Chapter 2 Jaseon ‘Slash’ McKnight Jr
Ding!
The doors of the elevator opened, and I stepped off, entering the basement of Grove’s Memorial.
Immediately, you could feel the eeriness of what took place down here.
With each step taken, the motion lights clicked on and shone from above.
It was a rainy Saturday, the gloominess of the evening setting the tone for how the night would be.
As the automatic doors opened, I entered what the fellas upstairs called the Ice Hotel.
Cold, just like the name, I always welcomed the coolness against my skin.
Many people found it unsettling, but I’ve found it helped me relax for the duties lying ahead.
As I removed my hoodie and hung it on the coatrack, the fluorescent light seemed to beam around the lone body lying strategically in the middle of the otherwise empty room.
Pulling the sheet from the victim’s body, I looked him over as I became accustomed to his anatomy.
Although I was at the crime scene, my superior is the one who spoke to the authorities as he did a visual examination of the victim.
A young black male, Jamal Cummings, was found dead by his child’s mother in the middle of their living room floor from an apparent suicide.
Another day, another cold body for me to dissect.
“Are you ready?” Chief Examiner Massey asked as he entered the autopsy room.
Glancing over my shoulder, I locked eyes with the older white man, who reminded me of a lot of Robin Williams, from his looks to his corny-ass jokes.
“Death by suicide seems to be our quickest exam to conduct, so this should be open and shut. Let’s see what Mr. Cummings has to say to us today. Would you like to lead this one?”
“Are you sure you want that, old man?” I smirked as I geared up in the proper PPE. “You keep this up, and I’ll be taking your job.”
“Imagine that.” He scoffed, causing me to chuckle. The man was old as fuck with one foot in the grave, and the other on a banana peel. “I just want to ensure that if the time ever came, you’re capable.” He placed his rubber gloves on his hands with a loud pop. “Let’s begin, shall we?”
Attaching the small microphone to my smock, I placed the small recorder on the metal table beside me, pressed record, and commenced with the autopsy.
“The day is September twenty-second; the time is two twenty-two hundred pm. The deceased was located at Grove Heights Apartments, unit 2749, near the intersection of Holland’s Corner.
” The time of death and lividity had been determined at the scene.
As soon as the shooting took place, we were informed immediately, so rigor mortis had yet to set in.
Glancing down at the young man, I began to take the proper photographs.
He appeared to be in good health. His body was fit, his skin was healthy, and there were no signs of distress or struggle from the altercation.
“The deceased was found in the middle of his living room floor with an apparent chest wound. The weapon was found near the left side of his body.” I swabbed his fingers with a Q-tip for traces of gunshot residue.
“I will now begin to examine and search for any abnormal markings of the flesh,” I spoke as I stared down at the lifeless body.
Leaning forward, I placed my fingers under his chin, moving the guy’s head from side to side.
“The deceased doesn’t have any visual markings on his head, face, or neck.
” My eyes continued to roam his naked body, stopping at the small hole in his chest. “One gunshot wound to the chest, left side.” Turning him over slightly, I nodded before continuing, “There appears to be no exit wound.”
Putting him back on his back, I decided to go ahead and remove the bullet.
Taking a pair of forceps, I gently entered the wound and removed the small metal piece.
X-rays showed that there were no fragments from the bullets or bone, so the area around the bullet was clean.
Analyzing it momentarily, I placed it in a glass jar so the forensics unit could run ballistics.
Resuming my exam of the body, I was pleased that this appeared to be one of the easier autopsies.
After taking samples from his mouth and teeth for dental identification and blood for toxin screening, I could feel my body come alive.
There was always a certain rush I felt when it was time for me to perform these things.
This time was no different.
After ensuring all specimens were secure, it was now time to open him up and remove his organs.
Taking a scalpel, I began making the Y incision, starting at the left side of his shoulder with a steady hand, slicing him down to his pubic bone.
After repeating the same on his right side, I used clamps to peel back the skin and hold it in place.
After snapping more pictures, it was time to remove the heart.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The sound of the rib shears cracking the bones was music to my ears. Even with the mask covering my nose and mouth, the smell of blood, as well as other bodily fluids, permeated the air.
“Ribs are now broken, giving me access to the breastplate.” I placed the shears on the table and grabbed the bone saw. It took several minutes to get to the heart and lungs. Once removed, they were placed in pans for weighing.
“Organs appear to be healthy with little to no abnormalities.” I placed them inside the pans so Dr. Massey could take the appropriate pictures. “The remainder of the autopsy can commence.”
It took us almost two hours, but all of the proper organ removal was complete.
I sewed the deceased back up as Massey bagged and tagged all of the evidence and fluids for testing.
Once done, I retagged him, rolling him back into the refrigerated compartment to await the arrival of the funeral home chosen by his family.
Right on cue, the doors of the lab opened, and in walked Sheena, the forensic tech.
“Well, good evening, boys…” she sang as she strutted in, glancing over toward the freezer that held the bodies. Visibly, I saw her shiver, causing me to chuckle. “Are you guys finished?”
“I will never understand how you work in forensics but hate looking at dead bodies.” The doctor shook his head as he disrobed.
“To answer your question, Dr. McKnight here will give you what you need.” Peering over his shoulder, he eyed me as he grabbed his clipboard.
“I will write up the report while you get her situated.”
As he walked over to his desk, I could feel Sheena’s eyes on every move I made. Removing my coveralls, gloves, and mask, I disposed of them properly before I walked over to the sink and washed up. Not long after, I felt her body against mine.
“I missed you last night,” her sultry voice whispered in my ear. “Maybe you can meet me at my house when we leave here. My bed’s been cold and lonely.” Reaching around, she placed her soft hands on the front of my scrubs, squeezing my already hardening dick. “How about that?”
Drying my hands, I turned and locked eyes with her lust-filled ones. Slowly, a grin spread across my face, and she knew she had me.
So she thought.
“Sheena, I could be wrong, but I know that’s not your hand on my dick?
” Her eyes went wide as she snatched her hand back instantly.
“You know, for someone who’s scared of the dead, you surely don’t mind giving them a show.
” I nodded toward where the corpse was located. “Say what’s up to our guest, Jamal.”
Dragging her eyes over to the compartment, her eyes bulged as she began to shake in fear. The drawer had somehow opened, exposing the deceased man’s head only.
Jumping back from me, she yelped in fear as she hauled ass over to the cart full of specimens and left the lab.
“You know, you’re going to give your girlfriend a heart attack one day,” Dr. Massey said with his back still turned. “You shouldn’t do that to the ones you love.”
“Mind your business, old man.” I laughed half-jokingly. “Who said anything about love?” I walked over to him and viewed the medical report he was composing. “I’d hold off on the cause of death if I were you.”
“Why?” He turned to me, frowning. “From the positioning of the body, the wound, not to mention the weapon, I’d say it’s an open and closed case.”
“Since when do we make assumptions without gathering the facts?” I arched my brow as I walked over and grabbed my hoodie from the rack.
“With the projectile of the bullet, based on where he and the gun were located, it was impossible for him to shoot himself. Come on, man, think about it. How in the hell would he be able to precisely shoot through the left side of his chest with his left hand? I also bet you my next three checks, Sheena will say that there’s no gunshot—”
Ring! Ring!
Looking from me to his ringing phone, the caller ID showed that forensics was calling.
Eyes back on me, he answered, “Miss Wells....”
“I ran the sample that was swabbed on his hand for gunshot powder. It was void of residue.”
Squinting at me with his lips pursed together, I chuckled as I made my way toward the exit. He’s going to get enough for underestimating me.
“As I was saying, Doc, you might want to reconsider the verbiage on that report before you turn it in. The wound wasn’t self-inflicted.” As the doors opened, I stepped through, but not before glancing back at him. “The cause of death for Mr. Cummings is a homicide.”