"Will you be back in time for your vacation?" Calvin asked.

Jack smiled. He knew Calvin well enough to know that he was making a stab at humor. "I'll try my darnedest."

"How many days are we looking at?"

"Can't say for certain, but I'm hoping just one."

"Well, keep me informed," Calvin said. "Does Laurie know about this sudden development?" Over the years Jack had come to realize that Calvin had assumed an almost parental attachment to Laurie.

"Not yet, but she's at the top of my list. Actually, she's the only one on my list."

"All right! Get outta here. I've got work to do."

After thanking the deputy chief, who acknowledged him with a wave of dismissal, Jack walked out of the admin area and took the stairs down to the autopsy floor. He waved hello to the mortuary tech in the mortuary office and to the head of security in the security office. A waft of what New York City residents call fresh air came in from the open loading dock looking out to 30th Street. Turning to the right, he walked down the stained, bare concrete flooring past the big walk-in cooler and past the individual refrigerated compartments. Reaching the autopsy room, he glanced inside through the wire-mesh window. There were two figures in full protective gear in the process of cleaning up. A single body with a sutured autopsy incision was on the nearest table. It was obvious the case was over.

Jack cracked the door and called out to ask if anyone knew the whereabouts of Dr. Montgomery. One of the occupants said she'd left five minutes ago. Cursing under his breath, Jack retraced his steps and took the elevator back up to the fifth floor. As he rode, he wondered if there was any way to present the situation that would be easier for Laurie. His intuition told him she wasn't going to be happy with this new development, with as much pressure as her mother was putting on her about Friday's proceedings.

He found her in her office, arranging things on her desktop. It was apparent she'd just arrived. Riva was still on the phone and ignored them both.

"What a nice surprise," Laurie said brightly.

"I hope so," Jack said. He leaned his butt against the edge of Laurie's desk and looked down at her. There was no other chair. Not only did the medical examiners have to share offices in the outdated OCME facility, but the offices were small to begin with. Two desks and two file cabinets filled the room.

Laurie's questioning blue-green eyes stared back at Jack without blinking. Her hair was piled on top of her head and held in place with a faux-tortoiseshell clip. A few wisps of hair curled down in front of her face. "What do you mean 'I hope so? What in heaven's name are you going to tell me?" She was wary.

"I just had a call from my sister, Alexis."

"That's nice. Is she all right? I've wondered why you two don't stay more in touch, especially since she and her husband have been having their difficulties. Are they still together?"

"She's fine, and yes they are together. The call was about him. He's going through a difficult time. He's being tried for malpractice."

"That's too bad, especially since you said he was such a good doctor. I hate to hear that kind of story with what we medical examiners know of the doctors who ought to be sued."

"The bad doctors are much more risk-management-oriented to make up for what they lack in skill and know-how."

"What gives, Jack? I know you didn't come in here to discuss the malpractice crisis. I'm sure of that."

"Apparently, my brother-in-law's case is not going well, at least according to Alexis, and with the extent of his ego investment in being a doctor, she believes he'll decompensate if he loses. Furthermore, she believes that if that happens, the marriage and family will fall apart. If Alexis didn't have a Ph.D. in psychology, I might not give all this much credence, but since she does, I have to assume it's on the money."

Laurie cocked her head a few degrees to the side to view Jack from a slightly different angle. "You're obviously leading up to something, which I have a feeling I'm going to find upsetting."

"Alexis has pleaded with me to rush up to Boston and try to help."

"What on earth could you do?"

"Probably just hold her hand. I was as skeptical as you are and said so, but she practically begged me to come. To be honest, she tapped into my mother lode of guilt."

"Oh, Jack," Laurie murmured plaintively. She took a deep breath and let it out. "How long will you be away?"

"I'm hoping only a day. That's what I told Calvin." Then Jack quickly added, "I came here to your office first to talk to you, then stopped in Calvin's office on the way down to the pit when I found out that's where you were."

Laurie nodded. She glanced down at her desktop and played with an errant paper clip. It was obvious she was torn between Jack's sister's need and her own. "I don't have to remind you this is Monday afternoon and our wedding is set for one thirty on Friday."

"I know, but you and your mom are doing all the work. The honeymoon was my job, and it's all arranged."

"What about Warren?"

"As far as I know, in his words, he's cool, but I'll check." Jack had had trouble deciding who was going to be the best man, Warren or Lou. Ultimately, it had come to drawing straws, and Warren had won. Other than Warren and Lou, the only people Jack had invited to the affair were his office mate, Dr. Chet McGovern, and a smattering of his neighborhood basketball buddies. He'd specifically avoided inviting family for a multitude of reasons.

"And you?"

"I'm ready."

"Should I be worried about you going up to Boston and confronting your sister's daughters? You've told me in the past that was a problem for you. How old are they now?"

"Fifteen, eleven, and ten."

"Weren't your two daughters eleven and ten?"

"They were."

"From what you've shared with me over the years about how your mind works, I'm worried that you might be set back from having to relate to them. Where are you staying?"

"At the house! Alexis insisted."

"I don't care if she insisted. Are you comfortable staying there? If you're not, listen to yourself and stay in a hotel. I don't want you to be set back over this and possibly decide not to go through with the wedding. There's a chance your going up there could open old wounds."

"You know me too well. I've thought about everything you've said. My sense is that giving serious thought to the risk rather than ignoring it is a healthy sign! Alexis accused me of harboring avoidant traits in my personality."

"As if I wasn't aware of that, considering how long it's taken you to feel comfortable marrying me."

"Let's not get nasty" Jack said with a smile. He waited to be sure she understood he was joking, because what she had said was true. For a number of years, Jack's guilt and grief made him feel it was inappropriate for him to be happy. He'd even felt it should have been he who died, not Marilyn and the girls.

"It would be small of me to try to talk you out of going," Laurie continued in a serious voice. "But I wouldn't be honest if I didn't tell you I'm not happy about it, both from a selfish point of view and for what it could do to your mind-set. We're getting married on Friday. Don't call me from Boston and suggest that it be postponed. If you do, it would be a cancellation, not a postponement. I hope you don't take that as an unreasonable threat. After all this time, it's how I feel. With that said, do what you have to do."

"Thank you. I understand how you feel, and for good reason. It's been a slow road to normalcy for me in a lot of respects."

"When exactly are you going?"

Jack glanced at his watch. It was close to four p.m. "Right now, I guess. I'll cycle back to the apartment, grab a few things, then head out to the airport." Currently, he and Laurie were living on the first floor of Jack's old building on 106th Street. They had moved down from the fourth floor because the building was under renovation. Jack and Laurie had bought it seven months previously and had made the mistake of trying to live in it while the work was being done.