Chapter 5 : A New Case
1025 Words
The next morning.
When Ethan returned to the laboratory, he still couldn't stop thinking about what had happened the night before.
He was beginning to suspect that those images hadn't been dreams.
But if they weren't dreams…
then what were they?
Ethan sat at his desk.
He picked up a pen.
His fingers touched the barrel.
Nothing happened.
He waited a few seconds.
Still nothing.
He picked up the coffee mug beside his computer.
Again, nothing.
Ethan slowly put the mug down.
At least it didn't happen every time he touched something.
That was a small relief.
But he still had no idea what it meant.
He was still thinking about it when someone knocked on the laboratory door.
“Ethan.”
Ethan looked up.
Professor Harrison stood in the doorway.
“Got a minute?”
“Sure.”
Harrison stepped inside and placed a folder on the desk.
“The police department has been pretty busy lately.”
Ethan glanced at the folder.
“A lot of cases?”
“They've got quite a backlog.”
Harrison pulled out the chair beside him.
“The evidence unit is short-staffed, so they contacted the university. They're looking for forensic science students who can help with some of the workload.”
Ethan didn't answer right away.
Harrison looked at him.
“I put your name forward.”
“Mine?”
“Yours.”
Ethan looked at the folder.
“What would I be doing?”
“Basic evidence handling, organizing case files, assisting with scene documentation.”
Harrison paused.
“Obviously, you won't be conducting official examinations. You'll be assisting the department.”
Ethan nodded.
That didn't sound unreasonable.
Harrison slid a form across the desk.
“One more thing.”
Ethan looked up.
“This will count toward your graduate practical assessment.”
“Assessment?”
“That's right.”
Harrison nodded.
“If you do well, it'll help with your evaluation this semester.”
Ethan was quiet for a couple of seconds.
“How much does it help?”
Harrison smiled.
“So that's what you're really interested in?”
“Of course.”
Harrison shook his head.
“The exact amount depends on your performance.”
Ethan picked up the folder.
“When do I start?”
“You can report there today.”
Ethan turned a page.
“Then I'll go now.”
That afternoon, Ethan walked into the evidence unit at the Boston Police Department for the first time.
It was nothing like the university laboratory.
Phones rang.
Printers hummed.
People moved constantly through the room.
Officers hurried past carrying folders.
Someone stood at the counter logging evidence.
Several officers were checking sealed evidence bags that had just come in.
The staff member assigned to Ethan was a man named Tom.
He was in his forties and looked like he'd already had a long day.
“You're the student from the university?”
“Ethan Cole.”
“Forensic science?”
“Graduate student.”
Tom nodded.
“All right.”
He placed several folders on the desk.
“Start by organizing these case files.”
Ethan sat down.
Crime scene photographs.
Evidence lists.
Preliminary reports.
The victim's information.
He settled into the work almost immediately.
This was familiar territory.
Scene photographs, evidence locations, bloodstain documentation, and the initial descriptions written by investigators.
He went through the material piece by piece.
About half an hour later, Ethan stopped at one of the photographs.
It showed the living room of an apartment.
A man was lying on the floor beside a couch.
There was a significant amount of blood on the floor.
Ethan found the corresponding scene report.
It stated:
The victim was found beside the couch.
The preliminary assessment suggested that the victim had been injured and then collapsed.
Ethan looked at the photograph again.
His brow tightened.
“Tom.”
“What?”
Tom walked over.
Ethan enlarged the photograph.
“Here.”
“What am I looking at?”
Ethan pointed toward the floor.
“The bloodstains.”
Tom looked down at the image.
“What about them?”
“The report says the victim collapsed here.”
Ethan pointed to the area beside the couch.
“But the main bloodstain pattern isn't concentrated around that position.”
Tom said nothing.
Ethan continued.
“If the victim was injured here and went straight down, I'd expect the blood distribution to be closer to the final position.”
He pointed to another area.
“But there's blood farther away from it.”
Tom frowned.
“You think…”
“I don't know.”
Ethan looked at the photograph.
“But I think something doesn't add up.”
He paused.
“All I can say for certain is that the photograph doesn't completely match the description in the report.”
He looked at the image again.
“The victim may have been moved after falling. Or there could be another explanation.”
Tom was quiet for a moment.
“You sure?”
Ethan shook his head.
“If the scene is still intact, it would be better to check it again.”
“The scene's still sealed.”
Tom picked up the photograph.
“I'll call the detective in charge.”
He stepped away and made a phone call.
Ethan said nothing.
He picked up another file and continued working.
A few minutes later, Tom came back.
“They're going back to the scene.”
Ethan looked up.
“When?”
“Now.”
Tom placed the photograph back on the desk.
“The evidence unit is sending someone to document it again.”
Ethan nodded.
He thought that was the end of it.
Then Tom looked at him.
“Oh, and you're coming with us.”
Ethan looked up.
“Me?”
“You found the problem.”
Tom said:
“You can point out what you noticed while we re-document the scene.”
Ethan hesitated.
“They agreed to that?”
“I already cleared it.”
Tom picked up his jacket.
“The detective in charge has no problem with it.”
Ethan stood.
“All right.”
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