longstanding collaboration between CSI and BAU, he was determined to do his best.
This kind of kidnapping case was unlikely to require life-risking efforts; it was just a matter of using his brain. And with his advantages, he wasn't intimidated by these high-IQ researchers.
Just as the three of them were heading back to the hallway to go downstairs, the wooden stairs creaked with hurried footsteps. Jack curiously pointed his flashlight towards the sound, soon revealing the large, earnest-looking face of a man at the top of the stairs.
"D.B., we found the nanny's body in the garden."
Thank you to our old friend for the generous reward. As for extra chapters, haha, I'll do my best. Let's see if I can squeeze out another one tonight.
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