Author:
Leigh (Patricia Cornwell)
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Date Posted: 06:38:28 05/07/01 Mon
In reply to:
Title (Leigh)
's message, "TITLE: Not Every One Can Be A Winner!" on 16:16:36 04/23/01 Mon
>Most of the time things are fairly ordinary around the
>morgue. Ordinary in the sense that people die and it
>is my job as medical examiner to find the reasons and
>for the most part help the remaining family and
>friends find closure. It's not always headline
>grabbing murder cases that take up my time.
>
>True, I have been involved with some murder cases in
>the past; some had even taken a particularly personal
>twist. But for the past three weeks, things had been
>very quiet, almost normal.
>------------
>Dr. Kay Scarpetta* was a noted criminologist of the
>latter 20th century. Her breakthroughs in the
>development of rocedural guidelines in the field of
>forensic pathology are still in use today in
>laboratories across the United States. She began her
>career in the Virginia Medical Examiners Office and
>quickly rose to the position of Chief Medical
>Examiner. Frequently lending her expertise to the
>Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), she gained
>national notoriety for her tireless diligence in the
>tracking and apprehension of several serial killers,
>including Temple Gault and Carrie Grethen.
>
>*See supplemental pamphlet: "The Roles of Women and
>Minorities in US History."
>------------------------------
>
>"...and three or four bodies over a long holiday
>weekend is even less then what we normally see," I
>concluded to Gillian Radforth, my new lab intern.
>Gillian was completing her masters in anthropology.
>She had spent several summers working on digs across
>the country but this was her first exposure to
>anatomical studies that involved bodies that weren't
>buried for hundreds of years.
>
>"I think I know why they call it gross anatomy,"
>murmered Gillian under her breath. "It is fascinating,
>yet so different from what I normally deal with," she
>said as she struggled to settle the latex gloves on
>her hands. "There almost seems to be a presence about
>these bodies that I normally don't find at the digs."
>
>"It can be fascinating, but there is a real purpose to
>this work and not everyone is suited to it long-term,"
>I replied.
>
>I was just positioning the body that had been stored
>in cooler A-17 since late Friday night when into my
>lab stomped my ever present co-worker, self-appointed
>protector and (as odd as it may seem) friend, Captain
>Pete Marino.
>
>"Hey Doc, you got a minute?" grumbled Marino as he
>lumbered past Gillian and peered over my shoulder. "Is
>that the stiff from under the construction site?"
>------------
>At the dawn of the 21st century, America found itself
>at the beginnings of the Green War. This protracted
>and often bitter battle between developers and
>environmentalists was waged not only in the US, but
>throughout the world.
>
>Developers argued that the United States was built on
>the concept of Manifest Destiny (see Chapter 107),
>that it was constantly widening its borders through
>exploration and settlement, and that all Americans
>should have the God-given right of at least one Orange
>Julius within a 10-mile radius. The environmentalists,
>although appreciative of the refreshing qualities of a
>cool orange drink, feared that the resulting apartment
>complexes and strip malls might detract from the
>natural beauty of the land and lead to the extinction
>of many important species; such as, the three-eyed
>dung bettle and the multi-spotted giant leech. The
>sheepherders branch was also concerned about the
>shrinking amounts of private grazing land and the
>resulting public scrutiny of their breeding practices.
>
>As a result of this Green War, construction sites were
>the scene of many protests, both peaceful and violent.
>When hearing of a protest, law enforcement officials
>had to prepare themselves for any eventuality, from a
>nonviolent sit-in to a full fledged attack, sometimes
>at the cost of human life.
>
>Extra Credit Opportunity -- Find, identify, and label
>75 different tree leaves in your back yard. Fashion
>the leaves into an attractive placemat suitable for
>casual outdoor dining. (Good for 10 extra science
>points and 350 Martha Stewart points, redeemable at
>your local K-Mart.)
>------------------
>
>"Marino," I warned without turning to him, "gloves,
>mask and shoe-protectors please."
>
>"Damn Doc, I got everything covered but my mouth - I
>gotta breath, you know," he replied.
>
>"I'm just getting started here. You know Gillian my
>intern?" I inquired as I moved the body from the
>sliding tray of the refrigerated containment drawer to
>the spotless, stainless steel, wheeled gurney upon
>which the autopsy would be done.
>
>"G'morning Miss. We haven't met. Pete Marino," mumbled
>Marino proffering his gloved hand to Gillian.
>
>"Gillian Radford. Doctor Scarpetta has told me about
>you."
>
>"Yeah, I'll bet," gumbled Marino. "Anyway Doc, I need
>the info on this stiff ASAP. Things are heatin' up
>between the tree huggers and the corporate suits. We
>need to know who this stiff is and if he's connected
>with the string of construction site terrorist acts
>that's been happenin'. What can you tell me?"
>
>"Well, Marino, as I said I am just getting started. If
>you will afford me the luxury of a few hours I can let
>you know what I discover. But you should know, this is
>not a "he". Gillian will you please had me the
>tungsten carbide tipped circular saw, please?"
>----------------
>A strong advocate of the environmentalist cause was
>Fran Attic (1948-2001). She worked agressively to
>focus the public's attention on the environmental
>issues of the day (see mug shot at right). Most of Ms.
>Attic's attention fell on a large development company
>led by Ted Reese and Bill Dammed. As many as 20 to 30
>protests per year were organized on T. Reese-B. Dammed
>construction sites. Ms. Attic's untimely death on one
>of these sites caused an uproar throughout the
>naturalist community, and a definitive shift in the
>Green War away from big development.
>
>Group Activity: Stage a protest in your home.
>Construct picket signs out of cardboard and chain
>yourself to the couch. Suggested protest topics: early
>bedtimes; too many green vegetables; everyone else's
>mom let's him do it, why can't I?
>-------------
>Wednesday, 2:00 p.m.
>
>"Okay Gillian, this confirms what Marino and Lt.
>Allendorn thought. Take a look at some of the info
>from Mal over at the University Dental Clinic," I said
>handing the report form to my intern.
>
>"The posterior teeth on the right side of the victim
>did show in the CT scan, although the teeth were
>poorly defined.
>
>Postmortem combination periapical/bitewing x-rays were
>taken and compared to the teeth on the CT scan. The
>result of the comparison was considered "consistent
>with" but not a positive identification.
>
>Antemortem bitewing x-rays were provided by police and
>compared to the postmortem combination
>periapical/bitewing x-rays. The result of this
>examination yielded a "positive" identification.
>Victim: Fran Attic."
>
>File #: 71857-VUD5/01
>Submitted 03October2001
>Examining Dentist: Malvern O'Clusion, D.D.S.
>
>"It would appear," I added, "that Marino was right on
>target with the ID. I guess her hemp clothing gave her
>away. But one thing still puzzles me...."
>------------------------
And what is puzzling me is why we were all slung together on this tarnished planet Earth anyway? Are we here just for some Creator's pleasure, or because we are just unlucky? I think about these things as I'm on my front porch, in my rocking chair, puffing my favorite pipe. They say we are here to make each other happy, but if that's the case, a lot of people aren't doing the job, and no jury in the world would convict me of lying on that one. Take our deceased friend here, for instance. Was hers a natural death? Is there any other kind of death but Natural, since death is a part of life anyways? And whether you just kick the old bucket or someone offs you with a handgun, you're just as dead as you would've been had you lived to my ripe old age. But here she is, dead anyway, and she's being poked and prodded on like a good bullfrog in the company of boys. It's just another sign to me that we only look to ourselves and not our fellow menfolk, or womenfolk as the case may be.
-----------------
I was familiar with some of Fran's latest antics....the papers were always doing a story on this demo or that one and she made for good copy. I knew she preferred to work alone, being a "character" to be covered and getting more than her 15 minutes of time in the spotlight. But I also knew from something my niece Lucy had said recently that Fran's activities went beyond the guerilla theatre, publicity generating improvisation that grabbed the headlines and everyone's notice.
"I am going to call Lucy," I said to Gillian.
Lucy was the daughter of my only sister. I had been instrumental in her life for a number of years and now that she was an adult, we shared some of the same professional goals. Lucy had started out working on computers even before she was out of high school. While in college she consulted with several law enforcement agencies. To date, she has been on assignment to the FBI, DEA, ATF, USMC, CIA, MI5, KGB,AAA, AMA, ADA, UNCLE and CHAOS....to name a few.
"We'll set up a dinner at my place where we can discuss this. Do you like Italian?" I asked as I picked up my cell phone and speed-dialed Lucy, already reviewing tonight's menu in my head.
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