nothing to stop you from making that lemonade,” he said.
The phone call was from Eric Manson, who was not only the chief deputy to the prosecutor, but also a friend. He called to complain that Murphy had given him a public dressing down, and then had gone as far as to suggest Eric was complicit in a murder. This only cemented Dick’s hatred of Jack Murphy and that Cajun-reject partner of his, Liddell. Dick didn’t tell Eric that he had also been dressed down this morning. Chief Pope had called him after seeing Dick on television and “reminded” him that the police department had a public information officer to release anything to do with active investigations. “Remind” was a diplomatic way for Pope to order Dick to butt out and go home. As deputy chief, he was the titular head of the entire investigations unit and should by all rights be leading this case. Then, to add insult to injury, Pope hadn’t even called to tell him when the victim had been identified.
But their attempt at keeping him in the dark hadn’t worked. He already knew who the victim was. Detective Jansen had called and filled him in just before he received the call from Eric. The victim was a deputy prosecutor, so this case had taken on a new dimension of importance, both to the police department and the news media.
He felt his face tightening, his jaws clenching, and he deliberately had to make the muscles in them relax. Captain Franklin, Jack Murphy, and Liddell Blanchard worked for him. They owed him some courtesy and respect. Marlin Pope may protect Murphy now, but when I become chief of police, all that will stop, by God!
A thought came to him. Jansen had taken it on himself to butt in at the morgue this morning, but if Dick had someone keeping tabs on Murphy, he could stay in the loop. The chief couldn’t object to his giving Murphy an extra investigator. He should have thought of this sooner. He could monitor the case, plus score some points with Eric. It never hurt to have a friend in the county prosecutor’s office.
He picked up the phone and punched in the cell number for Captain Franklin. When he answered, Dick said, “Captain, I’ve decided Jack Murphy needs some assistance with this murder case he’s on. Yes, the landfill case. Now, here’s what I want you to do.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Autopsies are a necessary evil in death investigations, but Jack thought the practice barbaric. With all the advances made in technology, he was surprised the medical field hadn’t kept up. Maybe in twenty years a detective would merely have to scan the deceased person with his iPhone and a computer would tell the detective everything he needed to know. Maybe Apple would come out with an iAutopsy app.
“Earth to Jack,” Liddell said, nudging him.
Jack looked up in time to see Detective Larry Jansen standing in the conference room doorway.
“I didn’t know you attended autopsies,” Jack said.
“Deputy Chief Dick called me in.” The rumpled detective looked around the autopsy room, daring anyone to challenge him.
“I guess Dick wants to double the detectives on this one,” Liddell quipped.
“When is this going to start? I ain’t getting any younger here,” Jansen said, taking a notebook out of an inner pocket and holding it close to his chest while he scribbled something.
“Not that I don’t trust you, Larry,” Jack said, taking his cell phone from his pocket. He made a call to Captain Franklin and spoke briefly, then hung up and said, resigned, “The captain says he’s working with us.”
“Mike Jones, Harrisburg PD,” Jones said, and briefly shook Jansen’s hand. He sensed the bad blood in the air, but Jack didn’t make any attempt to explain.
Lilly poked her head in from the hallway. “Doc’s ready.”
Dr. John stepped on the pedal that operated a microphone suspended over the autopsy table and began reciting. Sergeant Walker was on hand to snap digital photos from every angle while Dr. John examined the decapitated head of Nina Parsons. “We have the head and right arm of a white female. Approximately thirty years of age, dark hair about thirty-five centimeters in length, blue eyes, no obvious scars or blemishes. The flesh of the face shows evidence of animal activity with partial skull exposure, the skull itself being intact.”
Dr. John washed detritus from the open wounds and continued on in medical speak, but Jack quit paying attention. If Dr. John wanted him to notice something, he