“All right then. If we’re all clear on the house rules…” Claire turned to her assistant, the fetching Bunny Ellis, her hair done up like mouse ears, reverent eyes turned toward her boss.
“Bunny, will you please wheel Ms. Farmer into the autopsy suite? Everyone else, follow me.”
Claire hip-butted the swinging door and entered the autopsy suite. The cops and the junior-grade assistants behind her were excited, speaking in whispers that seemed to cut loose, rise in volume, loop around her, and then die down to a hush again.
Conklin had the summer intern under his wing. Mackie Morales seemed bright and eager and maybe a little bit too much into Richie. The way she looked at him, the way he was a little puffed up, explaining things to her. Cindy would not be happy if she saw this.
And not too much escaped Cindy.
Claire laughed quietly, but she didn’t say anything to Conklin, just went to the far corner of the room and pushed the button that turned on the video camera. The light on the camera didn’t go on. She punched it a couple of times, and still the little red eye was dark.
That was weird. The camera had been fine yesterday.
She pressed the intercom button, said, “Ryan, check the video setup, please.”
“Yes, ma’am. It was unplugged. It’s on, now.”
“Why was it unplugged?”
“I don’t know. I just found it this way.”
Bunny entered the room from the door leading to the morgue. She signaled to Claire, like, I need to talk to you.
“What’s the holdup, Bunny?”
“I need to see you for a second, doctor.”
Claire sighed again, crossed the room, and followed Bunny to the morgue, a refrigerated room lined with stacks of stainless-steel drawers, each designed to hold a body. Some of Claire’s patients had recently checked in. Some had been waiting for months for someone to ID them before they were buried as J. Does.
“What is it, Bunny?”
The girl’s blue eyes were shifting and her lips were trembling. Claire didn’t get it. What the hell?
“I can’t find her,” Bunny said.
“What are you talking about?”
“Faye Farmer,” Bunny said. “She’s gone.”
“What’s her drawer number?” Claire asked, exasperated. She went to the whiteboard, ran her finger down the list.
“Twelve,” said Bunny Ellis.
Claire turned away from the whiteboard, crossed to the wall of drawers, and pulled the handle of number twelve. The drawer slid out smoothly, bringing the corpse into view, tag tied to the big toe. Claire saw instantly that there had been a screwup. Faye Farmer was not and had never been a seventy-year-old black man.
She said, “Who mixed up the bodies? What drawer is this man supposed to be in?”
“Seventeen,” said Bunny. “Dr. Washburn, I already checked.”
Claire reached down, opened the drawer marked seventeen. It was empty. She started pulling out drawers, slamming them closed, each body in its assigned box except for the black John Doe in Faye Farmer’s drawer.
Bunny was crying now. She was a competent young woman and liked to do a good job.
“Stop that,” Claire snapped. “Think. Did you see Ms. Farmer’s body after she was checked in yesterday?”
“Not after I logged her in. She’s supposed to be in twelve.”
“Who moved John Doe one thirty-two out of box seventeen?”
Bunny shrugged miserably. “Not me.”
The body couldn’t have left the premises.
That was impossible.
About the Author
JAMES PATTERSON has created more enduring fictional characters than any other novelist writing today. He is the author of the Alex Cross novels, the most popular detective series of the past twenty-five years, including Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider. Mr. Patterson also writes the bestselling Women’s Murder Club novels, set in San Francisco, and the top-selling New York detective series of all time, featuring Detective Michael Bennett. James Patterson has had more New York Times bestsellers than any other writer, ever, according to Guinness World Records. Since his first novel won the Edgar Award in 1977, James Patterson’s books have sold more than 275 million copies.
He has also written numerous #1 bestsellers for young readers, including the Maximum Ride, Witch & Wizard, and Middle School series. In total, these books have spent more than 220 weeks on national bestseller lists. In 2010, James Patterson was named Author of the Year at the Children’s Choice Book Awards.
His lifelong passion for books and reading led James Patterson to create the innovative website ReadKiddoRead.com, giving adults an invaluable tool to find the books that get kids reading for life. He writes full-time and lives in Florida with his family.
jamespatterson.com
Books by James Patterson
Featuring Alex Cross
Merry Christmas, Alex Cross
Kill Alex Cross
Cross Fire
I, Alex Cross
Alex Cross’s Trial (with Richard DiLallo)
Cross Country
Double Cross
Cross (also published as Alex Cross)
Mary, Mary
London Bridges
The Big Bad Wolf
Four Blind Mice
Violets Are Blue
Roses Are Red
Pop Goes the Weasel
Cat & Mouse
Jack & Jill
Kiss the Girls
Along Came a Spider
The Women’s Murder Club
12th of Never (with Maxine Paetro)
11th Hour (with Maxine Paetro)
10th Anniversary (with Maxine Paetro)
The 9th Judgment (with Maxine Paetro)
The 8th Confession (with Maxine Paetro)