It was nearly 8am by the time Jane finished
her autopsy.
Mimi had been in the lab the entire time,
which violated protocol but, given the circumstances, both she and Jane had
decided that they were already in uncharted territory, and Jane needed the
support more than they needed to stay within the direct letter of the law.
The autopsy was hindered at first by the fact
that Bethany’s skin was nigh impervious. Jane broke several scalpels and had to
resort to the bone saw to get through the sternum and make the initial
incisions. Mimi was amazed at her resolve and her ability to get the word done,
and she noticed a set in her jaw, a stern look in her face, and she wondered if
Jane wasn’t putting her mind somewhere else and focusing on the task at hand.
Whenever Jane spoke into the microphone hanging over the exam table her voice
was monotone, robotic, stating nothing but facts and figures about the
composition of the body and the findings within.
When it was all done she went over to the
tape recorder on the table to the side of the room and switched it off, then
collapsed to the ground with heavy, wracking sobs. Mimi dashed across the room
and fell down next to her, wrapping her up in a tight hug and just rocking her.
There were no words to share between the two women—what would they say?
An hour passed. Shortly after 9am the door to
the morgue slammed open and another woman entered.
It was the District Attorney, and she was
furious.
“Just what the holy fuck do you think you’re
doing?” she said, storming across the room. Mimi had stood up immediately when
the doors blew open, but Jane was taking a little longer to compose herself.
“Who authorized you to perform this autopsy?”
Mimi stepped between the two women, saying,
“Counselor, I’m not entirely sure you’re fully aware—”
“Do not speak to me, detective. You’re lucky
I haven’t called your captain already and had you reassigned to checking
parking meters for pulling this bullshit.”
Mimi backed down, but only a half-step. Given
Jane’s state, she wasn’t sure if she needed to be prepared to step in on behalf
of Jane or Tiffany, the D.A.
“Doctor Barton,” continued D.A. Tiffany, “I
demand an explanation. Why are you working on a case that is such a monumental
conflict of interest?”
Jane was staring at the floor now, her hair
disheveled and her makeup running, but she said nothing. Mimi stepped in again.
“Counselor, as lead detective on this case, I
felt it prudent to notify the family of the deceased in the interest of
obtaining their assistance in the investigation. I think Doctor Barton’s
professional expertise in this matter would be invaluable to learning the
details of the deceased and save quite a bit of time in figuring out both what
killed her and, subsequently, who.”
Tiffany slowly turned her head towards Mimi,
her jaw tweaked to one side like she was grinding her teeth, and when she spoke
it was, indeed, through gritted teeth. “Detective Spatchcock,” she said. “If I
have to tell you again to keep your opinions to yourself, I will personally see
to it that the closest you come to law enforcement for the rest of your life is
working loss prevention at a K-Mart. Have I made myself perfectly clear?”
“Tiffany?”
Jane’s voice made both Detective Mimi and
D.A. Tiffany jump. They both turned to look and Tiffany withered underneath
Jane’s gaze.
“This was my baby sister,” continued Jane. “I
will be an active part of this
investigation, to be led by Detective Spatchcock. If you try to pull me off
this case, I will have my parents say that her home address was at their place,
which, you may or may not know, is beyond city limits, which will make this a
county matter, and Sheriff Wilkinson owes me a favor.”
Mimi was impressed, but unsurprised. She had
always loved Jane’s resolve in family matters, and seeing her charged up gave
her hope that Jane was going to get through this.
D.A. Tiffany looked from one woman to the
next. Mimi crossed her arms and popped a hip to one side, daring her to say
something. Jane was leaning slightly forward, arms at her sides and her hands
clenched into fists.
“Fine,” said Tiffany. “I will allow this
investigation to continue, but I expect to see significant progress within the
next 48 hours or I will be making my appeal directly to the state medical board
and I will let them take you both off this case.” She spun on her
heel and stomped out of the morgue, slamming more doors on her way.
The two women watched her depart, then Mimi
turned to Jane and asked, “So what now?”
Jane said, “Now I go hug my parents and cry a
lot more and you get your ass back on the streets and find the fucker who did
this to my sister.”
“You want me to come with you to your folks’
place?” asked Mimi.
“No, thank you,” said Jane. “I’ll be okay.
But I could use a lift home.”
Mimi nodded and took Jane’s arm. “I’ll check
in with you as I work,” she said, “So you know where we are with the
investigation.”
“Thanks,” said Jane. “What are you going to
do next?”
Mimi thought for a second about the results
of the autopsy. Not the hardened skin, not the increased bone density, not even
the hardening of the arterial walls or the jellified blood…she was thinking
about the stomach contents and the fast-food containers in the trash back at
the crime scene.
“I’m going to go talk to a friend of mine,”
she said. “Then I’m gonna grab some breakfast.”
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