Body of Proof Page #8

RIVERS:

So what?

DET. MORRIS

You lost. And Angela Swanson was

murdered yesterday morning.

Rivers stares at him, then notices Megan. She's staring into

the living room at his son.

Christopher Murphey -Body of Evidence -1/11/10 41.

RIVERS:

He hasn't said a word since the

trial. Bad enough getting attacked

by a dog. But attacked by a human

being? That b*tch put him on the

stand and blamed him for

everything.

DET. MORRIS

And how did that make you feel?

RIVERS:

Like killing her, how would it make

you feel?

DET. MORRIS

Where were you yesterday morning at

7 a.m.?

RIVERS:

At work. Alone. I'm a janitor at

Community College of Philadelphia.

DET. BAKER

Did anyone see you there? *

RIVERS:

I said I was alone, didn't I?

DET. MORRIS

(beat)

Where was your son?

Rivers' face darkens. He rises to his feet.

RIVERS:

Get the hell out of my house.

Before Det. Morris can respond, Megan interjects -

MEGAN:

Mr. Rivers, did you know Angela was

attacked by a pit bull when she was

a teenager?

Rivers stares at her. So do the others. What does that

matter?

MEGAN:

I'm sure the trial was hard. I'm

sure you hated Angela for how she

treated your son. But what I don't

understand is how she wound up on

the other side of your lawsuit.

(MORE)

Christopher Murphey -Body of Evidence -1/11/10 42.

MEGAN (CONT'D)

(beat)

Unless she wasn't on the other

side.

More confused looks all around. Except for Rivers and Megan.

They are locked in a stare. Rivers breaks it off with a *

nervous glance at the Detectives -

MEGAN:

Don't worry about them, they're

Homicide. They won't care.

DET. MORRIS

Care about what? What are you

talking about?

Rivers stares at Megan for another beat. And his whole *

demeanor changes. Like she's broken through. He heads to a

cabinet -

RIVERS:

Angela came here the day after the

trial. She told me about her dog.

Showed me her scars. She said

that's why she wanted on the case.

Not to win it but to convince the

Roberts family to settle out of

court. Only she was overruled. If

she wanted to make partner she had

to win and that meant going after

my kid. That's why she came. To *

apologize. And to give me this.

He removes an 8 x 12 envelope and hands it to Megan. She

pulls out various documents.

DET. MORRIS

What are those?

RIVERS:

My grounds for appeal. Information

withheld by the firm. The dog that

mauled my son was an attack dogtrained to do exactly that.

MEGAN:

Mr. Rivers, do you know who

overruled Angela over settling out

of court?

RIVERS:

The lead counsel. Raymond Whitney.

Megan throws a look at Det. Morris.

Christopher Murphey -Body of Evidence -1/11/10 43.

EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING -MOMENTS LATER (DAY 2) *

Megan, Peter and Detectives Morris and Baker huddle up

outside Rivers' building.

DET. MORRIS

So you think Whitney found out she

betrayed him?

Megan looks at him. A breakthrough. He's taking her

seriously.

MEGAN:

It's a theory.

DET. BAKER

I don't get it. She takes a case

to settle it and when that

backfires she hands over privileged

information that will reverse the

case she just won?

PETER:

You're forgetting her unilaterally

lesioned amygdala.

Blank looks from the Detectives. And a rather amused one

from Megan.

DET. BAKER

You want to try English, please? *

MEGAN:

He means Angela's old head injury. *

After her coma she went back to *

work and four things happened: she *

took a case for ulterior motives, *

she had an affair, she violated *

attorney-client privilege, and she *

started calling her mother just to

say hello. Four things I guarantee *

you pre-head injury she wouldn't

have done.

DET. MORRIS

Well, it looks like we'll be *

talking to Whitney again. Without

you, if you don't mind.

Said to Megan not with his usual scorn, but rather with

deference. Another breakthrough.

MEGAN:

I don't mind at all.

Christopher Murphey -Body of Evidence -1/11/10 44.

INT. ME'S OFFICE -AFTERNOON (DAY 2) *

Megan cruises past the front desk. Once again the

RECEPTIONIST does his best to flag her down -

RECEPTIONIST:

Dr. Hunt, the Chief really needs to

see you.

Once again, Megan ignores him. Until, that is,

Philadelphia's first female Chief Medical Examiner, DR. PADMAKRISHNAMURTHY NOORI, age 47, cuts her off in the hallway.

Megan paints on a smile.

MEGAN:

Hello, Chief.

PADMA:

Let's have a talk, shall we?

INT. PADMA'S OFFICE -DAY (DAY 2) *

Elliot sits on the couch practically hidden from view by Semo

standing in front of him. They both watch Megan follow Padma

in. Padma closes the door and circles to her desk where all

the offending paperwork awaits. She addresses Megan -

PADMA:

Elliot tells me he ordered an ANA

panel on your recommendation.

Elliot meekly mouths "Sorry" at Megan. But Megan isn't mad *

at him. On the contrary, she invited this confrontation. *

MEGAN:

So?

PADMA:

So you've been rather profligate

with our lab budget lately. An ANA

panel on a suicide. And now an ANA

panel on a heat stroke victim?

MEGAN:

The suicide left no note. And he *

had a family history of Lou

Gehrig's disease. If he thought he

was symptomatic it would explain

why he took his own life.

PADMA:

We're not interested in the why.

Christopher Murphey -Body of Evidence -1/11/10 45.

MEGAN:

Maybe you're not. Maybe no one

else around here is. But I am, and

if I'm going to understand what

happened to my patients I need the *

latitude to order any test I deem

necessary. If you don't like it, *

fire me.

A stare down. *

PADMA:

What about the heat stroke victim?

MEGAN:

She didn't die of heat stroke.

A double take from Elliot.

ELLIOT:

What?

MEGAN:

She exhibited psychological

symptoms like depression, paranoia?

ELLIOT:

Yeah. Just like you said.

MEGAN:

Then given normal hydration and

electrolytes her ANA panel in all

likelihood shows elevated

anticardiolipin immunoglobulin G

levels.

Padma can't help herself. She glances at the lab sheet.

MEGAN:

Which if it does, means she died of

multiple microinfarcts that were

mistaken for heat stroke but were

in fact due to her being

hypercoaguable. Combine that with

depression and paranoia and we have

a diagnosis of what, Semo?

Semo shifts uncomfortably. He has no clue.

ELLIOT:

Can I see that?

Elliot approaches Padma's desk. She hands over the lab

sheet. He studies it for a beat. And his eyes light up.

Christopher Murphey -Body of Evidence -1/11/10 46.

ELLIOT:

Lupus!

He lowers the sheet to find Padma, Semo and Megan all staring

at him.

ELLIOT:

I would've gotten that eventually.

Megan gives him a droll look.

MEGAN:

Really?

ELLIOT:

Eventually.

Elliot takes his cue from the room and leaves. Megan looks *

back at Padma.

MEGAN:

If there's nothing else, I have my

own case to attend to.

A beat. Padma nods for her to go. Megan exits the office. *

Semo stares at the empty doorway.

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