Interlude
NYPD officials gathered around the washed-up female body as two homicide detectives stepped out of an unmarked car.
"What's the situation?" Detective Riggs asked, scanning the grim scene.
One of the uniformed officers turned toward the two homicide detectives, his expression tight with discomfort.
"We got a call about the body…." he began but was quickly cut off.
"Who found her?" Roger interrupted.
The officer jerked his thumb toward a man standing near the edge of the scene, speaking quietly with another officer.
Detective Riggs and Roger turned away from the officer and made their way over to the middle-aged civilian.
The officer already speaking with him took a small step back, giving them space.
"I'm Detective Riggs, and this is my partner, Roger," Riggs introduced himself, squinting slightly against the glare of the morning sun. "Can you tell me what happened?"
The man shifted uncomfortably, rubbing his hands together as if trying to warm them despite the mild weather. "I..I was out for my morning run when I saw... her. At first, I thought it was just debris, you know? But then I got closer, and..." He swallowed hard, his face paling. "She was just there, floating near the rocks."
Roger jotted something down in his notepad. "Did you touch the body?"
The man shook his head quickly. "No. I, I called 911 right away. I didn't want to get too close."
Riggs nodded. "Did you see anyone else around? Anyone suspicious?"
The man hesitated, glancing toward the water. "There was a boat out there earlier, but I don't know if it means anything. It was gone by the time I realized what I was looking at."
Riggs and Roger exchanged a glance, about to speak when a startled voice cut through the morning air.
"What the fuck?"
Officer Leon, who had been crouching near the body, suddenly staggered back, his eyes wide with shock. The detectives turned toward him, and Roger let out a tired sigh.
"What's wrong with you, Leon?"
Leon ran a shaky hand through his hair, his face pale. "I..I don't know, but the body moved."
The moment the words left his mouth, the other officers around him burst into laughter.
One of the female detectives walked over and clapped him on the back. "Really funny, Leon. You missed your calling as a comedian."
Leon turned to her, frowning. "I'm serious. It... it moved."
Roger exchanged a look with Riggs before stepping away from the civilian and making his way over to Leon. Even the coroner chuckled.
"You do know she's dead, right?" Roger said, raising an eyebrow.
The coroner, still amused, nodded. "And it's normal for a body to shift slightly due to gases or muscle contractions. Nothing supernatural, Leon."
Leon's frown deepened as he glanced back at the corpse. "Yeah, yeah, I know how decomp works, but I swear, it wasn't just a twitch. It was like… like she tried to move."
The laughter died down slightly, but most of the officers still looked unconvinced.
Riggs crossed his arms. "You're telling me a corpse tried to sit up and wave at you?"
Leon shot him a glare. "No. It was subtle. Just a little movement, like a shudder."
Riggs exhaled, rubbing his temple. "Look, if the dead start walking, we'll call the CDC. Until then, let's stick to facts." He turned to the coroner. "You good to proceed?"
The coroner nodded, crouching beside the body with his kit. "Yeah, let's get her bagged up and transported."
He unzipped the cadaver pouch and reached for the body. As he began to pull the bag over her, a faint gust of air brushed against his fingers. He stiffened.
"What are you waiting for, Mercedes? Wrap her up," an officer called impatiently.
Swallowing, the coroner nodded and resumed his work. But as he moved to zip the bag past her nose, he felt it again, another faint breath of air.
His pulse quickened. Slowly, he looked down at the pale, lifeless face. The face that was supposed to be dead.
Heart pounding, he let go of the cadaver pouch and hesitantly placed a hand under her nose.
A soft, warm breath ghosted against his palm.
His breath hitched. His hands trembled.
He turned sharply, voice urgent.
"She's alive."
A few hours later
Roger raked a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. "I still don't get how she's alive. According to the medical examiner, she must have been in the water for days. She was reported missing three days ago, and now she washes up, like this? It doesn't add up."
He glanced at Riggs, his expression tense. "If she drowned when she fell, she should've been in way worse shape. But her body doesn't look like it's been in the water that long."
They both stood by the hospital bed, eyes fixed on the unconscious woman. Wires and tubes snaked around her pale body, the steady beeping of the heart monitor confirming she was alive, barely. She was in a deep coma.
Roger exhaled sharply. "And the doctors aren't even sure if she'll ever wake up."
They lingered for a moment, watching the woman as if expecting her to stir. When nothing happened, they turned and left, instructing the nurses and doctors to notify them if anyone came looking for her. Other officers were already running background checks and trying to locate family. Someone had to show up eventually.
NYPD Precinct
Back at the precinct, Riggs made a beeline for the vending machine. As he tore open a bag of chips, he caught Roger's disapproving glare.
Riggs raised a brow. "What? You know you hate working a case on an empty stomach." He tossed a handful of chips into his mouth.
Roger rolled his eyes and turned toward Detective Bailey's desk. He came to stand behind her chair. "Any leads on our mystery woman?"
Bailey smirked and spun around in her chair. "Actually, yeah. Got a name, Yvonne Anya Jegede."
Before she could continue, Officer Leon cut in with a smirk. "Well, well. Our very own Jane Doe finally has a name."