The X-Man by Brian R. Lundin (100 best novels of all time .TXT) 📕

were on the sides and a water hose was attached to the table. On another stainless steel table was an organ scale and trays of surgical instruments, the smell of dead bodies was very intent in the small, confined room. Evetta started to cover her mouth and nose even though we were masked, Doctor Dixon stopped her.

DIXON
There are germs everywhere in the room Evetta, so don’t touches your face with your hands and trying to stop the smell with your hands will only make it worse. In a couple of minutes your senses will go dead and the smell will go away, just take short breaths. I’ve noticed at some of the scenes the officers kept leaving the room to get fresh air and then coming back, the only thing they were doing was giving their sense of smell an opportunity to return

A young black woman maybe, thirty, removed the white sheet that covered the body of Cynthia White and we all looked down at the once ebony colored face now an ash white and disfigured in death. The young woman seemed so out of place in this place. The woman clicked on an overhead light and began taking photographs from different angles, ten minutes later a young white woman began cleaning the body with what smelled like a strong antiseptic, and positioning it on the table. Dixon introduced me and Evetta to Ms. Walker and Mrs. Edelman, his dieners or Anatomical Pathology Technolologist.

DIXON
They will assist me in eviscerating the body and reconstruction after the autopsy

One of the women turned on a bright light and positioned it over the top of the cadaver and the other woman turned on another bright light over the bottom of the body. I had witnessed numerous autopsies but never got use to them; I looked at Evetta and wondered how she would handle her first autopsy.

DIXON
Since this your first autopsy Detective Lunden I will explain the process. As I am sure you are aware, we are required by law to conduct an autopsy in all cases of sudden or violent deaths. The principle aim of an autopsy is to determine the cause of death and the state of health of the person before death and do not require permission or consent of relatives of the deceased. Before the actual autopsy begins an external examination is conducted. The body is removed from a sterile evidence bag and X-rayed and the bag is later examined for evidence and X-rayed. If the body is clothed, the clothing is also examined, if it is believed that there may be evidence on the hands, such as gunpowder or dermal specimen, the hands are placed in a separate bag and taped shut around the wrist. The dieners photograph the body and ultraviolet light is used to search the body surfaces for any evidence not readily visible to the naked eye. The body is then cleaned and washed with an antiseptic; we’ll take hair and nails samples and later depending on the circumstances, radiographic also images may be taken. Once the external evidence is collected, a general description of the body as regards ethnicity, sex, age, hair color, and etc. is dictated into a recorder.

Ms. Walker slid a “body block” under the back of the body, causing the arms and neck to fall backwards stretching and pushing the chest upward. Dixon walked over to the body and removed a pair of latex gloves from his pocket; he rubbed some dusting powder on his hands stretched the rubber gloves and snapped them on. Doctor Dixon pointed to the woman’s chest.

DIXON
In this position the chest is easier to open and provides maximum exposure to the trunk. We are now ready to begin the internal examination where we will examine the internal organs for signs of trauma or other indications of the cause of death. Do you have a weak stomach, detective?
Evetta shook her head as Doctor Dixon removes a scalpel from a table next to the body and positioned the X-ray machine over the body.

DIXON
An X-ray is always taken of the entire body before we start the procedure

After taking the X-ray the doctor made a large and deep Y-incision, starting at the top of each shoulder and running down the front of the chest, meeting at the lower point of the breastbone and extending to the pubic bone and removed the organs, muscles and tissue samples, they were weighted and placed in a black bag and placed back into the cavity.
He next examined Peggy’s genitals.

DIXON
There were signs of sexual abuse; necrophilia, the vagina and the rectum were damaged but no sperm, perhaps he used a condom, and she has never had a child or been pregnant. In all strangulation cases death is caused by an increased hypoxic state in the brain. In manual strangulation cases this approach allows maximum exposure of the neck structure, which I will examine for fingertip bruises that could indicate if the attacker used one hand or both hands, I am also looking for linear fingernail scratches from the assailant or the victim when attempting to remove the attacker hands from the neck and we will check under the victim’s fingernails for any skin evidence. Strangulation can cause reflex cardiac arrest and sustained pressure can cause congestion and blueness of the tongue, pharynx and larynx. In examining the body as you can see there is a little blood coming from the incision, that’s because the pull of gravity is producing the only blood pressure at this point since there is no cardiac functionality. Most of your cases though are ligature strangulations, I used a laser on the neck to look for ligature marks, if none appear evident under normal light and I find hemorrhaging in the muscles of the neck, the hyoid bone and the thyroid and the cricoids cartilages that indicates they were fractured. Notice the subject face, there are signs of cyanosis and petechiae, which indicate the strangulation pressure was applied for more than twenty seconds, ligature marks is a vital part of the evidence, as it often reproduces the patterns and dimensions of the ligature itself, the type of ligature, i.e. rope, soft fabric, etc. If the killer is subsequently arrested and the ligature is recovered on his person or in his home the ligature can be compared with the marks on the victim’s neck.

The doctor placed the scalpel back on the table and removed an electric saw. He switched on an overhead microphone and spoke in a soft voice and said while holding a small saw. “I will use Stryker Saw named after the manufacturer of the tool to pry opens the chest cavity and saw through the ribs on the lateral side of the chest cavity to allow the sternum and attached ribs to be lifted as one chest plate.


DIXON
This is done so that the heart and lungs can be seen in what we call “in situ” or in complete and are not damaged during the opening.

Doctor Dixon carefully and expertly removed the additional internal organs; each was weighed and placed into a container containing a foggy liquid.

DIXON
Well that’s it, my assistants will complete the examination of the organs and reconstruct the body, how you doing detective?

EVETTA (LOOKING PALE)
Ok

DIXON
Let’s go to my office, I’ve got just what you need

Doctor Dixon directed us to two oversized cushioned chairs while he went to an ornate wooden cabinet and removed a bottle of Remy Martin Brandy and three crystal glasses, he placed the glasses on the desk, poured a hefty shot in each.

DIXON
Down the hatch

We all gulped down the strong drink and me and the doctor laughed as Evetta coughed.

RINGO
What was the cause of death?”

DIXON
She died from massive internal bleeding from the multiple stab wounds that severed her aorta and left lung, she was dead before he placed the stocking around her neck, we’ve got the DNA results back on Peggy’s boyfriend, no matches on any of the murders, but we found that Peggy was about eight weeks pregnant and the fetus’s DNA matched her boyfriend.

EVETTA
Shit, Well that’s another charge against that monster

There was a knock at the door and an assistant stuck his head through.

ASSISTANT
Excuse me doctor, but Peggy Smith’s husband in on five-four, he’s calling from Detroit to find out about his wife

DIXON (NODDING)
Excuse me

We listened as he patiently spent twenty minutes explaining what had happened to the man’s wife, but he left out the gory details, he also told the husband that the body could be released in a week. He hung up, took a nail file from the drawer and began cleaning his nails. After a minute of going through the ritual he placed the file back into the drawer and rubbed his thin, narrow face.

DIXON
It’s tough enough telling a relative about a natural death, doubly hard when it’s a murder victim

EVETTA
Nice job, you have


DIXON
Sometimes it sucks

I looked at the little man, who looked so frail, but his eyes had intensity and intelligence and there was tenderness and concern for people and I considered him one of best friends, but I never could understand how so gentle a man could spend hours with dead bodies

EVETTA
If Cynthia White is one of his victim’s maybe we can get a DNA match

DIXON
Hopefully we can get some of his DNA from her, My techs are taking vaginal swaps as we speak

RINGO
Who knows what he’ll do next, if it’s not him we’ve got a serious copycat

TECHNITION (KNOCK ON DOOR AND ENTERS)
We’re ready to close her up doctor and there was sperm

DIXON (LOOKING AT EVETTA)
Want to watch?

EVETTA
No thanks; two hours with a corpse is enough for me
We left usually we would go to lunch, but not today.

INT: SPECIAL CRIMES BUREAU –LATE AFERNOON
When we returned to our office all of the detectives were crowded around the television, Reverend Clarence Wilson was being interviewed by a black female reporter named Irene Maudesa.


IRENE MAUDESA
Reverend Wilson, I understand that members of your congregation is planning on starting a community watch, can you comment please?

The reverend was a tall, heavy set man in his late fifties with brilliant white teeth and his church The First Church of Deliverance located at 43rd South Wabash had a congregation of over two thousand. Speaking in a measured tone common to most Baptist ministers, answered.

REVEREND WILSON
Yes we are, members of my church and other concerned members of the community is outraged over the rapes and murders of our young black women. This cowardly monster don’t have the guts to deal with men, he prefer helpless women

VOICE IN THE CROWD
Street justice is what he needs and if we catch that asshole, won’t need no cops,” someone else shouted

REVEREND WILSON
I believe in the criminal justice system but either the police are incompetent or don’t care, either way it’s time for us, the black community to protect ourselves

IRENE MAUDESA
I also understand that you have had meetings with the mayor and the Chief of Police, what are they saying?


REVEREND WILSON
Same old song and dance that we are doing everything we can

IRENE MAUDESA
Have you met with Lieutenant O’Shea, head of the Special Crimes Bureau?

REVEREND WILSON
I’ve called his office on ten occasions and