Laid out before him were the mortal remains of Marla Hayes. The large 'Y' incision in her torso had been stitched and sealed, Murdoch's work completed. Mike Holland and Carl Wright stood off to one side about six feet from the table. They had seen autopsies before and although not unduly bothered by the sights and sounds that accompanied the procedure, they never actually encroached any closer than their current distance. It was possible to see too much sometimes! "Well, Chas?" asked Holland. "Can we be reasonably certain that we're looking for the same killer who butchered Laura Kane?" "In my opinion, the wounds inflicted on Marla Hayes were done so with the self same knife that killed your previous victim. There's little doubt about it. The knife has a particular ridge on one side and it leaves a fairly obvious track in the flesh as it enters the body. The track is present in the remains of both girls. You have a serial killer on your hands, there's no doubt of it." "And the actual cause of death was the wound to the throat?" "Oh yes.
