Karin Slaughter - Blindsighted

"It's what she said, anyway," he answered.

The room was quiet but for the compressor on the freezer cycling down. Sara went back to the autopsy, using clamps to section off the small and large intestines. They were limp in her hands, like wet spaghetti, as she lifted them out of the body. Julia Matthews had not eaten anything of substance during the last few days of her life. Her digestive system was relatively empty.

"Let's see," Sara said, placing the intestines on the grocer's scale to weigh them. A metallic clink came, like a penny being dropped into a tin cup.

"What's that?" Jeffrey asked.

Sara did not answer him. She picked the intestines back up, then dropped them again. The same noise came, a tinny vibration through the scale. "Something's in there," Sara mumbled, walking over to the light box mounted on the wall. She used her elbow to turn on the light, illuminating Julia Matthews's X rays. Her pelvic series was in the center.

"See anything?" Jeffrey asked.

"Whatever it is, it's in the large intestines," Sara answered, staring at what looked like a splinter in the bottom half of the rectum. She had not noticed the sliver before or had assumed it was a problem with the film. The portable X ray in the morgue was old and not known for its reliability.

Sara studied the film for another few seconds, then walked back to the scale. She separated the terminal ileum at the ileocecal valve and carried the large intestines to the foot of the table. After using the faucet to clean off the blood, she squeezed her fingers down from the base of the sigmoid colon, searching for the object that had made the noise. She found a hard lump about five inches into the rectum.

"Hand me the scalpel," she ordered, holding out her hand. Jeffrey did as he was told, watching her work.

Sara made a small incision, releasing a foul odor into the room. Jeffrey stepped back, but Sara did not have that luxury. She used the pickups to remove an object that was approximately a half inch long. A rinse under the faucet revealed that it was a small key.

"A handcuff key?" Jeffrey asked, leaning over for a better look.

"Yes," Sara answered, feeling a little light-headed. "It was forced up into the rectum from the anus."

"Why?"

"I guess so that we would find it," Sara answered. "Could you get an evidence bag?"

Jeffrey did as he was told, opening the bag so that she could drop the key in. "Do you think we'll find anything on it?"

"Bacteria," she answered. "If you mean fingerprints, I seriously doubt it." She pressed her lips together, thinking this through. "Turn the lights off for a second."

"What are you thinking?"

Sara walked toward the light box, using her elbow to turn it off. "I'm thinking he put the key up there relatively early in the game. I'm thinking the edge is sharp. Maybe it tore the condom."

Jeffrey walked over to the light switch as Sara peeled off her gloves. She picked up the black light, which would highlight traces of seminal fluid.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, and the lights went out.

Sara blinked several times, letting her eyes adjust to the unnatural light. Slowly, she cast the black light along the incision she had made in the rectum. "Hold this," she said, giving Jeffrey the light. She slipped on a fresh pair of gloves and with the scalpel opened the incision farther. A small pocket of purple showed in the opening.

Jeffrey gave a small sigh, as if he had been holding his breath. "Is it enough for a DNA comparison?"

Sara stared at the purplish glowing matter. "I think so."

Sara tiptoed through her sister's apartment, peeking around the bedroom door to make sure Tessa was still alone.

"Tessie?" she whispered, shaking her slightly.

"What?" Tessa grumbled, rolling over. "What time is it?"

Sara looked at the clock on the bedside table. "About two in the morning."

"What?" Tessa repeated, rubbing her eyes. "What's wrong?"

Sara said, "Scoot over."

Tessa did as she was told, holding up the sheet for Sara. "What's wrong?"

Sara did not answer. She pulled the comforter up under her chin.

"Is something wrong?" Tessa repeated.

"Nothing's wrong."

"Is that girl really dead?"

Sara closed her eyes. "Yes."

Tessa sat up in bed, turning on the light. "We've got to talk, Sara."

Sara rolled over, her back to her sister. "I don't want to talk."

"I don't care," Tessa answered, pulling the covers away from Sara. "Sit up."

"Don't order me around," Sara countered, feeling annoyed. She had come here to feel safe so that she could sleep, not to be pushed around by her kid sister.

"Sara," Tessa began. "You have got to tell Jeffrey what happened."

Sara sat up, angry that this was starting again. "No," she answered, her lips a tight line.

"Sara," Tessa said, her voice firm. "Hare told me about that girl. He told me about the tape on her mouth and about the way she was put on your car."

"He shouldn't talk about that kind of stuff with you."

"He wasn't telling it as a point of interest," Tessa said. She got out of bed, obviously angry.

"What are you so pissed at me about?" Sara demanded, standing, too. They faced each other on opposite sides of the room, the bed between them.

Sara put her hands on her hips. "It's not my fault, okay? I did everything I could do to help that girl, and if she couldn't live with it, then that's her choice."

"Great choice, huh? I guess it's better to put a bullet in your brain than to keep it in all the time."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"You know what it means," Tessa snapped back. "You need to tell Jeffrey, Sara."

"I won't."

Tessa seemed to size her up. She crossed her arms over her chest, threatening, "If you don't, I will."

"What?" Sara gasped. If Tessa had punched her, Sara would have felt less shock. Her mouth opened in surprise. "You wouldn't."

"Yes, I would," Tessa answered, her mind obviously made up. "If I don't, then Mom will."

"You and Mom hatched this little plan together?" Sara gave a humorless laugh. "I suppose Dad's in on it, too?" She threw her hands up into the air. "My whole family's ganging up on me."

"We're not ganging up on you," Tessa countered. "We're trying to help you."

"What happened to me," Sara began, her words clipped and precise, "has nothing to do with what happened to Sibyl Adams and Julia Matthews." She leaned across the bed, giving Tessa a look of warning. They could both play at this game.

"That's not your decision to make," Tessa countered.

Sara felt her anger boiling over at the threat. "You want me to tell you how they're different, Tessie? You want to know the things I know about these cases?" She did not give her sister time to answer. "For one, nobody carved a cross on my chest and left me to bleed out in the toilet." She paused, knowing the impact her words would have. If Tessa wanted to push Sara, Sara knew how to push back.

Sara continued, "For another, no one knocked out my front teeth so they could sodomize my face."

Tessa's hand went to her mouth. "Oh, God."

"Nobody nailed my hands and feet to the floor so he could fuck me."

"No," Tessa breathed, tears coming to her eyes.

Sara could not stop herself, even though her words were obviously acid in Tessas ears. "Nobody scrubbed out my mouth with Clorox. Nobody shaved my pubic hair so there wouldn't be any trace evidence." She paused for breath. "Nobody stabbed a hole in my gut so he could-" Sara forced herself to stop, knowing she was going too far. Still, a small sob escaped from Tessa's mouth as she made the connection. Her eyes had been on Sara's the entire time, and the look of horror on her face sent waves of guilt through Sara.

Sara whispered, "I'm sorry, Tessie. I'm so sorry."