memories of things past
Rails knew Aggie wasn't prone to emotional outbursts. She was as puzzled as Colavito & Shamata.
Jennifer Colavito had a fleeting sense her crime scene was getting away from her. She thought of moving towards the tub, as if getting closer to Aggie would explain her puzzling behavior. Her instincts as a detective and a woman kept her nailed where she stood.
Nailed where she could see Dr. Shamata's face as well.
"No." "No." "No."
A simple word, from a beautiful woman, all professional detachment threatening to drain from the lovely Dr. Shamata.
Colavito turned to the men in the room, Sands & Talman. She'd seen enough of them to know they were seasoned pros. "Perhaps you gentlemen will excuse us?"
Sands & Talman disproved the notion that all men are insensitive. Without a word, with the sparsest of respectful nods from each, the men deferred to Colavito, and exited through the swinging doors.
Colavito looked at Aggie Brooks. "Tell me what's on your mind, Aggie." She said it quietly.
Aggie was crying into a more-or-less pristine towel from the tub. She dried her face & looked at Leela Shamata.
"I ... think ... this might be Rekha."
Colavito looked from Leela to Aggie. "Rekha being ... ?"
Aggie managed to get out the words. "I can't be sure, I remembered the tattoos , the little blemish on her skin... " Her voice trailed off. "It was a while back."
Colavito gently persisted. "Rekha being ... ?"
"Rekha Shampala, my sister." Leela Shamata was beginning to sense it was true. "Shamata is my married name."
Colavito pushed on as gently as she could. "These tattoos she had, where are they?"
Aggie blurted it out. "They had matching tattoos."
"'They'?" Colavito's instincts told her truth was close at hand.
"My sister and I." Leela Shamata was crying, but you could barely tell by her voice. "We had matching ink on the right abdomen, down near the tan line."
Colavito turned back to Aggie. "So Rekha told you Dr. Shamata had a matching tattoo?"
Dr. Shamata saw no need for concealment. "Aggie, Rekha and I were intimate then."
Aggie's tears welled up, and Rails moved close beside her, her arm around her lover's waist.
Lori watched the tears spill onto the towel as Aggie's eyes met Leela's, and memories of shared love flooded the two women.
Colavito found herself drawn to Dr. Shamata's side.
Aggie looked imploringly at Leela Shamata. "You can't do this autopsy, Leela."
Leela was working on her own tears. "If you're right, it's my duty to do it."
"With respect, I have an idea?" Rails voice was low, almost reverent. She looked at Jennifer Colavito, then Leela, finally at Aggie.
Jennifer looked at Rails without speaking. She raised her eyebrows at her as as her arm encircled Leela's waist.
Lori kept her voice low. "The issue is we need to prove if this is Rekha. If no one objects, I can do what needs to be done."
This time she looked from Aggie to Leela to Jennifer.
Jennifer looked at the beautiful woman beside her. "Will you know enough from that if Lori does it?"
Leela nodded and looked gratefully at Lori Railsback.
Rails felt validated when Aggie squeezed her hand softly.
She looked at Colavito. "Detective, I need one or two things." She let her hand trail away from Aggie briefly as she stepped up to the edge of the tub.
Colavito left her station beside Leela and met Rails at the tub wall for a hushed exchange. "What do you need?"
"I need you to go to the grey cabinet over there, grab a short scalpel, a pair of forceps and a plastic specimen bag. Wrap them in a white sterile cloth for me."
Jennifer was impressed by the answer. "Are you okay doing this, Lori?"
Rails was grateful to be asked. "I'm going to have to be, aren't I?" She smiled the briefest of smiles. "Thanks for asking, Detective."
Colavito looked up at her. "None of this is by the book, we're well out of bounds here. I think you can call me Jenn."
Another brief smile from Lori Railsback. "Lori or Rails."
Jennifer walked back to Dr. Shamata. "Are you ready for this?"
Leela nodded. "At least I'll know."
Jenn slid a stool over. "Here, you sit down on this."
Leela accepted the offer graciously, sat & began to steel herself for the ordeal. She looked up at Jenn Colavito and their eyes locked. "Thank you."
"I'll be back in a minute."
When Leela nodded her understanding, Jenn made her way to the grey cabinet. She put her own gloves on so as not to further taint the evidence Lori was about to procure.
She made sure the next table separated Leela's line of sight from the object of her mission. She met Rails at the end of the tub. She handed over the instruments in their white shroud.
When Lori had the package in hand, she turned back to Aggie. "You should come down here and wait while I do what needs doing."
Aggie's eyes were locked on Leela's. "No, I'm good here."
Lori looked at Jenn. "Go be with Leela, I have to be good and fast."
Jenn nodded and walked slowly back to Shamata. She stood behind her, her left hand on Leela's right shoulder. Leela reached up and gently held her fingers.
Rails disappeared from view for a minute or two, and Colavito kept a hand on Leela's shoulder while Lori did the procedure.
Rails finally surfaced. Both hands were out of sight. "I have it."
Shamata instinctively grabbed Jenn's fingers harder. Jenn knelt in front of her, held her eyes, and gently pried her fingers loose.
Jenn stood and walked to the tub wall again. Rails handed over the 3" piece of dermis in the specimen bag.
Jenn kept it slightly behind her as she walked back to Leela. "You ready?"
Dr. Leela Shamata nodded.
Detective Jennifer Colavito revealed the specimen with as much dignity as she could summon.
Leela took one look, handed it back to Jenn. She began to crumble, sliding sideways, the stool suddenly on two legs, Leela sinking in slow motion to the floor. Jennifer Colavito cradled her so she wouldn't be physically injured.
Aggie pulled out her vox. "I'll call Dr. Stormer or McTavish."
Colavito slowly shook her head. From her seat on the floor, she said "No. I don't think that's what we do." Jennifer was pleased when Rails managed to smile her agreement at her.
It was twenty minutes before Shamata was able to stand, able to control her shaking legs, able to sit on the stool. She looked at Aggie.
Aggie shook her head. "Her face is unrecognizable, Leela." She said it softly.
"It doesn't matter. What's left is not my sister, it's the host she lived in." She managed a smile for Agnes Brooks. "Help me do the right thing."
Aggie understood and said, "Of course."
Shamata looked at Colavito. "Thank you for your comfort. You can go or stay."
Colavito smiled sadly. "I'll be staying. I need to ... ummm .... reconstruct the crime as it happened."
Shamata nodded and moved around to the far side of the table.
Her voice was strong after she took a moment to collect herself again. "If you're staying, Detective Colavito, then you'd better gown up."
Jennifer Colavito had a fleeting sense her crime scene was getting away from her. She thought of moving towards the tub, as if getting closer to Aggie would explain her puzzling behavior. Her instincts as a detective and a woman kept her nailed where she stood.
Nailed where she could see Dr. Shamata's face as well.
"No." "No." "No."
A simple word, from a beautiful woman, all professional detachment threatening to drain from the lovely Dr. Shamata.
Colavito turned to the men in the room, Sands & Talman. She'd seen enough of them to know they were seasoned pros. "Perhaps you gentlemen will excuse us?"
Sands & Talman disproved the notion that all men are insensitive. Without a word, with the sparsest of respectful nods from each, the men deferred to Colavito, and exited through the swinging doors.
Colavito looked at Aggie Brooks. "Tell me what's on your mind, Aggie." She said it quietly.
Aggie was crying into a more-or-less pristine towel from the tub. She dried her face & looked at Leela Shamata.
"I ... think ... this might be Rekha."
Colavito looked from Leela to Aggie. "Rekha being ... ?"
Aggie managed to get out the words. "I can't be sure, I remembered the tattoos , the little blemish on her skin... " Her voice trailed off. "It was a while back."
Colavito gently persisted. "Rekha being ... ?"
"Rekha Shampala, my sister." Leela Shamata was beginning to sense it was true. "Shamata is my married name."
Colavito pushed on as gently as she could. "These tattoos she had, where are they?"
Aggie blurted it out. "They had matching tattoos."
"'They'?" Colavito's instincts told her truth was close at hand.
"My sister and I." Leela Shamata was crying, but you could barely tell by her voice. "We had matching ink on the right abdomen, down near the tan line."
Colavito turned back to Aggie. "So Rekha told you Dr. Shamata had a matching tattoo?"
Dr. Shamata saw no need for concealment. "Aggie, Rekha and I were intimate then."
Aggie's tears welled up, and Rails moved close beside her, her arm around her lover's waist.
Lori watched the tears spill onto the towel as Aggie's eyes met Leela's, and memories of shared love flooded the two women.
Colavito found herself drawn to Dr. Shamata's side.
Aggie looked imploringly at Leela Shamata. "You can't do this autopsy, Leela."
Leela was working on her own tears. "If you're right, it's my duty to do it."
"With respect, I have an idea?" Rails voice was low, almost reverent. She looked at Jennifer Colavito, then Leela, finally at Aggie.
Jennifer looked at Rails without speaking. She raised her eyebrows at her as as her arm encircled Leela's waist.
Lori kept her voice low. "The issue is we need to prove if this is Rekha. If no one objects, I can do what needs to be done."
This time she looked from Aggie to Leela to Jennifer.
Jennifer looked at the beautiful woman beside her. "Will you know enough from that if Lori does it?"
Leela nodded and looked gratefully at Lori Railsback.
Rails felt validated when Aggie squeezed her hand softly.
She looked at Colavito. "Detective, I need one or two things." She let her hand trail away from Aggie briefly as she stepped up to the edge of the tub.
Colavito left her station beside Leela and met Rails at the tub wall for a hushed exchange. "What do you need?"
"I need you to go to the grey cabinet over there, grab a short scalpel, a pair of forceps and a plastic specimen bag. Wrap them in a white sterile cloth for me."
Jennifer was impressed by the answer. "Are you okay doing this, Lori?"
Rails was grateful to be asked. "I'm going to have to be, aren't I?" She smiled the briefest of smiles. "Thanks for asking, Detective."
Colavito looked up at her. "None of this is by the book, we're well out of bounds here. I think you can call me Jenn."
Another brief smile from Lori Railsback. "Lori or Rails."
Jennifer walked back to Dr. Shamata. "Are you ready for this?"
Leela nodded. "At least I'll know."
Jenn slid a stool over. "Here, you sit down on this."
Leela accepted the offer graciously, sat & began to steel herself for the ordeal. She looked up at Jenn Colavito and their eyes locked. "Thank you."
"I'll be back in a minute."
When Leela nodded her understanding, Jenn made her way to the grey cabinet. She put her own gloves on so as not to further taint the evidence Lori was about to procure.
She made sure the next table separated Leela's line of sight from the object of her mission. She met Rails at the end of the tub. She handed over the instruments in their white shroud.
When Lori had the package in hand, she turned back to Aggie. "You should come down here and wait while I do what needs doing."
Aggie's eyes were locked on Leela's. "No, I'm good here."
Lori looked at Jenn. "Go be with Leela, I have to be good and fast."
Jenn nodded and walked slowly back to Shamata. She stood behind her, her left hand on Leela's right shoulder. Leela reached up and gently held her fingers.
Rails disappeared from view for a minute or two, and Colavito kept a hand on Leela's shoulder while Lori did the procedure.
Rails finally surfaced. Both hands were out of sight. "I have it."
Shamata instinctively grabbed Jenn's fingers harder. Jenn knelt in front of her, held her eyes, and gently pried her fingers loose.
Jenn stood and walked to the tub wall again. Rails handed over the 3" piece of dermis in the specimen bag.
Jenn kept it slightly behind her as she walked back to Leela. "You ready?"
Dr. Leela Shamata nodded.
Detective Jennifer Colavito revealed the specimen with as much dignity as she could summon.
Leela took one look, handed it back to Jenn. She began to crumble, sliding sideways, the stool suddenly on two legs, Leela sinking in slow motion to the floor. Jennifer Colavito cradled her so she wouldn't be physically injured.
Aggie pulled out her vox. "I'll call Dr. Stormer or McTavish."
Colavito slowly shook her head. From her seat on the floor, she said "No. I don't think that's what we do." Jennifer was pleased when Rails managed to smile her agreement at her.
It was twenty minutes before Shamata was able to stand, able to control her shaking legs, able to sit on the stool. She looked at Aggie.
Aggie shook her head. "Her face is unrecognizable, Leela." She said it softly.
"It doesn't matter. What's left is not my sister, it's the host she lived in." She managed a smile for Agnes Brooks. "Help me do the right thing."
Aggie understood and said, "Of course."
Shamata looked at Colavito. "Thank you for your comfort. You can go or stay."
Colavito smiled sadly. "I'll be staying. I need to ... ummm .... reconstruct the crime as it happened."
Shamata nodded and moved around to the far side of the table.
Her voice was strong after she took a moment to collect herself again. "If you're staying, Detective Colavito, then you'd better gown up."
