“Does Dr. McGovern know about this?” Jennifer asked.
“He does indeed,” Jack said. “We discussed it yesterday late afternoon.”
“I’ll be happy to tell her,” Jennifer said.
Jack walked over to the overstuffed easy chair where Vinnie was sprawled and this time snatched away the newspaper. Vinnie clawed after it but without bothering to sit up. This paper grab was also a daily pantomime. He and Vinnie had been working together for so long that teasing each other had become ritualized.
“We have work to do,” Jack said, keeping the paper just out of Vinnie’s reach for a few beats before giving it back.
“Why can’t you act like every other civilized medical examiner and start at eight or even nine?” Vinnie griped as usual.
“The early bird gets the worm,” Jack repeated for the thousandth time.
“I haven’t finished my coffee,” Vinnie said, pretending to go back to reading his sports page.
“Actually, I have a surprise for you,” Jack said, catching Vinnie off guard. This statement was not part of the usual script.
Vinnie lowered the paper and regarded him quizzically. “What kind of a surprise?”
“Remember the gracious debutante we had assist us yesterday on our first case?”
“You mean Dr. Nichols?”
“None other,” Jack said. “I’ve invited her for an encore.”
“Why?” Vinnie complained.
“It’s too long a story for your pea brain,” he said. “But I want you to be on good behavior for a change.” He then dropped Madison Bryant’s folder in Vinnie’s lap. “Let’s go, big guy.” He extended his hand and hoisted Vinnie to his feet.
In the elevator on the way down, Vinnie reiterated his question about why Jack was willing to work with Aria Nichols. “It doesn’t make sense after the way you carried on yesterday when she disappeared at the end of the gunshot case.”
“As I said, it’s a long story, but a condensed version is that she’s giving Dr. McGovern a hard time, and I offered to help.” Jack didn’t say anything about Laurie and her specifically asking him to lend a hand with Aria so that it was one problem she didn’t have to think about. He knew that Laurie had yet to announce that she would be having surgery except to the deputy chief, so the rest of the OCME was in the dark.
Working in tandem, which was the way they always handled the first case of the day, Jack helped Vinnie get Madison Bryant’s body put out on table #1 and the X-ray up on the screen. The endotracheal tube that had been inserted during the resuscitation attempt was still in place, which was standard procedure with such a case. Jack removed it after making sure it had been positioned properly.
“She looks pretty damn good for having been run over by a train,” Jack commented as he continued his external exam. He and Vinnie had noted the broken left humerus, the three broken ribs, and the linear skull fracture on the X-ray, as well as the missing left foot.
“We’ve seen worse with people falling off their front stoop,” Vinnie agreed.
“My sense is that she fell headfirst between the rails,” Jack said, examining the scalp laceration that had been sutured in the emergency room after the area had been shaved. “Had it not been for the foot getting caught, she might have been able to walk away.”
“I don’t know,” Vinnie questioned. “I kind of doubt it, considering that skull fracture.”
“You’re right,” Jack said. “I wasn’t being literal because she was probably knocked out cold. But she looks a hell of a lot better than mylast subway victim, who appeared as if he’d been practically skinned alive.”
Using one of the digital cameras, Jack took photos of all the injuries. He also drew them on a schematic diagram and indicated their size and location by referencing various anatomical landmarks. As he was finishing taking urine and vitreal samples, he caught sight of Dr. Nichols pushing in through the swinging entrance doors. Jack was surprised. It was only 7:38, an hour earlier than yesterday. He watched her as she approached, noticing even from a distance that she had an aura of confidence, almost arrogance, as if she owned the place. Jack girded himself, sensing that the morning might be more difficult than he’d anticipated.
Without acknowledging either Jack or Vinnie, Aria marched up to the autopsy table, gloved hands and arms akimbo. She stared down at the cadaver. Jack and Vinnie exchanged a glance, during which Vinnie rolled his eyes.
“Holy fuck,” Aria said to no one in particular. Vinnie winced as if he’d been slapped, knowing what Jack’s response was going to be to her choice of words.
“Excuse me?” Jack blurted. He’d heard but wanted to pretend otherwise. He thought he’d prepared himself for this woman, but it was obvious he hadn’t. With great effort he controlled himself and merely said: “Dr. Nichols, such language offends me, and I have to ask you not to use it. I’m old-school, and I find it disrespectful to me, to this patient, and to the institution.”
“I know this woman,” she said, ignoring Jack’s comment. She was still staring at the body on the autopsy table and acting as if she were angry.
“Did you hear what I said?” Jack pressed.
“This is fucking unbelievable,” Aria said, seemingly hypnotized and angered by the sight of Madison Bryant’s body. “I know thiswoman. She was supposed to help me with the Jacobsen case I did two days ago, since she worked with her and was her goddamn best friend. I don’t believe this! First, she goes and gets herself hit by a train and now she fucking dies. What is this, a conspiracy?”
