“How can it be an insurance issue if the person hasn’t been identified?”
“Good point!” Brennan admitted. “Well, forget the insurance issue. Just write it so she knows that if she doesn’t leave it be as she’s already found it, being a natural death, she’s in trouble, big trouble. Make sure she knows it’s serious situation.”
“Then she’d hand it to the police, and then the police will know something is amiss. I don’t mean to tell you guys how to run your business, but my thought is that anything you do that calls attention to the victim will increase the odds that Dr. Montgomery-Stapleton will look at the case with more suspicion.”
“What if you include in the note that if she talks to the police or anyone, she’s going to suffer. I mean, if I were this doctor, and I got a note saying that I would somehow suffer if I didn’t ease up on an autopsy case by signing it out as I saw it, meaning natural death, I would sign it out in the blink of an eye. Why would I take any risk in such a circumstance?”
“That’s you and not Laurie Montgomery-Stapleton.”
“Hang on,” Brennan said. He looked at Carlo. “What should I say? It seems to me having a threatening note written is what Louie had in mind when he sent us over here. He practically said as much. I mean, how else is Vinnie going to ‘convey a threat.’ ”
“I think you are right,” Carlo said. “Plus, she just came back from a maternity leave. Isn’t that what Vinnie said, or am I making it up?”
Brennan put the phone back to his ear and asked Vinnie.
“Yes,” Vinnie said. “This is her first day back, and it has something to do with her continuing interest in this case.”
“Women change after they have a child,” Carlo said. “I know. My wife has had two children. Being a mother takes over, and they’ll do anything to protect their children.”
“Did you hear that?” Brennan asked Vinnie.
“I heard it,” Vinnie responded. He was getting progressively worried about having anything to do with these people.
“So compose a note for her that there’s going to be serious consequences for her and her family unless she signs out the case. Be sure to emphasize family. And be sure to emphasize that there will be the same consequences if she tells anyone about the note, particularly the police. It doesn’t have to be as long as
“I thought you said earlier that I wasn’t going to have to do anything, that all you wanted to do was ask a couple of questions.”
“You’re not going to give us any trouble, are you?” Brennan questioned, lowering his voice. “Actually, we are heading out to your house right this moment to watch your girls come home from school.”
Carlo made a questioning expression. Brennan waved him off.
“No,” Vinnie responded quickly. “No, thanks.”
“Okay,” Brennan said. “I tell you what. Compose the letter and then call back on this line. We might have some editorial input.”
Brennan handed the phone back to Carlo. Carlo took it, abruptly disconnected, and dialed Louie. “I think we should give the bad news to Louie sooner rather than later,” he said to Brennan as the call went through.
“Good idea,” Brennan said. “Let’s also run the idea of the threatening letter by him to get his input. I mean, it is taking a chance if all it does is increase this lady doctor’s curiosity rather than scare the pants off her.”
“It’s Carlo,” Carlo said when Louie picked up. “I’m afraid we have bad news....”
13
MARCH 25, 2010
THURSDAY, 4:45 p.m.
Laurie had the taxi drop her off directly in front of OCME so she didn’t have to cross First Avenue, which was bumper-to-bumper with traffic. It was rush hour in full swing. It had taken her well over an hour to get from Midtown North Precinct back to OCME, which should have taken less than half that. New York City traffic was worse than ever.
She waved at Marlene as she entered, then headed for the third floor. Before reaching her office, she poked her head into Jack’s open doorway.
“Where the hell have you been?” Jack asked, pretending to be irritated. “I’ve stopped into your office several times, and I knew you weren’t in the pit.”
Laurie’s face assumed a mischievous smile as she dug in her shoulder bag and produced two computer disks. She held them up for Jack to see.
“What have you got?” Jack asked as he leaned back in his desk chair and stretched. In front of him was a mass of case files, books, journals, microscope slides, and lab reports, as well as a hair dryer with its cowling off, exposing its innards, suggesting he was doing twenty things at once. He was wearing latex surgical gloves.
“A couple of exciting movies,” Laurie said.
Jack made a face of exaggerated disbelief.
“Really,” Laurie persisted. “Thrillers, I’m sure.”
“Come on,” Jack said. He reached out and took one, which was labeled NYPD. “What in tarnation?”
“Video from each of the cameras at the A train platform at Columbus Circle.”
Jack allowed his shoulders to slump as he let out a deep breath. “Don’t tell me you are planning on watching all this. What’s it, ten hours of people getting on and off the subway?”
“More like seven.”
“And you’re planning on watching it all.”
“If I have to,” Laurie said proudly. “I know it’s going to lack something in plot and characterization, and it will probably be in grainy black and white, but I’m going to watch it just the same.”
“Laurie, if you don’t mind me saying this, I think you’re going overboard on your one and only case. Why on earth would you be willing to subject yourself to such torture? Just because you found no pathology on the case isn’t a healthy reason to beat yourself up. Tomorrow, when we come in, you can check the slides, as I’m sure you asked Maureen O’Conner to do them overnight, and you can check the toxicology screen, because I’m sure you asked John for a rush on that, too, and then be done with it. You don’t need to watch seven hours of video.”
“I’m counting on getting new cases in the morning.”
“Then all the better. So that means you check the histology and the toxicology in the afternoon, and I’m sure it is going to be negative, case closed, death certificate signed and delivered.”
“The security video might show me something I need to know.”
“Like what?”
“Like whether the victim had a seizure or not. The nine-one-one caller wasn’t certain. It was a fleeting image that he got while he was compressed in a surging crowd and being pushed onto the train.”
“I’m just getting back now,” Laurie said. “Why do you ask?”
“Not for any particular reason,” Jack said distractedly.
Laurie looked askance at Jack. It seemed to her that he had a kind of mischievous smile on his face where the corners of his mouth were slightly curved upward.
“Really?” she questioned. “Why did you ask me if I’d been to my office?”
“Oh, it’s not a big thing,” Jack said. “The last time I was in there looking for you, I noticed a note from John with a normal blood alcohol level on your case. I guessed that you had managed somehow to get him to do it stat. I was wondering if you’d had a chance to see it?” He chuckled.
“No, I haven’t seen it yet,” Laurie said, somewhat confused. Sometimes Jack could act slightly weird, and this was one of those times. When it did happen, she tended to attribute it to his tendency to be thinking about a dozen
