Page 7 of Gage
CHAPTER FOUR
Gage sat atthe small outdoor table at Café Du Monde, its iconic green and white striped awning overhead blocking some of the brilliant morning sunlight. Though there were multiple Café Du Monde locations now, he preferred the French Market location whenever he was in New Orleans. There was a vibrancy to this spot, always busy with people, tourists and locals alike, getting their morning fix of coffee and sugary goodness. Looking around, he nodded at a woman and her toddler, the boy covered with the infamous powdered sugar the restaurant was famous for, as he happily chewed on one of their crispy beignets.
Most of the night he’d spent thinking about Suzanna Dawkins and the evidence against her. Then the unexpected visit from Gator Boudreau this morning. That had been an eye opener. In many ways the man reminded him of Douglas. The same slow intensity, men of few words but you found yourself listening to each one, because of the import they held. He’d heard tales of Gator Boudreau, the oldest of the three Boudreau brothers; he’d practically raised his two younger brothers before he’d shipped off for Vietnam. Nobody could speak about his time over there, only that he came back a changed man. His exploits within the Agency were the thing of legend, yet they’d managed to remain secret. Turned out Gator Boudreau was a man who didn’t need the spotlight or fame and fortune. He’d served his country both on the battlefield as well as behind the scenes.
Kind of like what Gage had done, though he’d pretty much put working for the Agency on the back burner, only doing theoccasional job with them now. He was young for having “retired” but he’d been burned out. The ugliness and bitterness and desolation he’d seen had nearly stripped him of his humanity, and he knew if he stayed, he’d have found himself changed irrevocably.
But he still had connections within the Agency, ones who owed him favors. He was loath to use them unless he had to, but his initial forays into Suzanna Dawkins case had run into a few roadblocks. Actually, more like stone walls.
Looking at the clock on his cellphone, he noted that it was finally late enough in the morning to make a few calls. The first was to Detective Jansen at the DPD. The man wasn’t in, so he left a message, asking him to call back.
The second call was a little more sensitive. And he got exactly what he expected—nothing. Time to call in one of those favors. He dialed a number he knew by heart.
“Seriously, Newsome? I’m elbows deep in this guy’s chest. Can it wait?”
Gage almost chucked at the aggrieved tone of his friend’s voice. “Good morning, Chuck. Nice to talk to you too.”
Chuck sighed. “Give me thirty seconds, okay? I have the feeling I need to be sitting down for this conversation.” Sounds came over the line, some banging of metal along with others Gage couldn’t identify before Chuck finally came back. “I swear, if it was anybody but you, I’d have told them to call back in a couple hours and I’d have hung up on them.”
“I’m glad you didn’t hang up on my, buddy. Listen, I’ve got a question.”
Chuck snorted. “Let me guess, it’s related to a dead body.”
“Well, that is your area of expertise. I’m normally on the other end of expired people. I’m basically the before, and you’re the after part of the equation.”
“True. What do you need?”
“Hypothetically, how long should an autopsy take from start to finish?”
“Hmm…tough question. Generally, it can take anywhere from two to four hours. Sometimes longer if you’re talking a forensic autopsy, with obvious signs of maliciousness or foul play evident. In the case of suspected homicide, for instance.”
“Again, hypothetically, if the victim had multiple stab wounds as well as a slashed throat, so definite signs of homicide and trauma, you’d say the exam would probably err on the longer side?”
Chuck paused for a moment. “Hypothetically” he emphasized the word strongly, “you’re talking the longer time frame.” He blew out a long breath. “Gage, tell me you haven’t gotten involved in the Dawkins’ case.” When Gage didn’t answer, Chuck swore. “Have you lost your mind? Steven Dawkins was murdered by his wife. She was found lying in the bed with the victim, blood all over her.”
“I can’t confirm or deny, but say I was looking into the Dawkins’ case. What should I be looking for on the autopsy?”
“Dude, it’s your funeral. Anyway, I’d be surprised if the autopsy report was back yet. Usually they take several weeks to months, depending on how backed up the medical examiner’s office is. We’re talking Texas, right? If the autopsy has been filed, Texas Public Information Act allows anybody to get a copy of it.”
“I’ve requested a copy, but it’ll take a bit for me to get it, since I’m not in Texas at the moment. I wanted to touch base with you, since you’re the expert. I need to know what I’m looking at—looking for—besides the obvious.”
“The obvious would be the stab wounds and the slit throat for starters. Check how many stab wounds, the depth of them. Measurements for the size of the blade used, whether it was one blade or multiple. Also look at the incision of the throat.Sometimes you can tell from the angle, the depth whether the assailant is right or left-handed.”
“Anything else?”
“They should have done a routine toxicology report. That’ll look for things in the blood like alcohol, medications, some illegal drugs. Gotta warn you, those reports take months to come back, unless law enforcement or the DA request it be expedited. Even then it’s going to take a while.”
Gage mulled over what Chuck had told him. Looking at the autopsy was a longshot, because he’d bet the police were already all over it, but then they weren’t expecting anything except what they already knew; multiple stab wounds and a slit throat.
“Thanks, Chuck. You’ve given me a lot to think about.”
“I hope you haven’t gotten in over your head—what am I saying? You live for these kinds of cases. I’m here if you need anything. I’ve gotta admit, I’ve been following the case in the papers and from what they press is saying it’s pretty much and open and shut case.”
“We’ll see. I’m simply looking into a few things. Thanks again, Chuck.”
“Now you’ve got me intrigued. Call me if you find out anything.”
“Get back to work, there’s a body waiting for you.”
