Page 81 of This is Why We Lied

Amanda asked, “And Dave?”

“His epididymis took the brunt of the blow. That’s a coiled tube attached to the posterior side of the testicles that sperm travels through during the ejaculatory process.”

Amanda looked annoyed. She hated medical speak. “Dr. Linton, in plain terms.”

“His balls are bruised in the back. He’ll need to rest, elevate and ice, but he should be fine in a week.”

Since Faith was going to be interviewing Dave, she asked, “Is he on any pain medication?”

“His doctor gave him Tylenol. It’s not my call, but I would’ve prescribed Tramadol, a round of ibuprofen for the swelling, and something for the nausea. The spermatic cord loops from the testicles through the inguinal canal into the abdomen, then back behind the bladder to attach to the urethra at the prostate gland, and finally the urethra goes out to the penis. Which is a long way of saying that Dave experienced a horrific trauma. Then again—” She shrugged. “That’s what he gets for threatening Will with a butterfly knife.”

Faith smelled another criminal charge. “Where’s the knife?”

“Will gave it to the sheriff.” Sara knew what she was thinking. “The blade is under twelve inches, so it’s legal.”

Amanda said, “Not if he was carrying it concealed with the purpose of using it for offense.”

Faith countered, “That’s only a misdemeanor, but if we can tie it back to the murder—”

“Dr. Linton,” Amanda interrupted. “Where is Dave now?”

“He was admitted overnight for observation. The sheriff’s in the room with him. I should add that Dave was wearing a shirt that had a bloody handprint on the front. The sheriff is logging the clothes and personal items into evidence. He should also be taking photos of the scratches on Dave’s torso and neck. The local coroner’s name is Nadine Moushey. She’s already put in an official request for the GBI to handle Mercy’s autopsy.” Sara looked at her watch. “Nadine should be retrieving Mercy’s body from the cottage soon. She told me to meet her downstairs in the morgue at eight.”

Amanda said, “I’ve alerted the SAC overseeing region eight that she needs to oversee transporting the body to headquarters.”

“Are you saying I should step back?”

“Is your input entirely necessary?”

“Do you mean, should a board-certified medical examiner who saw the victim in situ offer her expert opinion during a preliminary physical exam?”

“You’ve developed the habit of asking questions rather than giving answers.”

“Have I?”

Amanda’s expression was unreadable. She was technically Sara’s boss, but Sara had always treated her more as a colleague. And now because of Will, Amanda was in some ways Sara’s mother-in-law, but also not.

Faith broke the stand-off. “Is there anything else we should know?”

Sara said, “There was a backpack at the crime scene. Delilah identified it as belonging to Mercy. Fortunately, the nylon was coated with a fire-resistant chemical. The contents could be interesting. Mercy packed some toiletries and clothes, plus a notebook.”

Faith’s second wind stirred. “What kind of notebook?”

“Composition, something a kid would take to school.”

“Did you read it?”

“The pages were soaked, so it’ll have to go to the lab for processing. I’m more interested in where Mercy was going. It was the middle of the night. She’d had a very public blow-up with her son earlier in the evening. Why was she leaving? Where was she going? How did she end up at the lake? Nadine pointed out that there were plenty of empty cottages if Mercy needed a break from her family.”

“How many?” Faith asked.

“The number is irrelevant,” Amanda said. “Focus on getting a confession out of Dave. That’s how we wrap this up quickly. Correct, Dr. Linton?”

“The Dave part, at least.” Sara looked at her watch again. “Delilah should be outside by now. We’re going to look for Jon.”

Amanda asked, “Does that seem like a good way to spend your honeymoon?”

“Yes.”