Disclaimer: I don't own any part, parcel, or particle of Crossing Jordan. I just enjoy playing with the characters.
A/N Although this story is strictly fictional, it may be interesting to note that North Carolina historically has the most murder-by-arsenic poisonings of any other state in the union. And the vast majority (if not all) of the murderers are women. One notorious arsenic poisoning took place in my very own little hometown. Just makes you think......
A/N 2 Thanks for all the nice reviews I've had on my two other fanfictions. I thrive on reviews. ==============================================================
"How on earth does crap like this happen?" Jordan asked, staring at the reports in front of her. She wasn't trusting what her eyes were telling her. "Did you read this?" she asked Garrett, who was reviewing the files with her.
"Yeah. I read it. I'm having a little trouble with it, too. It's not everyday you see five heavy metal poisonings within 10 year time frame. Arsenic's kind of hard to get to now, unless you're a chemist or professional exterminator."
"Do you think it means the same thing I think it means?"
Garrett paused for a moment before answering. "I think it means we most likely have a serial killer on our hands. We just need to connect the dots to make it happen. Have you talked to Woody about any of this?"
"No, he's supposed to follow up with me when we finalize the autopsy reports."
"You may want to bring him up to speed as soon as possible before word of this leaks out to the press. Re-check the results with Nigel before you do anything, though."
"Okay, will do." Jordan pushed back a wayward lock of her hair and rose from her desk to make her way down to Nigel Townsend's office. She found her co-worker deeply involved in a ballistics report with another case.
"Got a minute, Nige?" asked Jordan.
"For you love, I have hours."
"Hey, look. Are you absolutely sure about the tox reports on the last victim we had come in?"
"You mean the one that died of arsenic poisoning?"
"That would be the one."
Nigel looked Jordan over curiously. Other medical examiners might take offence at another ME questioning their work, but Nigel and Jordan were best friends. He knew Jordan well enough to have a good hunch that she was trying to frame her poisoning theory very carefully before taking it to the police and the district attorney. "Yes – there is no question the young lad died of heavy metal poisoning as a direct result of ingesting arsenic. It shows up in his hair, his fingernails, and his liver. And while some levels of arsenic are normal for everyone, his levels were highly elevated, signifying that he either knowingly or unknowingly ingested the poisoning for at least six months prior to death."
"So this couldn't just 'happen'."
"No way, love. Arsenic occurs naturally in the environment sometimes. It's in the soil. But even farmers don't get arsenic poisoning by digging in the dirt."
"Would someone try to commit suicide by ingesting arsenic?"
"Well, it's always possible. But of all the ways to off yourself, why tamper with a long, drawn-out, agonizing death? A bullet, some pills, hell, even sucking on the tailpipe of a car would be a lot easier way to go. Arsenic poisoning takes months. It has to accumulate in the body for an extended period of time. So that means the suicide victim would have to knowingly ingest arsenic over weeks of time, all the while enduring the painful side effects of nausea, pain....the whole gamut. Just don't see it happening."
Jordan chewed her bottom lip. "Have you had a chance to look at the other case files I gave you?"
"Sure did. I spent the better part of last night and early this morning looking at them. That's why I'm working so hard on this ballistic report for the lovely DA Walcott. I bumped her for your stuff. If I don't get her reports in her office by noon, she's going to have my ass for lunch," Nigel said, grinning broadly.
Jordan chuckled at Nigel. She almost felt sorry for Rene' Walcott. No matter how much Garrett might like her, the rest of the staff just barely tolerated her. Figuring out ways to covertly submarine Rene' kept the office pool up and going.
"Well, God forbid you should loose your ass....but what did you think about the old files. Anything worth digging someone up?"
"Sweet Nancy, I imagine I'm thinking the same thing you're thinking and the same thing Garrett is thinking."
"And what do you exactly think I am thinking?" asked Garrett as he paused at door of Nigel's office."
"Serial killer," answered Nigel, solemnly.
Garrett sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay, let's go to the police. But we will let them decide when and if to go to the DA, you two hear me?"
Nigel and Jordan nodded. The prospect of having a serial killer that used poison was not something that Boston had ever had – at least not in the past 50 or so years that anyone could remember. They knew that everyone would have to have their act together on this one.
===================================================
Jordan gathered the files together on her desk and debated on whether to call Woody or take the files and corner him in his office. Deciding it would be better if this battle was fought on her home turf, she picked up her cell phone and hit two on speed dial. "Hoyt," a familiar voice answered.
"Hey sweetheart, what you doing?"
Woody leaned back in his chair and threw his pen down on the pile of paperwork facing him.
"Nothing, sweetie, what's up?" he replied, knowing from the tone of her voice that Jordan wanted something.
"You know that vic you and your officers found on Sixth Street last week?"
"Yeah, the one that didn't have a bullet hole in him, or appear to be strangled, or thrown out of a window?"
"That's right."
"So what's up with him?" Woody remembered the victim well. He had felt from the beginning that something was suspicious about the death. The young man appeared to be in his early twenties. With no obvious cause of death, a full autopsy had been ordered.
"He died of arsenic poisoning."
Woody sat up straight. Jordan had his full attention now. "Are you sure? I mean are you positively sure Jordan? No hunches, no theories, we're dealing with reality here."
"Positive. Nigel ran the tox screens three times. I think I have some information about this you may find very interesting, but you need to come to my office."
"Oh, your office. This wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that I had to work late last night and I didn't get to see you?"
Jordan could feel her checks begin to turn pink. "Well.... Yes and no. I missed my good morning kiss, but I have more information for you than I could feasibly bring up to your office."
"Be there in a minute."
A few minutes later Woody found himself in Jordan's office with Nigel and Garrett. "Look at this," Jordan said. "Five arsenic poisonings in a ten year time frame in Boston. Five. The only time arsenic poisonings are lumped together like this is usually when there is a serial killer and he or she is poisoning people they have a grudge against."
"But why arsenic?" asked Woody.
"It's hard to trace," said Garrett. "It has to accumulate in a victim's system over a period of time and it has horrible side effects. By the time a person has died from it, there are so many side effects that no one knows exactly what the victim died from. Arsenic poisoning mimics a lot of different diseases. Unless you specifically test for heavy metal poison, you can't find it."
Woody pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. This opened a whole different can of worms. Arsenic poisoning. In Boston. Who the hell would have thought....
"Okay," he finally said. "Let me review the files this afternoon. Let's try to see if all five of the vics had someone in common."
"Fine," said Garrett. "Meanwhile, I'm pulling in someone from out of town that knows a thing or two more about arsenic poisoning than we do."
Nigel looked surprised. "Who?"
"There's another ME that knows quite a bit about it. He's examined seven to nine arsenic victims that I know of over the past ten or so years. I need to see if I can track him down and if he has time to come up here for a week or so."
"What's his name?" Jordan asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Do you know him?"
"I've never personally met him, but I've read his stuff. He's very thorough. His name is Dr. Steve Murphy."
Jordan's eyes got big and she swallowed a laugh. Stevie? Coming back to Boston? Oh, this was a hoot.
A/N Although this story is strictly fictional, it may be interesting to note that North Carolina historically has the most murder-by-arsenic poisonings of any other state in the union. And the vast majority (if not all) of the murderers are women. One notorious arsenic poisoning took place in my very own little hometown. Just makes you think......
A/N 2 Thanks for all the nice reviews I've had on my two other fanfictions. I thrive on reviews. ==============================================================
"How on earth does crap like this happen?" Jordan asked, staring at the reports in front of her. She wasn't trusting what her eyes were telling her. "Did you read this?" she asked Garrett, who was reviewing the files with her.
"Yeah. I read it. I'm having a little trouble with it, too. It's not everyday you see five heavy metal poisonings within 10 year time frame. Arsenic's kind of hard to get to now, unless you're a chemist or professional exterminator."
"Do you think it means the same thing I think it means?"
Garrett paused for a moment before answering. "I think it means we most likely have a serial killer on our hands. We just need to connect the dots to make it happen. Have you talked to Woody about any of this?"
"No, he's supposed to follow up with me when we finalize the autopsy reports."
"You may want to bring him up to speed as soon as possible before word of this leaks out to the press. Re-check the results with Nigel before you do anything, though."
"Okay, will do." Jordan pushed back a wayward lock of her hair and rose from her desk to make her way down to Nigel Townsend's office. She found her co-worker deeply involved in a ballistics report with another case.
"Got a minute, Nige?" asked Jordan.
"For you love, I have hours."
"Hey, look. Are you absolutely sure about the tox reports on the last victim we had come in?"
"You mean the one that died of arsenic poisoning?"
"That would be the one."
Nigel looked Jordan over curiously. Other medical examiners might take offence at another ME questioning their work, but Nigel and Jordan were best friends. He knew Jordan well enough to have a good hunch that she was trying to frame her poisoning theory very carefully before taking it to the police and the district attorney. "Yes – there is no question the young lad died of heavy metal poisoning as a direct result of ingesting arsenic. It shows up in his hair, his fingernails, and his liver. And while some levels of arsenic are normal for everyone, his levels were highly elevated, signifying that he either knowingly or unknowingly ingested the poisoning for at least six months prior to death."
"So this couldn't just 'happen'."
"No way, love. Arsenic occurs naturally in the environment sometimes. It's in the soil. But even farmers don't get arsenic poisoning by digging in the dirt."
"Would someone try to commit suicide by ingesting arsenic?"
"Well, it's always possible. But of all the ways to off yourself, why tamper with a long, drawn-out, agonizing death? A bullet, some pills, hell, even sucking on the tailpipe of a car would be a lot easier way to go. Arsenic poisoning takes months. It has to accumulate in the body for an extended period of time. So that means the suicide victim would have to knowingly ingest arsenic over weeks of time, all the while enduring the painful side effects of nausea, pain....the whole gamut. Just don't see it happening."
Jordan chewed her bottom lip. "Have you had a chance to look at the other case files I gave you?"
"Sure did. I spent the better part of last night and early this morning looking at them. That's why I'm working so hard on this ballistic report for the lovely DA Walcott. I bumped her for your stuff. If I don't get her reports in her office by noon, she's going to have my ass for lunch," Nigel said, grinning broadly.
Jordan chuckled at Nigel. She almost felt sorry for Rene' Walcott. No matter how much Garrett might like her, the rest of the staff just barely tolerated her. Figuring out ways to covertly submarine Rene' kept the office pool up and going.
"Well, God forbid you should loose your ass....but what did you think about the old files. Anything worth digging someone up?"
"Sweet Nancy, I imagine I'm thinking the same thing you're thinking and the same thing Garrett is thinking."
"And what do you exactly think I am thinking?" asked Garrett as he paused at door of Nigel's office."
"Serial killer," answered Nigel, solemnly.
Garrett sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay, let's go to the police. But we will let them decide when and if to go to the DA, you two hear me?"
Nigel and Jordan nodded. The prospect of having a serial killer that used poison was not something that Boston had ever had – at least not in the past 50 or so years that anyone could remember. They knew that everyone would have to have their act together on this one.
===================================================
Jordan gathered the files together on her desk and debated on whether to call Woody or take the files and corner him in his office. Deciding it would be better if this battle was fought on her home turf, she picked up her cell phone and hit two on speed dial. "Hoyt," a familiar voice answered.
"Hey sweetheart, what you doing?"
Woody leaned back in his chair and threw his pen down on the pile of paperwork facing him.
"Nothing, sweetie, what's up?" he replied, knowing from the tone of her voice that Jordan wanted something.
"You know that vic you and your officers found on Sixth Street last week?"
"Yeah, the one that didn't have a bullet hole in him, or appear to be strangled, or thrown out of a window?"
"That's right."
"So what's up with him?" Woody remembered the victim well. He had felt from the beginning that something was suspicious about the death. The young man appeared to be in his early twenties. With no obvious cause of death, a full autopsy had been ordered.
"He died of arsenic poisoning."
Woody sat up straight. Jordan had his full attention now. "Are you sure? I mean are you positively sure Jordan? No hunches, no theories, we're dealing with reality here."
"Positive. Nigel ran the tox screens three times. I think I have some information about this you may find very interesting, but you need to come to my office."
"Oh, your office. This wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that I had to work late last night and I didn't get to see you?"
Jordan could feel her checks begin to turn pink. "Well.... Yes and no. I missed my good morning kiss, but I have more information for you than I could feasibly bring up to your office."
"Be there in a minute."
A few minutes later Woody found himself in Jordan's office with Nigel and Garrett. "Look at this," Jordan said. "Five arsenic poisonings in a ten year time frame in Boston. Five. The only time arsenic poisonings are lumped together like this is usually when there is a serial killer and he or she is poisoning people they have a grudge against."
"But why arsenic?" asked Woody.
"It's hard to trace," said Garrett. "It has to accumulate in a victim's system over a period of time and it has horrible side effects. By the time a person has died from it, there are so many side effects that no one knows exactly what the victim died from. Arsenic poisoning mimics a lot of different diseases. Unless you specifically test for heavy metal poison, you can't find it."
Woody pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. This opened a whole different can of worms. Arsenic poisoning. In Boston. Who the hell would have thought....
"Okay," he finally said. "Let me review the files this afternoon. Let's try to see if all five of the vics had someone in common."
"Fine," said Garrett. "Meanwhile, I'm pulling in someone from out of town that knows a thing or two more about arsenic poisoning than we do."
Nigel looked surprised. "Who?"
"There's another ME that knows quite a bit about it. He's examined seven to nine arsenic victims that I know of over the past ten or so years. I need to see if I can track him down and if he has time to come up here for a week or so."
"What's his name?" Jordan asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Do you know him?"
"I've never personally met him, but I've read his stuff. He's very thorough. His name is Dr. Steve Murphy."
Jordan's eyes got big and she swallowed a laugh. Stevie? Coming back to Boston? Oh, this was a hoot.