Thicker Than Blood

Chapter 7: Jennette's Autopsy

       "Morning Jim!" said a voice as soon as I walked into the front doors of the station. I turned to my right over my shoulders to see the voice was Chief Harold.

       "Morning Chief. How goes the investigation with the girl?" I walk over to my desk setting my bag on the chair and my mug on top of a pile of disorganized paperwork. Chief Harold stood up from behind his desk. Walking around it to the front and leaning against it with his arms crossed. Through his thick black mustache, he updated me on the case.

      "Not much, unfortunately. We notified some news stations in the county and other county police. Asking if anyone may know something. But for now, the pathologist, Dr. Smith can only determine the cause of death. And what he she found... well, let's just say this girl did not have a pleasant last few days." Harold looked down at his blacked polished boots. Staring at them for a couple of seconds in silence until he turned around and proceeded to sit back down.

       Wondering what the girl looks like now without the pigment of blood covering her body, I asked Chief Harold where the girl's body was now.

       "Jesus. Well I hope something, or someone, comes forward quick. By the way, where could I find the body of Jennette at the moment?" I asked as swiftly as I could. Trying not to make it sound suspicious; just work.

      Chief Harold looked at me with a curious look on his face. Half of that caterpillar above his lips raised resembling a heavier Bert Reynolds.

       "In the basement alongside Dr. Smith being autopsied on. But why would you need to see her. You alright Jim?"

      "Yay, I'm fine. Don't worry about it but, thanks tho." Quickly but swiftly, I turned around and headed towards the stairs. Not turning back, hoping that Harold thought nothing of it.

      Step-by-step, I rushed down the stairs. Speed-walking down the eerie gray hallway, coming to a set of blue doors with the words "Morgue" on it. Pushing through the doors and into the room, I see Dr. Smith's arms inside the cavity of Jennette's body. She looks up hurriedly to ask one simple questions:

      "Why are you down here?"

      That was a good question; a great question. I certainly had no good reason to be down here and surely had no decent answer to provide her with. Yet, I did have a right to be down here, especially during an investigation and also did have a purpose to be down here.

     "Hey Shelly, long time no see. How goes life? How's the boyfriend? You are looking good these days, you going to the gym?" Asking any question in order to strike up a conversation and hopefully annoy her enough until she lets me see the body.

     "Jesus Jim, why do you all of a sudden care about my life again. We haven't seen let alone talked to each other in over 5 months," she remarked.

     "And since I know you won't answer my question until I answer yours; Life is fine at the moment, Joe and I are no longer together, and yes I have been visiting the gym lately. Now again; Why are you down here?" she seethed with annoyance backing her tone of voice.

     "Oh, you know I'm a cop and one of the investigators on this case and it's my duty to check up on you for any updates" I replied back in a jokily matter.

      "Well, in that case," standing above her head, she pointed to red markings around her neck.

      "I found some markings on her neck indicating that she may have been straggled but not enough to kill her due to the laceration on her neck. It is not deep enough to indicate the rope was tight enough to kill her." Shelly then walked calmly down the left side of the body till she was next to the fingers. Picking Jennette's hand up and pinching her fingers, indicating to me something under her nails.

     "You can see here that her nails are all worn down, signifying to me that she was scratching at something like cement. As if she was trying to escape somewhere." She then started to observe the fingers closer with her eyes right up to them. One by one, she carefully looked at each one as I just stood there on the other side of the table waiting for her to say something again.

     "Jim, can you hand me those tweezers on that table next to you and get me a baggy as well. I think I found something huge," she asked me.

     I picked up the tweezers and a small plastic bag not saying anything just observing her and handed her the two objects.

      Her eyes were pierced on one of the fingertips of a finger. Not taking her eyes off while also not moving a muscle. She slowly takes the tweezers and uses them to pick up something underneath the nails. I could not see anything, but she could.

     "What is it?" I asked as I tried to see what she was looking at.

     A smile appeared across her face as she then proceeded to look at me.  Holding the tweezers up with a thin line in between the two prongs.

     "It the lead we needed; its hair!" she chuckled.