A woman exited the staff parking lot, crossed the street, and brushed by us, setting off a zephyr of Chanel No. 5. Thin, pinch-featured, with a well-styled mop of flame-colored hair sharpened by a deep green suit and a yellow scarf patterned like a rattlesnake. She carried a bag even larger than Lindstrom’s, maintained a high-stepping walk as she flung the station door open.

I said, “It probably is in Lindstrom’s best interests to cooperate. You clear Doreen, she makes headway on her pile of punishment.”

The station door opened and the redhead charged toward us, bag swinging, hair bouncing. “Lieutenant Sturgis? Clarice Jernigan, from the coroner’s.”

“Doctor.”

“I was testifying around the corner, thought I might as well talk to you in person. The receptionist told me I’d walked right by you.” Khaki eyes studied me.

“This is Dr. Delaware, our psych consultant.”

“We can sometimes use help on suicides. Would you mind if I talked to the lieutenant in private?”

Milo said, “Anything I know, Dr. Delaware’s going to know.”

“There’s nothing psychological about what I have to say, Lieutenant.”

“Sorry, Doc. It ain’t done that way.”

Dr. Clarice Jernigan slid her bag to the sidewalk. “Sure, what the hey. I opened Mr. Backer’s head and retrieved bullet frags. Definitely .22s, lab’s trying to reassemble so if you get a weapon, they can run a match.”

“Thanks—”

“I also decided to do an autopsy on your Jane Doe, after all. As I’d assumed, no big surprise in terms of COD. Manual strangulation, the finger marks are obvious, but no prints or DNA, so maybe your bad guy gloved up. This was a healthy young woman who met a rather unpleasant demise literally at the hands of another.”

“We’ve got a name for her, now, Doc. Doreen Fredd. Two d’s.”

Jernigan whipped out a BlackBerry, entered the information. “My report will be forthcoming. Meaning whenever I can get to it.”

Milo said, “That’s what you needed to tell me face-to-face?”

Jernigan threw back her shoulders. “What I need to tell you is I made an error and preferred not to address that fact over the phone.” Looking at me. I settled my gaze on the parking lot and pretended to be elsewhere.

Milo waited.

“I don’t see it as a major faux pas, but you might as well know, in case it impacts how you direct your investigation. As I told you, the rape kit was negative and my initial evaluation was no sexual assault. But after opening her up, I did find an abrasion in the vaginal lining, just under five inches in.”