Hour Game

Sylvia glanced at some papers on her desk, signed them, closed the file, stretched out her arms and yawned. "I'm sorry. I haven't done three autopsies so close together for quite some time, and there's been an outbreak of spring flu. That's what I was doing next door." She shook her head wearily. "It's a little schizophrenic. One minute I'm looking at the throat of a fifty-year-old woman, the next moment I'm cutting up someone to see how they were murdered. Usually, there are months when I don't even step foot inside the morgue. But not lately."

"It takes a very special person to do what you do, Sylvia," said King.

"I wasn't fishing for a compliment, just simply stating a fact, but thanks."

She turned to Williams, who was looking paler by the minute. When she spoke, her tone was not exactly one of warmth and honey. "I trust you've recovered from the first autopsy."

"I think my head has, not sure about my gut."

"I was really hoping to see you at the Canney and Pembroke posts. Having the lead investigator in attendance is usually quite helpful," she added in an admonishing tone that made her point quite clear.

Williams looked miserably at her. "I was planning to but then got called away."

"Of course." Sylvia glanced at King and Michelle with a suddenly hardened expression. "Doyou both have strong stomachs?"

Michelle and King looked at each other. King answered for them. "Strong enough."

Sylvia turned to Williams. "Todd, do you have any objection to their seeing the bodies? Of course I also want you or at least one of your men to attend as well. It might appear strange to a jury that somebody from the police force hadn't viewed the bodies at leastpost -autopsy."

Williams looked angry but then seemed to wage an inner debate with himself. Finally, he shrugged. "Hell, let's go."

CHAPTER 10

THE AUTOPSY ROOM WAS MUCH like Sylvia's office minus all warmth and feminine touches. Everything was stainless steel and neatly arranged. Two personal workstations with built-in desks were situated on one side of the room, and two stainless-steel examination tables with drainage holes, water tubs with hoses, a small dissection table, organ scale and trays of surgical instruments were situated on the other. The four had stopped at the locker room and donned scrubs, gloves and masks before entering. They looked like extras in a low-budget bioterrorism flick.

Michelle whispered to King as Sylvia walked ahead to speak with Kyle.

"I can see why you two dated. You both have the super mutant neatness gene. Don't worry; I hear they're working on a cure."

"Don't get your hopes up," King whispered back through his mask. "I'm never going over to the dark side."

"I'll show you Jane Doe first," said Sylvia, coming back to them.

A large stainless-steel door opened, and as Kyle emerged pushing a gurney with a sheet covering the dead woman, threads of chilly air escaped from the refrigerated room.

Michelle started shivering uncontrollably.

"You okay?" King asked.

"Of course I am," she shot back through chattering teeth. "You?"

"I was a premed student briefly before I went into law. And I worked at the morgue in Richmond over a summer. I've seen lots of bodies."

"Premed?"

"I thought it would help me pick up girls. I know, I know, but I was young and stupid."

Kyle left. Before Sylvia pulled back the sheet, she looked at Williams, and her expression was now more kindly. "Chief, just do what I told you the first time, and you'll be fine. You've already seen the worst of it. No more surprises, I promise."

He nodded, hitched up his pants and appeared to be holding his breath and praying for a natural disaster so he could get the hell out of there.

She pulled back the sheet and they all looked down.

The Y-incision running from chest to pubis made the body appear to have been unzipped. Jane Doe's organs had been removed, weighed and analyzed, and then the block of organs, muscle and tissue had been unceremoniously bagged and dumped back in the body cavity. The incision that had opened the skull was not readily apparent from their viewing angle, though the face drooped, like a doll whose supporting stitches had given way.

"The intermastoid incision is always an eye-opener," commented King dryly.

"I'm impressed, Sean," said Sylvia, staring at him.

Williams looked like he wanted to strangle King if he could only find the strength.

The smell of the body was very intense in the small room. Michelle started to cover her mouth and nose even though they were masked. Sylvia quickly stopped her.