There Is More Light Than Dark

Chapter Fifty

Monday August 15

Dr. Reid sent the detectives away for an hour and a half as she battled through her second cadaver for the day. She didn't say much when she finally messaged Lewis to come back down but they could see she was spent. Reid had insisted on Lewis being the one to be contacted when she was ready. McCoy had insisted that if he was going to play second fiddle on this one then Lewis could buy lunch.

'That's fine, detective. Would you like one felafel roll or two?' She had quipped as they stepped into the hospital cafeteria with its harsh white fluorescents blinding them and the rattle and clink of chairs and cutlery on the hard, bare surfaces making quiet talk about the case difficult.

He settled for just a Coke and a sausage roll.

Similarly to Dr. Porter, Dr. Reid was a substantial presence in the room, despite her diminutive frame. McCoy had anticipated that like most post-mortem physicians she was probably somewhere on the spectrum and likely to not mince words. Whether they chose to be down here all day and night stripping back layers of dermis and bone and plucking viscera out like a seasoned butcher or whether that's just where they ended up, they all possessed a cold quirkiness that McCoy kind of liked.

She didn't let his expectations down.

'So, it's the Sampson case of.... August 2004 – is that correct Detective?' Her eyes pierced him from behind her safety glasses, which she apparently wore full time. Her address wasn't aggressive but it was strong and steady – you knew you were being addressed.

'That is correct, Doctor. Do you remember much about it?' McCoy was interested to see if the case had stayed with her as much as it had Dr. Porter. He figured that when you're only dealing with the dead you might not form quite the same attachment.

'Yes, I remember it. I remember all of my cases, Detective, that's what I am trained in and that is what I am paid to do.' She didn't say that was what she loved but the vibe was there.

'Each case is different in some ways, Detective. Some more different than others but they all stand out to me for one reason or another.' She finished loading the autoclave with the instruments she had just used and shut the door tight, her little hands cranking the seals tight with little effort. 'And Chiara Sampson's case annoyed me more than just about any other.' There was even more of a verve in her manner now, as she pushed her glasses back up to the bridge of her nose with the back of a tightly gloved hand.

McCoy kept his hands in his pockets – it was cold down here – and didn't say anything. He wanted her to get to where she wanted to get to. He was glad that this case had made such an impact on her though. He supressed a burp the can of Coke and sausage roll had been brewing. Dr. Reid went on after the machine stared to whir.

'You see, when her body came down here, Dr. Porter and two of the residents that had looked after her during the final weeks of her life made special mention to be thorough. Now Bob and I had already worked together for more than ten years then so he knew I was always thorough. I was annoyed at him but I was exceedingly deliberate with my work with her on account of his insistence.'

'And?' McCoy wasn't rushing but he couldn't help himself.

'Well one could say there was nothing, but that wouldn't be entirely accurate. What there was was wide spread, multi organ failure. I mean her kidneys, her liver, her GI tract. And her brain, Detective; her brain was so.... Old. I mean, it was as if she had the organs of a sixty year old chronic drug abuser. But she was thirty-nine and barely had a drink.' Dr. Reid shook her head and her big snowflake earrings jangled to lighten the mood.