Andrew set his bag in the foyer and kicked off his shoes. Homecoming was always bittersweet. It was nice to get off the road and relax at home, but the emptiness of his condo was a reminder that his life was his work. He set his laptop on the coffee table and headed into the shower. A shower was always the first thing he did when he came home from a case. It was a symbolic washing away of the horrors he dealt with as well as washing off the ick of travel. Public transportation was something Andrew never cared for. He knew the wide variety of germs and bacteria that you encounter in airports and airplanes, trains and buses. As with every homecoming, Andrew showered until the hot water ran out. Stepping out of the shower and grabbing a towel, Andrew walked into the kitchen. He pulled a frozen dinner out of the freezer and put it in the oven.
He headed into the bedroom and pulled out a pair of sweats and finished drying off. He pulled on the sweats and went back into the living room, plopping down on the couch and opening his laptop. Andrew kicked his feet up on the coffee table and went through his email and Facebook. The oven buzzer went off and he headed to the kitchen and pulled the tray from the oven.
"Preformed pork meat and flash frozen corn on the cob. Nothing better...." Andrew sighed and headed back to the living room.
He had no sooner stuck his fork into the pork when his phone rang. Andrew shook his head and dropped the fork, hitting the answer button.
"Hello?"
"Hello, is this Dr. Jackson?" Dr. Jackson. Must be business. Hell, it's always business.
"It is. Who am I speaking to?"
"This is Det. Andrea Sabin of the Knoxville Police Department."
"Good morning, Det. Sabin. What do I owe the pleasure?" Pleasure. It's never pleasure.
"Unfortunately this isn't pleasure, Doctor. We have a case we'd like you to consult on. My superiors have authorized your consulting fees already."
"What's the case, Detective?"
"We're only on the second victim that we know of, but the MO is already pretty solid. White male victims, early thirties. Hands, tongues and penises cut off. Cause of death is blunt force trauma, we think its a crowbar."
"Well, I would normally say no because I just got back from Phoenix about an hour ago, but since it's here in Knoxville, I suppose I can take one for the home team. I will be downtown in about an hour."
"Thank you, Doctor. We are eager to work with you."
Andrew hung up his cell and finished eating, then headed into his bedroom and pulled on a clean suit.
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