cpatricia.blacknotice-第46部分

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　　Then　he　said；　〃The　woman　who　ran　up　to　the　ambulance　last　night　is　a　friend　of　Kim's；　works　as　a　waitress　at　Shoney's；　was　taking　night　classes　at　VCU。　They　lived　together。　So　the　friend　gets　home　from　class。　She's　got　no　idea　what's　happened　and　her　phone　rings；　and　this　dumbass　reporter　says；　‘What　was　your　reaction　when　you　heard？'　〃
　　He　paused。　I　looked　up　at　him　as　he　stared　at　the　openedup　body；　the　chest　cavity　empty　and　gleaming　red；　pale　ribs　gracefully　bowed　out　from　the　perfectly　straight　spine。　I　plugged　in　the　Stryker　saw。
　　〃According　to　the　friend；　there's　no　indication　she　might　have　known　anybody　who　struck　her　as　weird。　Nobody　ing　into　the　store　and　bothering　her；　giving　her　the　creeps。　There　was　a　false　alarm　earlier　in　the　week；　Tuesday；　same　back　door；　it　happens　a　lot。　People　forget　it's　armed；〃　he　went　on；　his　eyes　distant。　〃It's　like　he　just　suddenly　flew　out　of　hell：'
　　I　began　sawing　through　the　skull　with　all　its　minuted　fractures　and　areas　punched　out　by　violent　blows　of　a　tool　or　tools　I　couldn't　identify。　A　hot　bony　dust　drifted　through　the　air。
　　　
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　　By　early　afternoon；　roads　had　thawed　enough　so　that　other　diligent；　hopelessly　behind　forensic　scientists　could　e　to　work。　I　decided　to　make　my　rounds　because　I　was　frantic。
　　My　first　stop　was　the　Forensic　Biology　Section；　a　tenthousand…square…foot　area　where　only　an　authorized　few　had　access　to　electronic　cards　for　the　locks。　People　didn't　drop　by　to　chat。　They　traversed　the　corridor　and　glanced　at　intense　scientists　in　white　behind　glass　but　rarely　got　any　closer　than　that。
　　I　pressed　an　inter　button　to　see　if　Jamie　Kuhn　was　in。
　　〃Let　me　find　him；〃　a　voice　called　back。
　　The　instant　he　opened　the　door；　Kuhn　held　out　a　clean；　long　white　lab　coat；　gloves　and　mask。　Contamination　was　the　enemy　of　DNA；　especially　in　an　era　when　every　pipette；　microtome；　glove；　refrigerator　and　even　pen　used　for　labeling　might　be　questioned　in　court。　The　degree　of　laboratory　precautions　had　bee　just　about　as　stringent　as　the　sterile　procedures　found　in　the　operating　room。
　　〃I　hate　to　do　this　to　you；　Jamie；〃　I　said。
　　〃You　always　say　that；〃　he　said。　〃e　on　in。〃
　　There　were　three　sets　of　doors　to　pass　through；　and　fresh　lab　coats　hung　in　each　airlocked　space　to　make　sure　you　exchanged　the　one　you'd　just　put　on　for　yet　another　one。　Tacky　paper　on　the　floors　was　for　the　bottom　of　your　shoes。　The　process　was　repeated　twice　more　to　make　sure　no　one　carried　contaminants　from　one　area　into　another。
　　The　examiners'　work　area　was　an　open；　bright　room　of　black　counterspace　and　puters；　water　baths；　containment　units　and　laminar　flow　hoods。　Individual　stations　were　neatly　arranged　with　mineral　oil；　autopipettes；　polypropylene　tubes　and　tube　racks。　Reagents；　or　the　substances　used　to　cause　reactions；　were　made　in　big　batches　from　molecular　biology…grade　chemicals。　They　were　given　unique　identification　numbers　and　stored　in　small　aliquots　away　from　chemicals　kept　for　general　use。
　　Contamination　was　managed　primarily　through　serialization；　heat　denaturation；　enzymatic　digestion；　screening；　repeated　analysis；　ultraviolet　irradiation；　iodinizing　irradiation；　use　of　controls　and　samples　taken　from　a　healthy　volunteer。　If　all　else　failed；　the　examiner　just　quit　on　certain　samples。　Maybe　he　tried　again　in　a　few　months。　Maybe　he　didn't。
　　Polymerase　chain　reaction；　or　PCR；　had　made　it　possible　to　get　DNA　results　in　days　instead　of　weeks。　Now　with　short　tandem　repeat　typing；　STR；　it　was　theoretically　possible　that　Kuhn　could　get　results　in　a　day。　That　was；　if　there　was　cellular　tissue　for　testing；　and　in　the　case　of　the　pale　hair　from　the　unidentified　man　found　in　the　container；　there　was　not。
　　〃That's　a　damn　shame；〃　I　said。　〃Because　it　looks　like　I've　found　more　of　it。　This　time　adhering　to　the　body　of　the　woman　murdered　last　night　at　the　Quik　Cary。〃
　　〃Wait　a　minute。　Am　I　hearing　this　right？　The　hair　from　the　container　guy's　clothing　matches　hair　on　her？〃
　　〃Looks　like　it。　You　can　see　my　urgency。〃
　　〃Your　urgency's　about　to　get　more　urgent；〃　he　said。　〃Because　the　hair's　not　cat　hair；　dog　hair。　It's　not　animal　hair。　It's　human。〃
　　〃It　can't　be；〃　I　said。
　　〃It　absolutely　is。〃
　　Kuhn　was　a　wiry　young　man　who　didn't　get　excited　by　much。　I　couldn't　remember　the　last　time　I'd　seen　his　eyes　light　up。
　　〃Fine；　unpigmented；　rudimentary；〃　he　went　on。　〃Baby　hair。　I　figured　maybe　the　guy　has　a　baby　at　home。　But　now；　two　cases？　Maybe　the　same　hair　on　the　murdered　lady？〃
　　〃Baby　hair　isn't　six　or　seven　inches　long；〃　I　told　him。　〃That's　what　I　collected　from　her　body。〃
　　〃Maybe　it　grows　longer　in　Belgium；〃　he　dryly　said。
　　〃Let's　talk　about　the　unidentified　man　in　the　container　first。　What　would　baby　hair　be　doing　all　over　him？〃　I　asked。　〃Even　if　he　does　have　a　baby　back　home？　And　even　if　it　were　possible　for　baby　hair　to　be　that　long？〃
　　〃Not　all　of　them　are　that　long。　Some　are　extremely　short。　Like　stubble　when　you　shave：'
　　〃Any　of　the　hair　forcibly　removed？〃　I　asked。
　　〃I'm　not　seeing　any　roots　with　follicular　tissues　still　adhering…mostly　the　bulbous…shaped　roots　you　associate　with　hair　naturally　falling　out。　Shedding；　in　other　words。　Which　is　why　I　can't　do　DNA。〃
　　〃But　some　of　it's　been　cut　or　shaved？〃　I　thought　out　loud；　drawing　a　blank。
　　〃Right。　Some's　been　cut；　some　hasn't。　Like　those　weird　styles。　You've　seen　them…short　on　top　and　long　and　wispy　on　the　sides。〃
　　〃Not　on　a　baby　I　haven't；〃　I　answered。
　　〃What　if　he　had　triplets；　quintuplets；　sextuplets　because　his　wife　had　been　on　a　fertility　drug？〃　Kuhn　suggested。　〃The　hair　would　be　the　same　but　if　it's　ing　from；　different　kids　that　might　explain　the　different　lengths。；　The　DNA　would　be　the　same；　too；　saying　you　had　anything　to　test。〃
　　In　identical　twins；　triplets；　sextuplets；　the　DNA　was　identical；　only　the　fingerprints　were　different。
　　〃Dr。　Scarpetta；〃　Kuhn　said；　〃all　I　can　tell　you　is　the　hairs　are　alike　visually；　their　morphology　the　same；　in　other　words。〃
　　〃Well；　these　hairs　on　this　lady　are　alike　visually；　too。〃
　　〃Any　short　ones；　as　if　they　were　cut？〃
　　〃No；〃　I　replied。
　　〃Sony　I　don't　have　more　to　tell　you；〃　he　said。
　　〃Believe　me；　Jamie；　you've　just　told　me　quite　a　lot；〃　I　said。　〃I　just　don't　know　what　any　of　it　means。〃
　　〃You　figure　it　out；〃　he　tried　to　lighten　up；　〃we'll　write　a　paper　on　it。〃
　　I　tried　the　trace　evidence　lab　next　and　didn't　even　bother　saying　hello　to　Larry　Posner。　He　was　peering　into　a　microscope　that　probably　was　more　sharply　focused　than　he　was　when　he　looked　up　at　me。
　　〃Larry；〃　I　said；　〃everything's　going　to　hell。〃
　　〃Always　has　been。〃
　　〃What　about　our　unidentified　guy？　Anything？〃　I　asked。　〃Because　let　me　tell　you；　I'm　really　groping：'
　　〃I'm　relieved。　I　thought　you　dropped　by　to　ask　me　about　your　lady　downstairs；〃　he　replied。　〃And　I　was　going　to　have　to　break　the　news　that　I'm　not　Mercury　with　winged　feet。〃
　　〃There　may　be　a　link　between　the　two　cases。　Same　weird　hair　found　on　the　bodies。　Human　hair；　Larry。〃
　　He　thought　about　this。for　a　long　moment。
　　〃I　don't　get　it；〃　he　finally　said。　〃And　I　hate　to　tell　you；　but　I　don't　have　anything　quite　so　dramatic　to　report　to　you。〃
　　〃Anything　you　can　tell　me　at　all？〃　I　asked。
　　〃Start　with　the　soil　samples　from　the　container。　PLM　picked　up　the　usual；〃　he　began；　referring　to　the　polarized　light　núcroscopy。　〃Quartz；　sand；　diatomite；　flint　and　elements　like　iron　and　aluminum。　Lots　of　trash。　Glass；　paint　chips；　vegetable　debris；　rodent　hairs。　You　can　only　begin　to　imagine　all　the　crap　inside　a　cargo　container　like　that。
　　〃And　diatoms　all　over　the　place；　but　what's　a　little　off…beat　is　what　I　found　when　I　examined　the　ones　swept　up　from　the　container's　floor；　and　the　ones　from　the'surface　of　the　body　and　exterior　of　the　clothes。　They're　a　mixture　of　saltwater　and　freshwater　diatoms。〃
　　〃Makes　sense　if　the　ship　started　out　in　the　Scheldt　River　in　Antwerp　and　then　spent　most　of　the　voyage　at　sea；〃　I　remarked。
　　〃But　the　inside　of　the　clothing？　That's　exclusively　freshwater。　Don't　get　that　unless　he　washed　his　clothes；　shoes；　socks；　even　underwear　in　a　river；　lake；　whatever。　And　I　wouldn't　expect　you　to