“Mr. Frank Tucker,” Sergeant Leo nodded, “What you are about to see is someone close to you being dismembered into pieces. We have yet to find a head. The sight itself may not be something you could stomach. We know it will be difficult, but we’re counting on your cooperation to confirm the victim’s identity. Do you understand?”

The husband hugged his body with his arms. His hands would clench at his elbows as he takes slow and steady breaths. His feet would shift, and lean their weight to one side after another in the mist of frost on the ground. He would suck in his lips, turning them white as he clenches them, and he returned a hesitant nod.

“I am ready, detectives.”

Sergeant Leo took a step back to give the husband some space. He then gestured to McLamb, who blinked back and pointed to himself with dreaded realization. Hiding his reluctance with a cough, McLamb approached the storage unit and opened it.

The lid popped back, sliding out a railed gurney supporting a body bag on a makeshift locker bed. A plume of frosty clouds spilled out from inside and the cold bit harder into McLamb’s skin with the precision of a leaping viper. After taking a short breath in, he pinched the zipper and give it a slow and gentle tug.

Although the corpse was preserved in low temperature to prevent further decay, McLamb could still smell the body. Not wanting to flip his stomach inside out, he would open the bag a little wider and stepped back, gesturing the family member to witness the body.