Brad could not stop laughing, much to Lexie’s annoyance.
They were standing in the police room at the city morgue waiting to be summoned for the autopsy on Melissa McDermott. In an attempt to dull the unpleasant aroma of the morgue, Lexie had taken a jar of Vicks VapoRub from the medicine cabinet at the station and dabbed an ample amount of the jelly under her nostrils. The strong eucalyptus fumes – usually used to clear the nose – were supposed to diffuse the smell of exposed organs and decaying flesh. It was an old trick, one that, unfortunately, she had never tried before. All it had managed to do was burn the skin on top of her lip and lubricate her sinuses to the extent that her nose was now running like a leaky tap.
Groaning, Lexie held a tissue under her dripping nose and glared at Brad, who laughed each time he glanced at her.
‘You look like Rudolph.’
‘Shut up, Brad,’ Lexie snapped through the Kleenex.
A man in scrubs appeared at the door. He gave Lexie a strange look.
‘We are ready to start,’ he told them.
Lexie and Brad followed him into the autopsy suite.
The formaldehyde smell of the place instantly hit Lexie in the face. With her totally clear sinuses it was worse than usual. Powerful disinfectant may be used to sterilise and mask unpleasant odours, but there was no disguising the smell of death that seemed to permeate the room. It was potent, all-consuming, almost like a presence from beyond, left to linger and inflicting vengeance on the living. You could taste it in the air; it infused the pores of your skin, your hair, took up residence in your clothing.
Just deal with it!
The forensic pathologist, a woman Lexie had not met before, was standing beside Melissa McDermott’s naked body. She walked over to them and introduced herself as Doctor Cindy Bradley.
‘Not Brady, it’s Cindy Bradley,’ she said with a surly pout.
Brad raised an eyebrow at Lexie.
It occurred to Lexie that although people might get this woman’s name mixed up with the youngest one in curls from the seventies TV show The Brady Bunch, there could be no confusion in terms of their appearance. Doctor Bradley was a matronly woman with straight dark hair pulled severely off her long face and secured at the back of her head in a bun. She wore no makeup to enhance her ordinary features. She was tall, moderately overweight, with a no-nonsense manner and stern expression. And right now, the way Doctor Bradley’s tiny eyes were assessing Lexie made her more than a little uncomfortable.
‘Are you okay?’ the doctor asked, though her words sounded more like an accusation than a question.
For a moment Lexie was confused. Then she realised the forensic pathologist was staring at her hand cupped under her nose.
‘Um, yes I’m fine. Just have a bit of a . . . cold.’
Brad sniggered. The doctor shot him a look that had her partner almost standing to attention.
Doctor Bradley disappeared to confer with a colleague on the other side of the room. Brad took the opportunity to bend sideways and whispered in Lexie’s ear, ‘Happy soul, this one. I’ll see if I can get her to smile.’
Purely for the sake of amusement, Brad liked to give himself little challenges. Lexie gave him a warning look and then moved to grab a set of scrubs from the far bench. She handed a pair to Brad before getting suited up herself. Her hands fumbled with the ties on the back of the gown as they walked towards the autopsy table.
Doctor Bradley was ready to get started.
Lexie looked down at the body of Melissa McDermott, laid out for dissection, and thought it strange that she seemed smaller in death than she remembered her to be in life. Her head was propped upon a black rubber block. Her skin looked waxy and slightly purple in places where blood had settled under the skin. Lexie might not know all the medical terms, but she had seen enough dead bodies to be familiar with the process of death.
She tried not to think of her handsome brother’s lifeless body in this position but the thought kept running around in her mind. Lincoln had lain here. Then she remembered her own brush with death. It could have been me lying here.
The doctor flicked a switch on a recorder and began talking aloud while her eyes did a thorough examination of the deceased’s skin.
‘Earlier X-rays show she has a dislocated shoulder and broken humerus, both on the left side. There are a few scratches and lacerations to her face and neck area but besides that there is no other obvious trauma to the body. Near her right shoulder area, at the base of the neck, there is a fresh injection site.’
The doctor motioned with her hand for Lexie and Brad to come closer and examine it.
The area was tiny. There was a slight discolouration, like the beginning of bruising, on the skin.
‘Strange,’ said Doctor Bradley, pausing for a moment. ‘I had a case similar to this a while ago but that was a suicide.’
Brad whispered something in Lexie’s ear. She didn’t catch his words but Doctor Bradley glanced up and gave them a look that would scare even the dead.
‘Sorry,’ Brad whispered, taking a step to the side, away from Lexie.
‘As I was saying . . . I thought it was a strange place to self-administer an injection, that’s why I remember it. That girl was left-handed, so it was feasible she could have done it herself. It was still strange, but she was mentally unstable so . . .’
The doctor’s voice trailed off.
It seemed you could dismiss any kind of behaviour or actions if the person was mentally ill.
‘Could the victim have been given a hot shot?’ Lexie asked. It seemed like the most reasonable explanation.
‘It’s possible. Judging from the more defined muscles in her right arm, I would say she was right-handed. It seems unlikely she would jab herself in that area. You try it. It’s awkward.’
Lexie did try it. Making a mental note to find out for certain if Melissa McDermott had been left- or right-handed, she used her own right hand to simulate jabbing herself in the right side of the base of her neck.
Brad watched her with amusement.
‘Playing devil’s advocate, it is possible, albeit difficult and improbable,’ Lexie said.
Doctor Bradley continued. ‘I would say someone has injected her, perhaps to knock her out – such as in a date rape situation – but has perhaps accidentally administered too much. Or, as you suggest, it was a hot-shot, an intentional overdose.’
Just then, Mark Byrne, the senior crime scene officer, came hurrying into the room with his camera in hand. Puffing and panting, he stuttered an apology.
‘Sorry I’m late; I was held up at a crime scene,’ he said, before quietly taking a position at the end of the table.
Doctor Bradley was not impressed.
‘Don’t let it happen again. You have caused a disruption’, she scolded, reaching for the Stryker saw.
Mark pulled a grim face at Lexie and Brad.
Lexie felt sorry for him and could feel his frustration. At her first autopsy, a very arrogant forensic pathologist had told her that his job was that of an academic detective. He presented objective evidence from his witnesses – who just happened to be dead. Therefore, it was highly unlikely that Cindy Bradley, or any doctor for that matter, would walk out in the middle of an autopsy, while building their brief of evidence. So why, then, did Doctor Bradley expect a forensic police officer to desert a crime scene in the middle of an examination? It seemed that even though different professions worked together for a common purpose, they would never fully understand each other.
Mark began taking photographs, which reminded Lexie she should be taking notes. Fishing her notebook out of her handbag, she began jotting down observations.
Lexie watched without seeing as a thin line of blood marked the progress of the scalpel as it inflicted the Y-shaped incision into the chest. She tried to block her ears against the sound of the shears snipping though the rib cage. Once they were wrenched open, Doctor Bradley moved in closer to inspect the internal organs.
‘Immaculate,’ she murmured, while reaching a gloved hand into the cavity and pulling out an organ.
Lexie couldn’t tell what it was and turned away slightly.
‘Are you watching?’ the doctor demanded.
Brad answered for her.
‘Of course. I’m actually mesmerised by the work you doctors do.’
Doctor Bradley gave Brad a fleeting glance to check if he was being facetious. He beamed a smile at her and received a very brief one back. Lexie knew what he was doing and purposely avoided his eyes, knowing he would be more than pleased with himself.
‘Have you got any theories about what happened to her?’ the doctor asked.
This was her first attempt to initiate a conversation.
‘I read Doctor Marchmen’s notes. Do you still think she was thrown from a car, or rolled down the hill?’
There had been many scenarios and ideas bandied around at the crime scene as to possibilities regarding the body’s location and position, including the presence of the single red rose.
Doctor Bradley continued before either one of them answered. ‘I meant to tell you before I started that he apologises for not being here to conduct the post mortem. He is very sick.’
Lexie had wondered why the attending forensic pathologist was not the one conducting the autopsy, but hadn’t dared to ask.
‘I’m more than happy with you doing this autopsy, doctor. You’re much easier on the eye,’ Brad said. ‘No offence to your colleague.’
Brad scored another brief smile for that compliment.
‘Flattery will get you nowhere,’ the doctor stated firmly, although Lexie could see a blush sweep up her neck. He had actually got her to smile more than once. She would not hear the end of this.
Lexie risked a glance in Brad’s direction and he gave her a sneaky wink.
Doctor Bradley, who Lexie guessed rarely received compliments, seemed to be enjoying the attention. Lexie hoped this little flirt-fest continued. It was amusing. It also beat the hell out of thinking about the scene in front of her.
‘The crime scene didn’t provide us with much. We are hoping you can help give us a direction,’ said Brad.
He then proceeded to give her a rundown on what they already knew regarding the deceased’s last movements.
The doctor nodded.
‘As I said before, because of the location of the injection site, at this stage I would hazard a guess that this woman was intentionally injected with a substance by another person. We will know more when we get the bloods.’
She paused while weighing the liver.
‘There was a rose in her hands and an empty packet of OxyContin in her clothing, yes?’
The question was directed at Brad, who nodded.
‘That’s right. It was strange. If she had been pushed or rolled down the embankment she would have landed in a mess, yet she was positioned neatly, peacefully clutching a rose.’
‘I am wondering if someone has done a bad job of trying to infer this was a suicide,’ the doctor commented quietly, as if to herself.
‘We’ve wondered that ourselves. I’m also curious to see if you think there is any evidence of sexual assault,’ Brad said.
‘Hmm. The injuries to her shoulder and arm could be consistent with rolling down an embankment. However, those injuries could have been suffered many different ways. I’ll examine the pelvis in due course, after I’ve examined the stomach contents and taken bloods and urine samples. I’ll see if I can get toxicology to look at them overnight in order to give us an urgent preliminary result, since this is being treated as a murder investigation. That might give you a line to follow.’
‘That would be great, thanks,’ said Brad, giving Lexie a surprised look.
Cindy Bradley glanced up at Brad and gave him a gentle smile. Lexie noticed that her stern expression had softened, making her features look much more attractive.
Amazing!
As the autopsy continued, Lexie let herself slip into a void where her mind wandered to tasks she had yet to do. Next stop was to interview Zack and find out what his Medicare card was doing near the scene of the crime. More importantly, she wanted to find out why there had been a number of descriptions of him at the scene being called in over the phone lines. Not that she was worried. Zack was no killer, but right now he wasn’t looking completely innocent either. Her phone vibrated against her hip. She took it out of her pocket and checked the message.
‘Return to station ASAP after autopsy,’ she read.
What’s happened now?
The sound of the circular saw stole her thoughts and turned her blood to ice. Lexie felt herself sway ever so slightly as the flap of skin that had once been the scalp was peeled forward over the face. She concentrated on the waxy skin, pretending this body wasn’t real.
Lexie knew some cops managed to remain detached from the brutality of an autopsy by approaching it from a scientific perspective. Lexie had tried that. It didn’t work. And the fact she was unable to block her stupid thoughts and feelings was extremely aggravating.
Put your mask on.
The doctor was now examining the pelvic area and swabbing around the vagina.
‘This girl has had sexual intercourse not long before she died, but there is no sign of trauma. No bruising, lacerations or swelling that would be consistent with a sexual assault.’
Brad nodded his head at Lexie. That was consistent with what their two persons of interest – Matt Talbottt and Gus Riley – had said.
‘Did you know she had herpes?’
‘What?’ Brad and Lexie said in unison.
‘She was having an outbreak, so I hope she was using protection.’
Lexie stared at Brad. Did the men the deceased had slept with know she had herpes? Did she tell them? Perhaps some of them had found out the hard way, when they contracted the disease themselves. Was herpes sufficient reason to warrant murder?
‘Funny, I just remembered . . .’
Doctor Bradley stopped what she was doing for a moment and stared at them.
‘The girl, the suicide case I mentioned. Not only was the injection site the same, she was also found clutching a rose.’
Lexie felt a jolt of adrenaline kick-start her heart.
‘Do you remember the name of the other girl, the one who committed suicide?’
Doctor Bradley looked annoyed again.
‘Do you know how many of these I do a week? No, I don’t remember her name,’ she snapped. ‘It stood out to me because it was unusual.’
‘That’s a shame,’ Brad said quietly. ‘You never know what might help in an investigation. Is there any way we can find out? I don’t want to put you to any trouble. We know you’re very busy but I’d appreciate—’
‘I’ll see what I can do,’ she said, cutting him off. Then, softening her voice, added, ‘I do remember she was very attractive and her brother was a policeman. He was very nice-looking too.’
She gave Brad a cursory glance.
‘He came in to see her. He was very upset.’
That had to be Josh. It had to be Jenna she was talking about.
There couldn’t be too many cops whose sister had recently killed herself. Could there?
Lexie nudged Brad’s arm and whispered, ‘Did you hear that?’
‘I’m standing right here, aren’t I?’
Lexie looked at Doctor Bradley and chose her words carefully, to avoid another snappy answer.
‘Do you happen to recall the name Jenna Harrison?’
‘Yes, that was it,’ she replied without hesitation. ‘And the full toxicology just came in recently. She overdosed on OxyContin.’
‘She overdosed on OxyContin?’ Lexie repeated.
She had assumed Jenna had cut her wrists. It was what she had done numerous times before. Why hadn’t Josh mentioned Jenna had overdosed? she thought angrily. Then again, maybe it was of no consequence to him how she had taken her own life. The results were the same, no matter how it was done.
‘This girl here, Melissa McDermott, had an empty packet of OxyContin in her pocket,’ said Lexie, thinking aloud.
‘Yes, I know, we discussed this,’ Doctor Bradley answered, a little abruptly.
Lexie felt a myriad of sensations starting to build: excitement, anticipation and confusion.
‘Just let me get this straight. Our victim, Melissa McDermott, has a matching injection site to that of Jenna Harrison?’
‘Oh, here we go . . .’ Brad mumbled.
‘Both held a red rose in their hands. Jenna Harrison overdosed on OxyContin and Melissa McDermott had a blister pack of empty OxyContin in her pocket.’
Brad stared at Lexie as though she had suddenly gone mad.
‘You can’t think Jenna’s death is linked to this one? She committed suicide, Lexie. Any similarities are just a coincidence.’
‘Are you sure about that?’ Lexie challenged.
Doctor Bradley glanced between the two of them. Then cast her eyes downwards again towards the body before them.
Lexie pushed the issue.
‘Do you know of any other deaths that are similar to this one, to Jenna Harrison’s? Where there is an injection site at the base of the neck?’
‘Not personally, not with identical injection sites, though it’s not uncommon to overdose on OxyContin.’
Lexie knew a bit about the drug OxyContin, or hillbilly heroin as it is sometimes referred to. If the druggies could not get their hands on the real stuff, they turned to this prescription drug for a quick fix.
‘The problem is,’ Doctor Bradley explained, ‘OxyContin is a narcotic like morphine. It’s a pain reliever but it has many other effects as well. It is a slow release drug that is meant to be swallowed whole. If it is crushed, chewed, or dissolved into liquid, the drug can be released into the system too rapidly. The results can be as fatal as taking too many of the tablets.’
‘Could this girl have taken an overdose by accident?’ Brad asked.
The doctor shrugged.
‘It’s possible. If that is what in fact has killed her, and so far I’ve found no other cause of death. We will have to wait and see what levels are present in her blood.’
‘So OxyContin can be dissolved in drinks?’
‘That’s right. It’s probably best dissolved in a juice or alcohol to disguise any taste. Although that doesn’t explain the injection site, unless someone has injected her for the purposes of sexual assault and accidentally used too much, which has killed her. There are a lot of scenarios that could be feasible: accidental, intentional or just straight-out sinister. As I said, we will be able to provide a more accurate cause of death once toxicology has been completed.’
‘Is it a common drug used for suicide?’
Lexie couldn’t stop with the questions. She felt they were on to something.
The doctor shrugged.
‘Anything can be used to overdose if that’s what you want to do. But if OxyContin does show up in her blood I think we might have a problem. Having two bodies with identical injection sites is most unusual. In all my time doing this job I have not seen a drug user or suicide victim with an injection site in the neck area like that.’
Doctor Bradley glanced up at Brad, resting her hands on the side of the table for a moment.
‘Have you considered that maybe someone is knocking these girls out for the purpose of sex? What if this has happened to other women but they have survived and not reported the incidents because they can’t remember them?’
She shrugged her large shoulders.
‘It’s just a thought . . .’