everything else. Some plastic on the furniture in the living room. However, the master bedroom upstairs looks like it recently underwent a renovation, as if someone were planning a more regular occupancy of the home.”
Skene was expressionless. He said, “That’s a very nice description, Detective.” He turned to Delaney. “Any leads?”
“A brother of the victim showed up not long after we got here,” said Delaney. “He wrecked his bike, he was hyperactive. He had to be subdued by one of our deputies.”
“That’s interesting,” said Skene, raising his eyebrows. He then turned and glanced towards the group of reporters, held at bay by the driveway gates.
“He’s grief-stricken. In shock,” Brendan interjected. “He laid down the bike because he hit the soft dirt of the driveway. That could suggest that he’s never been here before, except he told me the name of the neighbor, Folwell. He knew who he was.”
Skene’s head swiveled slowly back to look at Brendan.
Brendan continued, “As he approached, police were on either side of the road. The Folwell farmer had been shooting at a pest in the corn. There were people everywhere. The brother was distracted and confused. In any case, it would be outlandish to return to the scene of a crime less than an hour after perpetrating it.”
“Unless that’s his defense,” said the prosecutor flatly.
Brendan skipped past it. “We have her cell phone and a laptop found in the bedroom. We’re going to go through that. I’ll contact the parents next. My hope is that I can get them to come and ID the body. If they are unreachable, we can have the brother Kevin do it, to keep things moving. The coroner determined the victim expired due to an injury to her pulmonary artery – a stab wound, one of several. She was naked in the bed.”
“So I heard. Raped?”
“We’ll know more when we get the results of the PERK,” Brendan said.
“Which will be when?”
Brendan glanced at Delaney, who seemed to be enjoying himself. His face was hidden in part by his own sunglasses and his mustache, but Brendan got a sense the senior investigator was taking pleasure in the interaction between Brendan and Skene.
“As soon as Clark’s investigators and his forensic staff perform the autopsy. The forensic pathologist will verify Clark’s original cause of death, perhaps elaborate upon it or invalidate it. But if there was rape, it will show up in the PERK.”
“Again, how long?”
Brendan was taken aback. Skene had been with the prosecutor’s office for a decade or more. He knew the routine. He knew that with a homicide autopsy, there was limited access, the surgeries performed in a special room, everything photographed and documented down to the last detail. “It could take all the rest of today, maybe until tomorrow,” said Brendan. He realized as soon as he answered the prosecutor why the man had asked a question about something he more than likely knew the answer to.
“That’s not good enough,” Skene said.
The prosecutor didn’t want to be the one breathing down the Deputy Coroner’s neck. He wanted Brendan to be the one to keep the pressure on.
“I understand,” Brendan said quietly.
“I hope you do. Look, I’m not trying to be an asshole here. I know you’re new to Oneida. But this is the first homicide we’ve had in two years. People are going to be terrified. If there is a killer on the loose – I don’t have to tell you we need to act quickly. And here you are already defending the kid who shows up, wrecks his bike, and gets in a fight with our deputies at the scene of the crime. That’s fine. But if there’s a rape, let’s get the serology report sooner rather than later. Let’s get prints from the house, more serology from the sheets, and let’s get the bastard responsible for this. Do you even know if he’s the victim’s kin? Did you check his ID? Did anyone?”
Skene looked from Brendan to Delaney. Delaney nodded towards the
Skene was expressionless. He said, “That’s a very nice description, Detective.” He turned to Delaney. “Any leads?”
“A brother of the victim showed up not long after we got here,” said Delaney. “He wrecked his bike, he was hyperactive. He had to be subdued by one of our deputies.”
“That’s interesting,” said Skene, raising his eyebrows. He then turned and glanced towards the group of reporters, held at bay by the driveway gates.
“He’s grief-stricken. In shock,” Brendan interjected. “He laid down the bike because he hit the soft dirt of the driveway. That could suggest that he’s never been here before, except he told me the name of the neighbor, Folwell. He knew who he was.”
Skene’s head swiveled slowly back to look at Brendan.
Brendan continued, “As he approached, police were on either side of the road. The Folwell farmer had been shooting at a pest in the corn. There were people everywhere. The brother was distracted and confused. In any case, it would be outlandish to return to the scene of a crime less than an hour after perpetrating it.”
“Unless that’s his defense,” said the prosecutor flatly.
Brendan skipped past it. “We have her cell phone and a laptop found in the bedroom. We’re going to go through that. I’ll contact the parents next. My hope is that I can get them to come and ID the body. If they are unreachable, we can have the brother Kevin do it, to keep things moving. The coroner determined the victim expired due to an injury to her pulmonary artery – a stab wound, one of several. She was naked in the bed.”
“So I heard. Raped?”
“We’ll know more when we get the results of the PERK,” Brendan said.
“Which will be when?”
Brendan glanced at Delaney, who seemed to be enjoying himself. His face was hidden in part by his own sunglasses and his mustache, but Brendan got a sense the senior investigator was taking pleasure in the interaction between Brendan and Skene.
“As soon as Clark’s investigators and his forensic staff perform the autopsy. The forensic pathologist will verify Clark’s original cause of death, perhaps elaborate upon it or invalidate it. But if there was rape, it will show up in the PERK.”
“Again, how long?”
Brendan was taken aback. Skene had been with the prosecutor’s office for a decade or more. He knew the routine. He knew that with a homicide autopsy, there was limited access, the surgeries performed in a special room, everything photographed and documented down to the last detail. “It could take all the rest of today, maybe until tomorrow,” said Brendan. He realized as soon as he answered the prosecutor why the man had asked a question about something he more than likely knew the answer to.
“That’s not good enough,” Skene said.
The prosecutor didn’t want to be the one breathing down the Deputy Coroner’s neck. He wanted Brendan to be the one to keep the pressure on.
“I understand,” Brendan said quietly.
“I hope you do. Look, I’m not trying to be an asshole here. I know you’re new to Oneida. But this is the first homicide we’ve had in two years. People are going to be terrified. If there is a killer on the loose – I don’t have to tell you we need to act quickly. And here you are already defending the kid who shows up, wrecks his bike, and gets in a fight with our deputies at the scene of the crime. That’s fine. But if there’s a rape, let’s get the serology report sooner rather than later. Let’s get prints from the house, more serology from the sheets, and let’s get the bastard responsible for this. Do you even know if he’s the victim’s kin? Did you check his ID? Did anyone?”
Skene looked from Brendan to Delaney. Delaney nodded towards the
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