Read Online The Body Box by Lynn Abercrombie - Free Book Online Page B

“Huh,” he said finally.
    Lt. Gooch crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame of the ME’s office.
    The ME seemed to be waiting for Lt. Gooch to ask him something, but when the lieutenant failed to say anything, Vale Pleassance finally said, “Cause of death, so far as I could determine it, was a gunshot to the back of the head.”
    â€œSo far as you could determine it?” I said.
    â€œThe body was found in the woods in July. I don’t have to tell you how hot July in central Georgia is. The body had been lying there for some time and was in a state of relatively advanced decomp. As generally happens when dead things lie in the woods, it had not only rotted, it had been munched on by racoons and other happy critters of the forest. All of which complicated forensic analysis.”
    Lt. Gooch said, “Talk to us about time of death.”
    The ME turned to me. “How long have you been working homicides, my dear?”
    â€œThis is my second case,” I said.
    â€œAh!” Vale Pleassance smiled brightly. “Then you have yet to be introduced to the pleasures of larval infestation.”
    â€œIn what sense?” I said.
    â€œWhen a body lies out on the ground, flies deposit eggs, the eggs hatch, larvae begin to grow,” the doctor said. “A clever colleague of mine did a study to see how quickly larvae would form based upon ambient temperature, length of days, and so on. He developed a chart for estimating how long a body has lain around based upon those studies.”
    â€œYou actually count the maggots?” I said. “Boy, where can I sign up to be a medical examiner?”
    â€œTouché.”
    â€œWhat did you find out from your maggot counting?”
    â€œThis body had been lying there for less than a week, but more than three days.”
    â€œBut the girl had been missing for three months,” I said.
    Vale Pleassance squinted at the file. “You’re right,” he said. “Which implies that she was kidnapped and held somewhere for quite a long while.”
    â€œThe main suspect in the case had a cabin a couple miles from there,” I said.
    â€œAh.” He leafed through the file again. “I’m a little surprised they never indicted,” he said. “As I recall . . . Ah, here it is. The suspect had a sex-crime record, didn’t he?”
    â€œMultijurisidictional,” Lt. Gooch said. “Body found in Baldwin County, missing from Atlanta. The suspect’s cabin, which seemed like it could have been the actual murder site, was in Putnam County. Atlanta PD worked the case, but not before the GBI, the FBI, the Baldwin County Sheriff, and the Putnam County Sheriff had all stuck their noses into it.”
    â€œThat’s right, that’s right, it’s coming back to me,” the ME said. “You’ll note, Detective Deakes, that my autopsy report is actually on Georgia Bureau of Investigation letterhead, not on Fulton County ME letterhead.”
    â€œWhy’s that?” I said.
    â€œYou might be interested to know that the American Medical Association lists the forensic pathology specialty as the worst-paying specialty in the entire field of medicine. Sadly, I am a man of rather rarified and extravagant tastes. As a result, I whore myself out to anyone who’ll pay for my services.”
    â€œWhat he’s beating around the bush trying to say,” Lt. Gooch said, “is that he’s a part-time ME for the GBI.”
    â€œNot just the GBI. I’ve worked for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the State Law Enforcement Division over in South Carolina, and quite a few of the more backwater jurisdictions in the state of Georgia. Have cranial saw, will travel.” Dr. Pleassance gave me his Low Country-aristocrat smile.
    â€œSo, what can you tell us about this case that’s not in the file?” I said.
    â€œIt’s been a long time, my dear.”
    I