‘That was a major discovery,’ Dr. Hove explained, ‘because it tells us that he’d been dead for well over twenty-four hours before the injury to his lung took place… before he fell from that bridge.’
Concern showed on both detectives’ faces.
‘There’s more,’ Kay said, once again redirecting everyone’s attention, this time to the subject’s head and skull.
‘There always is,’ Garcia replied, giving Kay a single nod.
Kay looked back at Dr. Hove.
‘Ooh, I like him,’ she said, in the same tone that Garcia had used just a moment ago.
Garcia laughed.
‘As you can see here…’ Kay got serious again, indicating the severe wound to the subject’s skull. ‘Most of the impact was absorbed by his right side. His head hit the ground heavy, like a dead weight, causing extensive trauma to his skull. If he was alive, this should’ve been the end-of-life injury.’ She used both hands to remove the top of the skull and expose the brain. ‘Epidural and subdural hematomas should’ve been clearly visible here. With epidural hematomas, blood accumulates outside the dura – the lining of the brain.’ She indicated as she explained. ‘Subdural hematomas are injuries to the veins in the brain itself. Blood then leaks to the space just below the dura.’
‘But we’ve got neither,’ Hunter commented.
Dr. Hove shook her head. ‘No blood. No hematomas. No hemorrhaging of the brain, which clearly confirms our theory that this man was dead way before he even got to that bridge.’ There was a heavy, anxious pause. ‘Someone dragged this guy’s dead body to the 7th Street Bridge and then threw him off.’
Kay returned the top of the skull to the subject’s head. ‘Whoever killed him was obviously trying to mask the murder as a suicide.’
‘And he would’ve gotten away with it,’ Dr. Hove added. ‘If not for the fact that, unfortunately for him, Kay’s Advanced Pathology group picked this subject, by chance, for today’s exam. I’m not sure that if this subject had gone to a different group of students, all these details would’ve been properly picked up.’
‘The other members of my group failed to notice the obvious.’ There was a proud air about Kay as she delivered that sentence.
‘I’ve got a question,’ Hunter said, lifting his right hand, his gaze on Kay. ‘When you began, you said thatmostof these fractures came as a result of the impact between his body and the ground. What did you mean by that? Are there other fractures that didn’t come as a result of the impact?’
Garcia nodded. ‘I was about to ask the same thing.’
‘Great question,’ Kay said. ‘It means you were both paying attention, and the answer is – yes – there are other fractures that didn’t come as a result of the impact. Have a look at this.’
From the instruments cart, by the head of the examination table, Kay retrieved a couple of X-ray sheets before leading everyone to the X-ray viewer mounted on one of the classroom walls. She switched on the light and clipped the sheets onto it.
‘Here,’ she said, indicating on the sheets. ‘This is his left forearm and this is his right one.’
Hunter and Garcia got close to examine the X-rays.
‘Are those spiral fractures?’ Hunter asked, his forehead creasing as he looked back at Dr. Hove.
‘I’m impressed,’ Kay said, nodding at Hunter. ‘That’s exactly what they are.’
‘Spiral fracture?’ Garcia asked, his eyes moving from Hunter, to Dr. Hove, then finally to Kay.
‘It’s like the way a stick would break,’ Hunter explained, using his hands to demonstrate the movement. ‘If you twisted it like you were wringing water from a dishrag.’
‘Very good analogy,’ Kay admitted before addressing Garcia, as she indicated on the X-ray. ‘Here, you see? You get this S-shaped crack in the bone as it gives way.’
‘And how do you get those?’ Garcia asked.
‘Someone, or something, has to twist your arm,’ Hunter replied. ‘Like a dishrag. Either slowly or in a sudden, jerk-type movement. You don’t get those from an impact fall.’
‘No, you don’t,’ Kay agreed again. ‘But here’s the thing – those fractures are also fresh. There’s still considerable bruising to the surrounding soft tissue, which means that they happened recently.’
‘What Kay means byrecently,’ Dr. Hove explained. ‘Is about three or four days before his supposed suicide.’
Hunter and Garcia carried on studying the X-ray sheets.
‘So what you’re telling us,’ Garcia asked, ‘is that somebody broke both of his arms just a few days before actually killing him and throwing his body from the bridge?’