Робин Кук - Genesis

“So ‘Lover Boy’ is what you’ve decided to call the missing father?” Laurie said.

“Yeah,” Aria said. “Seems appropriate. My sense is that they didn’t do a lot of socializing. I think they just met at her place for sex, which was most likely his decision, not hers, which makes me guess he is married.”

“It seems to me that you are making a lot of assumptions.”

“You wouldn’t think so if you’d been forced by your nanny to watch as many soap operas when you were a kid as I did,” Aria said.

“Perhaps,” Laurie said, feeling sorry for Aria and the kind of childhood she must have had. “But I think I should point out that calling the missing father ‘Lover Boy’ sounds distinctly pejorative. I need to remind you that as the forensic pathologist on the case, you should try to stay neutral and unemotional. Our job is to get at the truth of the manner and cause of death, and let other people cast blame if it’s warranted.”

“To me that’s just a lot of bullshit,” Aria said. “Please, no lectures! I got enough lecturing this morning watching the gunshot autopsy. Maybe maintaining neutrality is the goal you people strive for, but it isn’t realistic. Not for me, and not for your hubby yesterday afternoon. I could hear him and that cop carrying on about how they felt about the shithead that dunked that poor child into a bathtub of scalding water. I feel the same about Lover Boy. I want to find him.”

“On some cases it’s hard to remain emotionally neutral. I give you that. Regardless, the more unemotional you force yourself to remain, the better job you’ll do. Trust me. Forensic pathology is a fantastic resource for a ton of reasons, including helping law enforcement. But it has its limitations, and this Jacobsen tragedy might be one of those cases where it can’t answer all the questions. Unless we learn something unusual from Toxicology or get a surprise about someone else’s fingerprints or DNA on the syringe, I believe we’re going to have to sign it out as an accidental overdose. Tell me, did you do the dictation of the autopsy as you said you would do?”

“No, I didn’t,” Aria said. “I’ll do it this morning. I’ve been busy since we finished yesterday.”

“It’s best to do the dictation immediately after the case to keep from forgetting important details,” Laurie said, hearing the mild accusatory tone in her voice.

“Relax,” Aria said. “I’m not going to forget any details. Trust me.”

“I’ll trust you only after I read the autopsy report, and it is complete,” Laurie told her.

“I spent most of the night studying some new stuff,” Aria said. “I think forensic pathology has a lot more to add to this case. Despite the brick wall, I think it can find Lover Boy.”

“And how do you imagine that might happen?”

“By taking advantage of the fact that the NYU OCME possibly has the biggest and best DNA lab in the world.” Aria moved forward in the chair as evidence of her excitement. “What needs to happen is that the Molecular Genetics Department has to team up with ancestral DNA or genetic genealogy companies. Genetic genealogy has overnight become a powerful tool now that fifteen million people plus have been encouraged by the companies to have their DNA added to the ancestral database.”

For a few beats, Laurie stared at the pathology resident sitting in front of her while she struggled to figure out how to respond. Laurie could immediately sense the woman’s enthusiasm and commitment, which she appreciated and didn’t want to suppress. After all, one of her goals for having done the Kera Jacobsen autopsy with her was to get a struggling resident interested enough in forensics to perform adequately to avoid a potential brouhaha between the NYU Department of Pathology and the NYU Department of Forensic Pathology. Yet the idea of the OCME using ancestral DNA as part of the forensic investigation was inherently flawed, and from an administrative point of view a nonstarter.

“I can sense your disbelief,” Aria said in response to Laurie’s silence. “I have to admit, that was my initial reaction as well. Ironically enough, it was Kera’s friend and coworker who brought up the notion by reminding me of the relatively recent apprehension of the Golden State Killer in California. Do you remember that? It was all over the news.”

“Of course I remember that case,” Laurie said.

“Did you know that they went back to find common great-great-great-grandparents who lived in the early 1800s in order to find the guy? Then they had to construct some twenty-five family trees with thousands of relatives, but they still found him. It’s pretty remarkable when you think about it.”

“I agree,” Laurie said. “But finding the Golden State Killer was different from what we’re facing with Kera Jacobsen. They had the killer’s DNA. It was just a matter of law enforcement matching the DNA with a specific individual.”

“That was exactly my response when Madison Bryant suggested the idea to me,” Aria said. “But I had no idea how this genetic genealogical field has progressed scientifically over just the last few years, and how popular it has become. Overnight it’s practically created a virtual army of homegrown genealogists who are truly dedicated. At first these people were interested in uncovering their personal family tree, but then they seemed to get hooked and now are eager to help other people solve their issues. I think we could get a virtual army working on Kera’s case.”

“Well, that’s all very interesting,” Laurie said. “But there’s a reality here that I must bring to your attention above and beyond the problem of us not having the father’s DNA.”

“We might not have the father’s complete DNA, but with the fetus’s DNA we have fifty percent of it right off the bat. We also have the mother’s DNA, so we don’t have to guess which half of the fetus’s DNA comes from the father. Interestingly enough, this situation turns out to be exactly the same as an individual who was conceived with donor sperm. Many of these people are very interested in finding their genetic fathers if for no other reason than to feel genetically connected. Entire websites and organizations have popped up just to help these people, along with fascinating statistical tools to help them find genetic matches in the vast DNA database, which is expanding on a day-to-day basis. I’m sure that it will work.”

Laurie cleared her throat, not sure how to begin explaining to Aria that her suggestion wasn’t about to happen. With her elbows on the desk, Laurie tented her hands and looked her straight in the eyes. Aria stared back with even more intensity, absolutely confident in what she had just said.

“It sounds to me that you’ve given this idea some serious thought,” Laurie said, wanting not to sound too negative in light of Aria’s zeal.

“You bet your ass,” Aria said. “I stayed up most of the night reading about genetic genealogy. It’s surprisingly complicated stuff, which I am amazed has been absorbed and understood by so many people trained in neither biology nor statistics.”

“I hate to break this to you, Aria, but unfortunately, there is a legal restriction here that is insurmountable.”

“Oh, come on,” Aria snapped. Her mouth dropped open in shock. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Laurie gritted her teeth at Aria’s choice of words. “I know you like to speak your mind,” she said. “But in my presence, I ask you to refrain from vulgarity.”

Aria rolled her eyes.

“I see you don’t agree,” Laurie said. “Well, be that as it may, I need to tell you that here in New York State we have a Commission of Forensic Science established by law. One of the commission’s major roles is accreditation of DNA laboratories, which is necessary if DNA results are to be accepted in the court of law. The OCME Molecular Genetics laboratory is accredited, as I’m sure you are aware, and we must maintain that accreditation, which requires constant effort. Commercial genealogy companies are not accredited DNA laboratories, and if our lab has anything to do with them, we would instantly lose our accreditation. Do you understand?”