by Alec Peche
By the next afternoon in Sicily, Jill and Nathan were arriving at an apartment building chosen by Angela and she was aware by text of their arrival and was awaiting them outside.
“Ciao, and benvenuto a Catania,” she said giving them each a hug.
“You sound like a native speaker!” Nathan said.
“Not really, I don't have much of a vocabulary, but I do believe I've nailed the Italian accent. How was your flight here?”
“Not bad. I wasn't hassled in Istanbul over the contents of my autopsy case, so I consider that a good plane ride. Did my package arrive?”
“I wouldn't want to explain why you're flying with scalpels on an airplane. You sound like a terrorist with the contents of the case, and yes a box arrived and is sitting in the apartment.”
“Yeah, I suspect the U.S. Government was glad to see me go, and the Turkish and Italian security forces decided I was just too harmless. By the way, while I'm here I'm going to explore adding a new grape to my vineyard – it's the Nero d'Avola. So we're going to drink lots of that varietal here so I can determine if I think I can create a great wine with that grape. Unfortunately, we're here to do a job and I need to be at a Catania mortuary in a little less than one hour to begin Mr. Chen's autopsy.”
“I'm game for the wine tasting, and how can I help on the case?” Angela asked.
“I'd like you to start by interviewing the family. What was Mr. Chen doing in Sicily? Why was he visiting Mount Etna, etc. I'm sure you know the questions to ask.”
“Okay. I'll also interview Marie's sister. Should I make an appointment with the police? I assume someone took a police report.”
“Actually, I didn't have time to find out if that's the case. I know they thought his death was accidental, but I'm not sure they ever completed a report. So if you can run that down, that would be great.”
“It sounds like you ladies will be busy until this evening. I'm going to stock the apartment with groceries and I'll make dinner for us tonight. Drop me a text within the hour if you think of something you'd liked stocked here.”
“I happen to know there's a wine store over there,” Angela said, pointing across the street, “So you could start there.”
“Let me drop our bags in our room, and I'll venture forth and take care of it.”
Ten minutes later they had their luggage organized into one of the four bedrooms in the apartment. Nathan took a look at the cooking facilities and decided he would cook several meals for his friends and so made a shopping list.
Soon the apartment was calm and quiet as Nathan left to do his shopping. Jill and Angela sat in the living room catching up on each other's lives and the wedding. They discussed further questions to ask, and then they both left the apartment to travel to their respective locations – Mr. Chen's daughter for Angela, and the mortuary for Jill.
She was wondering if there would be anyone besides herself for this autopsy. She'd notified the consulate to notify the Italian Police before leaving California about her involvement in the case and her planned autopsy, but she suspected that she would not hear from them. Regardless she gave them the time and address for the autopsy.
Jill arrived at the mortuary to find a few cars in the mortuary parking lot. The taxi driver retrieved her autopsy case and set it on the ground for Jill to wheel into the building. One of the cars was the typical hearse, no surprise there. It was too late in the day for a funeral, and so the car would need to be parked somewhere between funerals. Two other vehicles were there, marked 'Carabinieri' and 'Polizia'. Jill hadn't known which branch of law enforcement were involved in a murder investigation in Italy as they had several forces. So she called the US Consulate General in Naples and explained her roles and responsibilities for the upcoming job in Catania.
A woman approached Jill and said in accented English, “Good day. Are you Dr. Jill Quint?”
Jill nodded and held out her hand, unsure whether Italians shook hands as a matter of business etiquette. The woman placed her hand in Jill's and said, “I'm Vice Questore Sara Cavallaro, and this is Tenete Angelo Rosso. We received a call from the United States Embassy regarding the death of Mr. Randy Chen and the fact that the family hired you to investigate Mr. Chen's death.”
“Yes, I called them before I left San Francisco as I wanted to invite the appropriate Italian law enforcement representatives to this autopsy in case it provides you with any new information. Have you attended an autopsy before?”
“On rare occasion, the University of Palermo performs such an exam for the Polizia,” replied Cavallaro while Rosso nodded in agreement.
“You're welcome to observe while I do Mr. Chen's autopsy.”
“Why are you doing an autopsy? What are your qualifications, do you have the family's permission?” Rosso asked.
“To find the cause of death, I am a medical doctor licensed in the United States for Pathology with a sub-specialty in Toxicology, I have performed in my life probably one-thousand autopsies, and yes I have the family's permission.”
“We ruled Mr. Chen's death as a non-natural death,” stated Cavallaro.
“Yes, I know. I realize this is Italy, but in the United States, such an accident would require an autopsy to determine if the person fell as an accident, or was sent tumbling to their death.”
“We saw no evidence of that.”
“Well you wouldn't have any evidence as you didn't do an autopsy. Look, we have a different standard in the United States, and the family has hired me to carry out that standard here in Italy. Would you like to join me during the autopsy? If not, then I'll say 'ciao'.”
A rapid-fire conversation in Italian followed, and beyond a few words, she had no idea what they were saying, so she turned her back on the pair to walk toward the front door of the mortuary.
Chapter 3
Fifteen minutes later they were all dressed in protective clothing. The mortuary staff person had declined to join Jill for the autopsy. He didn't speak English but relayed his thoughts to the two officers, and Jill was left in peace with just Mr. Chen's body and the two Italian law enforcement personnel.
She opened her kit and laid out her instruments, scale, microscope, test strips, glass tubes for blood samples, and her newest toy, a handheld ultrasound machine that could detect bone breaks and bleeds beneath her victim's skin. She started by taking blood samples that she scheduled for pick-up by a courier so that blood work could be analyzed by a forensic lab in Rome. She left that with the mortuary attendant and returned to Mr. Chen. He was a fit man in his early sixties according to his birth-date. He was five feet ten and of Asian heritage.
Holding the ultrasound, she scanned his body to see what the machine would find. She showed the two police officers what her scanner was imaging. His face had abrasions from scrapping against the volcanic rock. When Jill reached his head, she asked the two officers to assist her in turning Mr. Chen over. His skull was bloody, and her ultrasound showed a part of his cranium that was crushed, where as other parts were fracture free.
She said aloud to the two officers, “This is an unexpected finding. You would expect someone who tumbled down a steep sloop of volcanic rock to have equals fractures from the rolling effect, yet Mr. Chen's skull has just one area that is crushed. Was either of you at the scene? Are there pictures as to how he was found?”
Cavallaro pulled a folder from her shoulder purse leaning against the wall of the mortuary. She showed Jill the pictures taken of where they found Mr. Chen.
“That's odd. He was found halfway down the slope rather than at the bottom, so he didn't tumble that great a distance, perhaps ten meters and I see no rocky protuberances in the picture that might have caused the skull bashing.”
The two detectives said something in Italian which Jill didn't catch, but she'd left her phone on recording the audio from the autopsy so she could make additional notes later. She'd ask Angela what they said.
Jill continued with her autopsy calling out the weights of the various organs, and othe
r findings. She saw no signs of a heart attack or stroke that might have caused Mr. Chen to fall over the edge. She knew she needed to make arrangements for x-rays of Mr. Chen's head as that looked to her to be the cause of death. All of his other organs were simply in too great a shape to have ended his life. She wondered if the toxicology tests might show something, and she went over his skin looking for needle marks, or ligatures. His nails showed no sign of a struggle. Two hours later she finished her examination and had sewn Randy Chen back together again. She pulled her gloves off and notified the two officers that she was finished.
“Did you find a cause of death?” asked Rosso.
“Yes, and no as all of my tests are not back yet. On the surface, I would say Randy Chen died from blunt force trauma to the brain.”
“So exactly as we stated on our death certificate,” Cavallaro said.
“Not necessarily. In your pictures of the crime scene, I don't see what could have caused such head trauma. It is not out of the realm of possibilities that he was hit in the head with an object and then was shoved over the edge of the crater. If he had tripped or lost his balance, he would have left the rim with more speed and probably traveled further down the crater. However, if he was unconscious or even dead at the time his body was rolled over the edge, it makes sense that it would have only dropped ten meters as his body would have no momentum.”
“Are you saying he was intentionally injured?” asked Rosso.
“I don't know yet, but I'm saying that the scenario is possible. Right now I need to send his body to a local radiology department to get detailed images of his brain. That will tell us if he was hit with an object in the head with an object before he was rolled over the crater edge.”
Again the couple broke into Italian, and again Jill was glad she hadn't turned off her recorder as she was sure that Angela could translate for her.
“We would like copies of your report,” Cavallaro said. “Perhaps we might assist you in getting the x-rays you need. Give me a moment,” she said as she stepped out of the room.
Jill went to work repacking her mobile autopsy kit. The mortuary had high-level disinfectants to clean her instruments, and once she got home, she would have them sterilized for good measure. Just as she finished, the Vice Questore stepped back in the room.
“If Mr. Chen's family will agree to pay for the x-rays, then the mortuary will move his body to the hospital right now.”
“They will. I don't need to go with Mr. Chen, but I would like to order a CT of Mr. Chen's skull. How do I tell the hospital to do that?”
“I took the liberty of getting a name at the hospital that's a contact person for you. Here's his name and number, and I'm told he speaks English,” she said, passing a slip of paper to Jill.
Jill was a little suspicious of the process going so smoothly. Italy was known for its complicated bureaucracies.
Jill called the number and a man answered and so she started with her explanations. She was most relieved to hear that the man she was speaking with was also a physician and understood what she was asking for. After providing her billing information and where she wanted the films sent to, she ended the call. The mortuary attendant asked if she was ready to move the body to the hospital and where it was to go after that?
“As the family first directed his body to this mortuary, then I would like it returned here. I would ask that you continue to store it for the time being as I'm not ready to release it for funeral preparations.”
“We weren't planning on doing anything other than storing the body. The family indicated they would make arrangement to move Mr. Chen back to his home and that they would take care of funeral preparations there.”
Jill nodded and moved over to the two officers, again offering her hand for a shake.
“It was nice meeting you and I'll send you my report as soon as I have it compiled. I'm waiting on some test results that may take up to a day to receive. I'm planning on visiting the crater where Mr. Chen was found tomorrow. I'd love to meet you there to get your insight, but I understand if you're not interested or are too busy to meet me.”
Again, another fast few words in Italian, then Cavallaro said, “If you give me your address, I'll pick you up at 9am and take you to the where Mr. Chen was found. Please bring sturdy hiking shoes and a coat.”
“Thank you, and thanks for the reminder about my clothing, that would be perfect,” Jill replied taking a moment to give her contact information to the officer.
Jill knew the two officers were watching her as she got inside a taxi after stowing her autopsy case in the taxi's trunk. As her taxi departed the mortuary, she didn't know what to make of the police. Were they interested? Were they suspicious of her or her methods, were they passive-aggressive? She wished she'd had Angela there as she was so much better at reading people. Hopefully she could take her to the crater so she could understand the two officers.
Jill returned to the apartment just after five and found Nathan creating some incredible smells in the kitchen.
“Wow, what are you making? It smells heavenly!”
“Can I tell you how much I like food shopping here? We're going to have lots of seafood and lots of pasta while we stay here. They have this fish market in the town square and you can buy any kind of fresh food. I don't think I've been this close to fresh seafood before.”
Jill smiled and gave Nathan a kiss and said, “I'm so happy that you're happy shopping here. I can promise to stay out of the kitchen and give you heaps of praise for whatever you conjure up! How about wine? Did you find some Nero d'Avola samples for me?”
“Yes, and since we have some jet-lag and you don't have all of your friends here, I thought we would start with four bottles tonight. Do you know when Angela is supposed to return to the apartment?”
“I don't. She knows the daughter of this victim so her interview might take longer due to that personal connection. I'll text her and see if I get a response.”
Just then they heard the apartment's front door open followed by, “Cheers, it's me and Nathan must be cooking, I could smell great food in the hallway!”
“He loves shopping for food here and cooking so all you and I have to do is eat. How awesome is that? Plus we have four bottles of wine to sample. Let have our first wine tasting after Marie arrives. Let's eat dinner and you can tell me about your interviews and I'll tell you about the autopsy. Suffice it to say, I have my suspicions about Randy's death.”
“His daughter will be pleased to hear that they made a good decision bringing you in. It seems they got some grief from the local police when they showed their displeasure with their investigative skills,” Angela said as they sat down to Nathan's culinary masterpiece and to discuss the four bottles of wine featuring the Nero d'Avola grape they planned on tasting once Marie arrived. Jill found herself yawning once she was replete with food.
“Oh boy, I'm going to fall asleep soon if I don't get up and move. Is there somewhere the three of us could walk and discuss our findings? Nathan, I'm assuming you want to walk with us, but if you want to stay home, I'll understand you're wanting to miss our case discussion.”
“Actually, I think I'd just fall asleep if I stayed in, and I got a nice walk around Catania today so I can probably steer you towards some great places to walk.”
They set forth to walk towards the large Piazza Del Duomo while they discussed the case.
Chapter 4
“I had two cops meet me at the mortuary,” Jill started only to be cut off with “You did?!” by Nathan and Angela.
“Yes, I did. The U.S. Embassy set them on our trail, since I notified the embassy of what I was here to do.”
“Did they stay for the entire autopsy? Had they seen one before?” Angela asked.
“They stayed and actually facilitated moving Mr. Chen's remains to a nearby hospital for a CT Scan and even set me up with a contact there to get the right x-rays done. So they were helpful but skeptical is how I would describe their moods.”
&n
bsp; “Were they partners? Did they speak English?” Nathan asked.
“No they came in two different cars with different police names on them. I think she represented the State Police from Palermo and he represented the Carabinieri which is the military branch of police if I understand this country's law enforcement correctly. Either they're curious or courteous because they've agreed to escort me to the crime scene tomorrow at nine.”
“Do you want me to go with you?” Angela asked.
“Yes, please. I'd like you to take our own photographs of the scene, and I would be interested in your read of them. Also I had my phone on recording my comments during the autopsy so I can write my report and they spoke in Italian a few times while I was recording and I would be curious as to what they said. Let's keep quiet that you speak Italian.”
“I don't speak Italian, I would say rather I understand the language better than you.”
“That's more Italian than I know! I'm not sure when I'll receive a copy of the skull films from the x-ray examination, but I hope it's before we go to the site. I'm very suspicious about Mr. Chen's death as his skull was much more dented than the rest of his body. There were no defensive wounds or major scratches on his hands either.”
“What do you mean defensive wounds?” Nathan asked. “What was he defending and to whom?”
“Imagine you were walking on the rim of the crater. You're looking around at the scenery and you trip on a rock that you didn't see. I mean how do you fall on the edge of the crater? You have to trip, feel faint and lose your balance, or be pushed to tumble over the edge. The edge isn't narrow and it's not like you're walking on a tightrope.”
“Okay, I have your vision,” Nathan said. “So if I trip, I'm going to put my hands out to try and regain my balance and save my face. If I'm pushed, again I'm going to put out my hands. If I feel faint, I might have my hands out, or I might not depending on how faint I feel.”
