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“What was her answer?”
“She said, ‘You won’t, but some of the smarter kids will.’ That one little insult pushed me to study and get an A in algebra. I think Sister Sheilah is still proud of that little quip. I see it in her smile every time she greets me.”
“If I didn’t know you better, I’d say that sounds like a massive inferiority complex.”
We got to the hallway with the examination rooms. I saw Terri playing with her hair as she gazed up at a tall young man, but as soon as she saw us she straightened up and led us into the room where the autopsy would be performed.
I’d been dreading this moment. As a professional homicide detective, I’ve seen my share of autopsies. These rooms and their equipment are not made for comfort. As Aurora once said, “When a patient complains about the uncomfortable tables, I’ll change them.”
I try to not think of the victims while a medical examiner slices open different parts of their bodies and pulls out their organs. I view it mainly as an exercise in gathering evidence. This case felt a little different. I’d met Estella Abreu’s family. I’d seen photos of the beautiful girl who reminded me of my own daughters.
Aurora set up her recorder, and Jeff, the tall forensic tech, started taking photos. I could hear Aurora speaking into her recorder and the occasional grunt or mumble as she looked at every aspect of the body. Instead of walking right up to the table, I hung back and averted my gaze. I knew there was an unclothed body stretched out on the steel table. It almost felt like an invasion of privacy looking at a naked woman without her permission. It didn’t matter if she was dead or alive. That’s just how I felt at the moment.
Instead, I went through paperwork to make sure that Estella’s dress and shoes had been saved as evidence. The chances of finding anything on the dress were remote. The salt water in this part of the Hudson River does a good job of washing away DNA. But you never know.
A little over an hour after she started, Aurora, Terri, and I huddled at a desk on the far side of the examination room. Aurora’s scrubs had a few stains on them from her recent work. It didn’t seem to bother her. She said, “I understand you’re wondering if the victim from the Bronx homicide might be related to this.”
“We’re interested in any similarities.”
“I reviewed the case notes on that one after you called. As far as a physical examination and mode of death, there’s no similarity. Emma Schrade, the victim from the Bronx, died from strangulation. This girl died from a puncture wound directly beside the sternum and between her fourth and fifth ribs. It left only a small hole in the dress.”
“How big was the knife?”
“I don’t think it was a knife. It was cylindrical. Relatively long. Almost like”—she paused as she searched for the right word—“a round metal rod. Maybe a kitchen tool. The victim in the Bronx wasn’t stabbed.”
Aurora continued: “Whoever stabbed this girl was powerful. They struck her with such force that it damaged the cartilage in her chest. The weapon was long enough to skewer her heart. The blow probably stunned her so badly that she bled out before she even knew what happened.
“Emma Schrade was strangled by a similarly powerful assailant. Parts of her windpipe were crushed. That indicates a killer who has strong hands—and who apparently doesn’t stop once they start.”
That last statement sent a chill down my back. It was exactly what I was afraid of.
Chapter9
I WAS HAPPYto be headed home after a day like this. It wasn’t even that late. The kids would still be awake. That’s what I needed about now. Kids.
I parked my city-issued Chevy Impala in the garage across the street from my apartment building on the Upper West Side. I had to take a moment to breathe and center myself. I know that sounds a little like a hippie in the Rockies, but I didn’t want to bring home the tragedy of a day like this to my family. The fact that I was so exhausted would make it worse. I gulped some air and took a swig from a 20-ounce Coke I’d bought after leaving the medical examiner’s office.
I cherish any time with my family. I have to. It’s the same story with almost every cop. Few of us can count the number of holidays and family gatherings we’ve missed.
Being with my kids would ease the heartbreaking experience of seeing a beautiful young woman on a medical examiner’s slab. As soon as I opened the door and heard feet running toward me, my mood soared.
Somehow I caught Shawna in midair as she leapt up to give me a hug. I’m pretty sure the younger girls will give up their practice of jumping at me like a missile before I get too old and frail to deal with it. I’m not about to tell anyone to stop it. How many people have someone who loves them so much they jump into the air to greet them?
After I made it into the living room, delivering hugs and kisses along the way, Fiona bounded up to me wearing basketball shorts and a Holy Name jersey. “I’m ready to play as soon as we start practice.”
I grinned. She was so excited, she was talking as fast as an auctioneer. Enthusiasm could be contagious. I liked seeing it in my middle schooler.
Fiona continued in that rapid-fire style. “I’ve been practicing in gym class every day. Sister Elizabeth says I have a good jumper and sense of the court. She says since I’m tall, I would be a good center. But I did some research, and if I want to go to college on a scholarship, I have a better chance as a point guard.”
I held up a hand. “Hold on there, Steph Curry. Let’s play our best and see where it takes us.”
She nodded like she was electrified. “Good plan. Are you as excited as I am?”
I don’t like to lie to my kids, so I just smiled and said, “I will do my best to be a good coach.”
The twins, Fiona and Bridget, looked alike in the face. Maybe in their mannerisms. That’s where the similarities stopped. Bridget was reserved and preferred quiet activities. Fiona gravitated to anything she was good at, sports or academics. If she had a talent, Fiona used it. She had played basketball with the boys over the summer and never complained about them being rough. She really was tall. Maybe she had some talent that could be developed. I just hoped I was qualified for the task.
Chapter10
