Genesis

Chapter 25

May 9th

5:05 P.M.

Aria’s phone buzzed fifteen minutes after leaving the GenealogyDNA building. She’d decided to power walk the two miles or so back to the OCME rather than hail a cab or rideshare. Not only could she enjoy the early spring weather, she could use the exercise. She also thought that going by foot, at least from the west side of Manhattan to the east side, might even be faster since she’d be avoiding rush-hour cross-town NYC traffic, which had become appalling.

The display on her phone said the call was from David Goldberg. She answered.

“I’m glad I got you,” David said. “Kera Jacobsen’s mother just arrived from LA. She’s in the OCME ID area up at 520 and will be confirming the identification. I’m on my way over there to talk with her about my investigation. Are you there now?”

“No, but I’m on my way,” Aria said. “I should be there soon, certainly before six.”

“Are you interested in talking with her?” David asked.

“Maybe.” At this point she didn’t think the mother could add much, but then again, it couldn’t hurt. “Actually, yes. I think I would like to ask her a few questions.”

“Okay, that should work. We’ll probably be in one of the ID rooms. Come and join us if you’d like.”

Aria disconnected and seriously picked up her pace. Once she got across town, she took a cab up First Avenue, where the traffic was heavy but not stop-and-go. By the time she arrived at the OCME, the trip had taken just over a half hour, which wasn’t bad considering the time of day. As David Goldberg suggested, she found him in one of the cubicles used by the ID team to show family members or other people pictures of the deceased for identification purposes. Digital images were used now instead of Polaroids although family members could see the body itself if they demanded to do so. Few did. The blank room had a Formica desk supporting a computer monitor and a box of tissues. There were also a half dozen molded plastic chairs.

As soon as David saw Aria in the doorway, he stood up. “Dr. Nichols, I’d like you to meet Shirley Jacobsen.” Shirley extended a limp hand in her direction but didn’t stand. Aria ignored the gesture. She didn’t want to make this meeting last any longer than necessary. She leaned her backside against the edge of the desk and folded her arms. To her Shirley looked like a lot of middle-aged Scandinavians she’d met: small features, high cheekbones, and a slightly sallow complexion that suggested she lived in Minnesota, not Los Angeles. Her watery, cornflower-blue eyes reminded Aria of Kera’s, at least in terms of color. The same was true with the hair that probably had been blond but was now a light brown with dark roots. Unlike Kera, Shirley had a few gray hairs mixed in. It was obvious the woman had been crying.

“I only have a few questions,” Aria said. “I understand that your daughter, Kera, had broken up with a long-term boyfriend before coming to NYC this past fall, and his name, I believe, is Robert Barlow. Is that correct?”

“Yes,” Shirley said, taking a deep breath. “But Kera was okay with it, and actually used the breakup as the motivation to come here, which had always been her dream. As far as I know she wasn’t upset about the relationship ending, certainly not to the extent of starting to use drugs.”

“Did she use drugs in high school?” Aria asked.

“Not at all,” Shirley said. “I mean, like all teenagers, she tried pot but didn’t particularly like it, as far as I know. She was always very open with me about what was going on in her life. Same with my younger daughter. Neither of them were ever into drugs. That’s why this shocks me so.”

“As far as you are aware, did Robert Barlow ever visit your daughter here in New York, particularly a couple of months ago?”

“No. I’m sure not,” Shirley said. “Kera would have told me. Besides, he’s a medical student and never goes anywhere. That had always been a bone of contention between Kera and him and might have been one of the reasons they went their separate ways.”

“Mr. Goldberg told me yesterday that you had mentioned on the phone that Kera had recently seemed a bit depressed when you spoke to her. Is that correct?”

“Yes, it is,” Shirley said. “But just over the last few weeks. It was vague at first. My younger daughter and I attributed it to her having trouble dealing with the weather or just homesickness, and we thought it was just a temporary thing and would pass with spring coming. But then she surprised both of us the last time we spoke, just a few days ago, by suggesting she was thinking of coming back to Southern California. That was a huge change. Up until then, we both thought she loved the city and would become a real New Yorker.”

“Did Kera talk about any of the people she was meeting here?” Aria asked.

“Absolutely,” Shirley said. “She spoke frequently about Madison Bryant, one of her fellow social workers, particularly through the fall. My understanding was that they were very close.”

Aria wondered what Shirley Jacobsen would say if she told her that at that very moment Madison Bryant was down the street in an intensive-care unit at Bellevue after being run over by a subway train. New York hadn’t been so good to either woman. “What about romantic relationships?” she questioned, struggling with exactly how she was going to bring up the issue of the pregnancy without actually violating HIPAA rules. At first, she thought about ignoring HIPAA, but with David Goldberg sitting right there, she knew she’d be taking a serious risk.

“She didn’t say anything about meeting any men,” Shirley said.

“Did you find that a little strange?” Aria asked. “Supposedly, there are a lot of available and desirable men here.” Aria had to bite her tongue, knowing that she didn’t believe what she had just said. She hadn’t found any, but then again, she hadn’t been looking.

“I guess it did cross my mind,” Shirley said. “But I assumed it was just a matter of time. In the meantime, it seemed to me that Kera was too wrapped up doing all the cultural things New York has to offer.”

“Although the final toxicology report hasn’t come back yet, the rapid test of the drug your daughter was using was an opioid-fentanyl mix,” Aria said. “We believe that she was not a habitual user but rather had just started. We’d like to find out, if we can, where she obtained the drugs she was using.”

Shirley nodded to indicate she was following Aria’s line of reasoning. She also dabbed the corners of her eyes with a tissue she was holding.

“We also believe that she was involved in an intimate relationship with someone who has yet to step forward. We’d like to find him and question him about the drugs. Do you have any idea whatsoever who this individual might be?”

“I don’t,” Shirley said. “Like I said, Kera didn’t say anything about being in a relationship. She would have told me.”

“It seems that there was some secrecy involved, so I’m not surprised she didn’t say anything to you. But to be clear, we’re sure she was involved with someone.”

For another few beats Aria stared at Shirley, racking her brain about whether there was anything else this woman might be able to provide. When she couldn’t think of anything, she looked over at David’s doughy face to see if he had anything at all to add, but it was clear that he didn’t. She then pushed away from the desk and left.

Aria’s intent was to go out to the public lobby and order a rideshare to get home. She was exhausted from getting so little sleep the night before and practically running across Manhattan. But when she got out there, she had another thought. Dr. Montgomery had told her on several occasions to keep her up to speed on her progress. Believing the coup of procuring the services of at least a dozen computer geeks schooled in ancestral DNA to work on finding Lover Boy was an accomplishment in and of itself, Aria felt an irresistible urge to see if Dr. Montgomery was still on the premises. She had had the impression the chief didn’t think she was going to be successful finding the identity of the fetus’s father; getting an entire team of experts involved suggested otherwise. Although Aria rarely sought affirmation of her efforts, she thought this instance deserved it, even though she had no intention of explaining how she had managed to pull it off.

Although it was only about a quarter to six, Aria found the front office completely deserted. All the secretaries had departed for the day, leaving just their hypnotic screen savers running in constant loops. The only other artificial light was spilling out of the chief’s office, suggesting she alone was still at work.

Aria advanced to the open door and looked in. Laurie was at her desk, hands supporting her head with elbows on the surface, poring over massive blueprint pages. Without knocking or announcing herself, Aria walked in and went to the same chair facing the desk she’d sat in that morning. Although she knew she’d been quiet, thanks to the carpeted floor and her sneakers, Aria was amazed Laurie hadn’t seen her out of the corner of her eye or even sensed her presence. It was obviously a tribute to Laurie’s ability to concentrate.

Once she was seated, she watched Laurie for a few beats before pretending to clear her throat. Reacting to the sudden noise and with an obvious sense of surprise, Laurie’s head popped up. Seeing Aria, she let her hands drop to the desk’s surface. The two women stared at each other for another couple of beats before Laurie spoke: “Such a surprise! I didn’t expect to see you tonight.”

“You told me to keep you informed of my progress locating Lover Boy,” Aria said with a self-satisfied smile. “I’ve had a stroke of luck that I thought you might find interesting. Although I’m not prepared to reveal how I managed it, I’ve arranged to have ancestral DNA analysis for Kera Jacobsen and her fetus in record-breaking time, meaning overnight, whereas under normal circumstances it takes weeks if not more than a month to produce what they call ‘kits.’ On top of that feat, there’s going to be an entire team of ancestral DNA computer geeks from a company called GenealogyDNA here in New York City who will be analyzing the results so that burden is not going to fall on a novice like me. If ancestral DNA can find Lover Boy, it’s going to happen sooner rather than later.”

Laurie stared at Aria, trying to understand the person she was looking at. It wasn’t easy, and Laurie knew she was no psychiatrist. Nor did she really have the mental energy to deal with yet another conundrum considering what she was up against, facing imminent major surgery and the other problems of running a busy organization with more than a thousand employees. The problem of Dr. Aria Nichols had to be relegated to a lower status from her perspective and handled by the director of education, even if Chet was struggling with his own issues. There was always the chance that Jack could actually help as he offered, provided he didn’t make things worse.

“That’s terrific,” Laurie said at length, and not knowing what else to say. In actuality, she was impressed. As both she and Jack had said, the promise of ancestral DNA contributing to forensics was intriguing.

“I just thought I should let you know since you asked,” Aria said. She stood up. She still had the same complacent smirk on her face, as if enjoying Laurie’s bewilderment. “I’ll let you know as soon as I learn more.”

“Yes, please do,” Laurie said. She then watched as Aria headed for the door without a goodbye, just as she’d done that morning. Laurie called out to her, bringing her to a stop: “Excuse me, Dr. Nichols. Thanks for keeping me up to date on your progress. It sounds encouraging, but I want to mention something else. It was brought to my attention that you haven’t been arriving here at seven thirty as you were told to at the start of your rotation. I’d like you to be on time for the rest of the month. And in the future, I would prefer that you announce yourself when you come to my office.”

Aria didn’t respond, though the smile disappeared. A moment later she was gone.