cpatricia.unnaturalexposure-第26节

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　lobby　of　the　Consolidated　Labs；　where　he　would　sit　watching　a　small；　flickering　TV　until　it　was　time　to　make　his　rounds　again。　Evans　would　not　step　foot　into　the　morgue。　He　did　not　understand　how　anyone　could；　and　I　knew　he　was　scared　of　me。
　'I　won't　be　down　here　long；'　I　told　him。　'Then　I'll　be　upstairs。'
　'Yes；　ma'am；'　he　said；　still　shaking　his　head。　'You　know　where　I'll　be。'
　Midway　along　the　corridor　in　the　autopsy　suite　was　a　room　not　often　entered；　and　I　stopped　there　first；　unlocking　the　door。　Inside　were　three　freezers　unlike　any　normally　seen。　They　were　stainless　steel　and　oversized；　with　temperatures　digitally　displayed　on　doors。　On　each　was　a　list　of　case　numbers；　indicating　the　unidentified　people　inside。
　I　opened　a　door　and　thick　fog　rolled　out　as　frigid　air　bit　my　face。　She　was　in　a　pouch；　and　on　a　tray；　and　I　put　on　gown；　gloves；　face　shield；　every　layer　of　protection　we　had。　I　knew　I　might　already　be　in　trouble；　and　the　thought　of　Wingo　and　his　vulnerable　condition　thrilled　me　with　fear　as　I　slid　out　the　pouch　and　lifted　it　onto　a　stainless　steel　table　in　the　middle　of　the　room。　Unzipping　black　vinyl；　I　exposed　the　torso　to　ambient　air；　and　I　went　out　and　unlocked　the　autopsy　suite。
　Collecting　a　scalpel　and　clean　glass　slides；　I　pulled　the　surgical　mask　back　down　over　my　nose　and　mouth；　and　returned　to　the　freezer　room；　shutting　the　door。　The　torso's　outer　layer　of　skin　was　moist　as　thawing　began；　and　I　used　warm；　wet　towels　to　speed　that　along　before　unroofing　vesicles；　or　the　eruptions　clustered　over　her　hip　and　at　the　ragged　margins　of　the　amputations。
　With　the　scalpel；　I　scraped　vesicular　beds；　and　made　smears　on　the　slides。　I　zipped　up　the　pouch；　marking　it　with　blaze　orange　biological　hazard　tags；　almost　could　not　lift　the　body　back　up　to　its　frigid　shelf；　my　arms　trembling　under　the　strain。　There　was　no　one　to　call　for　help　but　Evans；　so　I　managed　on　my　own；　and　placed　more　warnings　on　the　door。
　I　headed　upstairs　to　the　third　floor；　and　unlocked　a　small　lab　that　would　have　looked　like　most　were　it　not　for　various　instruments　used　only　in　the　microscopic　study　of　tissue；　or　histology。　On　a　counter　was　a　tissue　processor；　which　fixed　and　dehydrated　samples　such　as　liver；　kidney；　spleen；　and　then　infiltrated　them　with　paraffin。　From　there　the　blocks　went　to　the　embedding　center；　and　on　to　the　microtome　where　they　were　shaved　into　thin　ribbons。　The　end　product　was　what　kept　me　bent　over　my　microscope　downstairs。
　While　slides　air…dried；　I　rooted　around　shelves；　moving　aside　stains　of　bright　orange；　blue　and　pink　in　coplin　jars；　pulling　out　Gram's　iodine　for　bacteria。　Oil　Red　for　fat　in　liver；　silver　nitrate；　Biebrach　Scarlet　and　Acridine　Orange；　as　I　thought　about　Tangier　Island；　where　I'd　never　had　a　case　before。　Nor　was　there　much　crime；　so　I　had　been　told；　only　drunkenness；　which　was　mon　with　men　alone　at　sea。　I　thought　of　blue　crab　again；　and　irrationally　wished　Bev　had　sold　me　rock　fish　or　tuna。
　Finding　the　bottle　of　Nicolaou　stain；　I　dipped　in　an　eye　dropper　and　carefully　dripped　a　tiny　amount　of　the　red　fluid　on　each　slide；　then　finished　with　cover　slips。　These　I　secured　in　a　sturdy　cardboard　folder；　and　I　headed　downstairs　to　my　floor。　By　now；　people　were　beginning　to　arrive　for　work；　and　they　gave　me　odd　looks　as　I　came　down　the　hall　and　boarded　the　elevator　in　scrubs；　mask　and　gloves。　In　my　office；　Rose　was　collecting　dirty　coffee　mugs　off　my　desk。　She　froze　at　the　sight　of　me。
　'Dr　Scarpetta？'　she　said。　'What　in　the　world　is　going　on？'
　'I'm　not　sure；　but　I　hope　nothing；'　I　replied　as　I　sat　at　my　desk　and　took　the　cover　off　my　microscope。
　She　stood　in　the　doorway；　watching　as　I　placed　a　slide　on　the　stage。　She　knew　by　my　mood；　if　by　nothing　else；　that　something　was　very　wrong。
　'What　can　I　do　to　help；'　she　said　in　a　grim；　quiet　way。
　The　smear　on　the　slide　came　into　focus；　magnified　four　hundred　and　fifty　times；　and　then　I　applied　a　drop　of　oil。　I　stared　at　waves　of　bright　red　eosinophilic　inclusions　within　infected　epithelial　cells；　or　the　cytoplasmic　Guarnieri　bodies　indicative　of　a　pox…type　virus。　I　fitted　a　Polaroid　MicroCam　to　the　microscope；　and　took　instant　high…resolution　color　photographs　of　what　I　suspected　would　have　cruelly　killed　the　old　woman　anyway。　Death　had　given　her　no　humane　choice；　but　had　it　been　me；　I　would　have　chosen　a　gun　or　a　blade。
　'Check　MCV；　see　if　Phyllis　has　gotten　in；'　I　said　to　Rose。　'Tell　her　the　sample　I　sent　on　Saturday　can't　wait。'
　Within　the　hour；　Rose　had　dropped　me　off　at　Eleventh　and　Marshall　Streets；　at　the　Medical　College　of　Virginia；　or　MCV；　where　I　had　done　my　forensic　pathology　residency　when　I　wasn't　much　older　than　the　students　I　now　advised　and　presented　gross　conferences　to　throughout　the　year。　Sanger　Hall　was　sixties　architecture；　with　a　facade　of　garish　bright　blue　tiles　that　could　be　spotted　for　miles。　I　got　on　an　elevator　packed　with　other　doctors　I　knew；　and　students　who　feared　them。
　'Good　morning。'
　'You；　too。　Teaching　a　class？'
　I　shook　my　head；　surrounded　by　lab　coats。　'Need　to　borrow　your　TEM。'
　'You　hear　about　the　autopsy　we　had　downstairs　the　other　day？'　a　pulmonary　specialist　said　to　me　as　doors　parted。　'Mineral　dust　pneumoconiosis。　Berylliosis；　specifically。　How　often　you　ever　see　that　around　here？'
　On　the　fifth　floor；　I　walked　quickly　to　the　Pathology　Electron　Microscopy　Lab；　which　housed　the　only　transmission　electron　microscope；　or　TEM；　in　the　city。　Typically；　carts　and　countertops　had　not　an　inch　of　room　to　spare；　crowded　with　photo　and　light　microscopes；　and　other　esoteric　instruments　for　analyzing　cell　sizes；　and　coating　specimens　with　carbon　for　X…ray　microanalysis。
　As　a　rule；　TEM　was　reserved　for　the　living；　most　often　used　in　renal　biopsies　and　specific　tumors；　and　viruses　rarely；　and　autopsy　specimens　almost　never。　In　terms　of　my　ongoing　needs　and　patients　already　dead；　it　was　difficult　to　get　scientists　and　physicians　very　excited　when　hospital　beds　were　filled　with　people　awaiting　word　that　might　grant　them　a　reprieve　from　a　tragic　end。　So　I　never　prodded　microbiologist　Dr　Phyllis　Crowder　into　instant　action　on　the　occasions　I　had　needed　her　in　the　past。　She　knew　this　was　different。
　From　the　hall；　I　recognized　her　British　accent　as　she　talked　on　the　phone。
　'I　know。　I　understand　that；'　she　was　saying　as　I　knocked　on　the　open　door。　'But　you're　either　going　to　have　to　reschedule　or　go　on　without　me。　Something　else　has　e　up。'　She　smiled；　motioning　me　in。
　I　had　known　her　during　my　residency　days；　and　had　always　believed　that　kind　words　from　faculty　like　her　had　everything　to　do　with　why　I　had　e　to　mind　when　the　chief's　position　had　opened　in　Virginia。　She　was　close　to　my　age　and　had　never　married；　her　short　hair　the　same　dark　gray　as　her　eyes；　and　she　always　wore　the　same　gold　cross　necklace　that　looked　antique。　Her　parents　were　American；　but　she　had　been　born　in　England；　which　was　where　she　had　trained　and　worked　in　her　first　lab。
　'Bloody　meetings；'　she　plained　as　she　got　off　the　phone。　'There's　nothing　I　hate　more。　People　sitting　around　talking　instead　of　doing。'
　She　pulled　gloves　from　a　box　and　handed　a　pair　to　me。　This　was　followed　by　a　mask。
　'There's　an　extra　lab　coat　on　the　back　of　the　door；'　she　added。
　I　followed　her　into　the　small；　dark　room；　where　she　had　been　at　work　before　the　phone　had　rung。　Slipping　on　the　lab　coat；　I　found　a　chair　as　she　peered　into　a　green　phosphorescent　screen　inside　the　huge　viewing　chamber。　The　TEM　looked　more　like　an　instrument　for　oceanography　or　astronomy　than　a　normal　microscope。　The　chamber　always　reminded　me　of　the　dive　helmet　of　a　dry　suit　through　which　one　could　see　eerie；　ghostly　images　in　an　iridescent　sea。
　Through　a　thick　metal　cylinder　called　the　scope；　running　from　the　chamber　to　the　ceiling；　a　hundred…thousand…volt　beam　was　striking　my　specimen；　which　in　this　case　was　liver　that　had　been　shaved　to　a　thickness　of　six　or　seven　one…hundredths　of　a　micron。　Smears　like　the　ones　I　had　viewed　with　my　light　microscope　were　simply　too　thick　for　the　electron　beam　to　pass　through。
　Knowing　this　at　autopsy；　I　had　fixed　liver　and　spleen　sections　in　glutaraldehyde；　which　penetrated　tissue　very　rapidly。　These　I　had　sent　to　Crowder；　who　I　knew　would　eventually　have　them　embedded　in　plastic　and　cut　on　the　ultramicrotome；　then　the　diamond　knife；　before　being　mounted　on　a　tiny　copper　grid　and　stained　with　uranium　and　lead　ions。
　What　neither　of　us　had　expected　was　what　we　were　looking　at　now；　as　we　peered　into　the　chamber　at　the　green　shadow　of　a　specimen　magnified　almost　one　hundred　thousand　times。　Knobs　clicked　as　she　adjusted　intensity；　contrast　and　magnification。　I　looked　at　DNA　double…stranded；　brick…shaped　virus　particles；　two　hundred　to　two　hundred　and　fifty　nanometers　in　size。　I　stared　without　blinking　at　smallpox。
　'What　do　you　think？'　I　said；　hoping　she　would　prove　me　wrong。
　'Without　a　doubt；　it's　some　type　of　poxvirus；'　she　hedged　her　bets。　'The　question　is　which　one。　The　fact　that　the　eruptions　didn't　follow　any　nerve　pattern。　The　fact　that　chicken　pox　is　unmon　in　someone　this　old。　The　fact　that　you　may　now　have　another　case　with　these　same　manifestations　causes　me　great　concern。　Other　tests　need　to　be　done；　b