Body of Proof

Oh, why, thank you, sir.

I thought you were supposed to have the day off today.

Had the whole thing planned out...

a new book, an old Bordeaux,

and some stinky cheese.

So what happened?

Short-staffed, I guess.

Dr. Matheson's wife had a baby.

Oh! I didn't even know he was married.

I'm shocked.

You printed it, right?

Turn the infernal thing off, would you?

Good morning, detective.

Soon to be afternoon

then night, and the whole monotonous shebang,

just "Groundhog Days" back up on itself.

This girl could be hardly more than 24.

23. Elena Rosas. ID Says she's from Wynnefield.

The body was discovered by the maid

after she heard the gunshot.

Did she have any personal belongings, luggage?

Just a purse. There was a cell phone and a wallet,

but no money or car keys.

Maybe a robbery gone bad, huh?

She's well-groomed, nicely dressed.

She doesn't belong here.

There is a distinct lack of blood around the body,

and people don't usually die from a single gunshot wound to the arm.

And here's where you tell me she's actually made of straw

or was born with three hearts.

How about instead you just give me the cause of death

so I can move on with my day?

I'd be happy to, detective, if I knew what it was.

Our victim paid cash and didn't sign the register.

Imagine that.

What was she doing in this place?

I doubt it was for the continental breakfast and the free Wi-Fi.

Maybe she's a prostitute.

She was wearing a business suit.

That's not exactly the sexiest outfit.

Unless you're into that sort of thing.

Anyway, in typical no-tell motel fashion,

our manager knows nothing,

except that she showed up in a car and, I quote,

"one of those boxy japanese jobs."

And now it's gone.

Okay. Hey, what's up with Bud today?

Oh. Again?

Yep. It's gonna be one of those days.

Oh, sorry. Uh, I was just rearranging your instruments.

The new deaner had them completely out of order.

How do you know what order I want them in?

Well, you know,

they don't call me "Eagle Eye Ethan" for nothin'.

Nobody calls me that.

Hey.

Hey. What was that all about this morning at the crime scene?

What was what all about?

You and Sam... the... the arched eyebrows, the sighing.

You mean to tell me you didn't notice?

There was a murder victim to attend to.

I think that takes precedence over...

whatever it is you're going to tell me.

Bud's mood? The... the way he was barking at everybody?

Uh, isn't he always like that?

Bud is having problems with his wife again.

I thought he was divorced.

You know, if you applied

that laser focus you have to the people around you,

you wouldn't have to ask.

Elena Rosas looks to be

in very good physical condition.

She has two lacerations on the gums

above the right upper lateral incisor.

Some kind of dry liquid on her blouse.

Run that after you put the clothes

- on the drying rack, please. - No problem.

Also swab this right forefinger.

Looks like there's some kind of blue ink on it.

Bruises on the right forearm.

Matching ones on her left.

Hmm. Cuts in the mouth, bruises on the arm.

Looks like she might have tried to fight off her killer.

That's why she didn't bleed very much.

- It's an ABC wound. - ABC?

"A" being the initial entry wound.

The bullet travels through the arm,

providing "B," the exit wound.

And "C" is the reentry wound into her torso.

And the arm was pressed against the body as she fell,

preventing blood loss.

So she was killed by a shot in the arm.

Let's get some pictures.

There's the bullet. It's in bad shape.

It's not unusual,

since it impacted several bones on its way in.

Looks like it punctured the ascending aorta.

She bled out internally.

So that's our cause of death.

I know that Bud and Sam are tearing that motel room apart,

but it's gonna be near impossible

for them to tie a deformed bullet to the shooter's gun without the striations.

Megan.

Come back to me.

Look at that.

Surgical clips.

She had brain surgery.

I have to see what was done to her.

Once a neurosurgeon...

Scarring looks to be at least... a few years old.

Clean sutures. Nice work.

Oh, my God.

What? What is it?

This girl...

she was one of my patients.

Body of Proof 1x03 - Helping Hand Original air date April 5, 2011

How are you doing?

How could I not recognize a former patient?

I'm still wondering what tipped you off exactly.

Neurosurgeons all perform surgery in their own unique way.

It's... it's almost like a signature.

Some drill more than one hole in the skull,

and for that particular surgery, I usually drilled three.

I also beveled the bone edges so that they were smoothed,

and used 5-millimeter burr hole covers to cap the bone removal.

- And those surgical clips... - Medical file came for you.

From Northeast General... isn't that where you...

You're welcome. Isn't that where you used to work?

Elena Rosas was one of her patients.

Six years ago.

She had an arteriovenous malformation in her brain.

Abnormal tangle of blood vessels. It forms before birth.

You can live your whole life and not even know you have one,

but she slipped near a swimming pool,

causing hers to rupture. Hmm.

You saved her life.

You think that would make me remember her.

Megan, you've had hundreds of patients, before and after. You can't

- possibly be expected to remember... - Wait. I do remember her.

I couldn't embolize the deep feeders

from the left middle cerebral artery

because of the risk of aphasia, so I mobilized the A.V.M. nidus.

- That's good, right? - I can't remember Elena Rosas as a patient,

but I can remember her as a surgical procedure?

- A lot's changed since then. - Has it?

Where you going?

I am going to apologize to her the only way I can...

try to find her killer.

Excuse me. I was told to see...

Dr. Hunt?

Mr. Rosas.

Oh, hey. Ethan, did you run those trace samples on Elena Rosas?

Yeah, yeah, uh, the blue dye on her finger was too diluted to get a reading on,

but the crusty trace on her... blouse was milk.

- Milk? What kind? - Uh... human.

Go ahead and say it, Ethan.

Breast milk. Go on.

Okay, I don't have to. You just did.

So her baby spit up on her.

Except Elena wasn't lactating,

and we didn't see any changes in the shape of her cervical os.

So she's never even been pregnant.

Well, whose baby was it then?

Uh, well, we... that test really doesn't give us a name.

Or am I missing something?

I didn't expect to see you here.

You're, uh, no longer with Northeast, uh, General?

Uh, no, I... I gave up my practice a few years ago.

I'm a medical examiner now.

Oh, so you've seen...

my baby?

I am so sorry, Mr. Rosas.

You know...

you were actually a big influence on her.

- I was? - Yeah. You... you remember.

Uh, Elena's mother died when she was very young.

Uh, she grew up without many women around,

no role models.

And then she fell and needed the operation.

When she opened her eyes again,

you were the first thing she saw...

this brilliant woman who...

gave her her life back.

She decided then she...

wanted to make a difference,

like you.

Thank you for telling me that.

She became a social worker

with, uh, Child Protective Services.

She sounds like an admirable young woman.

She was...

hardworking, selfless,

never took time for herself.

I urged her to move out of the house,

to find somebody.

Maybe...

start her own family.

She said there were too many other families

to take care of first.

Oh, how could anybody do this to her?