He studied her a beat and grew quiet.
Before he could say anything more, Heat pulled back onto the road and punched Lauren Parry on her speed dial. "Hi, we're two blocks away… Good, see you then."
Between the stoplight and the OCME garage Nikki had second thoughts. Not about her feelings regarding the article and the myriad ways it was screwing with her life. But she worried she'd blistered Rook too much. She could rationalize it, just chalk it up to being pissed after the cheap shot from the slimebag Wynn Zanderhoof, but still, she could have handled Rook a little more deftly and at the same time made her point. She snuck a look at him as he watched the road in wounded silence. A picture memory came to her of Rook sitting right there in that very seat on so many rides, making her laugh the way he did-and then another glimpse of him, sitting there that night in the rainstorm when they couldn't get enough of each other so they spent the night trying. Heat grappled with an overwhelming twinge of regret for losing it with him.
Nikki had no problem being tough. She couldn't abide being mean.
They had the elevator to themselves on the ride up from the second basement parking level, and it was there that she tried to soften her message to him. "This isn't anything about you, Rook, just so you know. It's the whole publicity thing, of having my name and face out there. I kind of have had it with that."
"I think I got your message loud and clear in the car."
Before she could respond, the doors parted and the elevator filled with lab coats and the moment was lost. "Hey, there, I'm all set for you," said Lauren Parry as they entered the Autopsy Room. As usual, even behind a surgical mask, you could see her smile. "We did some shuffling to get this workup for you STAT, knowing it's a priority and all."
Heat and Rook finished gloving up and came around to the stainless-steel table that held Cassidy Towne's remains. "I appreciate that, Lauren," said Nikki. "I know how every detective wants it like yesterday, so thanks."
"No problem. I have a bit of a personal interest in this one, too, you know."
"Oh, right," said Heat. "How's the noggin?"
"Hey, I'm hardheaded, everybody knows that. How else does a girl get from the St. Louis projects to all this?" She said it without irony. Lauren Parry lived for her job and it showed. "Nikki, you e-mailed that you wanted a best-earliest TOD, right?"
"Yeah, we have a potential suspect. We just confirmed his taxi ride, so he alibis out at ten-forty-five."
"No way," said the ME. She picked up a chart. "Now, you have to understand this was made a more challenging task because the body had been through a lot. Movement, handling…" She looked at Rook and added, "refrigeration. All that made it harder to establish our TOD, but I did it. This was more like the three A.M. range, so cross your ten-forty-five off. Is this the chef who had us jacked?" When her friend nodded, Lauren said, "Well, too bad, but cross him off anyway."
Nikki turned to share a we-figured shrug with Rook, but he wasn't paying attention. She studied him for a few gloomy seconds in the chilly room, felt the after-pain of her outburst, and had to be drawn back by Lauren. "Hello?"
"Oh, sorry. So, three A.M., right."
"Or later, could be a two-hour window after then. Now I'll give you the usual disclaimer that we're still running toxicology, and blah, blah." She paused and turned to Rook. "Isn't this where you usually say if erections last over four hours, call your doctor?"
"Right," he said flatly.
For a medical examiner, Lauren Parry was a people person. She turned from Rook to give Nikki a what's-up? look. She gave nothing back to Lauren, so the ME continued on. "Tox report notwithstanding, I'm still going with the stab wound as COD. But check it out, I have a few things to show you." Lauren beckoned, and Heat followed her around to the other side of the body. "Our deceased was tortured before she died."
Rook came out of his haze and strode to join the other two for a look. "See here on the forearm?" Lauren drew aside the sheet to expose one of Cassidy Towne's arms. "Discoloration from contusion and uniform loss of hair along two matching strips at the forearm and wrist."
"Duct tape," guessed Rook.
"That's right. I didn't catch it at the scene because of the long sleeves she was wearing. The killer not only removed the tape when he was done, but pulled the cuffs down. Thorough job, detail-oriented. As for the tape itself, adhesive residue is at the lab now. Over the counter everywhere, so good luck matching it, but you never know." The ME used a stick pen to indicate points along the body template on her chart. "Taping was on both arms and both ankles. I already called Forensics. Sure enough, the chair tested positive for residue as well."
Nikki made a note. "And what about the torture itself?"
"See the dried blood in the ear canal? There were numerous probes from sharp objects prior to expiration."
Heat suppressed an involuntary shiver at the thought. "What kind of sharp objects?"
"Various needle-like probes. Like, maybe, dental picks. Nothing larger than that. Small wounds but painful as hell. I took some digitals for you with the cam on my otoscope. I'll e-mail them to the precinct. But somebody definitely wanted this woman to be in pain before she died."
"Or talk about something," said Nikki. "Two distinct motives, depending on which." Nikki quickly processed the significance of this torture along with the missing office papers and came down on the side of someone getting Cassidy Towne to talk. This felt more and more about whatever it was she had been working on.
"Other points of interest." Lauren handed a lab report to Nikki. "That blood smear you spotted on the wallpaper? Negative match for the victim."
Nikki showed surprise. "So maybe she injured her attacker before she was subdued?"
"Maybe. There are some defense wounds on her hands. Which brings me to the final piece of info I have for you. This woman's hands were filthy. I don't mean just a little. She's got residual dirt in the creases of her palms, and look at the fingernails." She gently lifted one of Cassidy Towne's hands. "It was hidden by her nail polish, but here's what I found under her fingernails." Each finger had a crescent moon of dirt under the nail.
"I know what that's from," said Rook. "That's from her gardening. She said it was her one escape from her work."
"Some escape for a gossip columnist," said Lauren. "Digging more dirt." Rook was a few strides ahead of Heat getting to the elevator. "Hang on," Nikki said, but he had already pressed the button. The doors opened when she arrived at his side, and she rested a hand on his arm and said to the passengers inside, "We'll get the next one." As the doors curtained closed on their annoyed faces, she added, "Sorry."
"Accepted," said Rook. And they both laughed a little.
Damn, she thought, what was this knack he had to disarm her all the time? She drew him away from the elevators to the southwest windows, where the October sun cut blinding light across them as it got ready to set. "I was a little rough on you. I do apologize for that."
"I'll put some ice on it, I'll be all right," he said.
"Like I said, it's not personal to you. It's the article, which is only you sort of."
"Nikki, you disappeared off the grid. That felt personal. I'm funny that way. If I hadn't had the good fortune to be doing a profile of a murder victim, we might not be lucky enough to be arguing now." She laughed, and he said, "That's right, I killed Cassidy Towne just to get close to Nikki Heat. Hey, there's my title!"
Nikki smiled again and hated it that he could be so cute. "Anyway, accept my apology?"
"Only if you accept an invitation to buy you a drink tonight. Let's be grown-ups and clear the air so I don't have to feel all weird when I see you on the street."