Page 64 of The Girl Who Was Taken

The photos were of the outside of the car from every angle. Then, with the doors and trunk open, every inch was documented, inside and out. The tread of Nicole’s tires was captured in the photos and imprints were taken. Prints were lifted from both inside the vehicle and from the door handle, but matched no one in particular besides Nicole. Fibers were taken from the floorboards, seats, and trunk. From the area around the car, items had been seized and included a can of Diet Coke and a Red Bull, cigarette butts, and the cap to a canister of lipstick. Shoe prints were found in the parking lot and captured with the use of a gelatin lifter. A random item was discovered from under the vehicle—a torn piece of green cloth had been recovered from the carriage of the car, just under the right front bumper.

Looking in the box, Livia located the sealed bag containing the green cloth lifted from the bottom side of Nicole’s car. She removed it from the box and held it with her fingers. She studied it for several seconds as her mind worked.

“How much trouble would there be if we took this?” she asked Megan.

“Lots. What is it?”

“Something they pulled from Nicole’s car. What if we get it back before anyone knows it’s gone?”

“You’re the medical examiner. But it breaks the evidence chain of custody,” she said, spoken like the sheriff’s daughter she was.

Megan looked down the fluorescent-lit row of shelves to the closed door where Greg was keeping watch for her. They’d been at it for close to the allotted thirty minutes and she expected him to pop his head in any minute to tell them to wrap it up. She pointed to Livia’s purse. “Take it. Just get it back to me soon.”

Livia slipped the clear plastic bag into her purse.

“Anything else?” Megan said. “Greg’s gonna be pressing us soon.”

Livia took a minute to look through the evidence log, reading through the other items confiscated from her sister’s car. Nicole’s sweatshirt and purse were in the front passenger seat. The rest of the car was empty besides the trunk. Livia stopped when she read the items found there.

Megan stirred next to her, walking closer when she sensed that Livia was interested in something else. “Find something?” she asked.

Dropping the evidence log onto the table, Livia reached back into the box to retrieve the photos again. She flipped quickly through them until she found it. Documented on the log, and captured in the photos, was a rectangular wooden box of barbecue tools. She looked at Megan.

“Where do they keep this stuff? The bigger pieces of evidence? Like this.” Livia showed Megan the picture of the wooden barbecue set.

“In the property section.” She pointed to the other side the room.

“Take me there.”

Greg stuck his head in. “Wrap it up. One more minute. It’s my ass on the line.”

They stuffed Nicole’s box back onto the shelf and walked quickly to the other side of the evidence room, where large items were stored in plastic bags and meticulously logged.

It took them a long minute to find theCsection and another few seconds before Livia found, wrapped and sealed in a clear plastic bag, the barbecue set taken from Nicole’s trunk. She unzipped the bag and pulled out the worn wooden box.

She opened it and stared at the contents. Cased inside, seated within the contoured velvet mold, were a spatula, tongs, and an empty outline where a long, two-pronged barbecue fork once rested.

“Son of a bitch,” Livia whispered to herself.

CHAPTER 31

Monday morning, Livia retrieved her case from the cooler with the help of two autopsy technicians who positioned the body on her table—a middle-aged woman who had died during a routine esophageal procedure when the doctor had accidentally lacerated the distal end of the esophagus and severed it from the stomach. As the doctor was unable to stop the bleeding, the woman died from blood loss. Livia and the fellows had been forewarned by Dr. Colt that when such accidental deaths—termedtherapeutic complications—present themselves, the utmost diligence should be practiced since there was a very good chance the autopsy findings would be utilized in court when the family sued the physician.

This morning, Livia was thorough and patient as she performed her internal exam, not worrying about her autopsy time, only making sure she did everything that was required of her, and did it well.

Twenty minutes into the exam, she was carefully dissecting the strap muscles of the neck to obtain a view of the esophagus when Ted Kane from the ballisticslab walked into the autopsy suite. It was a typical Monday morning, with every autopsy table filled by the weekend’s carnage. Tim Schultz and Jen Tilly were busy with cases, as were the other medical examiners who made up the staff at the OCME. The only thing missing was Dr. Colt, who’d taken a long weekend to spend time with his daughter, who was home from college. Livia took advantage of her boss’s absence, arriving early and visiting Ted Kane in ballistics to ask for his help.

“Hey, Doc,” Ted said as he approached the opposite side of Livia’s table.

Livia looked up through her face shield. She stopped working briefly and raised her eyebrows. “Anything?”

“I’ve got a match.”

“On which one?”

“Both. How long will you be?”

“A while,” Livia said. “I’ll come to the lab when I’m done. No doubt?” she asked.

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