“I can’t imagine, knowing how she’s responded to you on previous occasions,” Laurie added with her smile returning.
“She flipped me off,” Chet said with great indignation. “She didn’t even answer. She just gave me the finger.”
“In a way she did the same to me,” Laurie said. “When we finished the case yesterday, I asked her to help Marvin clean up. She told me she didn’t have the time and walked out. She might as well have given me the finger.”
“I don’t know what’s wrong with you guys,” Jack interjected. “I got along with her fine this morning. She couldn’t have been nicer.”
“Really?” Chet questioned, but then he saw Jack’s smile and knew Jack was merely teasing.
“Don’t let Jack get your goat,” Laurie said. “He was on artificially good behavior with Dr. Nichols for my benefit. Ironically enough, we had been talking about her just before you arrived.”
“That reminds me,” Chet said. “She justified her absence by saying she was still working on the case that you let her do yesterday, trying to investigate the manner of death. Is all that true?”
“Yes and yes,” Laurie said. “I did let her act as the prosector, which is a point I think we should discuss at some time in the near future. Perhaps we should routinely let the NYU pathology residents do the cases rather than just observe them even though the medical examiner is responsible for the death certificate. From a teaching standpoint it makes a lot of sense, considering where they are in their training. And yes, she is still following up on the case, under my supervision.”
“Fine by me,” Chet said. “But it is an issue that we should discuss with all the medical examiners to see if they are comfortable with it. I can bring it up at our next meeting.”
“Sounds like a plan,” she said. “I’ll also bring it up with Carl Henderson and get his take.”
“Meanwhile, what can I do in the short run?” he asked with an audible exhale. “I’ve got to face her again in the morning and try to control my irritation.”
“Assign her to me for my first case,” Jack suggested. “Laurie says she’s a good prosector, and she is smart. I don’t mind letting her do a case as long as she doesn’t drag it out. Strangely enough, she and I might get along. One way or the other, I’ll see if I can straighten her out a bit.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Laurie asked. She didn’t want to make a bad situation worse if Jack and Aria Nichols got into a real tiff.
“It will be fine,” Jack said. “I promise to continue to be on good behavior with this woman. Hearing you two talk has raised my curiosity.”
“She’s taxing,” she warned. “Maybe even exasperating.”
“I’ll take it as a challenge to try to help the situation,” Jack said. “I won’t take anything she says personally, I’ll avoid being patronizing, and I’ll gird myself against possible profanity. Trust me.”
“I’ll trust you,” Chet said with alacrity. “You’re on!”
Chapter 25
May 9th
5:05 P.M.
Aria’s phone buzzed fifteen minutes after leaving the GenealogyDNA building. She’d decided to power walk the two miles or so back to the OCME rather than hail a cab or rideshare. Not only could she enjoy the early spring weather, she could use the exercise. She also thought that going by foot, at least from the west side of Manhattan to the east side, might even be faster since she’d be avoiding rush-hour cross-town NYC traffic, which had become appalling.
The display on her phone said the call was from David Goldberg. She answered.
“I’m glad I got you,” David said. “Kera Jacobsen’s mother just arrived from LA. She’s in the OCME ID area up at 520 and will be confirming the identification. I’m on my way over there to talk with her about my investigation. Are you there now?”
“No, but I’m on my way,” Aria said. “I should be there soon, certainly before six.”
“Are you interested in talking with her?” David asked.
“Maybe.” At this point she didn’t think the mother could add much, but then again, it couldn’t hurt. “Actually, yes. I think I would like to ask her a few questions.”
“Okay, that should work. We’ll probably be in one of the ID rooms. Come and join us if you’d like.”
Aria disconnected and seriously picked up her pace. Once she got across town, she took a cab up First Avenue, where the traffic was heavy but not stop-and-go. By the time she arrived at the OCME, the trip had taken just over a half hour, which wasn’t bad considering the time of day. As David Goldberg suggested, she found him in one of the cubicles used by the ID team to show family members or other people pictures of the deceased for identification purposes. Digital images were used now instead of Polaroids although family members could see the body itself if they demanded to do so. Few did. The blank room had a Formica desk supporting a computer monitor and a box of tissues. There were also a half dozen molded plastic chairs.
As soon as David saw Aria in the doorway, he stood up. “Dr. Nichols, I’d like you to meet Shirley Jacobsen.” Shirley extended a limp hand in her direction but didn’t stand. Aria ignored the gesture. She didn’t want to make this meeting last any longer than necessary. She leaned her backside against the edge of the desk and folded her arms. To her Shirley looked like a lot of middle-aged Scandinavians she’d met: small features, high cheekbones, and a slightly sallow complexion that suggested she lived in Minnesota, not Los Angeles. Her watery, cornflower-blue eyes reminded Aria of Kera’s, at least in terms of color. The same was true with the hair that probably had been blond but was now a light brown with dark roots. Unlike Kera, Shirley had a few gray hairs mixed in. It was obvious the woman had been crying.
“I only have a few questions,” Aria said. “I understand that your daughter, Kera, had broken up with a long-term boyfriend before coming to NYC this past fall, and his name, I believe, is Robert Barlow. Is that correct?”
“Yes,” Shirley said, taking a deep breath. “But Kera was okay with it, and actually used the breakup as the motivation to come here, which had always been her dream. As far as I know she wasn’t upset about the relationship ending, certainly not to the extent of starting to use drugs.”
“Did she use drugs in high school?” Aria asked.
“Not at all,” Shirley said. “I mean, like all teenagers, she tried pot but didn’t particularly like it, as far as I know. She was always very open with me about what was going on in her life. Same with my younger daughter. Neither of them were ever into drugs. That’s why this shocks me so.”
“As far as you are aware, did Robert Barlow ever visit your daughter here in New York, particularly a couple of months ago?”
“No. I’m sure not,” Shirley said. “Kera would have told me. Besides, he’s a medical student and never goes anywhere. That had always been a bone of contention between Kera and him and might have been one of the reasons they went their separate ways.”
“Mr. Goldberg told me yesterday that you had mentioned on the phone that Kera had recently seemed a bit depressed when you spoke to her. Is that correct?”
“Yes, it is,” Shirley said. “But just over the last few weeks. It was vague at first. My younger daughter and I attributed it to her having trouble dealing with the weather or just homesickness, and we thought it was just a temporary thing and would pass with spring coming. But then she surprised both of us the last time we spoke, just a few days ago, by suggesting she was thinking of coming back to Southern California. That was a huge change. Up until then, we both thought she loved the city and would become a real New Yorker.”
“Did Kera talk about any of the people she was meeting here?” Aria asked.