Chapter 24 Chapter 21

Massachusetts, Boston Friday, June 9, 2006 1:30 in the morning For about five minutes, Jack watched the second hand of the wall clock ticking to half past one without hesitation.With the last jump of the minute hand, Jack took a deep breath.For a few seconds just now, he didn't realize that he was holding his breath.Half past one is a small milestone.In twelve hours he would be married, and all these years of avoiding marriage would be history.He felt a little unreal.Except for the recent period, he was used to being single before.Is he suitable for marriage?Can you think about the problem from the perspective of two people?He really doesn't know.

are you OK?Latasha reached out her hand and squeezed Jack's arm.He just came back to his senses. fine.I am fine!Jack blurted out.Latasha frightened him just now. Just now I thought you had absence epilepsy.For several minutes, you don't move, you don't even blink.What the hell are you thinking?Thinking so engrossed. Jack is a very private person, but he still wants to share his concerns with Latasha and get her opinion.The reaction surprised him, even though he knew he had developed a strong sense of trust in the woman.Apart from his visit to Newton Memorial Hospital, the two had worked together for nearly six hours, and there was a natural kinship.Once Jack returned to the Boston Medical Examiner's Office, the two occupied the library.The bookshelves are basically empty, probably due to insufficient funds.The advantage of this room is that there is a large long table.Jack spread out all of Craig's files.In this way, if necessary, relevant information can be found in time.At one end of the table were several open pizza boxes, paper plates, and large paper cups.Both of them were engrossed in trying to untie Patience.The mystery of Stanhope's death.

They also brought in a binocular stereo dissecting microscope.The two sat on both sides of the table and spent several hours opening and checking all the coronary arteries.As with the great vessels close to the heart, all peripheral vessels were normal and free of plaque.Jack and Latasha also looked specifically at the blood vessels that supply the heart's conduction system. The final step is to observe the heart with a microscope.They took samples in various areas of the heart, but mainly concentrated in and around the conduction system.Before Jack came, Latasha had made some frozen sections from a small sample.Once he arrived, the first thing the pair did was color the slices and set them aside to dry, ready to be photographed in a few moments.

Just finished coloring the slices, Alan.Smithson's call came.He was obviously happy to hear Latasha's voice.At least that's what Jack, who was forced to listen to this private conversation from the sidelines, thinks so.He also didn't want to eavesdrop, and felt uncomfortable invading other people's privacy like this.But to his delight, Allen was willing to help, promising to do a toxicology test right away. Didn't think of any new ideas, Latasha asked Jack what he was thinking, and he replied like this.He accidentally saw the wall clock just now, and the sound of the ticking second hand reminded him of the imminent wedding, and he was a little flustered for a while.He should have considered some new explanation for Patience's death.He told Latasha all his old thoughts, repeating what he called Alexis on the way to the hospital.This time he threw all his ego behind him and told Latasha about the overdose/wrong idea, even though it felt hollow in hindsight, almost like a fool.Latasha's response was appropriate.

I didn't find anything surprising either, Latasha admitted.Some of your ideas are ridiculous, but really creative.I can't think of anything, you know what I mean? Jack smiled.Maybe you can get an idea by combining what I told you with these materials, Jack said and pointed to the file on the table.The characters are all brilliant.Forensic records outnumber testimonies by witnesses four times. I'd love to take a look, as long as you tell me which part might tell us the most. If you want to watch it, I suggest you watch Craig.Berman and Jordan.Stanhope's testimony.As plaintiffs and defendants, they are the protagonists doing their part.In fact, I wanted to reread their description of Patience's symptoms.If she was poisoned, as we imagine, then subtle symptoms matter.You and I both know how complicated the chemical environment in the human body is, and some poisons cannot be detected at all.We might have to tell Alan what ingredients to look for so he can find them.

Where are the forensic records for Dr. Berman and Mr. Stanhope? Both men had thick forensic records, so Jack separated them into two piles.He reached out and handed the record to Latasha across the table. God!She yelled, feeling too heavy.What is this, War and Peace?How many pages are there? Craig.Berman's deposition took several days.The court reporter took every word. Looking at these at two o'clock in the morning, I guess I can't handle it, Latasha said and threw two thick records on the table. It's all dialogue, and the lines are very wide-spaced.In fact, most of them are easy to understand.

What are the photocopies of these papers for?Latasha picked up a small stack of academic publications as she spoke. Dr. Berman is the first author of most of these articles, and he is a co-author of the remaining articles.Craig's lawyers feel that these articles can illustrate Craig's dedication to medicine and can weaken the plaintiff's personal attacks on him. I saw it when it first came out, Latasha said, picking up Craig's seminal paper in the New England Journal of Medicine. Jack looked at her with admiration again.Do you still have time to look at something so esoteric?

Nothing esoteric, Latasha said with a smile.Membrane physiology is key to the development of almost all branches of medicine today, especially pharmacology and immunology, and even affects infectious disease and cancer research. OK, OK!Jack raised his hands as he spoke, as if to protect himself.I take back what I just said.My problem is that when I went to medical school, it was the last century. Stop making excuses, Latasha said, flipping through Craig's paper.Sodium channel activity is the basis for muscle and nerve activity.If the sodium channel is abnormal, nothing can be said. All right, said Jack.You have fully expressed your point.I'll just see, it's just a cold shoulder.

Latasha's cell phone rang suddenly, startling them both. Latasha took out her mobile phone, looked at the calling number, and then turned on the phone.What happened?She pressed the phone to her ear and asked straight to the point. Jack tried to hear the voice on the other end of the phone, but couldn't.He hoped it was Allen calling. The dialogue is very brief.Latasha just said, okay, and hung up the phone and stood up. Who is calling?Jack asked. Allen, Latasha said.He sent us to the lab, which is very close here.I figured if he wanted to work the night shift on our samples, he'd better go there.Would you like to go?

Why would you not want to?Jack stood up from his chair. What Jack didn't realize was that the Boston Medical Examiner's Office was on the edge of the sprawling Boston Medical Center complex.Even though it was late at night, they encountered several medical center staff, including several medical students, walking between the buildings.Everyone seemed unhurried, as if they were enjoying the warm, silky air.Although it is still late spring in theory, it feels like summer already. They walked less than two blocks to the toxicology lab, in an eight-story steel-and-glass building. On the way to the sixth floor in the elevator, Jack watched Latasha.She stared at the floor display screen intently, her face looking a little tired.

I apologize in advance if I say something wrong, Jack said, but I have a feeling, Alan.The reason why Smithson is willing to help is because he has an old love for you. Maybe, Latasha said ambiguously. Hope accepting his help won't make it difficult for you. I can handle it, Latasha's tone seems to say: This is the end of the discussion. The lab is well equipped, but almost empty.Besides Allen, there were only two lab technicians busy at the other end of the big room.There are three rows of workbenches in the room, filled with brand-new experimental equipment. Allen was a striking black man, with a neatly trimmed mustache and goatee, giving him an air of sinister cunning.He was wearing a tight-fitting black T-shirt and a white coat with rolled-up sleeves. His muscular muscles were faintly visible, making him even more aggressive.His skin was reddish brown and shiny, a little darker than Latasha's.His eyes were bright, and he was staring intently at his old college friend. Latasha introduced the two.Allen just shook Jack's hand briefly and firmly, and gave him a quick look.Allen made no secret of his interest in Latasha, and smiled kindly at her, showing his white teeth. You should come and play often, girl, Allen said, leading them into the small and simple office, and sat down at the desk by himself. Latasha and Jack moved two straight chairs and sat down opposite him. The lab is so beautiful, Jack waved his thumb behind him.But it seems that there are not enough people. There were few people on the night shift, and Allen was still smiling at Latasha as he spoke.In terms of number of employees, we are as different from the day shift as night is from the day.He was amused by his own joke.Jack felt that the man lacked neither self-respect nor a sense of humor. What did you find in our samples?Latasha asked straight to the point. Oh, yes, Allen said, spreading his hands, fingers together, elbows still on the desk.There's only a bit of background in your note, and I wanted to check with you to see if I got it right.The deceased died of a heart attack about eight months ago.The body was embalmed, buried and recently exhumed from the ground.Now want to rule out the possibility of poisoning? Be more specific, Latasha said.She appears to have died a normal death.We want to make sure it wasn't murder. That's it, Allen stretched his voice, as if he was thinking about what to say next. What is the test result?Latasha said impatiently.Why so procrastinating? Latasha's tone made Jack's heart tighten.She was so unfriendly to Allen, which made him feel very uncomfortable.He knew Alan had done them a great favor.It became increasingly clear to Jack that there must have been a rift between the two men.As for what the holiday was, he didn't want to know. I want to help you interpret the test results correctly, Allen argued. We are all forensics, Latasha fired back.I think we are all quite aware of the limitations of toxicology testing. Then you must also know that the accuracy rate of negative results is only about 40%?Alan raised his eyebrows and asked.This information still refers to the dead bodies that have not been embalmed. In other words, the results of the toxicology test were negative. Yes, Allen said.Definitely negative. My God, it was harder than pulling a tooth, Latasha complained.She rolled her eyes and kept waving her arms. What drugs do you test for?Jack asked.Does it include digitalis? Including digitalis, Allen said, standing up and handing Jack a laboratory toxicology test drug form. Jack browsed through it.He didn't expect the variety to be so complete.What test method do you use? Combination of chromatography and enzyme immunoassay. Do you have gas chromatography|mass spectrometry analyzer?Jack asked. Of course there is, Allen said proudly.But if you want me to use this big guy, you must first tell me what to look for? I can only give you a rough idea at this point, Jack said.If the patient's symptoms recorded in the medical records are indeed caused by drugs or poisons, then we are looking for drugs that make the heartbeat very slow and unresponsive to any resuscitation.There are also respiratory system inhibitors, because she still has symptoms of cyanosis. That still includes a whole host of drugs and poisons, Allen said.Without further details, it's tantamount to letting me perform a miracle! I know, Jack admitted.Latasha and I will go back to discuss and see if we can find the most likely alternative. That's best, Allen said.Otherwise, this toxicology test would be meaningless.With so many preservatives, I have to figure out which ones need to be excluded first. I know, Jack said again. How did you think it was him who killed him?Allen asked.Don't mind me asking. Jack and Latasha looked at each other, not knowing how much to say. We just had an autopsy a few hours ago!Latasha said.Nothing was found.There is no pathological sign of heart disease, which is difficult to understand and does not match the records in the medical records. Interesting, Alan said thoughtfully.His eyes were on Latasha.Let me be clear first.You want me to do a full toxicology test, take up my time all night, and do it secretly.Is that what you mean? Of course, do a full set of inspections!Latasha said angrily.What's the matter with you?Why are we sitting here without testing? I don't mean you and the doctor, Allen said, pointing to Jack.Then he pointed to Latasha and said.I mean yourself. Yes, I want you to do a full set of tests, okay, Latasha said and stood up. All right, Allen said with a satisfied smile on his face. Latasha walked out of the office. Jack didn't expect the meeting to end like this.He stood up and hurriedly found a business card.In case you have any questions, he said as he put the card on Allen's desk, then took another from the Plexiglas card holder next to it.Thank you so much for your help.Thanks. You're welcome, Allen said, the smug smile on his face has not faded. Jack catches up with Latasha at the elevator entrance.He didn't speak until the elevator started to go down. It ended so abruptly, Jack said.He stared at the floor display, pretending not to look at Latasha. Yes.I hate this guy the most.This arrogant bastard. I don't think he has a lack of self-esteem. Latasha laughed, visibly relaxing a lot. The two walked into the night.It was almost three o'clock, and there were still pedestrians on the street.When I was about to arrive at the forensic department, Latasha spoke: You must be wondering why I was so rude just now. I did, Jack admitted. In my last year of college, Alan and I became very close.But then something happened that made me see his essence clearly.She unlocked the front door with her key and waved to the security guard.The two began to climb the stairs, and she went on to say, I thought I was pregnant and panicked.But when I told him, his reaction was to dump me.He didn't answer the phone, so I wrote him a breakup letter.Funny thing is, I'm not pregnant.About a year ago, he found out that I was working in the Forensic Bureau and wanted to get back together, but I wasn't interested.I'm sorry for the unpleasantness in his office just now. No apologies, Jack said.I said it on the way to his office, I hope it won't be hard for you to accept his help. After all these years, I thought my reactions would be less violent.Unexpectedly, as soon as I saw him, I remembered everything about it, and I was so angry.I thought I had forgotten about it. The two walked into the library, and the room was as messy as when they left. Want to see the colored slices?Latasha suggested. Maybe you should go home and take a nap, Jack said.You don't have to stay up all night with me here.I mean, of course I want you to be with me and help me with my work.But asking you like this is really too much. You can't get rid of me so easily, Latasha said with a sly smile.I found out when I was in medical school that if it's this late, it's best not to go to sleep.And, I'd love to solve the case too. Well, I'd like to take a drive to Newton. Back to the hospital? No, go back to Berman's house.I promised my sister to visit her husband to make sure he wasn't unconscious.He's been a bit depressed lately, and he's often drinking Scotch and taking some kind of sleeping pill. oops!Latasha said.I have dissected several such corpses. To be honest, I don't think this kind of thing will happen to him, Jack said.He cares about himself.If I went just to look after him, I probably wouldn't have gone.I'd also like to see the biometric kit he used on Patience to see if there's any reasonable reason to suspect that the test should not have been positive.If it is really not positive, the possibility of abnormal death is greatly increased. What about suicide?Latasha asked.None of your wildest hypotheses mention suicide.Why? Jack scratched the back of his head blankly.He really didn't think of suicide, and he didn't know why.He smiled slightly.Over the years, he has handled countless cases, often finding that the apparent cause of death was not the real cause of death.A similar recent case involved the wife of an Iranian diplomat in what appeared to be a suicide but was actually a homicide. I don't know why it never occurred to me that it was suicide, Jack said. There are other ideas that are less reasonable than this one. Judging from the little information you told me, this woman is not happy. That was true, Jack admitted, but that was the only thing that could lead to suicide.Like the hospital conspiracy theory, it's a possibility.But now I'm off to Newton.Of course, you can also go together.But I think you might not be interested in that. I'll stay here, Latasha said, pulling Craig and Jordan's forensics notes to a chair and sitting down.While you're away, I can read a little background information.Where are the medical records? Jack moved the pile of documents next to Craig and Jordan's forensic records. A short piece of electrocardiogram recording paper emerged from the pile of files, and Latasha picked it up and asked: What is this? This was the test Dr. Berman had given when he first arrived at the Patiences.Sadly, it's pretty much useless.He couldn't even remember where the leads were.Her condition was so bad and deteriorating that he had to forego the EKG. Has anyone seen it? All the expert witnesses have seen it, but because they don't know the location of the leads, they can't interpret them, so they can't judge.They agreed that a slow heart rate indicated AV block.Coupled with other conduction system abnormalities, they all believed that at least a certain part of the heart had a sudden lesion. Too bad it doesn't mean anything else, Latasha said. I'm leaving now and be back as soon as possible, said Jack.My phone is always on, so if you find anything amazing, or if a miracle happens to Allen, get in touch with me right away. See you later, Latasha said and started to quickly scan Craig's forensic records. At three o'clock in the morning, Jack can finally let go of driving in Boston.At several intersections on Massachusetts Avenue, Jack's Accent was the only car waiting at a red light.A few times he considered whether he should run a red light because there were no other vehicles in the lateral direction, but in the end he didn't.Jack doesn't follow the rules strictly. He thinks some rules are ridiculous in themselves, but traffic lights don't belong to this category. Massachusetts Highway is a different story.It wasn't crowded, but there were more vehicles than he'd imagined, and they weren't all trucks.Jack was curious what these people were doing out so late. The drive to Newton gave Jack a chance to calm down.Ever since Latasha said she could find a toxicology examiner, Jack had been in a state of near-insanity, because he had almost given up before.He was much calmer now and could put the whole thing together more rationally.After consideration, he came to the following conclusions: First, due to insufficient evidence on the opposing side, he decided that Patience.Stanhope most likely died of a severe heart attack, although no obvious signs of pathology have been found; Alexis' child.When Fasano directly threatened Jack, he had clearly expressed the above point of view. Jack's mild madness subsided little by little, and when he arrived at the door of Boman's house, he had become a little disappointed and depressed.He began to suspect again that he was still in Boston, making all kinds of wild ideas, not because he wanted to help his sister and brother-in-law, but because he subconsciously feared that he would be married ten hours later. Jack got out of the car, not forgetting to take the umbrella out of the backseat when he was done.His car was parked next to Craig's Lexus.He went back to the street and searched everywhere for the patrol car that was still there that morning, but couldn't find it.Looks like surveillance is over.Jack turned and walked back, trudging across the front walk.He was finally starting to feel tired. It was dark inside, save for the dim light of a side lamp by the front door.As he approached the porch, Jack looked up at the window of the second-floor bedroom.The windows, black as onyx, reflected the light of distant street lamps. Jack put the key in the lock, very softly.He didn't want to sneak in the door, but he didn't want to wake Craig either.Only then did he remember that there was an alarm system.He left the key in the lock and tried to remember the combination for the alarm.He was so tired that it took him a minute to think about it.But he didn't know if he had to press another key after entering the password.He did what he felt he had to do and turned the key.It is late at night, and if the alarm is triggered, it will be very loud. Jack quickly entered the door, still a little flustered, staring at the alarm keypad.Luckily, the alarm didn't go off like he had feared, but he still wanted to make sure.The alarm did go off.A small green light keeps blinking, indicating that everything is OK.Jack closed the front door softly.Only then did he hear the sound of the TV coming from the dining room.The hallway was dark except for a little light from the dining room. On the coffee table in front of the couch were an almost empty scotch bottle, an old-fashioned glass, and the TV remote.Out of habit, Jack walked over, picked up the remote control, turned off the TV, and walked into the living room.From the stairs, the second floor was pitch black.Walk along the corridor to the end is the study.The light from the street lamps came in through the curved window of the study, and it was not too dark. Jack hesitated: whether to go to see Craig first or check the biometric test kit first.The decision was not difficult.Every time Jack is faced with a choice, he always chooses the more embarrassing task first, and this time he should obviously go to Craig first.It's not that he finds this task difficult, it's just that he knows that entering Craig's room may wake him up, and he doesn't want to do that for various reasons.Most of all, he believed Craig would think he was nosy.Craig must have been annoyed that it meant he needed someone to take care of him. Jack looked up again.He'd never been to the second floor, didn't know where the master bedroom was, and didn't want to turn on the lights.Jack went back to the kitchen.According to his experience, many people have a special drawer for tools, and you should be able to find a flashlight. He found that he was only half right.There was a flashlight in the drawer, but the Bermans’ tool drawer wasn’t in the kitchen, it was in the laundry room.The flashlight is a foot long, and when turned on, it casts a solemn light, which is very in line with the style of this house.Jack figured he could put his hand in front of the condenser and adjust the intensity of the light.So he took the flashlight and went up the stairs. On the second floor, Jack let more light shine through his fingers so he could follow the corridor and see the layout of the upstairs.There are many doors on both sides of the corridor, but unfortunately, the doors are all closed.Jack didn't know which side to check first.He looked sideways again and saw that the corridor on the right was only half as long as the left.For some reason, Jack decided to check the right side first.He chose a door at random, gently pushed open a crack, and stepped over the threshold.Slowly, he lit the whole room with a flashlight.This was clearly not the master bedroom, but one of the children's rooms.And judging by the posters, photos, trinkets, and clothes strewn about on the walls, Jack thought this must be Tracy's room.He went back down the corridor and went to the next door.He was about to open the door when he realized that the door facing him at the end of the corridor was open.Given that the other rooms have single doors, this is most likely the master bedroom. Blocking most of the light from the flashlight with his hand, Jack walked toward the open door, then put the condenser of the flashlight against his belly, blocking the light, and reached out to open the half door on the right.The door opens inwards.He flashed into the house before he believed that he had indeed found the master bedroom.The whole room is covered with thick carpet.He stood motionless for a moment, trying to hear Craig's breathing, but the room was silent. He slowly adjusted the direction of the flashlight, letting the light shine into the room bit by bit.A king-size bed appeared in the light and shadow.Craig lay in the corner farthest from Jack. Jack stood motionless, wondering how he might find out if Craig was unconscious.He didn't think about it seriously before, but now that he's in the house, he can't think about it.Although waking Craig is the most scientific way, it is obviously not feasible.Finally, Jack decided to go over and listen to Craig's breathing. If the sound was normal, Jack thought it could prove that Craig was fine, although this judgment method was very unscientific. Jack dimmed the flashlight and walked across the room.Because he couldn't see clearly, he relied more on his memory.A gleam of light came in from the bedroom window, and Jack could only make out the outlines of the furniture.Jack paused at the end of the bed, trying to hear the staccato draft of sleep.The room was dead silent.Jack felt a rush of adrenaline rushing through his body.He was surprised to find that there was no breathing sound at all.Craig wasn't breathing at all!