The Autopsy of Jane Doe

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1

- It's getting late, officer.

- Sheriff, you gotta

get down here.

- We got an ID on her?

- No, sir.

No relation to Paul and Carol.

- Who's she?

- Well, for now,

she's a Jane Doe.

You got something?

- Nothing was stolen.

Not a scratch on the outside

of the house either.

Doesn't look like

someone broke in.

To me, it looks like

they were trying to break out.

- Cause of death?

- How about we

skip this part tonight?

- Come on,

this one's a soft ball.

- Smoke inhalation.

- You're telling me

that smoke killed Mr. Howard?

- Well, damaged nasal passage

damaged throat, damaged lungs..

- Damaged lungs, yes.

But incompatible with life.

- So, you're saying

that's not the COD?

- I'm saying

look before you leap.

Where did the police

find the body?

- Uh, in his kitchen.

- House on fire.

Front door is 30 feet away

yet, he's not

trying to get there.

Lungs are damaged

but airways not denuded

nearly enough.

- So, he stopped breathing

before that fire

really got going?

- Open him up.

Now.

Now you see here?

Down below the occipital.

- A fracture.

- That explains the swelling

in his brain.

- Subdural hematoma.

That's what did it.

Not the smoke.

Everybody has a secret.

Some just hide them

better than others.

- Some people are better

at finding them.

- You did good.

You'll get there.

- Nobody's even claimed him yet.

He was all alone,

that's why he died.

- He died because

he fell and hit his head.

You got plans tonight?

- Emma wants to go

see a movie at the strand.

- I thought they'd closed

that place down.

- Uh, no, when was the last time

you even went to go

see a movie, dad?

- Uh, she has Alzheimer's

and he's building her a house.

- The notebook?

- Oh, yeah, your mother made me

go and see it with her

for her birthday.

I fell asleep five minutes in.

Yeah.

Are you alright finishing up?

- Yeah.

What's up, Tilden?

Hematoma.

Stanley.

Oh.

Hey, dad!

Stanley got another one.

Dad?

Jesus Christ!

- It's so easy!

- How'd you get down here?

- The key was in the elevator.

- Oh, my god.

- I gotta say, this is not

what I was expecting.

You said it was old but wow.

- I thought we were supposed

to meet out front.

- Well, I got tired of waiting.

- Where, where are you going?

- I'm having a little look.

- Come back.

- God, the place

just keeps going.

- Well, three generations

of Tildens keep expanding

end up with this

state-of-the-art facility.

Hey, come on.

- What's the rush?

- I've been down here all day.

- You got to see me at my job,

why can't I see you at yours?

- You work at a book store.

- Are these all people?

- Just three tonight.

- Can I see one?

- Well, no. No.

You cannot see one.

- Why not?

- Because there's...

Some things you can't

un-see, okay?

- Come on, I can handle it.

- No. No. And my dad

is way too strict.

- Try me.

So, what'll it be?

- Are you serious?

- Are you?

- Hell yeah.

- Pick one.

- Not that one.

The one next to it.

- A body's a body.

- Yeah, well, I pick that one.

What's that for?

- To make sure he's dead.

There used to be a time

it was hard to tell

a comatose person

from a dead one.

So coroners tied bells

to everybody in the morgue.

So if they heard a 'ting'

they knew somebody down there

wasn't quite ready to go.

- So, why do you have one?

- Well, I'm... I'm a bit

of a traditionalist.

- Why did you cover his face?

- There wasn't much

of a face left to cover.

Point blank gun shot blast

tend to do that.

- Who shot him?

- Angle of entry suggests

he did it to himself.

Until we found strychnine

in his system

and judging by the progress it

made through his bloodstream

he was already dead by the time

somebody blew his face off.

- Why would anyone do that?

- You sound like your boyfriend.

Leave the "why" to the cops

and the shrinks.

We're just here

to find cause of death.

No more, no less.

- You don't wanna see that.

- It's alright.

- Look who's easy now.

You should have seen

the look on your face.

- I can't wait to see

the look on your face

when you're not

getting laid tonight.

- Whoa, whoa. Hold on.

Hold on. Hold on.

Not even if I ply you

with popcorn and sourpatch kids?

- You're lucky you're cute.

How do you get used to that?

- You do and you don't.

Sheriff?

- Where's your dad?

- What happened?

- Bring her back here, Sheldon.

- Dad, if you need me to stay...

- oh, don't worry about it.

You two go have your fun.

- Did you see the look

on Burke's face?

I mean, he wouldn't be here this

late if it wasn't important.

- Here we go.

- Well, my dad...

- There it is.

- I can't ditch him.

- So you're ditching me again.

What's he gonna do

when you leave?

- You haven't told him yet?

- No. It's not that simple.

- Wow.

- Babe.

I'm gonna tell him, okay?

Hey, you think I wanna be here?

Down there?

This isn't my life.

I don't wanna be Austin Tilden,

the morgue worker.

Just, he needs my help

right now.

- Come on, it's been two years.

He can take care of himself.

- Come back in a few hours.

We'll catch the midnight show,

grab a drink at Thornton's..

Two drinks.

11 o'clock, I'm all yours.

I promise.

And don't, you know, don't smile

because a smile

means "yes" you know.

I know it's in there.

Now, you're gonna

blow your whole game.

- Maybe.

- You're hot!

- Found her in the basement

of the Douglas' place.

No ID, no fingerprints

in the system.

No one has a clue who she is.

- I don't suppose you know

how she wound up there?

Stanley.

Damn thing gets meaner

by the day.

- Alvarez there was working

at Paul and Carol's place.

My best bet?

He killed our Jane Doe.

Needed a place to dump the body.

Didn't count the Douglas'

being home

or Paul having a .38.

First thing tomorrow,

I'll bring him in

but for now, she's the priority.

- Oh, still, it would

have been nice

to take a look

at the crime scene

- I got four people dead

and no god damn clue

how any of it connects.

- Nobody's pissin'

in your grits here, Shel.

But we do have protocol.

- Press is gonna need answers

on this in the morning

and I got nothing.

Now they'll buy a 10-79.

I can give them

a b and e gone haywire.

But what I can't sell is her.

- Time frame?

- It's gotta be tonight.

- Okay.

You didn't have to come back.

- I know.

- This is the autopsy

of an unidentified female

henceforth known as "Jane Doe."

Performing the autopsy

will be myself

Tommy Tilden, attending coroner.

I will be assisted

by Austin Tilden

certified medical technician.

This autopsy will be

conducted in four stages

beginning with

an external evaluation

followed by

an internal evaluation

of the heart and lungs,

the digestive organs

and finally, the brain.

- We've got some beautiful

weather here

for the next few days.

- Subject is

in her mid to late 20s.

- Appears to be.

- Subject appears to be

in her mid to late 20s.

Caucasian.

Skin appears normal.

No outwards signs

of bleeding or bruising.

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