plausible_denial karasu she sat in her car for twenty minutes before walking into the station she lit a cigarette, something she hadn't done since she was a schoolgirl but felt compelled to buy a fresh pack on the way down. the first one tasted awful all the way through, but by the time she had her second one lit, her tongue was too numb to care she pressed the lighter into place once more, taking it out and pressing the glowing circle through the fabric of her pant leg on her left thigh she bit her lip as it burned through the fabric and began to burn the soft dusky flesh beneath it the cigarette dropped from her fingers onto the pavement next to her door and she pulled the lighter away, counting on being able to cover the hole with the long black coat that everyone considered to be her trademark during the cooler months she had hoped that this case would close before it found its way across her desk, but she wasn't going to be so lucky the rumors were circulating that someone from the crime lab was being sonsidered as a suspect. the photograher everyone thought he was a little cracked, but none had gone so far as to say they thought him capable of murder, much less a serial killing besides, as weird as he was, he was the best in the business, no one could capture the horror of a moment like he could, "There goes Hell's answer to Norman Rockwell" the detectives would say as he left a scene but the jokes came to an end every time his work resulted in another conviction some pictures are worth a thousand words his only needed one "Guilty" as she steeled herself for the walk up the stairs and into the station she had begun to suspect that this was going to be more of a cover-up than an investigation 010622 what's it to you? who go blather from