Chapter Eleven: Sorting It Out
Seely slammed a large stack of files onto the conference room table. He had all but handcuffed whoever had been working the plane crash site and forced them to join his little powwow.
"Here," he said angrily. "Everything from the case…interviews, forensic reports, autopsy files, you name it."
Everyone gathered stared back at him…some of them a bit guiltily. They all assumed they were here for a telling off about working the case without permission.
"It has become glaringly apparent to me that nothing anyone says or does it going to keep you off this case," he continued. "So, you are going to solve it for me."
"It's about bloody time," Nigel said. "You're certainly not getting anywhere on your own."
Garret flashed Nigel a warning look. Seely smirked.
"Yeah, you all hate me…I'm over it," he replied. "And anyway, you haven't heard all of your assignment yet. You will stay here, in this room, until you're done."
Blank stares met this proclamation, until their brains caught up with what they had heard.
"Now wait a minute," Garret said. "You can't just pull all of us—we have other cases to work on, too."
Another smirk. "Then I suggest you get busy," Seely said. "I've got it all worked out…no one leaves this room until the case is solved."
Lily piped up. "Why am I here? I can't work on cases."
"Well, grief counselor," Seely answered. "The way I see it, there are five other people here who haven't quite worked out their grief yet…and this whole thing—" he gestured at the files—"seems to have affected you just as much as them. You're stuck."
With that, the detective strode out of the room and shut the door firmly. For a minute, everyone sat silently. Then, as one, they all dove toward the files.
"Ok, ok…let's do this systematically," Garret said, coming to his senses. Jordan continued to pull at the files. "Systematically, Jordan. Listen to me for once."
Jordan glared at him, but placed the files back on the table.
"All right…interviews go to Woody…chemical analysis to Nigel…Bug, Jordan, and Kate, split the autopsies…I'll write whatever you find on the board and see if we can see a connection…and Lily…," he trailed off not knowing what job to give her.
She smiled. "I'll go get some coffee…maybe order lunch. That is, if His Highness will let me out of the room." She got up and slipped out, without incident.
For a while each person was silent, intently focused on their files. Every once in a while, one of them would comment and Garret would write the information on the board. Woody's stack was by far the largest, as it contained interviews from all of the victim's families and the plane company employees. When Lily had returned, she began reading them along with Woody to help him.
After several hours, nothing of worth came to light.
"This is hopeless," Bug exclaimed. "There's nothing new…no way that we can find out who did this!"
"But there has to be," Jordan insisted. "We can't just let it go…these people deserve justice."
"Yeah, well that doesn't mean that they're going to get it," Bug replied.
Jordan looked as if she would smack him, if Woody hadn't put his hand on her shoulder.
"We're not giving up, Jordan," he said calmly.
Nobody contradicted Woody, but it was clear that they each were thinking that it would be nearly impossible to solve this one.