It took less than half a minute for the students to organize themselves into four groups of three. The two students left without a group were Myeong Jang Bo, a petite exchange student from Seoul in South Korea, and Tullik Bryant, a twenty-eight-year-old African American student from Mississippi, who had the big hazel eyes of a baby deer and the ego of a narcissist. Tullik and Myeong exchanged a dispirited look before they approached Kay.
‘I guess you’re with us then,’ Bambi-eyed Tullik said, the expression on his face matching his total lack of excitement.
‘I guess that’s a question of perspective, isn’t it?’ Kay had bit back on the cutting sarcasm that was her initial reaction, but it still came out meaner than what she had intended.
‘Are we all sorted?’ the doctor asked.
A choir of ‘Yep’ and nods followed.
‘OK,’ Dr. Hove began. ‘Like I said earlier, we’ve got five bodiesto work on today. All five of them were victims of suicide. The suicide method used will be quite obvious with most of them.’ She paused to make sure that she had everyone’s attention on her. ‘Regardless of how obvious that method was, I want indisputable confirmation of the COD.’
Dr. Hove watched as all fifteen students in her class nodded back at her in silence.
‘Now, that is the easy part,’ she continued.
Most of the other students shifted on their feet, uncomfortably. They all knew that Dr. Hove always liked to add something else on top of the obvious. Kay Sixtree, on the other hand, pressed her lips together tightly to keep herself from smiling. That ‘something else on top of the obvious’ was what she lived for, so to speak. To her, the obvious was nothing more than just that – the obvious. It was the details that made all the difference.
‘Almost every dead body hides a secret,’ Dr. Hove clarified, guiding the groups toward the bodies on the five autopsy tables. ‘So, other than indisputable confirmation of the COD, I want you to find and catalogue whichever details of that person’s life you might find – surgeries, accidents, bone breaks, wound scars… anything – and if possible, I’d like time frames. If you come across an old surgery, I want to know how long ago that surgery took place. Same with everything else – accidents, bone breaks, scars… whatever you find.’
‘Are we doing a brain autopsy as well?’ Kay asked, her dark eyes showing the excitement that her expression managed to hide.
‘If you deem it necessary – by all means,’ Dr. Hove replied, as her gaze strayed to her students. ‘Like I said, almost every body hides a secret, and that secret can be hidden just about anywhere, and those are the sort of details that can easily shine light on an investigation going dark. Today, I’ll be walking around and checking on your progress, but I’ll not be helping in any way. Use your group members for that – ask for opinions… bounceideas… you know what to do.’ Her head tilted slightly to one side in a doubtful gesture. ‘I know that many of you are only here today courtesy of a few very well glamorized TV series.’ She indicated the bodies on the autopsy tables. ‘You wanted forensics CSI? You wanted to be the heroes and solve the case for the police?’ She gave her students a subtle wink. ‘Well, this is it, ladies and gentlemen. Let’s see how closely you can listen to what the body is trying to tell you.’
Sixteen
Completely covered by long, teal-colored surgical sheets, the five bodies inside the pathology theater at the Ronald Reagan Medical Center in UCLA were lying on wide, stainless-steel autopsy tables. A green folder sat on top of the instruments tray, by every table. It contained the official police report and some background information on the body, but the students weren’t allowed to look at it until Dr. Hove gave them the green light.
‘OK,’ she said, as she gestured toward the autopsy tables. ‘We have three male bodies and two female ones. They were brought into the theater earlier this morning and, to be honest with you, I really don’t know which one is which. I haven’t looked.’
‘Can we choose?’ a tall and slim student asked. Her long, barley-colored hair was clipped at the top by a claw-clip.
‘Will you be able to choose in real life?’ Dr. Hove challenged her.
‘I guess that if you’re the chief medical examiner you could have your pick.’ The reply came from Kenny, which once again got him a few scattered laughs.
‘Wow,’ the doctor chuckled. ‘Four to five years still to go and you’re already gunning for my job? Good luck. Just try to keep all your fingers attached to your hands before graduation day, all right?’
This time, even Kay had to laugh. She really didn’t like Kenny.
‘OK, everyone.’ Dr. Hove’s tone was back to serious. ‘Get your groups by an examination table. No peeking.’
She waited until every group had paired itself up with a body.
‘Are we all set?’ she asked, her stare moving slowly from group to group.
Another united chorus of agreement.
‘I’m giving you all a total of two hours and fifteen minutes,’ Dr. Hove announced, indicating the clock high on the theater’s back wall. ‘So each member in the group will have forty-five minutes as the head pathologist.’ This time, her stare found and settled on Kay Sixtree. ‘The head pathologist is allowed to do whatever he/she wants. The other two members of the group – theassistants…’ The pause that came after the word was deliberate. ‘May observe and perhaps suggest something,if… and only if…’ Another pause, this one accentuated by the doctor’s index finger up in the air. ‘The head pathologist asks for advice, otherwise keep your opinions to yourself. Is that understood?’
While all the other students nodded and muttered their agreement, Tullik and Myeong both turned to look at Kay, their eyebrows arching, silently asking her the exact same question Dr. Hove had posed to the class.
Kay crossed her arms in front of her chest as she shrugged. ‘I won’t say a word. Do what you must.’
‘All right,’ Dr. Hove said, her gaze once again finding the clock on the wall. ‘Have all of you decided on who is head pathologist first?’
Murmurs took over the theater again.
Tullik and Myeong’s eyes returned to Kay, who stood still, her poker face giving nothing away.
