xp_logs | Log: Last Dance

They've finally started to pull bodies out of the church, and Sofia makes sure she's there for it.

"Shit. Oh, sorry ma'am." McLellen said as he stumbled leaving the piles of rubble that made up the entire wing of the church. The damage from the night before looked more severe in the grey morning light; stark steel coloured stone reaching up in broken pillars like fingers towards the clouds. Emergency personnel and police moved with purpose around the site, the entire area cordoned off with black and yellow tape.

McLellen reached the tape and lifted it for Sofia to duck beneath. "Agent Bartlet called twenty minutes ago. Said you were some kind of outside specialist?"

Straightening, Sofia took advantage of the movement, tossing back long, dark curls with a convenient tussle of a breeze. "That's correct," she answered, her pitch low, almost as if in respect for the surroundings. She looked over her shoulder at him. "What do we know?"

"Not a lot. They're not sure what brought down the church. Forensics is trying to place the explosive used, but they're not finding any residue." He shrugged, looking like he was uncomfortable to be working on a case in his civilian clothes. "They started pulling bodies out a few minutes ago. It's not pretty. They're only letting me stay because it's got ties into a case I worked months ago down south."

"I'm going to need to see them. Anything that comes out of the rubble that looks like it doesn't belong as well. Explosive parts will be difficult to tell apart from any other foreign parts, of course, so that as well, to be sure." Crossing her arms, Sofia shivered. "You can just point me to the bodies if you had breakfast."

"This way to the stretchers." McLellen waved towards a makeshift tent out beside a couple of ambulances. EMT staff and a couple of cops milled around it, and inside lay four bodies in black bags, in various states of mangled repose.

The crowd parted easily for her, gravel crunching under tall boots and a grim expression narrowing her eyes. "I assume they haven't made any identifications yet. Have they given you priority? Forensics."

"Nah, but I found asking real nice seems to throw them off and make them agree." McLellen said, moving through. He walked in and motioned to one of the men in a dark suit. He looked up and nodded.

"Dr. Walker. You from the FBI? Of course you are. The suit is a giveaway. Would you look at this?" He reached for one of the bags and lifted the end. A sloshing noise was clearly audible. "These aren't bodies. It's more like... goulosh or something. I might have to skip lunch after this. Each of these victims has been pounded into paste. We're going to be lucky to get dental record matches on this. I've got a ten that says we're going to have to go to DNA matching for each of them."

"What's this?" McLellen held up a silver tray.

"iPod. Found it embedded in number four's thorax. The force hammered it in like a wedge between two ribs and into his lungs."

Remaining silent, Sofia read and reread the engraving on the back of the music player as the conversation volleyed around her. Madge. She closed her eyes and walked away, the light thump of the small gold cross around her neck against her collar beating out the rhythm of the prayer under her breath.

"Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen."