A Lonely Death

My mother is a forensic doctor. When she's at the market for some grocery shopping, she sees human flesh being sold at a butcher's stall.

She calls the police before contacting my cousin to tell her to stay safe. Her friend reminds her to also pay attention to me, but my mother is scornful. "She can die out there for all I care. I never want to see her again!"

She doesn't know that she's already seen me, though. She didn't recognize her daughter from the pile of flesh that's waiting for her examination.

In the trash bin by the pork stall at the market, that pile of yellow fat resembling chicken fat turned out to be human tissue.

As soon as the report came in, Patrick Cook rushed to the scene.

Seeing her old partner arrive, Mom let out a sigh of relief. "Pat, this is serious."

Patrick frowned and nodded.

Dismembered body parts found at a pork stall in the market—any one of those words alone was enough to send the entire city into a frenzy.

To prevent public panic, Patrick ordered the closure of all the meat stalls in the market.

He asked Mom, "How long will it take to analyze all these specimens?"

Mom's expression was grave. She was a dedicated and responsible forensic pathologist. "At least two days."

I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. With Mom's capabilities, she would definitely catch the real murderer soon.

Patrick's frown eased slightly. "Make arrangements at home. Stay at the precinct for the next few days."

Mom nodded and casually pulled out her phone.

The moment the call connected, the stern and professional forensic pathologist softened into someone warm and gentle.

"Freya, Mommy has to work late for a few days. Stay home and don't go out, okay? If you need anything, ask Mr. Ingram next door, alright?"

Only after giving detailed instructions did she finally hang up, reassured.

Patrick saw her turn to get into her car and quickly called out to her. "Aren't you going to call Aubree? Give her a heads-up and tell her to be careful."

Mom's face darkened instantly. "I hope she dies out there. I never want to see her again."

I gave a helpless, bitter smile.

So, even a soul could feel pain.

Mom said she never wanted to see me again, but I was right here, standing in front of her.

Among all these specimens she was studying so intently, quite a few pieces came from my body. She just hadn't recognized me yet.

…

After two days and nights of relentless work, Mom finally separated the human tissue from the animal tissue.

The results shocked everyone.

Patrick stared at Mom in disbelief. "You're saying only a quarter of this is human?"

Mom's face was ice-cold as she nodded. "Yes."

A heavy silence fell over the room.

They had initially assumed the only missing part was the head. No one expected that so much of the body was missing, too.

If human tissue had somehow ended up on the public's dinner plates, the entire city would be thrown into utter chaos.

The higher-ups were taking this matter very seriously. The situation was growing more and more complicated.

Patrick's gaze swept across the display rack and landed on a particular specimen. He picked it up and handed it to Mom. "What about this?"

My soul grew restless.

Finally, they were about to find out.

I believed that once Mom realized I was the victim, she would definitely uncover the real culprit.

Mom's expression remained stern. "I was just about to bring this up. This is our only real lead so far. The deceased has a scar on the ankle. DNA comparison takes time, but adding this detail will speed up the process."

Patrick frowned slightly. "Aubree has a scar on her ankle too if I remember correctly…"

Patrick wasn't just my parents' old partner. He had also been our next-door neighbor for over 20 years.

That scar on my ankle? I got it when I was riding on the back of his bicycle, and my foot got caught in the wheel.