cpatricia.unnaturalexposure-第8节

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　'I'll　let　you　alert　security；'　I　said。　'The　media's　already　in　the　parking　lot。'
　'You　got　to　be　kidding。　This；　early？'
　'Channel　Eight　was　waiting　for　me　when　I　pulled　in。'　I　handed　him　the　key　to　my　car。　'Give　them　a　few　minutes；　and　then　let　them　go。'
　'What　do　you　mean；　let　them　go？'　He　frowned；　staring　at　the　remote　control　key　in　his　hand。
　'They're　in　my　parking　place。'　I　headed　toward　the　elevator。
　'They're　what？'
　'You'll　see。'　I　boarded。　'If　they　so　much　as　touch　my　car；　I'll　charge　them　with　trespassing　and　malicious　property　damage。　Then　I'm　going　to　have　the　A。G。's　office　call　their　station's　general　manager。　I　might　sue。'　I　smiled　at　him　through　shutting　doors。
　My　office　was　on　the　second　floor　of　the　Consolidated　Lab　Building；　which　had　been　constructed　in　the　seventies　and　was　soon　to　be　abandoned　by　us　and　the　scientists　upstairs。　At　last；　we　were　to　get　spacious　quarters　in　the　city's　new　Biotech　Park　just　off　Broad　Street；　not　far　from　the　Marriott　and　the　Coliseum。
　Construction　was　already　under　way；　and　I　spent　far　too　much　time　arguing　over　details；　blueprints　and　budgets。　What　had　been　home　to　me　for　years　was　now　in　disarray；　stacks　of　boxes　lining　hallways；　and　clerks　not　wanting　to　file；　since　everything　would　have　to　be　packed　anyway。　Averting　my　gaze　from　more　boxes；　I　followed　the　hallway　to　my　office；　where　my　desk　was　in　its　usual　state　of　avalanche。
　I　checked　my　e…mail　again；　almost　expecting　another　anonymous　file　like　the　last；　but　only　the　same　messages　were　there；　and　I　scanned　through　them；　sending　brief　replies。　The　address　deadoc　quietly　waited　in　my　mailbox；　and　I　could　not　resist　opening　it　and　the　file　with　the　photograph。　I　was　concentrating　so　hard；　I　did　not　hear　Rose　walk　in。
　'I　think　Noah　had　better　build　another　ark；'　she　said。
　Startled；　I　looked　up　to　see　her　in　the　doorway　adjoining　my　office　and　hers。　She　was　taking　off　her　raincoat；　and　looked　worried。
　'I　didn't　mean　to　scare　you；'　she　said。
　Hesitating；　she　stepped　inside；　scrutinizing　me。
　'I　knew　you'd　be　here；　despite　all　advice；'　she　said。　'You　look　like　you've　seen　a　ghost。'
　'What　are　you　doing　here　so　early？'　I　asked。
　'I　had　a　feeling　you'd　have　your　hands　full。'　She　took　off　her　coat。　'You　saw　the　paper　this　morning？'
　'Not　yet。'
　She　opened　her　pocketbook　and　got　out　her　glasses。　'All　this　Butcher　business。　You　can　imagine　the　uproar。　While　I　was　driving；　I　heard　on　the　news　that　since　these　cases　started；　more　handguns　are　being　sold　than　you　can　shake　a　stick　at。　I　sometimes　wonder　if　the　gun　shops　aren't　behind　things　like　this。　Frighten　us　out　of　our　wits　so　we　all　make　a　mad　dash　for　the　nearest　。38　or　semiautomatic　pistol。'
　Rose　had　hair　the　color　of　steel　that　she　always　wore　up；　her　face　patrician　and　keen。　There　was　nothing　she　had　not　seen；　and　she　was　not　afraid　of　anyone。　I　lived　in　the　uneasy　shadow　of　her　retirement；　for　I　knew　her　age。　She　did　not　have　to　work　for　me。　She　stayed　only　because　she　cared　and　had　no　one　left　at　home。
　'Take　a　look；'　I　said；　pushing　back　my　chair。
　She　came　around　to　my　side　of　the　desk　and　stood　so　close　I　could　smell　White　Musk；　the　fragrance　of　everything　she　had　concocted　at　the　Body　Shop；　where　they　were　against　testing　with　animals。　Rose　had　recently　adopted　her　fifth　retired　greyhound。　She　bred　Siamese　cats；　kept　several　aquariums　and　was　one　step　short　of　being　dangerous　to　anyone　who　wore　fur。　She　stared　into　my　puter　screen；　and　did　not　seem　to　know　what　she　was　looking　at。　Then　her　demeanor　stiffened。
　'My　God；'　she　muttered；　looking　at　me　over　the　top　of　her　bifocals。　'Is　this　what's　downstairs？'
　'I　think　an　earlier　version　of　it；'　I　said。　'Sent　to　me　on　AOL。'
　She　did　not　speak。
　'Needless　to　say；'　I　went　on；　'I　will　trust　you　to　keep　an　eagle　eye　on　this　place　while　I'm　downstairs。　If　anybody　es　into　the　lobby　we　don't　know　or　aren't　expecting；　I　want　security　to　intercept　them。　Don't　you　even　think　about　going　out　to　see　what　they　want。'　I　looked　pointedly　at　her；　knowing　what　she　was　like。
　'You　think　he　would　e　here？'　she　matter…of…factly　stated。
　'I'm　not　sure　what　to　think　except　that　he　clearly　had　some　need　to　contact　me。'　I　closed　the　file　and　got　up。　'And　he　has。'
　
　At　not　quite　half　past　eight；　Wingo　rolled　the　body　onto　the　floor　scale；　and　we　began　what　I　knew　would　be　a　very　long　and　painstaking　examination。　The　torso　weighed　forty…six　pounds　and　was　twenty…one　inches　in　length。　Livormortis　was　faint　posteriorly；　meaning　when　her　circulation　had　quit；　blood　had　settled　according　to　gravity；　placing　her　on　her　back　for　hours　or　days　after　death。　I　could　not　look　at　her　without　seeing　the　savaged　image　on　my　puter　screen；　and　believed　it　and　the　torso　before　me　were　the　same。
　'How　big　do　you　think　she　was？'　Wingo　glanced　at　me　as　he　parallel　parked　the　gurney　next　to　the　first　autopsy　table。
　'We'll　use　heights　of　lumbar　vertebrae　to　estimate　height；　since　we　obviously　don't　have　tibias；　femurs；'　I　said；　tying　a　plastic　apron　over　my　gown。　'But　she　looks　small。　Frail；　actually。'
　Moments　later；　X…rays　had　finished　processing　and　he　was　attaching　them　to　light　boxes。　What　I　saw　told　a　story　that　did　not　seem　to　make　sense。　The　faces　of　the　pubic　symphysis；　or　the　surfaces　where　one　pubis　joins　the　other；　were　no　longer　rugged　and　ridged；　as　in　youth。　Instead；　bone　was　badly　eroded　with　irregular；　lipped　margins。　More　X…rays　revealed　sternal　rib　ends　with　irregular　bony　growths；　the　bone　very　thin…walled　with　sharp　edges；　and　there　were　degenerative　changes　to　the　lumbosacral　vertebrae；　as　well。
　Wingo　was　no　anthropologist；　but　he　saw　the　obvious；　too。
　'If　I　didn't　know　better；　I'd　think　we　got　her　films　mixed　up　with　somebody　else's；'　he　said。
　'This　lady's　old；'　I　said。
　'How　old；　would　you　guess？'
　'I　don't　like　to　guess。'　I　was　studying　her　X…rays。　'But　I'd　say　seventy；　at　least。　Or　to　play　it　really　safe；　between　sixty…five　and　eighty。　e　on。　Let's　go　through　trash　for　a　while。'
　The　next　two　hours　were　spent　sifting　through　a　large　garbage　bag　of　trash　from　the　landfill　that　had　been　directly　under　and　around　the　body。　The　garbage　bag　I　believed　she　had　been　in　was　black；　thirty…gallon　size；　and　had　been　sealed　with　a　yellow　plastic…toothed　tie。　Wearing　masks　and　gloves；　Wingo　and　I　picked　through　shredded　tire　and　the　fluff　from　upholstery　stuffing　that　was　used　as　a　cover　in　the　landfill。　We　examined　countless　tatters　of　slimy　plastic　and　paper；　picking　out　maggots　and　dead　flies　and　dropping　them　into　a　carton。
　Our　treasures　were　few；　a　blue　button　that　was　probably　unrelated；　and；　oddly；　a　child's　tooth；　which　I　imagined　was　tossed；　a　coin　left　under　a　pillow。　We　found　a　mangled　b；　a　flattened　battery；　several　shards　of　broken　china；　a　tangled　wire　coat　hanger；　and　the　cap　of　a　Bic　pen。　Mostly；　it　was　rubber；　fluff；　torn　black　plastic　and　soggy　paper　that　we　threw　into　a　garbage　can。　Then　we　circled　bright　lights　around　the　table　and　centered　her　on　a　clean　white　sheet。
　Using　a　lens；　I　began　going　over　her　an　inch　at　a　time；　her　flesh　a　microscopic　landfill　of　debris。　With　forceps；　I　collected　pale　fibers　from　the　dark　bloody　stump　that　once　had　been　her　neck；　and　I　found　hairs；　three　of　them；　grayish…white；　about　fourteen　inches　long；　adhering　to　dried　blood；　posteriorly。
　'I　need　another　envelope。'　I　said　to　Wingo　as　I　came　across　something　else　I　did　not　expect。
　Embedded　in　the　ends　of　each　humerus；　or　the　bone　of　the　upper　arm；　and　also　in　margins　of　muscle　around　it　were　more　fibers　and　tiny　fragments　of　fabric　that　looked　pale　blue；　meaning　the　saw　had　to　have　gone　through　it。
　'She　was　dismembered　through　her　clothes　or　something　else　she　was　wrapped　in；'　I　said；　startled。
　Wingo　stopped　what　he　was　doing　and　looked　at　me。　'The　others　weren't。'
　Those　victims　appeared　to　have　been　nude　when　they　were　sawn　apart。　He　made　more　notes　as　I　moved　on；　peering　through　the　lens。
　'Fibers　and　bits　of　fabric　are　also　embedded　in　either　femur。'　I　looked　more　closely。
　'So　she　was　covered　from　the　waist　down；　too？'　he　said。
　'That's　the　way　it's　looking。'
　'So　someone　waited　until　after　she　was　dismembered；　and　then　took　all　her　clothes　off？'　He　looked　at　me；　emotion　in　his　eyes　as　he　started　to　envision　it。
　'He　wouldn't　want　us　to　get　the　clothes。　There　might　be　too　much　information　there；'　I　said。
　'Then　why　didn't　he　undress　her；　unwrap　her　or　whatever　to　begin　with？'
　'Maybe　he　didn't　want　to　look　at　her　while　he　was　dismembering　her；'　I　said。
　'Oh；　so　now　he's　getting　sensitive　on　us；'　Wingo　said；　as　if　he　hated　whoever　it　was。
　'Make　a　note　of　the　measurements；'　I　told　him。　'Cervical　spine　is　transected　at　the　level　of　C…5。　Residual　femur　on　the　right　measures　two　inches　below　the　lesser　trochanter；　and　two　and　a　half　inches　on　the　left；　with　saw　marks　visible。　Right　and　left　segments　of　humerus　are　one　inch；　saw　marks　visible。　On　the　upper　right　hip　is　a　three…quarters…of…an…inch　old；　healed　vaccination　scar。'
　'What　about　that？'　He　referred　to　the　numerous　raised；　fluid…filled　vesicles　scattered　over　buttocks；　shoulders　and　upper　thighs。
　'I　don't　know；'　I　said；　reaching　for　a　syringe。　'I'm　guessing　herpes　zoster　virus。'