Phil and Nawa were back at the station from Molly's house at 14 o'clock. Phil went straight to his office, leaving Nawa to attend to a visitor who was seated by the main reception.
He had just sat down on his desk and was about to make a phone call when he saw a new file on his desk. He had not left it there as he was leaving. He wondered what it was about.
He waved his hand dismissively as he opted to stand by the window instead. His eyes scanned the buildings beyond the station. A strong wind was blowing, and there was dust everywhere he could see. This made the people, structures and even vegetation to appear dirty grey mostly.
He walked back to his desk and sat down.
Finally he opened the file on his desk that had been delivered that morning in his absence.
It was the autopsy report from Ray. He quickly turned to the first page. There wasn't much there apart from a description of how the body had ended up on the autopsy table, things that Phil already knew. The report mentioned that the woman was aged between 35 and 40, but Phil shrugged slightly and wrote "Molly Tembo 34" in his notebook. He went on to read that she had died approximately four hours before being picked. Phil wrote "7-4 =3 hrs". He flipped the page. Whenever he found a term that he had trouble understanding- which was often- he would underline it with the intention of following up on its meaning later.
He further read that there was no sign of injury on her body. Phil nodded vigorously. He then wrote on his piece of paper "no injury, no force=suicide."
He then took a look at the photos which were in the report. They showed Molly lying on the grass from different angles. Looking closely he saw that the grass remained unscratched. He wrote "grass unscratched = no struggle."
He then went further down and then suddenly opened his mouth. He stretched his hand and reached out for the desk phone. He dialed and waited. As he waited he continued reading the report.
"Hello?"
"Hello Ray. This is Phil."
"Yes boss."
"I am reading your autopsy report right now. Can I ask a few questions?"
"Sure."
"Under cause of death, you indicate "Arrhythmia". What is this?"
"It refers to a problem with the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat. During an arrhythmia, the heart may not be able to pump enough blood to the body, and lack of blood flow affects your brain, heart and other organs."
"So she died of organ failure?"
"Yes. As pressure in the blood vessels increases and fluid goes into the alveoli- the air spaces in the lungs- the normal flow of oxygen through your lungs is compromised, making it hard to breathe. This can give you a heart attack or lead to kidney failure."
"Was all that caused by the heroin overdose?"
"Yes most certainly. It shut down her heart basically."
"Would you think that she was a regular user?"
"No boss. Actually there is only one prick on her entire body. It looks like she did it only once."
"Oho, so maybe she got it wrong at first attempt?"
"It would seem so, yes."
There was silence. Then Ray said, "I seem to recall that in our conversation yesterday and even in the news on radio, they are referring to her as a prostitute."
"Most definitely Ray. She was a prostitute. You and I were there when we picked her. You saw her appearance."
"Well I may have something else to say on that."
"Yes Ray?"
"I examined her internal and external organs in detail. There was no evidence of sexual intercourse in her private parts."
"No sex? How!?" Phil shouted. He allowed thirty seconds to pass before he said, "So she could not have been a prostitute, you say?"
"No."
Phil scratched his head. Then he said, "I talked to her aunt earlier today. She told me the exact same thing, but I dismissed her claim."
"If she was a prostitute- which I doubt- then it was her first day at the office. And she hadn't met her first client yet."
"Ah mamamamama! Where am I now?"
"She was a virgin."
Phil wrote down "virgin, no sex, not prostituting investigate." He then reached out for his glass of water but it was empty.
"Reading further down, your report indicates that no fluid of any kind was found in her lungs. What does this mean?" Phil continued.
"Well boss, when someone drowns in a liquid such as water, the lungs and wind pipe would be full of water. As the victim struggles under water, they tend to use more energy and carbon dioxide accumulates rapidly. Involuntarily, they draw water into their lungs in their attempt to breathe. In her case she was clear."
“So you mean that water in the lungs is the sign that indicates drowning, right?”
“Yes and no. Let me explain further. The presence of water in the lungs may indicate drowning only when examined together with other signs. This is because water can find its way into the airways and lungs of a dead body, provided it is submerged long enough. On the other hand a person may drown in water but their larynx could have shat down early enough to prevent water from entering their lungs.”
"I am getting confused here. When did this death take place?"
"The time is indicated in my report."
"Maybe let me ask differently. Did her death occur in the pond or outside?"
"It means that by the time she was getting into the water, she was long dead. She didn't drown. You see, I also looked out for signs of hemorrhaging- blood in the lungs where the sheer force could have caused them to bleed. I also looked for any remnants of the surroundings in which the deceased was found. These might include pieces of plant life only found underwater, stones or rocks and evidence of clawing on the fingers and hands as they try to escape. These were conspicuously missing. "
Phil shook his head. Then he said, "Thanks for your report Ray. Quite a mouthful. I surely will get back to you when I need further clarification."
"You are welcome. Bye."
Phil cut the line. He looked at his notebook and then looked at the report. Then he looked at his palms. They were sweating.
He stood up and walked away from his desk. He wrote imaginary words in the air with his finger as he did so. He reached the window and looked outside once more. Then he walked back to his desk and picked his notebook. He went for the door.
He had just reached the door when he suddenly stopped. He walked back to his desk and then picked up the earpiece of his desk phone. He dialed.
"Hello."
"Hello Nawa, let us go and talk to Molly's friend in Northmead right away."