- 14 hours ago
The Missing DNA - Hot
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Short filmTranscript
00:00There weren't just seven of us who violated her that day, there were nine.
00:11Order! Order in the court!
00:13Defendant, you may continue.
00:15There were nine of us involved, but only seven were ever convicted.
00:19Two others, their DNA was scrubbed clean from the autopsy report.
00:25Order! I said order!
00:27And that report was signed off on by the man she once loved.
00:32The chief medical examiner for the state of Massachusetts, Julian Ashworth.
00:38I want to see Julian Ashworth.
00:40I'm not saying another word until that crooked M.E. is standing in this courtroom.
00:45You are in no position to be making demands, Mr. Malone.
00:49Then I'll just keep my mouth shut.
00:51A few more years, a few less, doesn't change a damn thing.
00:54I'm never getting out anyway.
00:56But don't you people want to know the truth?
00:58The courtroom fell deathly silent.
01:00My soul hovered just above the back benches, watching Travis Malone with pure hatred.
01:05Yes, I'd been waiting for this day too, for the whole truth to finally come out.
01:09The court went into recess.
01:11A call from the Ashford County Courthouse went straight to Julian,
01:14and as his phone began to ring, so did a chorus of church bells.
01:17Doves took flight past a nearby steeple.
01:20The day my case was finally dragged back into the light was the day Julian was getting married.
01:25Champagne-colored roses lined the white aisle runner that led to a cliffside altar.
01:30At the end of that aisle stood Julia, dressed in a carmet three-piece suit,
01:34his gold-rimmed glaft glasses polished to perfection.
01:37Seven years.
01:38He'd gotten thinner, with fine lines now etched around his eyes.
01:42But those gray-green eyes of his, they hadn't changed a bit.
01:45Madeline Kensington glided towards him in an ivory gown with a sweeping trail,
01:50smiling the smile of a woman without a single secret in the world.
01:54The officiant stood beneath a florical arch and said,
01:57Julian, do you take Madeline to be your wife,
02:01to have and to hold from this day forward, for as long as you both shall live?
02:05Julian gazed at the bride before him, his eyes filled with a gentle warmth.
02:09I knew that look all too well.
02:11It was the same way he looked at me, seven years ago to the day.
02:15I do.
02:16Two syllables, not even two seconds.
02:18The guests erupted in applause.
02:21I reached out to doubt touch his face, but my fingers passed right through him.
02:25The moment the platinum ring slid onto Madeline's finger,
02:28I glanced down on my own decaying knuckles.
02:31An identical one was still wrapped around them.
02:33Suddenly, the phone in his inner suit pocket vibrated.
02:36Julian's brow twitched.
02:37A glance at the screen confirmed it.
02:39A call from the Ashford County Courthouse.
02:41He turned to Madeline, giving her a small, apologetic nod.
02:45Dr. Ashford, there's been a development at the trial.
02:48We need you in court.
02:50Can you get here within 20 minutes?
02:51I can.
02:52I'll be there.
02:53Julian Ashford, a titan in the world of forensics.
02:5720 years on the job, 37 murder convictions built on his testimony.
03:02Not a single one ever overturned.
03:04He made his decision in less than a second.
03:06He leaned in, brushing his lips against Madeline's forehead.
03:12Wait for me.
03:15I'm coming with you.
03:1720 minutes later, Julian and his new wife took a seat in the courtroom gallery.
03:22She held onto his arm tightly.
03:24Why did they call you here?
03:25Her voice a nervous whisper.
03:27Julian didn't answer.
03:28His eyes locked onto Travis Manton, cold and critical,
03:32as he was staring at a body, a body on the slab.
03:36Mr. Malone, the man you requested is here.
03:39Dr. Julian Ashfield, chief medical examiner for the state of Massachusetts,
03:43clinical professor at Harvard Medical School.
03:45Here's the witness.
03:46I know who he is.
03:47Travis Draud, tilting his head as his chains rattled.
03:51What I really want to know is,
03:54Dr. Ashfield helping those two bastards cover their tracks?
03:57Did it get you off?
04:04The gavel fell with a sharp crack.
04:07Mr. Malone, do you have any idea what you're alleging?
04:12Crystal clear.
04:14Facts, your honor.
04:15Travis's tone was so confident, it bordered to chalky.
04:19That autopsy report was doctored.
04:22Julian rose to his feet.
04:24He rose slowly, pausing to smooth his cuffs before he spoke.
04:29Your honor, I request permission to address the defendant.
04:33Seriously, the guy's a psycho.
04:35Julian glanced down at her, patting the back of her hand.
04:38His tone was gentle.
04:39I'll be right back.
04:40Dr. Ashfield, approach.
04:42Then Julian descended from the gallery,
04:44crossed the courtroom floor,
04:46and stood directly opposite the defense table.
04:48Only a guardrail stood between me and Travis.
04:51On one side of the rail, Travis Malone.
04:53On the other, Julian Ashworth.
04:58Travis tilted his head,
04:59sizing him up with a strange glint in his eyes.
05:04Big fan.
05:05Caught your forensics lectures from Harvard online.
05:08Good stuff.
05:10Julian didn't take the bait.
05:12Is this your angle?
05:14Accused me of falsifying evidence to try and leverage a plea deal?
05:18Nope.
05:19And I know you're not the one who did it.
05:22I know exactly who set you up to take the fall.
05:25Bullshit.
05:26Julian's voice was as flat and final as a cause of death declaration.
05:31I performed the victim's autopsy myself.
05:33I reviewed the DNA profiles a dozen times.
05:36There were no irregularities.
05:37Is that so?
05:38Travis cocked his head with a smirk,
05:40dropping his voice low,
05:41but every word carried through the courtroom.
05:44Then what if I told you the woman who died that day
05:47was your ex-girlfriend, Vivian Lacroix.
05:50And that when she died, she was pregnant?
05:55Julian's pupils shrunk to pinpoints.
05:57Travis said,
05:58Seven weeks.
06:00The embryo was tiny.
06:01But if someone deliberately left it out of the report...
06:05Well, that's interesting, isn't it?
06:07That's a goddamn lie.
06:09Julian's voice was still level,
06:11but his fingers began to dumb against the railing.
06:15You know better than I do if it's a lie.
06:18You were the last person to touch your body.
06:21The report you signed stated...
06:24Cause of death.
06:25Blunt force trauma.
06:27DNA collected from seven individuals.
06:30No signs of pregnancy.
06:32Except there were nine of us that night.
06:38Your Honor, I move for a recess.
06:42The gavel slammed.
06:44Granted, court is in recess.
06:47I have proof.
06:49She was pregnant!
06:50When we were raping her,
06:52someone tried to make her Miss Cade.
06:53And I have the DNA of the other true.
06:56I froze everything.
06:57The condoms and the embryo.
07:00I've kept it all this time.
07:02All it takes is one DNA test.
07:04And you'll see whether I'm lying.
07:07Julian's stride faulted, just for a beat.
07:09Then he kept walking, his pace unbroken.
07:12I floated beside him.
07:14I could see his profile, completely blank.
07:17The pale fluorescent lights of the courthouse hallway
07:19glinted off his gold-rimmed glasses.
07:21But I knew.
07:22His hands were shaking.
07:24He pushed through the courtroom doors,
07:26pulled out his phone and opened iMessage.
07:28He went straight to the conversation that would never get a reply.
07:31My last text to him was still there.
07:34A ghost from seven years ago.
07:35Sent on the day I disappeared.
07:37Seven years ago.
07:38To the day.
07:39Seven years.
07:39And he still had no clue what really happened to me.
07:42He still thought I was out there somewhere.
07:44He still thought I had chosen to leave.
07:46Vivian, what the hell is this?
07:47This whole set-up thing.
07:49Once wasn't, was enough for you?
07:51When you accused Madeline of having some kind of hidden agenda,
07:54I let it go.
07:55And now this?
07:55Did you really pay off a convicted rapist to be your pawn in some sick game?
08:00Delivered.
08:01No response.
08:01He stared at the screen for a long time,
08:04as if waiting for the red recite that would never come.
08:07His thumb hovered over the keyboard.
08:09He typed something else.
08:10I need you.
08:12Please.
08:13Deleted it.
08:14Typed again.
08:15Deleted again.
08:16Finally, he just locked the screen,
08:18leaned back against a pillar,
08:19and said nothing.
08:20Five years before he could let Madeline in.
08:23I do.
08:24And seven years to finally stand at an altar and say,
08:27I do.
08:28But Julian.
08:30Do you really think I'd stage my own death just to play games with you?
08:35Travis's voice was still screaming from inside.
08:37His words muffled through the heavy oak doors.
08:42Ashfield!
08:43Don't you want to know who doctored that report for you?
08:45Don't you want to know who the other two were?
08:47And don't you want to know who the father of Vivian's child really was?
08:53Outside, Julian leaned against a stone pillar and lit a Dunhill.
08:56He never used to smoke.
08:57He only started after I died.
09:00He took a deep reg, the white smoke vanishing instantly into the rain.
09:04Then he snopped out the cigarette and stared at the ash on his fingertips.
09:09I hate the smell of smoke.
09:10He knew that.
09:11He slowly wiped the ash from his skin.
09:14Then he turned, pushed open the doors, and walked back inside.
09:20Travis.
09:21His voice was quiet, but there was a tremble in it.
09:26The evidence you've held onto for seven years, where is it?
09:31Travis let out a broken laugh that rattled his chains.
09:34Dr. Ashworth.
09:36Finally taking an interest, are we?
09:38Where is it?
09:39Julian asked again.
09:42Holloway Distillery.
09:43The cellar.
09:45Been sitting in a freezer for seven years.
09:49Your Honor, I request to accompany the police to retrieve it.
09:52Granted.
09:57The motorcade cut through the douse poor.
10:00Seven police cruisers, lights flashing red and blue, sped down Route 9 toward the west
10:05side of town.
10:06Julian was in the third car.
10:08His hands, the same hands that had performed over a thousand autopsies, held countless scalpels
10:14and signed hundreds of legally binding death certificates, were trembling.
10:19Honey, who's going to believe a psycho like him?
10:22Frozen for seven years?
10:23There's no way that stuff would still be viable.
10:28He's just stalling.
10:29Don't let him play you like that.
10:31We'll see when we get there.
10:33Madeline stared at his profile, then suddenly fell silent.
10:36She had known Julian for seven years.
10:38From a research fellow to an associate M.E., from a secret crush to finally winning him
10:45over.
10:45She knew this man inside and out.
10:48The calmer he appeared, the worse things actually were.
10:52The motorcade turned onto a gravel road, and the ride grew rough.
10:57Holloway Distillery, an abandoned distillery of red brick, most of it collapsed.
11:02The air was thick with the smell of damp mold and the sour rot of old malt.
11:07The sheriff's deputies were the first out, popping open an umbrella as they hauled Travis
11:12from the transport van.
11:14Travis stood in the rain, took a deep breath, an almost blessful look on his face.
11:18Seven years.
11:20Still smells the same.
11:22Lead the way.
11:22A deputy said, shoving him forward.
11:25What's the rush?
11:27Travis drawled, sauntering ahead.
11:29It's not like I can run.
11:32Julian pushed his car door open.
11:34Madeline immediately scrambled out the other side, rushing around to grab his arm.
11:40Julian, this place is so creepy.
11:43Can't we just wait in the...
11:44You wait in the car?
11:45No, I'm scared.
11:46Car.
11:47Now.
11:47His tone wasn't loud, but her hand dropped from his arm.
11:50She stood frozen, watching as Julian pulled on a pair of latex gloves, took the flashload
11:56a deputy handed him, and followed Travis into the shadows of the distillery.
12:00Deep inside the main building, they found a cellar entrance, buried under a pile of rubble
12:06and dead branches.
12:08It took the deputies over ten minutes to clear the debris, finally revealing a rust-covered
12:14iron hatch.
12:22Right here.
12:24Travis jutted his chin towards the hatch.
12:26The moment they pried the iron hatch open, a blast of frigid, foul-smelling air rushed
12:31out.
12:33Julian aimed his flashlight into the darkness.
12:36The cellar was small, barely 40 square feet.
12:39In the center stood an old industrial freezer, its entire surface caked in a thick layer of
12:45frost.
12:45Two forensic techs went down first, checking the unit.
12:49The seal is intact.
12:51Internal temperature is holding at approximately 8 degrees Fahrenheit.
12:54The evidence should be well preserved.
12:56Julian reached out and pulled the door open.
12:58An icy fog rolled out.
13:00Inside, nine sealed bags were neatly stacked.
13:03Each one was a heavy-duty food storage bag encased in a black trash bag bound tight with
13:07duct tape.
13:08Every bag bore a label in a format he knew by heart.
13:10Case num, date, sequence.
13:12Only two people ever used that exact system.
13:15Me and Madeline.
13:16Because she always had to copy everything I did.
13:19I'd recognize that format anywhere.
13:22Madeline and I designed it.
13:24Julian picked up the first bag.
13:26The label read 00109141, Marcus Weber.
13:30The second, 0019142, Derek Santos.
13:35The third, 0019143, Tyler Briggs.
13:39The fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh followed.
13:42The first seven names, Julian recognized them all.
13:45They were the seven men convicted seven years ago.
13:48His hand hovered over the eighth bag.
13:50The handwriting on this label was a little rushed, but it was still clear.
13:53And it was a name he never would have expected to see.
13:58001-Dodd-9148, Richard Kensington Sr.
14:04The ninth, 0109149, Richard Kensington Jr.
14:09And a tenth bag.
14:11Embryo.
14:11Approx seven weeks.
14:130914.
14:14Julian stared at the labels, frozen.
14:17His gaze was locked on the eighth bag, on the name, Richard Kensington Sr.
14:21The flow of the script, the way the letters connected, the upward flick at the end of the name.
14:26It was unmistakably his own handwriting.
14:29The flashlight beam lingered on the writing for a long, long time.
14:33He remembered.
14:34Seven years ago, three days after Vivian had disappeared, he'd been working late at the lab.
14:38Madeline Kensington, his research fellow back then, had walked in with a bottle of Lagavone 16,
14:43his favorite single malt scotch.
14:45She was wearing a thin, silk slip dress.
14:47When she leaned over to put the bottle on his desk, the neckline plunged.
14:52Dr. Ashfield, I heard you got the new grant.
14:54I thought we should celebrate.
14:56You look exhausted.
14:58He drank.
14:59Two drinks in, all he remembered was the Disney setting in.
15:03It felt like he'd been working all night.
15:05When he woke up, a completed autopsy report was sitting on his desk.
15:09The data was meticulous.
15:11The DNA profiles clearly printed.
15:13The conclusion.
15:14Death by blunt force trauma.
15:16Nasty the talk rose chat-a-meter.
15:19DNA collected from seven individuals.
15:21No sign of pregnancy.
15:23He'd scanned the report and signed it, without a moment's hesitation.
15:29The format was his.
15:30The system was his.
15:32The conclusions were airtight.
15:33He'd assumed he'd done it himself.
15:35His reports were always professional.
15:39Always flawless.
15:53Dr. Ashworth.
15:54One of the forensic techs called out again.
15:57Julian snapped back to the present.
16:03Bag everything.
16:04He ordered.
16:08Take it all to the MM's office.
16:09I'm running the DNA comparison myself.
16:14And so the process of sealing the evidence began.
16:17By the time he climbed out of the cellar, the rain had eased to a cold dribble.
16:22Madeline was waiting by the distillery entrance.
16:24She hurried to meet him the moment he emerged.
16:28Julian, you're white as a sheet.
16:30What is it?
16:31What happened?
16:32Julian just looked at her.
16:33She was in a camel cashmere coat.
16:35A few strands of hair damp from the rain.
16:38Her eyes were rimmed with red.
16:40She looked every bit the worried newlywed.
16:42Madeline bit her lip.
16:44She threw her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest.
16:48Her voice came out muffled.
16:50Honey, I'm scared.
16:52I'm so scared of what that psycho's lies will do to you.
16:56To your reputation.
16:58It won't.
17:00Julian said.
17:01He raised a hand, gave her a pat on the back, and then let it fall to his side.
17:07But he didn't hug her back.
17:09The motorcade headed back to the city.
17:12Julian sat in the back of the car, the evidence locker resting at his feet.
17:17He stared down at it, and his thoughts drifted back to the last fight he and Vivian had, but she
17:23disappeared.
17:25Something was seriously wrong with that woman.
17:28Here we go again.
17:30Last time she was hitting on me, now she's plagiarizing you.
17:36Vivian, can you just stop being so paranoid?
17:40Vivian had just frozen.
17:41She looked at him, and there was something in her eyes he didn't understand at the time.
17:46It wasn't anger.
17:48It wasn't hurt.
17:49It was disappointment.
17:52You don't believe me.
17:55Give me one reason to.
18:00One.
18:01Do you have any proof?
18:06Vivian didn't say another word.
18:08She just turned, went into the bedroom, came out with an overnight bag, and walked out the front door.
18:17He thought she was just going to crash at a friend's place for a few days.
18:21As the car drove into the city, Julian pulled out his phone again, opening the chat that would never get
18:27a new reply.
18:29Their last conversation, just sitting there, untouched for seven years.
18:36He typed a few words, then deleted them.
18:39Again and again.
18:42In the end, he sent nothing.
18:45He locked the phone, leaned his head back against the seat, and closed his eyes.
18:51And then, he saw Vivian.
18:54She was standing on the west side of town, in a white linen dress, barefoot.
18:58Her stomach was slightly rounded.
19:00She just looked at him, not saying a word.
19:04Her eyes held no anger, no resentment.
19:06Just a heartbreaking calm.
19:09Like someone who already knew how it was all going to end.
19:13Julian's eyes snapped open.
19:16The car had stopped at the M.E.'s office.
19:19He grabbed the evidence locker, pushed open the door, and walked into the building.
19:25Behind him, in the parking lot, Madeline watched him go.
19:29The mask of worry slowly dissolved from her face, replaced by a raw, anxious panic.
19:36She pulled out her phone and dialed a number.
19:50The lights in the lab were a harsh, sterile white.
19:57Julian sat in front of the DNA analyzer, his eyes locked on the dense peaks of the chromograph scrolling across
20:02the screen.
20:04He'd been working for 14 straight hours.
20:09Danny, one of the technicians, pushed the door open, holding a paper bag from a local deli.
20:14Dr. Ashworth, you gotta eat something.
20:16Just leave it.
20:17But you've been-
20:18I said leave it.
20:20As the door clicked shut, Julian slipping out towards the smoking area.
20:24Julian stood outside in the cold corridor, a Dunwild between his fingers.
20:28Then he went back inside and stared at the data on the screen.
20:39The first set, sample number eight, Richard Kensington Jr.'s DNA.
20:42A perfect match to the seaman found at the scene.
20:45The second set, sample number nine, Richard Kensington Jr.'s DNA.
20:50Also a perfect match.
20:51He had already run the test twice.
20:53The results were identical.
20:56This was the third time.
20:58A single line of text appeared on the screen.
21:00Probability of a random match, one in 7.4 billion.
21:06Julian leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
21:10Richard Kensington Sr.
21:12This is Logsinger Mastration.
21:14Founder and CEO of Kensington Pharmaceuticals, the single largest political donator in the
21:20state of Massachusetts, a personal friend of the last three governors.
21:24Just last month, he'd been on TV giving a speech at a charity gala.
21:29The theme was protecting women and children.
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