Page 10 of Vanish From Sight
“It’s not just coffee. It’s money. I’m tired of people ripping me off and taking every dime.” He forged ahead and Noah regarded him, wondering what else he was dealing with to cause such an outburst. They took the stairs down to the bowels of the hospital, passing staff on the way. The hustle and bustle of doctors, nurses and other medical professionals filled his ears. Machines were beeping and hurried footsteps echoed as patients were wheeled past on gurneys.
Eventually they made it to the medical examiner’s office, located at the far end of the hallway. Pushing in, they were hit with a wave of cold air from an overhead air conditioning unit as the sterile and refrigerated environment made itself known. Thewalls were lined with stainless steel cabinets, and the air was thick with the aroma of disinfectant and formaldehyde.
At the center of the room was a large steel table surrounded by a variety of medical instruments and tools. Above that, a huge bright light illuminated the space with a clinical intensity. Noah scanned the cabinets. Rows upon rows of refrigerated drawers lined the walls. Each one held a body that had been brought in for examination. It was a sobering sight to say the least.
“What the heck…where’s Burt?” Ray asked, sounding confused.
A woman glanced over her shoulder and placed a finger up to the Bluetooth tech in her ear. “Hold on a second, Darla.” She raised her eyebrows, addressing Ray. “Can I help you?”
He shrugged. “Burt? Where is he?”
“Retired two weeks ago.”
“You know when the new M.E. arrives?”
“You’re looking at her.” Once again, she tapped her right ear. “I have to go, Darla. I’ll call you back.”
She turned, tapping a tablet in her hand. There was something unique and eccentric to her personality, from her red hair sticking up like a troll doll’s to her brightly colored lab coat covered in cartoon characters. She had the front breast pocket adorned with a collection of quirky pins and neon brooches that conveyed her love of the ’80s.
“The name’s Dr. Adelaide Chambers. Though call me Addie. Most do.”
Noah extended a hand as Ray gawked. “I’m from State. Noah Sutherland.”
“I know who you are,” she said, holding his hand for an uncomfortable amount of time. “Followed the case here in town. Sorry about your brother.” She took a deep breath and stepped back. “So they convinced you to return?”
“Something like that.”
“Sucker for punishment. Just like me,” she added with a smile before threading her way between the two of them over to the examination table where the victim was hidden below a white cover. She pulled back the sheet to reveal the pale-skinned woman with stitching down her chest where a preliminary examination had been performed.
“So, what were you able to find out?” Ray asked, placing one hand on his duty belt.
Addie handed over the tablet to Noah with the digital pathology report.
“Well, she didn’t drown. She was dead before her body hit the water. The lungs were clear. No fluid inside so she wasn’t breathing when she went in. The shot to the chest went straight through the heart and out the back. It was taken from close range. No bullet was in her but it’s more than likely a .40. I figured from the lividity I would be able to determine if she was tied up after death, you know, if someone had killed her then tied her up to make it look like it was a suicide, however, based on the deterioration of the skin it’s hard to know. It could have been either.”
“So you think it’s possible she shot herself?” Ray asked.
“Was a canoe, kayak or any other empty boat found nearby?”
“No.”
“Then it’s possible.” She mimicked what the woman could have done by holding her hand up to her own chest as if she was wielding a gun. “But as there weren’t any powder traces on the hands because of the deterioration and being in the water…” She trailed off, her gaze washing over the woman. “Who knows.”
“How long was she in?” Noah asked.
“Estimation. Between four and seven days. There were no traces of skin or hair on the rope, however there was some red fiber twisted into it. It was barely visible. It doesn’t match her clothing but it could have come from her vehicle, home orwherever she was when she died. If you had something to match it to, that might give you a lead. We won’t have the toxicology report back for a while.”
“Fingerprints?” Noah asked.
She pointed to the tablet. “A week makes it hard as the skin wrinkles badly, but I did take them. You can check the system for a match. If it comes up empty, you would have to expand it to state level and then national level.”
The M.E. was alluding to the fact that even if the woman hadn’t committed a crime, her prints might exist with the FBI if she had ever enlisted in the military, or had prints taken for licensing, security clearance or some kind of civil service employment.
“And dental records?”
“I can provide you with the mold. If you check dental places in the area, you might get a hit. Alternatively you might be able to see who she is through DNA using a hair shaft, but I expect it would be faster to match dental records if she’s local.”
“And has a dentist,” Ray added.
