Once again, all the usual disclaimers apply...

Chapter 6 The Murder

July 15, 2008 Central Park, New York City

She was found near the south entrance to the park, in the bushes near the gate. The sight of her made even the most seasoned police officer sick to his stomach. No one could recall seeing a murder that brutal, that gruesome in Central Park in recent memory.

It was obvious the body was a blonde female; beyond that was anyone's guess. It would be up to the Medical Examiner's Office to piece together her identity, to help them discover who she was so her family could be contacted.

Everyone who encountered this horrific case wanted to see justice served.

July 17, 2008 Major Case Squad, One Police Plaza, New York City

"Eames, my office please," ordered Captain Dan Ross.

Detective Alexandra Eames looked across at her desk and locked eyes with Detective Robert Goren, her long-time partner. He shrugged and went back to studying the case file open on his desk.

Eames pushed back from her desk, rose and walked into the Captain's office, wondering why he would only want to talk to one of them and not both.

"Close the door please," the captain said, sitting down at his desk.

Eames did as he requested and sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"I need to you see this first," the captain said, passing a case file across the desk to her.

She quickly skimmed the first page, then looked back up at Ross in surprise. "The Central Park murder from 2 days ago? I thought that was a Jane Doe homicide? Why give it to us?"

"Keep reading. Look at what the ME's office sent over late yesterday."

"The body has been positively identified as Laura Wainwright." Eames looked up in shock. "THE Laura Wainwright?"

"Yes, the beautiful young socialite, wife of Adam Wainwright III, known as "Trey". The daughter - in - law of Amy Wainwright, owner of Wainwright Estates Winery and heir to the late billionaire industrialist Adam Wainwright. THAT Laura Wainwright. Now you know why the case was thrown to us after the ID was made."

"I'm sure. So, why talk to me without Bobby around?"

"Keep looking. The researchers included pictures of Laura from before she was attacked."

Eames flipped a few more pages in the file, then sat down in the nearest chair with a thud. She was holding one of the photos in her hand, one that showed Laura with her husband Trey at a recent 

gallery opening. "Oh, my God! The young man in this picture…..he looks almost exactly like…" Her voice trailed off and she moved her head to the left, indicating her partner sitting out in the bullpen.

Ross nodded in agreement. "That's why I called you in here. The Chief of Detectives wants you and Goren on the case, as does the DA, the Mayor and the Governor. Once word of the ID gets out, so will all of the New York big-money social scene."

"But, we can't. Conflict of interest."

"We don't know that for sure; it could just be coincidence," Ross states. "For now, you two take the case. But, play it by the book. I don't want anything to mess up getting a conviction on the bastard who did this to that young woman. Let me see the file again."

Eames hands him the file and watches him as he thumbs quickly through it.

"Good. There's another picture of Laura in here; one without her husband. I'll keep this one. Watch your partner closely, and don't hesitate to call me if there's a problem."

"I will, Captain. Thank you for the heads up."

"Just close it quickly and keep me posted. That'll be all, Detective," said Captain Ross.

Eames walked out of the Captain's office and sat down at her desk. She quietly read all of the case file this time, pausing to take notes. She became aware of Bobby watching her, but said nothing and continued to study the case file.

"Uh, Eames? You got something you want to share with me," Bobby asked her as he indicated the case file with a wave of his hand.

Eames looked up at him. "It's the Central Park murder. They've identified the Jane Doe and the Chief of D's and the Mayor's offices want us on the case. It's pretty gruesome. Are you sure you want to see?" Bobby had his hand stuck out for the file before she finished talking.

"Of course I want to see. This case has been all over the news the last several days. I've been jealous of Homicide…" Bobby's voice trailed off as he began to scan the horrible photos. "This-this is clearly rage," he stammered, looking up at her with horror and pain in his eyes. "These slashes here… and these marks here…." He indicated the photos. "I, I've got to get down to the morgue."

Bobby quickly closed the file, scooping it up along with his leather binder, grabbed his coat and headed for the elevator. He was single-minded now, focused on this case, this woman, determined to see justice done.

There he goes, like a blood hound on a scent, Eames thought, as she grabbed her own things and hurried after him.

They spent several hours in the morgue. Bobby poured over the autopsy report, confirming his suspicions and asking myriad questions of Elizabeth Rodgers, the Medical Examiner. He looked at and studied every photograph, every x-ray, every mark on her body; pored over the toxicology report and read every note Dr. Rodgers had taken during the course of her investigation. He was piecing together a picture of the crime scene in his head, profiling the beast who could do such damage to a woman.

It sickened him inside to see such a beautiful young person in such a horrid state. Whoever had done this to her had been extremely angry. Her face had been beaten to a pulp, multiple stab wounds covered her torso, her legs and arms appeared to have been beaten repeatedly with a blunt object. Unknowingly, the perpetrator of this horrendous crime had merely served to fuel the passion for justice inside the officer, and the Detective Goren who left the morgue was even more determined and more focus than the one who went in.

As they stepped out of the morgue, Eames' cell phone rang. "Eames." She listened for a moment then thanked the caller and turned towards Goren. "Laura's parents are on their way here to identify and claim her body. Should we talk to them now?"

"Let's wait. What's in that other room will be tough enough for them to handle without having to deal with our questions," he replied.

Mr. and Mrs. Edwards were already in the lobby of the Medical Examiner's building when Goren and Eames stepped off the elevator. It was hard to avoid them, as they made a bee line for the two detectives.

"Can you tell us anything? Is that our daughter in there," a distraught Mrs. Edwards asked them.

"Now, Leslie, these people are not medical examiners, they can't answer that for us. Come, sit down. Dr. Rodgers will be here shortly," Mr. Edwards said quietly, as he led his upset wife back to the chairs lining the wall in the waiting area.

Eames made her way to the door, but was stopped half-way by Bobby's hand on her shoulder. She could tell by the look on his face and the way he shifted his feet that they would not be leaving here without first talking to the Edwards.

She approached the couple carefully, pulling out her badge as she addressed them. "I'm Detective Eames and this is my partner, Detective Goren," she began, indicating Bobby with her hand. "We're with the Major Case Squad, and we've been here investigating your daughter's murder."

Mrs. Edwards gasped loudly and began to weep.

"Yes, the victim has been identified as your daughter. I'm terribly sorry for your loss," said Bobby softly. "Would you mind us asking you just a few quick questions? They'll be easy ones, I promise. We'll save the harder ones for later," he smiled tenderly at them.

"I'll answer a few questions for you, Detective Goren," answered Dennis Edwards. "I don't think my wife will be much help right now."

"I understand. News like this is very hard to take." Bobby sat down near the couple and opened his binder.

"What was your daughter doing in that section of the park? I believe the police report said the bo – she was wearing running clothes. Does – did she run regularly in the park?"

"Yes," Edwards nodded. "Ever since the baby was born, Laura had been running every other day to get back in shape. She was training for the marathon."

"What time did she prefer to run?"

"She usually left at 5:30 on the mornings she ran, and would be gone several hours. I've gone with her a couple of times recently, and she would be in that area by 6:30."

Bobby was taking notes, and he put a star by the time her father indicated, and glanced up at Eames. She shook her head slightly.

"Well, I think that's enough for now. You've given us a lot to go on. Thank you for your help, Mr. Edwards." Bobby stood and shook the man's hand, then leaned towards his wife. "Again, Mrs. Edwards, I'm terribly sorry for your loss."

"Thank you for your time," said Eames. "Here's our card. We'll be in touch later."

As the detectives rode back up in the elevator, Goren flipped through the police report, comparing that with the notes he took while speaking with the Edwards. "Mr. Edwards said Laura usually got to the south entrance by 6:30 am. Her body was found around 9 am…somebody knew she would be there at that time, had been watching her for a while. This was no random act, it was deliberate. Someone planned this, Eames."

"Now all we have to do is figure out why," she replied grimly.