Secrets & Surprises: Exposed, Accepted & Acted Upon

Chapter 53

The Next Evening

Woman: Back off, Merton. Back off.
Baby, hold on Shh! Quiet! Do you want the neighbors to complain again? It doesn't get any better than this, does it, Merton?

Someone pushes the boom-box off the shelf and into the hot-tub. The woman gets electrocuted and then the person drowns her.

Same Night At BPD

Jane: Yes! Done! Every follow-up report. What's my prize?

Frost: Two days off to hang with your fiancé.

Jane: Mm! First days I've taken in a year. BPD owes me 243

Lindsay: They owe me 114.

Frost: Why are you two competing over who takes the fewest vacation days?

Jane: Because we're studs.

Lindsay: Ahh! So what do you and Maura have planned?

Jane: Really, Lindsay. What else would an engaged couple be doing on a weekend vacation from work?

Lindsay: Ew. I did not need that image in my head.

Jane: Next time don't ask if you don't want to know the answer.

Maura walks in and shows Jane an envelope from Paddy. She throws it away. Maura picks it up and opens it.

Maura: They're releasing him.

Jane: They can't he's in jail awaiting trial for killing Cavanaugh's wife and baby son.

Maura: No. Patrick Senior. Paddy's father.

Jane takes it.

Jane: Of all the people guilt tripping. He wants you to take in his father.

Frost: Didn't Paddy's father threaten Hope when he found out Paddy got her pregnant?

Jane: Yes. And who was Hope pregnant with? Hmm. Oh, yeah. you Maura.

Maura: He's getting public housing in a few days.

Jane and Maura's phones ring.

Maura: Dr. Isles.
Jane: Rizzoli.

Maura: Yes.
Jane: Okay.

Maura: All right.
Jane: All right, we got it. We got a floater in a hot tub.

Maura: First responders aren't sure if it was an accidental drowning.

Jane: Please, please don't let this mess up our plans please!

Frost: You want me and Lt. Korsak to take it?

A loud beeping sound in the bullpen.

Korsak: What the hell is that, Frost?

Frost: I put "shot alert" on my computer to track city shootings myself. Okay, here we go.
Moss Hill gym and Racquet Club.

Korsak's phone vibrates.

Korsak: Dispatch. Looks like we got a victim there. Jane and I will take the floater. You, Lindsay and Frankie can take that.

At the Crime Scene

Jane: Well, at least she was having a good time.

Korsak: Wine, weed, and cheese doodles.

Jane: Oh, there was a boom box in there with her. She was electrocuted.

Maura: I can't be certain of cause of death until I dissect her lungs. She seems to have a significant amount of adipose tissue. And this sheen appears to be glycerol. Body fat and lotion. That would slow down conductivity.

Jane: Yeah, boom box was pushed into the hot tub. We got ourselves a murder.

Maura: Pink froth around her lips and nose.

Jane: You have a tell when your head's not in the game.

Maura: I don't know what you mean.

Jane: "Pink froth"? Not "cytoplastics hematoma liquidity at a cellular level"?

Maura: No.

Jane: You still ruminating over your messed-up family?

Maura: Paddy Doyle isn't my family.
But he is part of my genetic makeup, as is my grandfather, and I want to meet him.

Jane: Oh, so now you're Heidi, and you're gonna climb the Alps with gramps and feed the goats?

Maura: Pink froth is a result of hemolysis due to rupture of red blood cells and the release of cytoplasm into surrounding fluid.

Jane: So she inhaled water. You see anything that suggests she was held under?

Maura: I see some bruising on her shoulders, yes.

Korsak walks up.

Korsak: Hey.

Jane: Hi.

Korsak: That's the friend who found the body. The victim is Rhonda Clark.
She's a Professor in the sociology department at B.C.U. The ladies had a weekly date in the hot tub.

Jane: Yeah, with Mr.Chardonnay and Mrs.Cannabis.

Korsak: Yeah, I sent officers to B.C.U.
to get the husband. He's a sociology Professor, too.

Jane: Okay.

Korsak: Hey, Merton! Here, boy! -

Maura: Robert Merton was a famous sociologist. He developed the concept of unintended consequences.

Jane: Can you make him stop?

Korsak: Watch this. Hey. Here, Merton. Here, boy. Good dog! Quiet!

He keeps barking.

Jane: Nice try, dog whisperer. Can you put him back in the house? Wait, Korsak, did we get any complaints tonight from the neighbors about a dog barking?

Korsak: I can ask. Why?

Jane: Well, he's a barker. If he's not barking his head off when his master's getting murdered - then that means he knows the killer.

Korsak: Good thinking.

He walks away.

Jane's phone vibrates.

Jane: Hey, Frost, what do you got?

Frost: Sweet ride. You never see this color. It's called "beluga black."

Jane: I meant the victim.

Frost: Oh, uh, sorry. Sorry. Mark Cabot, 37. He was the very wealthy head of Annisquam Investments. The Cabots are an old family Boston brahmins. He's a member of this club.
Parks his expensive car by itself in the "platinum circle."

Jane: Witnesses?

Frost: None, and the security cameras were in the process of being upgraded.

Jane: That's convenient. Robbery?

Frost: As his wallet and very nice watch are still here, so I don't think so. We'll process the scene and wait for Dr. Isles.

Maura: I'll be there as soon as I can.

Jane: Okay, Frankie, you got to do the notifications.

Frankie: Me?

Frost: He's married. His wife and his sister worked with him. I called the company. They're still at work.

Jane: It's an awful part of the job, but you got to get used to it, okay? You can do it.

Frankie: Okay.

Korsak walks up.

Korsak: Uh, Merton is quite the barker. We got a long list of complaints, but none tonight. And the dog wasn't barking on the 911 call.

Jane: That's interesting.

Korsak: Nothing seems disturbed upstairs.

Jane: Shh! This must be the husband.
I wonder where he was tonight.