"How old approximately?"

"Young, late teens, early twenties."

"Does she look like a hooker?"

"How can you tell these days the way the kids dress? The only thing unique is some lime-green highlights in her hair."

"Lime green?" Jack questioned with disbelief.

"As I said, it's unique."

"Does she have the same depressions in her legs like she was chained, possibly to a weight, like yesterday's?"

"She does, which is why I've tried to keep that fact quiet. If there is to be more of these gangland executions, I want them to keep bobbing up. I want the perps to continue making the same mistake."

"What do you expect out of the autopsy?"

"Hey, I don't know," Lou said, throwing his hands into the air. "You're the magician."

"I wish that were the case."

"I do want the slug. If it's again a Remington high-velocity hollow point like I believe yesterday's was, we'll at least have to consider the same gun was used for both cases."

"Was the body found where the other one was?"

"Not really but not that far away either. The way the current and tides move around out there, it's anybody's guess where flotsam will end up."

"All right, let's do it," Jack said. He got to his feet and collected his crutches, then hobbled over to Riva. "Is the new floater file handy?" he asked her. "And can I do the case?" Riva was happy to hand over the case file, and Jack used it to swat Vinnie's newspaper. "Let's go, big guy," Jack said, as he dropped the case file into Vinnie's lap. "Let's lend a hand to the halls of justice."

Vinnie groused, as was his habit, but to his credit, he put away the paper and got to his feet.

"We'll need a rape kit," Jack added.

Vinnie nodded and headed toward communications on his way down to the autopsy room.

Jack looked over Riva's shoulder at the stack of cases she was reviewing. "Looks like a busy day."

"Even busier than yesterday," Riva said.

"Hey, I'll meet you downstairs," Lou called over to Jack. Jack waved for him to go ahead.

"Have any corkers?" Jack asked. He tried to rifle through several of Riva's carefully organized case files, but she smacked the back of his hand with the ruler she kept handy for that very purpose. "Ouch," Jack said as he grabbed his hand and rubbed it, pretending he'd been truly hurt.

"There's a couple in here which I think will be a challenge," Riva said.

"That sounds good," Jack said. "How many can I expect?"

"At least three," Riva said. "I've got two people who've requested

paper days, so the rest of us will have to pick up the slack." Paper days were days that medical examiners did not do autopsies but rather concentrated on getting all the information needed to finish their pending cases and finalize the death certificates.

"Jack, I'm afraid you have to look at this," Laurie said. She'd gone through the MRSA case that Riva had given her.

Jack rolled his eyes. It wasn't difficult for him to guess that Laurie was about to mount one more effort to get him to change his mind.

"This case is a repeat of David Jeffries's," Laurie began. "She also had been operated on at an Angels Healthcare hospital, only to suffer a fulminant MRSA infection, for which she was shipped off to the University Hospital in hope of saving her."

"Thank the good Lord it wasn't at the orthopedic hospital," Jack said.

"Jack, be serious!" Laurie complained. "This is the second astoundingly fulminant staph infection in as many days. You must rethink your decision. The vast majority of MRSA infections don't kill their victims, and surely not within hours of the initial symptoms. These are very unusual in all regards. Why can't you see this?"

"I do see it. It is a mystery and I'm supportive of your efforts to figure it out. As for me, I've put myself in Dr. Wendell Anderson's very capable hands. If he's confident, I'm confident. If you can come up with something specific why I am specifically at risk, I'll consider it more seriously, but otherwise my mind is made up. I've even been tested for MRSA, and I don't have it. Dr. Anderson has not had a case. In short, I'm going to have my surgery tomorrow, and that's it." Jack stopped and took several breaths. He'd worked himself up during his monologue. He and Laurie locked eyes for a beat, then he said, "Now I'm going down and do my first case. Okay?"

Laurie nodded. The melancholy she'd experienced on awakening drifted back. She felt tears bubble up from somewhere behind her eyes, but she fought them off. "Okay," she said, with a slightly hesitant voice. "I'll see you in the pit."

"I'll see you in the pit," Jack echoed, and walked from the room.

Riva and Laurie stared at each other, with Laurie wanting support and Riva wanting to give it.

"The trouble with men," Riva pontificated, "is that they are men, and they don't think like we do. The irony is that they accuse us of emotionalism, whereas they are equally capable. He'd made an emotional decision to have the surgery and, at this point, he's incapable of rationality."

Laurie smiled in spite of herself. "Thank you," she said. "I needed that."

"Interesting that he did offer you an out," Riva said. "And I can be the witness. He said if you could come up with something that could specifically put him at risk, he'd be amenable to hear it. Of course, he didn't offer to change his mind, but he might. What you need to do is find out the how and the why of these infections. I know it is a tall order in less than twenty-four hours, but from your past record, if anybody could do it, you can."

Laurie nodded agreement, not the part about her being the most capable of the challenge but rather the idea of her possibly changing Jack's mind by her solving the apparent mystery. Suddenly, Laurie stood up and headed out of the room. Her melancholy had been overwhelmed by a surge of adrenaline. She was committed to the puzzle, no matter how unlikely the success, and undaunted by the seemingly impossible time constraint.

"I'm afraid I will have to assign you a few other cases," Riva called after her.

Laurie waved to indicate she'd heard.

"Do you want the case files now or later?" Riva yelled.

Laurie stopped and hurried back to Riva.

"They should be both interesting and quick," Riva said, while handing over the two envelopes. "Both are young, seemingly healthy people in their early thirties, so the posts will be quick and you can get back to your MRSA mystery."

"What's the presumed cause of death?"

"There isn't any. One died at the dentist's office after getting injected with a local anesthetic. I know it sounds like a drug reaction, but there were no symptoms of anaphylaxis. The other collapsed at a health club while riding a stationary bike."

"I'm here!" a voice called out. "The day can now officially begin."

Both Laurie and Riva looked up as Chet bounded into the room. He swirled his jacket over his head like a lariat and let it fly into one of the vinyl club chairs.

"Where is everyone?" he asked, looking confused. He'd expected to see Jack.

"Jack and Vinnie are already downstairs," Laurie said. "You're even more chipper than yesterday, and almost on time two days in a row. What gives? Don't tell me you scored a dinner date with your new woman friend."

Chet stood up straight, flashed a Boy Scout signal with his raised right hand, and clicked his heels. "Scouts never lie. I did indeed, and I'm happy to report she was more intriguing and beautiful than I had remembered. I actually enjoyed talking with her."

"Listen to this, Riva! We are witnessing the possible stirring of maturity in this heretofore juvenile. He was content merely to learn about another human, female being."

"Now, I wouldn't go that far," Chet said. "I was still plotting to get her back to my apartment or me over to hers, but she cut me off with just dinner."