Ill see
his
face in my nightmares. And Ewings. The press is already clammering for a new, full investigation. The fact that theyve embraced the story may cause the Senate to open new hearings. That phone call he made to Elizabeths private line after I left his office may just damn him. They wont rest until Ewing does a perp walk on murder charges. And if we find other bones . . .
And Im positive I can persuade Patrice to reopen the Lyons case. Theres nobody to threaten her now, and she deserves every penny she can get.
A good brain in a great body, Jake thought. As do you, Jake said. Youre in desperate need of new clothing.
She didnt take the bait.
Mycrofts discovery of that bone in my study really caused a hulabaloo, huh?
Mycroft, Daddys complimenting you!
Daddy?
Im now the dogs daddy, Jake thought.
Whatll happen to Markis when he gets unhandcuffed from that hospital bed and to Elizabeth?
Youre the lawyer; you tell me.
With our testimony, Markis will be in the pen for the bombing and stabbing for years. Elizabeth is another story. Itll be damn hard to prove shes guilty of murder unless Markis dimes her out. So far, hes not talking or cant talk. Her political careers finished, of course, but full justice well, well have to wait and see.
Dont you want to go after her? After all, youre well known in New Jersey now because of the Carramia case; any judge will be glad to hear you out again.
I lost that case, you turncoat!
He grinned. I know. But this time Ill be
your
star witness.
* * *
Manny parked at the mall site. State troopers were combing through the area while several people, including Ms. Crespy, stood to the side, watching. Theyll use ground-penetrating radar to find the other victims, Jake said. Needless to say, the malls been postponed indefinitely. He helped Manny out of the car. See that fat fellow with the badge and the steam coming out of his ears? Thats Sheriff Fisk. Payoff Fisk, I like to call him. He waved. Sheriff!
Fisk approached, a Rottweiler whod gone without his breakfast. Rosen, he snarled. You have some gall, being here.
And this woman with equal gall is Ms. Manfreda, my trusty associate. Shes a trial attorney, so watch what you say. She gets real mean when provoked.
Manny studied the nails on her left hand. Charmed.
Ms. Manfreda and I are upset, Jake said. Last time we were in Turner, you were downright ungracious. Knew we were there before I called you probably the night watchman saw us at the hospital and alerted you. You refused to see us or even listen to what I had to say. Demanded we get out of town. But were forgiving folk. He marched to within a foot of Fisk and stared into his eyes. You can stay in Turner; its welcome to you. And you wont go to jail like you should. But youll resign as sheriff as of this instant, youll sever all ties with Reynolds Construction and contribute to Baxter Community Hospital whatever moneys you accrued during that relationship, and youll issue a public apology to the citizens you used to serve. He took Mannys arm. Come, Ms. Manfreda. Youre averse to maggots, I know, and I dont want you exposed any more than necessary. He turned back to Fisk. I have complete documentation on all your dealings with Reynolds. So not a peep out of you. Were straight, right? We understand each other, dont we, Fisk?
If Fisk were a balloon, all the air would go out of him. But hes just as full of himself as ever.
He staggered off, muttering, to join the others at the edge of the field.
You were magnificent, Manny told Jake. It was the neatest evisceration Ive seen since we shared that autopsy room.
Marge Crespy, noticing them, blew them a kiss. A shout arose from the far side of the field, and a trooper ran toward them. I found something!
Jake and Manny hurried over. It was a bone. A tibia, Jake breathed. And this ones from a different part of the field. He gazed in wonder at the dirt-covered object in the troopers hand. There
are
other bodies, Manny, and were going to find them. Every family has the right to know what happened to their loved one.
She remembered his enthusiasm the first time she saw him, jumping from the helicopter to look at Terrells body. The same intensity was in him now, electric and dynamic and there was no other way to describe this dear cutter-up of corpses full of life.
If by
we
you mean you, me, and Mycroft, youre right, she promised. Even if it takes a lifetime.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the many people without whom Manny and Jake would not have been born. Our dear friends Haskell and Kay Pitluck, who read and reread every draft; our assistant, Patricia Hulbert, and her family, Todd, TJ, Amanda, and Christina (shes not just our assistant, she and her family are our family, too!), who has shepherded us through our courtship, our marriage, and now this project; Sonny Mehta, our publisher, who supported us from the inception; Leigh Feldman, literary agent, dear friend, and muse; Jordan Pavlin, editor, and believer, who gave us the courage and strength to persevere; the brilliant Alfred A. Knopf team, including Paul Bogaards, Gabrielle Brooks, Nicholas Latimer, Erinn Hartman, Sarah Gelman, Farah Miller, Elizabeth Schraft, Anne-Lise Spitzer, and Janet Baker; Linda Fairstein and husband Justin Feldman, for their encouragement, suggestions, and friendship; Dev Chatillon and Barbara Pederson, our lawyers (Manny loves lawyers); Sondra Elkins, who has fought mightily to keep our records accurate; Clay and Silvia McBride, a wonderful husband and wife photographer and make-up artist team; Colin Lively, hair colorist extraordinaire; Pilar and Paul Conceicao, Mycrofts stepparents; Maria Lago, our second mother; Lois R. Densky-Wolff at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Libraries, Special Collections; Anthony Lento, Linda Savino, and all of our friends at Schneider-Nelson Porsche-Audi, for answering every question imaginable about cars; Nancy Martin and Eugene Melody of Martin Melody, Attorneys at Law, where Linda is Of Counsel; Peter Bogdanovich, who has delightfully helped educate us in the ways of authorship; and Michael Greenfield, for his encouragement and insight. We also thank the FBI and the CIA for so promptly answering our FOIA requests; but most important, we thank the New York State Police especially forensic dentist Dr. Lowell Levine who are in the forefront of forensic science.
We thank our children we love you all so much for their suggestions and encouragement: Trissa, Lindsey, Sarah, and Christopher, their families and our grandchildren; they are our past, our present, and our future. And finally, of course, we thank Mycroft, our red-headed poodle dog-son, who made all of this possible (but thats another story)!
A NOTE ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Michael Baden, M.D., is one of this countrys leading forensic experts. He has overseen cases ranging from the death of John Belushi to the examination of the remains of Tsar Nicholas II, and he has served as an expert witness in countless criminal cases, including the trials of Claus von Bulow and O. J. Simpson. He has been a consulting forensic pathologist to the U.S. State Depart-ment, the FBI, and the Russian government, as well as a visiting professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Albert Einstein School of Medicine.
Linda Kenney has won dozens of civil rights lawsuits and has appeared as a legal analyst on Court TV, CNN, and MSNBC. They live in New York City with their dog, Mycroft.
THIS IS A BORZOI BOOK
PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A. KNOPF
Copyright S 2005 by Michael Baden and Linda Kenney Baden
All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.
www.aaknopf.com
Knopf, Borzoi Books, and the colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Baden, Michael M.
Remains silent : a novel / Michael Baden & Linda Kenney.
p. cm.
This is a Borzoi book.
eISBN 0-307-26426-2
1. Women lawyers Fiction. 2. Forensic pathologists Fiction.
3. New York (State) Fiction. I. Kenney, Linda, 1953 II. Title.
PS3602.A358R46 2005
813s.6 dc22 2005015783
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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