Chapter Two
Still one year earlier….
She was right. He didn't like the autopsy report. Neither did Rene. By noon, there was another autopsy being done on Deborah Brady. A blind, independent autopsy by another ME. Jordan stood back and watched as Dr. Sanders re-examined and re-opened Deborah's body. He didn't say much during the autopsy, just promised Woody and Rene' that they would have his results within 48 hours. After he left, she began to repair Deborah's body and get it ready to go back to the crypt. Everyone had left after the second autopsy. Woody wouldn't even look at her. Walcott didn't speak a word to her. Garret had stood by Jordan and reached out once, squeezing her hand sympathetically.
In the now-empty autopsy room, Jordan re-stitched Deborah Brady's body. She often had wondered what these people would say about their earthly remains being opened and sometimes re-opened in order to try to find out how they died. She was so caught up in her thoughts and her work that she didn't hear Woody re-enter the room.
"Hey," he said, to get her attention. Jordan jumped at the sudden noise.
"Hey yourself," she said, just glancing at him and then returning to her work.
"I just wanted to say that this wasn't my idea. Walcott was screaming for a blind and independent autopsy."
"I know. Garret told me." She finished her last few stitches and tied off the thread. Then pulling the sheet back up over Deborah Brady, she secured it, and began to push the cart to the crypt. Woody followed closely at her heels, suddenly having a hard time keeping up with her.
"Jordan," he said, reaching the elevator the same time she did. "Look. I don't want this case to come between us. It's nothing personal."
"I know, Woody. But even when we were at each other's throats," the elevator door opened and she pushed the body cart in, "I never let you down professionally. I've always told you the truth…I've always forensically been right. When you're an ME, you ignore all the other evidence and everything else that is being said and listen to the body." She got on the elevator herself and was surprised when Woody followed behind her.
"All I know is that Walcott is gunning for an arrest by the end of this week."
"Walcott is gunning for my job."
Woody sighed. The feud between the two women was well-known and he wasn't sure how far off base Jordan was in her assumption. "I just wanted you to know that this wasn't my doings. I read your report last night. Sure, I didn't like it, but it made sense. You said that the murderer knelt on Deborah's chest when he cut her throat, and that he had to weigh between 180 and 200 pounds by the bruises he left where his knees were. Joel weighs 145 pounds. That's a big difference."
"So now you don't think Joel killed his mother?"
"I didn't say that. I just said forensically it didn't add up. There's still the other evidence to consider."
"That's all circumstantial." The elevator doors opened. She pushed the body into the crypt and signed it back in. "If that's the best you can do, then Joel's going to walk. You know that, don't you?"
"Never underestimate a jury, Jordan."
She shook her head. "They'll have more common sense than Walcott does if she brings Joel to trial."
"I didn't come here to discuss my boss's abilities. I just wanted to make sure that things were still okay between us…that this hasn't driven a wedge between us."
Jordan looked up into his blue eyes that could still make her knees buckle and her will melt. Sighing, she shrugged her shoulders. "No. Why would it?"
Gently placing his hands on her shoulders, he softly replied, "Because this," he motioned with one arm sweeping around the room, "is just a job. This," his finger came to rest on her heart, "is about us. And that's far more important."
She nodded, blinking back the tears. He cared for her. She knew he did…it just seemed like sometimes everything just got in the way. "I need to go now. I promised Nige I'd meet him for lunch."
Woody let her go and watched her walk away. She was still running from him…still shying away from her emotions to a degree, even after everything they had been through.
Jordan ate with Nigel at a new Thai restaurant around the corner from the morgue, the Brady case forgotten for the moment as the two old friends got caught up with events over the last several days. Everything seemed normal until she and Nigel got back to their offices. There were uniformed police in Jordan's office as well as trace. Woody was there, too, frantically looking for something…and Rene, looking coolly sure of herself. "Hey, what's going on?" she asked the police who were looking through her office.
"They can't find the blood evidence you had," Garret said. "The clothes from off Joel Brady."
"But Woody tagged them and bagged them….then we both walked them over here. I looked over them in trace, re-tagged them, signed them back in, and locked the evidence locker."
"They're not here now, Jordan. What did you do with them?" Woody asked.
She stared at him in disbelief. "I didn't do anything with them, Woody. Nothing."
"Are you sure? All you told the detectives was that the clothing was saturated…no blood splatter. Did you get rid of evidence so Joel wouldn't be convicted…at least until you could make your case?" asked Walcott.
"I didn't need to do anything to make that case. My autopsy report and Dr. Sanders will show that there was no way Joel could have killed his mother."
"Dr. Cavanaugh, I'm going to ask you this point-blank. Did you take or are you hiding evidence pertaining to the Brady case?" continued Rene'.
"No. Of course not."
"It's not here," said one of the officers coming out of her office.
"And I just got a report that it's not at her apartment," said Woody, carefully avoiding Jordan's eyes.
"You searched my apartment? Without telling me?" she asked him, anger ringing every syllable of her voice.
"In all fairness to Detective Hoyt….and whatever you two have or don't have together, he didn't know," chimed in Rene.
"Okay," Woody said, with a note of finality in his voice. "Now what?"
"We take her in…hold her until she tells us where Joel's bloody clothing is," replied Rene'.
"You're taking me to jail?" Jordan asked, completely incredulous. "Garret? Can they do this?"
"They can for now…but I'll be over in a few minutes with a lawyer."
"Kim…call my friend Kim who's a lawyer…her number is in my Rolodex," she called out as the officers were leading her off.
