The wound on her forehead was definitely pre-mortem,” she said as she examined the body of the young woman on the floor. “I would suggest strangulation as the official cause of death,” she said before looking up at the detective. “I think my work here is done,” she said again as she removed her gloves and got to her feet.
“Dr. Van Hauser. A good day to you,” Detective Harold Jameson said. She turned around and flashed him a smile.
“You too,” she said as she packed her bag.
“Did you just get here?” he asked looking at her. She smiled and shook her head.
“Actually, you are late and I am already done,” she said as she began walking away.
“Well, don’t forget to fax me your finding,” he called after her. She turned around.
“See you at the precinct, detective.”
“When are the two of you going to stop this cat and mouse game you have going on and simply do what needs to be done?” Harold’s partner Pam Spacey asked. He looked at her and smiled.
“We are here because of a murder, Pam. Concentrate,” he said in an attempt to change the subject.
Harold Jameson was the newest addition to the 19 th Precinct. He had moved to the city from England and everything about him screamed British. The accent, the clothes and even the car he drove. Harold was a man of thirty five years who had special experience of serving in the tactical team in Pakistan.
He was not only raggedly handsome, but also a talented and greatly gifted individual. Thanks to his service in the army and at some point in the federal government, Harold was fluent in five languages and had great skills in martial arts. He was tall, maybe six one, and had a great body.
The first time Camilla laid eyes on him, she had actually thought of him as a model rather than a detective. He had a great run in the tactical force in Pakistan but after thirteen years of service, his mother’s health took a turn or the worse and he had to stay home and look after her.
His mother, an American, had met his father on one of her trips to England. She was a journalist and travelling the world was just a part of her, but after the birth of Harold, their marriage didn't survive. He wanted her to quit and be a stay at home mom but she knew that she could juggle her career and still manage to look after Harold just fine.
This argument was the beginning of the end for their marriage and just like that, Harold found himself in a crossroads, having to make difficult choices. He did enjoy having two birthday parties and more presents at Christmas, but perhaps what really drove him to the war was the cold atmosphere that he had called home all his life.
His story was the extreme opposite when it came to Camilla’s own. She was the youngest of three children. Her two older brothers were in finance and real estate like their parents.
She was the only one in the family who ever took an interest in medicine and when she graduated with a degree in neurology, she was keen bent on beginning her own practice. There was always something about self-reliance that tickled her fancy. However, all this changed in the second year of her residency when she made a fatal mistake with a patient.
A misdiagnosis led to one of her patients dying and she never forgave herself. Despite her family’s unending support, she decided to walk out of neurology and work in pathology. Everyone was not only shocked with her decision but also disappointed. Though she was cleared to go back to work after the investigation, she still felt that she had to walk out of the healing business.
“You cannot kill what is already dead,” Camilla said any time when anyone asked her why she would not consider going back to the OR.
***
Camilla’s life in the 19 th Precinct was what many may call ordinary. She would be called in to a crime scene, do her thing, go back to the lab, do more tests and then go home. On
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