Page 2 of Now or Never
Dr.Walsh stared at the sweating water glass.
“Please look at the autopsy.” Kenna paused. “We’d like to ask you about a theory we have.”
Walsh reluctantly took the papers and the photos they had printed off, images they deemed relevant. “It’s not my business to deal in theories. I report the truth of what is evident at the time of the autopsy. Anything else isn’t in my purview.”
“I take that report, extrapolate theories, and investigate,” Kenna said, “hoping I’ll discover what really happened and who is responsible for the death of a…child.” Her throat tried to close on that last word.
A lot of people might not consider a fifteen-year-old a child, but it depended on perspective. Samantha Ambrose might have considered herself to be practically an adult. She might’ve lived life independent of her parents, and whether that was what started her on the path that led to the end of her life wasn’t something Kenna could draw conclusions on—at least, not yet.
Bottom line, an adult should have protected her, but no one did. Her vulnerability made her the target of a predator, and she wound up dead.
“We know she didn’t bleed out in that alley,” Kenna pressed. She swallowed against the dry feeling in her throat. “The police never found the place where she died. All we have is this.” Shetapped her index finger on the stack of photos. “One of those stab wounds killed her. No hesitation, just a quick stab and twist.”
“She fought back,” Dr.Walsh said, her tone guarded.
“The other stab wounds were more random. The one that killed her was precise.”
Walsh looked like she was trying not to squirm. “What are you saying?”
“You reported what you saw in front of you on the body. And noted what you didn’t see.”
Kenna couldn’t fault her solely. Not when each of the parties involved had failed Samantha Ambrose. The officers who arrived on scene first, Dr.Walsh, and the investigating detectives. Every superior officer or boss. Every person who handled evidence testing. All of them, combined, had a part to play.
Kenna continued, “She had defensive wounds on her arms, but no abrasions on her knuckles. Given the evidence in front of you, would it be reasonable to conclude she might’ve been killed with that first stab wound, and then each of the other wounds could have beenappliedafter the fact?”
Walsh frowned.
“The defensive wounds are simply slices to the underside of her forearms. Those random stab wounds on her torso were far shallower than the one that killed her, a quick in-out motion.” Kenna leaned forward in her chair. “Is it possible Samantha Ambrose was murdered by someone meticulous who then used the knife to cover up the lethality of that first strike by making it look like she was killed by someone out of control? That she could have fought back, or that the murder might’ve been committed in rage and anger instead of cold calculation?”
Walsh flipped through the pages, her wine forgotten. “However it can be interpreted doesn’t change my recounting of the facts of the evidence.”
“She’d been fed only bread and water for days. Her weight at the time of her death was nearly twenty pounds lighter than what her parents told the police.”
Walsh looked up from the papers. “You think she was held captive.”
Kenna had read the detective’s report after interviewing a couple of school friends. Samantha Ambrose had pulled away from them and started to hang more with people she worked with at the coffee shop—a place open until two in the morning on weekends.
Walsh eyed her, flustered—her face pink. “You just came here to run a theory by me?”
“No.” Kenna shook her head. “I came here to ask why you concluded she was the victim of an attack that the detectives took as random violence. The result of a teen pushing boundaries and getting herself into trouble. Why you disguised the truth that she might’ve been killed by someone with military training.”
A server in a crisp black shirt and black pants stopped beside their table, a white apron tied around his waist. What would be chin length hair was tied back behind his head, the bottom half shaved. “Are these people bothering you, ma’am?”
Chapter Two
“Are you bothering this guest?” The server turned to Kenna and Jax. “You shouldn’t be bothering our guests. Especially if you aren’t going to order food.”
Kenna glanced over at him. “We’re about to leave.”
“It’s fine, Philippe.” Dr.Walsh waited till he left, then said, “I reported the evidence. What conclusions are drawn from it aren’t my jurisdiction. I do autopsies, and I testify in court.”
“Now you run the entire medical examiner’s office for the City of Boston.” Kenna laced her fingers together on her knees.
“You were promoted just a few months after this case,” Jax said. “Seems like interesting timing to me.”
“What are you insinuating?” Walsh lifted her chin. “I earned the position I have through hard work and?—”
“Dedication to your job,” Kenna said. “We caught the speech on YouTube. There’s no need to repeat it for us.”
