"The deceased's name is Sophie Ronson, 32 years old. She was one of the bridesmaids who flew in from Los Angeles for the wedding. Ronson didn't go in for makeup and hair that morning, so the bride came looking for her. The cleaner opened the door for her, and they found her in the closet."
As Jack examined the body, Esposito, somewhat annoyed by the medical examiner's slightly exaggerated reaction, briefly explained the situation.
He had the impression that he and Medical Examiner Lannie had been in a secret relationship for a while, and he didn't know if they had started or broken up yet. This kind of behavior was normal.
Medical Examiner Lannie's reaction became much more normal after she learned that Jack was Hannah's boyfriend. Looking at Jack examining the body, her eyes were filled with curiosity. After all, she had seen many arrogant FBI agents, but she had never seen one that would compete with the medical examiner at a crime scene.
"The deceased has cyanosis of the lips and nails, punctate hemorrhages on the facial skin and conjunctivae, and subcutaneous hemorrhage on the neck. Crucially, there are obvious fractures of the laryngeal cartilage and hyoid bone. Therefore, the preliminary cause of death is mechanical asphyxiation and strangulation."
Jack had barely finished speaking when everyone turned to Medical Pathologist Lannie, who shrugged, confirming his accuracy.
"And the time of death?" Beckett continued, seemingly amused.
"Uh," Jack first checked the soles of the corpse's feet, then lifted it slightly to check the back, and finally tried to move the corpse's hands and feet, "Judging only from the livor mortis and rigor mortis, I estimate it was around 3 to 5 in the morning."
Then he pointed to the deceased's left earlobe, "An earring should have been pulled out here, and there is a tear on the earlobe. In addition, there are some strange abrasions on the back of the corpse, which should have been caused before death. The shape is a bit strange."
Kevin nodded, "We searched the entire room and found no earrings. We have printed out a photo of the earring on her right ear and searched the entire hotel."
Forensic doctor Lanny stood up and took off her rubber gloves, rolled her eyes, "It looks like I have nothing to do here."
Of course, this was a joke. The body had to be sent back to the forensic office for a detailed autopsy, such as confirming the strange abrasions on the back, but Jack did say all the judgments the forensic doctor could make at the scene.
The detectives were busy now. The A4 sheet in Esposito's hand contained the guest list from the hotel staff for the wedding. Security footage was still being retrieved, but only the elevator had cameras; there were none in the stairwells or hallways.
A police officer arrived shortly after to report that all wedding guests, including the bride and groom, had been gathered at the bar, and everyone headed there.
The bride, in her white wedding gown, had her back to the group, talking to two bridesmaids in lavender dresses. The bridesmaids appeared to be comforting her.
Jack noticed that Cassel paused as he entered the bar, a strange look crossing his face, as if he were recollecting something.
"What's the name of that unfortunate bride?" Kevin asked, flipping through the list. "Um, her name is..."
Just then, the two bridesmaids left, and the bride turned to face the crowd. Kevin and Cassel simultaneously said the same name.
".Kayla."
"Kayla?"
The bride looked at Cassel in disbelief, her expression changing instantly. The corseted wedding gown, designed to show off her figure, clearly showed her excitement. Her towering chest rose and fell violently several times, and her voice seemed a little whispered, "Rick? Rick Cassel?"
Beckett looked from the bride to Cassel, puzzled. "Do you two know each other?"
Cassel's expression was dull, as if he was lost in some memories for a moment. He stammered a few words, "This is far more than just acquaintance."
The bride, or the lady who should be called Kayla now, looked about the same age as Cassel, in her early thirties, a very beautiful and elegant white person. Uh, girl? Anyway, they were not married, so it should be described as such.
She walked up to Castle, her words almost incoherent with excitement. But it wasn't the kind of excitement a fan might feel when meeting a famous author. It felt more like the reunion of old friends, or, as one psychologist present might accurately describe it, like meeting a first love after ten years apart.
"I've read reports that you're helping the police solve cases, but I never dreamed it. Oh, my goodness, how long have we last seen each other?"
"So long," Castle said, as if lost in memories. A smile played on his lips, his eyes fixed on the girl before him, his voice a dreamlike whisper.
Jack looked at the two men's expressions, then at Beckett, who stood frozen in place, unsure of what to say. A familiar melody from his past life drifted into his mind: "I should have been under the car, not in it."
Well, perhaps it was just his overactive imagination. Given Beckett and Castle's current relationship, it was still too early for things to become clear. This pair of bickering lovers would have to wait at least several years, so Beckett was just feeling a bit of sourness at best.
While there wasn't much drama, just watching Castle's gossip was quite entertaining. In fact, it wasn't just Jack who enjoyed it; Kevin and Esposito were also watching without pausing.
As the conversation continued, Kayla regained some composure, a bright smile on her face. "You really haven't changed at all,"
Kayla said, his lips curling with a smile. "And you look even more beautiful."
The crowd gasped. They'd learned something.
Kayla clutched her chest, still trembling with laughter, literally. "You always have such a way with words. This really is like a dream."
But her expression gradually became bewildered. "Today was supposed to be my wedding day, and instead you showed up."
Seeing this, the crowd's eyebrows shot up. Could something exciting be about to unfold?
"Are you all just sitting around with nothing to do?" Beckett finally lost her patience with the bunch of guys making faces at the side. She couldn't do anything about Jack, but Kevin and Esposito were still under the jurisdiction of her, a senior detective.
"I'll go ask the guests at the wedding." Esposito immediately backed off.
"I'll go too." Kevin was even more frightened and turned around and left with him.
At this time, Beckett's phone beeped twice. She picked up the phone and looked at it, then said to Castle, "Lanni said there was a new discovery."
"I'll be there in a while." Castle didn't even look at her, his eyes always fixed on the bride, Kayla.
Beckett's eyes moved back and forth between the two people who were looking at each other "affectionately", and finally tilted her head without comment, "OK."
"Uh, I'll go with you." Seeing that the onlookers had dispersed and the Shura scene could no longer be played, Jack didn't intend to stay here alone to eat dog food, so he decided to follow Beckett to see if the female forensic doctor had any new discoveries.
(End of this chapter)