Patricia Cornwell makes a killing

Especially the giant whole body CT scanner, used to perform knifeless autopsies.

But if that isn't cool enough for you, consider the horror-movie make-up, just upstairs at Scarpetta House. Maryland's forensic medical center recreates actual murders in order to train investigators.

"We're not really 100 percent sure if it's a triple homicide or a homicide-suicide. We were hoping you guys could help us out with that," said Sgt. Wilson.

Cornwell went to work: "Here's what's interesting about these blood drops, they're completely circular, which means they were dropped at a 90-degree angle."

Cornwell donated Scarpetta House as way of saying 'thank you' for help with her research.

She hasn't been coached in her thesis: "I would think this is a murder suicide. I just don't see signs of an intruder or a struggle. This guy had no idea what hit him."

So how did she do?

"We were observing you from up the deck there, and you pretty much nailed it," said forensic investigator Dan Calhoun, fresh from playing a murder victim himself. "It took us almost nine hours to come up with this and you solved it in under an hour."

And the corpses miraculously revive!

Patricia Cornwell did say that, unlike Kay Scarpetta, she isn't fond of knives. But you could have fooled us.

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