“He wasn’t under arrest,” Lou said, guessing what was going through Jack’s mind. “He’d been arrested and indicted, but he was out on bail.”

“So what’s the big deal?” Jack asked.

“The big deal is that the mayor, the district attorney, and the police commissioner are all under a lot of heat,” Calvin said.

“Amen,” Lou said. “Particularly the police commissioner. That’s why I’m here. It’s turning into one of those public-relations nightmares that the media loves to blow way out of proportion. We’ve got to apprehend the perpetrator or perpetrators ASAP, otherwise heads are going to roll.”

“And not to discourage future potential witnesses,” Jack said.

“Yeah, that too,” Lou said.

“I don’t know, Laurie,” Calvin said, getting back to the discussion they’d been having before Jack’s interruption. “I appreciate you coming in early and offering to do this autopsy, but maybe Bingham might want to do it himself.”

“But why?” Laurie complained. “Look, it’s a straightforward case, and I’ve recently done a lot of gunshot wounds. Besides, with Dr. Bingham’s budget meeting this morning at City Hall, he can’t be here until almost noon. By then I can have the autopsy done and whatever information I come up with will be in the hands of the police. With their time constraint, it makes the most sense.”

Calvin looked at Lou. “Do you think five or six hours will make a difference with the investigation?”

“It could,” Lou admitted. “Hell, the sooner the autopsy is done the better. I mean, just knowing if we’re looking for one or two people will be a big help.”

Calvin sighed. “I hate this kind of decision.” He shifted his massive two-hundred-and-fifty-pound muscular bulk from one foot to the other. “Trouble is, half the time I can’t anticipate Bingham’s reaction. But what the hell! Go for it, Laurie. The case is yours.”

“Thanks, Calvin,” Laurie said gleefully. She snatched up the folder from the table. “Is it okay if Lou observes?”

“By all means,” Calvin said.

“Come on, Lou!” Laurie said. She rescued her coat from a chair and started for the door. “Let’s head downstairs, do a quick external exam, and have the body X-rayed. In the confusion last night it apparently wasn’t done.”

“I’m right behind you,” Lou said.

Jack hesitated for a moment then hurried after them. He was mystified why Laurie was so interested in doing the autopsy. From his perspective she would have done better to stay clear. Such politically charged cases were always hot potatoes. You couldn’t win.

Laurie was moving quickly, and Jack didn’t catch up to her and Lou until they were beyond communications. Laurie stopped abruptly to lean into Janice Jaeger’s office. Janice was one of the forensic investigators, also called physicians’ assistants or PAs. Janice ran the graveyard shift and took her job very seriously. She always stayed late.

“Will you be seeing Bart Arnold before you leave?” Laurie asked Janice. Bart Arnold was the chief of the PAs.

“I usually do,” Janice said. She was a tiny, dark-haired woman with prominent circles under her eyes.