Intersecting Lines Book 2
43 The Carpenter Autopsy
Maura's viewpoint
This Monday morning was even more hectic than usual, with a number of cases requiring our attention having transpired across the weekend while we were away. Most of them had been efficiently handled by my team, though as per usual I would be sitting down and reviewing each case with the medical examiner in question, discussing their findings and their conclusions, providing both critique and support as they developed their skills. It was an essential part of my job to encourage their professional development, one that I took very seriously.
That had kept me busy for the first few hours before I could turn my attention to Major Crimes' current case, a homicide that left two dead males awaiting autopsy. Chief Johnson had requested that they await my return, something I understood even as I found her confidence in my skills to be a deep professional and personal compliment. Jane had dropped by earlier, delivering a fresh cup of coffee and a small bakery treat, another of her endless small kindnesses that made me love her just that little bit more. We were both still tired from the weekend's activities, followed by the late night flight back to LA.
After wrapping up our evening at the Old Haunt, we had finally got back to our hotel not long before dawn, I should have been tired but instead I was full of energy, instead taking the opportunity to property show my appreciation to Jane for the sentiments she had shown that evening, I understood that both singing in front of others and playing the piano after Charles Hoyt's attack were difficult for her, but she had let nothing stand in her way, instead she had powered through, demonstrating once again that I was blessed to love and be loved by her.
We hadn't actually got to sleep till well past dawn, only to be awakened not long before noon by Natalie banging on our door, cajoling us out to play tourist that afternoon and meeting up with Alex and Olivia for a late lunch, before we got a little shopping in, then headed home. All in all it had been a wonderful weekend, even if I was left a little sleep deprived, but it was a small price to pay for a truly wonderful experience and not something I would have ever missed. Jane had agreed that a good night's sleep tonight would be much appreciated before I sent her on her way, asking her to let Chief Johnson know I would be commencing my autopsy of her victim's at 10.30.
Thus it was that I was about to commence the autopsy of Patrick Jordan Carpenter, AKA 'D-Tap', when Detective Sergeant David Gabriel entered the room and greeted me, hanging his coat near the door, obviously Chief Johnson had assigned him to watch this autopsy. It was her normal practice to ask one of her team to sit in on my autopsies, both to allow them to obtain immediate insights into any relevant facts I might uncover into the case under investigation and also to gain further firsthand experience to broaden their knowledge base.
I welcomed their attendance, having someone there helped pass the time during what were often routine investigations, in addition they were also surprisingly good company, each of them having diverse interests that did not fit the impressions most people would gather at first meeting them on the job.
Each brought their own style and personality to the process; Lieutenant Flynn and I would discuss classic movies and the stars of the so-called 'Golden Years' of Hollywood filmmaking, comparing them with contemporary actors and the movies being made today, particularly remakes of classic films; I had learned that he had a particular appreciation for westerns and Alfred Hitchcock movies in particular, leading me to speculate on his chosen profession as a modern day 'sheriff' and solver of mysteries.
Lieutenant Provenza on the other hand shared my appreciation for classical music, particularly operas and arias. We would pass the time comparing Tosca and Madame Butterfly, La Traviata and Fidelio, Eugene Onegin and Les Troyens, he was surprisingly knowledgeable, to the point that I doubted even his friend Lieutenant Flynn was fully aware of just how extensive his knowledge and interest in the subject was.
At other times we discussed the pros and cons of the great singers, Melba and Sutherland, Callas and Domingo, Wunderlich and Pavarotti, comparing and contrasting their strengths and weaknesses as performers. Given Jane's preferred musical tastes usually involves both drum kits and electric guitars, I greatly appreciated the chance to discuss the technical intricacies of fine music with someone as knowlegable.
Lieutenant Tao and I often discussed the philosophical side of technology, his enthusiasm for technological developments not blinding him to the potential and actual downsides of scientific advances. Many times we'd had spirited ethical debates about the use of technology, such as a future where autonomous drones might seek out terrorist targets and attack them without the intervention of a human in the decision loop. At other times we might rehash older debates such as the 'experience machine' ethical puzzle; while often finding ourselves on opposite sides of the debate I found myself enjoying the mental stimuli immensely.
Another time we had discussed the potential for us all to be living in a 'Matrix' style virtual reality, would we eventually come to realise we were living inside a fantasy or would we be so subsumed within the false reality presented that we would reject the actual existing reality in its stead? I found his discussions to be both enjoyable and thought provoking and looked forward to his presence, as I did all of the Major Crimes team.
With Detective Sanchez our relationship had changed; initially he had been gruff, almost taciturn, but over the time we had known each other he had let a little of that defensive wall down, obviously his trust in me grew as we became more familiar, until he began asking me about the mental processes that determined choices people made. Initially he was seeking insights into why people killed, no doubt attempting to further his professional knowledge, but over time it had changed, as we discussed the rationale behind decisions made by celebrities, politicians, sports stars and the like, discussing the mental and emotional states that drive certain decisions.
Over time his questions had become more incisive and I gathered, though he had not mentioned it, that he was doing some research on his own time to broaden his knowledge, something I was pleased to see. Most recently he had been asking questions more related to sexuality; reading between the lines I suspected he was trying to gain insights to the lifestyle choices someone he knew was making.
Chief Johnson was quieter than her team; less ebullient. I believe she found the peace and quiet of the morgue to be something of a sanctuary, far from the bustle and demands of the murder room and her often stressful cases. Jane would keep me appraised on the progress or otherwise of Major Crimes cases and I made it a habit to check in with Brenda regularly, I believe that she held one of the most stressful roles in the Department and had done so for eight years, the fact that she handled it with such apparent ease was deceiving, the constant pressure inevitably taking its toll. Her new relationship with Sharon was helping however I felt as her friend it was incumbent on me to be there when she needed someone, supporting her as much as I could. She would sit and sometimes we would chat, other times she would sit and watch; letting the classical music I normally play while conducting an autopsy wash over her, at rest, though her eyes missed nothing. I found myself enjoying her quiet company.
Commander Raydor was another quiet visitor, sometimes coming down to watch me work on one of her cases; I believe she too was seeking a respite from the demands of her job. She would usually bring two mugs of herbal teas and we would sip them while we discussed the case, then she would observe as I conducted the autopsy, often while we discussed classical music. Sharon's taste ran rather more to lighter pieces, Rachmanoff and Vivaldi rather than Bach or Wagner, as we covered different directors and orchestras. The discussions were always enjoyable and I'd more than once found myself seeking out other pieces based on Sharon's recommendations.
Of course they were not my only visitors, Naturally Jane attended as often as she could; Anastasia had been a participant a number of times, particularly relating to cases with a Federal context, even Natalie had visited; in fact had been one of the most interested, gowning up and standing across the table from me as I worked.
Absorbed in what I was doing, she had stated that though she had found herself unable to cut people open, as required by her initial career choice of medicine, she still found the human body fascinating and, retaining her knowledge of anatomy from the first year of her abortive medical degree, her questions were both informed and incisive. Natalie had initially attended because a local television show had approached the Department to film a series of 'A day in the life' segments, shadowing different members of the LAPD. Natalie had thought that coverage of the role of the Medical Examiner's office might prove instructive and interesting. Since then she had occasionally found reasons to visit, company that I welcomed.
Today though Sergeant Gabriel had joined me for the procedure, which meant the discussion could cover any number of topics, often covering current affairs, international politics and similar matters. David's interests were varied and he often spent his off duty time expanding his knowledge, making our discussions both informed and interesting.
Today was no different; we covered a diverse range of subjects, many relating to Russia which had been in the news of late; Russia's strategic interests, Valdimir Putin as a modern day Czar, the rise of the Russian oligarchs under Yeltsin, the adverse demographic outlook for modern Russia and so on. I had started learning Russian, partly to gain a better understanding of the culture's writing and poetry in its mother tongue, partly to converse with Brenda and Anastasia who both spoke it fluently. I was still at an early stage but they had both been quite supportive. I had taken to watching online broadcasts of the Russian media, absorbing the tone and cadence of spoken Russian as well as the worldview from Moscow which was very different to ours, to say the least. Finally drifting off Russia, we chatted about bits and pieces pertaining to the Carpenter case, even as I drew his autopsy to a close, summarizing my findings before committing them to a report.
"Sergeant Gabriel, Mr Carpenter died from a single 9 millimetre gunshot wound to the forehead. While he was hit by several other rounds that cumulatively would likely have proved fatal without urgent and timely medical atttention, primarily through blood loss, this shot was instantly fatal" I looked down at the body now lying silent on my table. "The first few shots are compatable with him being shot while standing, however the final, fatal shot was delivered as he lay flat on his back, from a position near his feet, the assailant standing, however I cannot give you the exact height as we do not know the distance they were from the victim" I frowned down at the body on my slab, mentally calculating angles. Looking back up I spoke. "The shooter was no less than 147 centimetres tall if they were standing at Mister Carpenters feet, with the height increasing the further back they were standing, that is if they were holding the gun at full extension in line with the angle from their eye level to Mister Carpenter's forehead" David nodded his head slowly, looking up from the body to where I stood on the other side of the table as he raised his arm in the posture I had described.
"Finishing him off?" I nodded.
"A coup re grace if you will" His head bobbed once.
"That's what it looked like at the scene, nice to get a simple one now and again" I smiled.
"This one taxed neither your skills of observation nor my forensic knowledge Sargeant" He smiled.
"Perhaps the next one might be more interesting Doc, can't have you getting bored down here" I shook my head at his words, hastening to correct his incorrect assumptions.
"Contrary to what are often rather sensationalised media depictions, the life of a medical examiner is not one of engaging in shoot outs and personally investigating suspects" I looked up and raised an eyebrow. "I leave such things to those better qualified in such pursuits, detectives such as yourself for example" David smiled.
"I don't know about that Doc, according to your history you've had more than enough close shaves back in Boston"
"Detective, given your extensive experience you should have realised by now not to put too much credance into media reports, they have a regrettable tendancy to either sensationalise or trivialise much of the subjects they cover"
"Not wrong there" He smiled for a moment and then suddenly stopped. "Hang on, that reminds me" He walked over to the hat and coat stand by the door, reaching in to the inner pocket of his jacket before producing what looked like a folded newspaper.
"Have you seen this piece from the Los Angeles Post?" I frowned.
"I am not sure Sargeant, what exactly are you referring to?" He carefully laid the paper out on a clear bench top and started flipping pages.
"My girlfriend spotted this yesterday and told me about it last night" He kept flipping pages as I walked over to stand beside him, finally stopping on the fashion and gossip pages, his finger tapping a photo. "Here we go" I looked down, surprised to see the image was of me, taken at a crime scene almost a week ago. I was crouched by a body, looking up at a uniformed officer, I remembered the case, I had responded to a call out to a gang shooting in Boyle Heights. My eyes flicked to the accompanying text.
"Los Angeles has always been a fashion-forward city, full of style icons, some of them in the most unusual places. The city's new Medical Examiner is a perfect example. Maura Isles has recently been appointed to the role from her previous job as Boston's Chief Medical Examiner, adding a touch of style not usually found at crime scenes. The bright colours of this Carolina Herrera dress teamed with a Ferragamo jacket is right on trend, as are the Manolo Blahnik's, all straight from this season's ranges..."
I looked up at him, I was sure the exasperation I was feeling showing on my face.
"Surely they are joking, I was just doing my job" He smiled, a trifle amused at my annoyance.
"Well Doc, you do kinda stand out wherever you are" I smiled, trying to reassure him that I was not in any way angry with him.
"Thank you David, I appreciate that. May I borrow this, I will return it to you when I am finished with it" He smiled and waved.
"Keep it, I just hung on to it cause I thought you'd be interested" I nodded and smiled as he left, before shucking my scrubs and getting changed back into my normal dress before making my way out, heading for Natalie's office.
