Song of the day: Black Water, Of Monsters and Men
"Another one, Constable?"
"Yes, Inspector. Another janitor."
"That makes an even dozen, right? Same MO?"
"Yes. Head stuffed into a loo until drowned."
"Any other clues this time?"
"No. Nothing more. It's a different building in a different location at a different time. Nothing to connect them other than the janitor in the loo. There is some minor bruising around the head and neck. And, of course, the hands are badly beaten, but that's most likely the victim trying to escape. There are finger prints on the stall door, the paper dispenser and the toilet handle. We're running them down, but it's most likely that we have a dozen different sets and who knows when they were in here."
"Do we have a time of death?"
"The ME says around eight pm last night, give or take an hour."
"That's consistent with the victim's work schedule and rounds. I assume that we have someone chasing down the family? Looking into known enemies, connections to the other victims? That kind of thing?"
"No, Inspector. We thought you would want to ask the questions yourself."
"Fine, fine. I'll look into it when we're done here. I think we can remove the victim from the loo now. Let us see what we can see beneath."
"Absolutely, sir."
"Well, now. That is interesting."
"What is, sir?"
"The scalp and forehead and these scrapings, do you see?"
"Well, yes. But wasn't that on the other victims?"
"It was, but this time there's something more. Hand me your forceps."
"What have you got?"
"If I had to stab a guess, I would say that it is a tooth."
"Awfully small for a tooth."
"It is, for a human tooth."
"What are you saying, sir?"
"Hmm. If I had to make a guess, this is from a snake."
"A snake? Are you saying that some slimy reptile came up out of the sewers and tried to eat this poor man?"
"Exactly, Constable. We have a sweeper supping sewer serpent."
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