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“I don’t know. Seems like unnecessary mileage if I’m just turning around to come right back…” As I say this, I realize I might not be returning—that maybe this is the point.
Rhys never voiced his disapproval of my meeting with Cam, but I know it’s still simmering between us. A cold splash of betrayal slaps me. I trust Rhys more than anyone; he’d never deliberately deceive me. Is this about me being followed?
Before I’m able to voice my concern, the glass door clicks open. Dr. Keller, the district medical examiner, is dressed in green scrubs. I recognize him from his picture on the website.
“Can I help you?” Dr. Keller greets us.
Rhys flashes his FBI shield. “Dr. Keller, I’m Special Agent Rhys Nolan, and this is my partner, Lakin Hale. I’m hoping you have time this morning to answer a few questions we have on a past case.”
I smile to myself. Rhys may dismiss psychology, but he often uses it to his advantage. He never gives people the opportunity to not answer his questions. He just gives them the option to do it now, or later.
In his late-forties, with patches of gray-and-black hair peeking from beneath his cap, the district pathologist frowns. “I’m sorry, but could this be done another day? I’m in the middle of an autopsy.”
Rhys tucks his badge into the inseam of his suit jacket. “We’re only in town for a few days, and we’d really like to get a firsthand account from the expert on Joanna Delany’s case.”
Dr. Keller tilts his head. The victim’s name seems to pique his interest. “All right, come on back. You’ll need to wash up and don scrubs.”
Rhys and I exchange a curious glance before we enter the building. An interview doesn’t require us to dress for an examination.
“Maybe he’s in a rush and plans to talk to us while working,” I say.
“Maybe,” Rhys agrees, but he’s distracted. I can sense he’s already two mental steps ahead.
Dr. Keller directs us toward a bank of sinks. “Fresh scrubs are hanging up over there.” He points to the partition.
“What are you thinking?” I ask as we wash our hands. Sometimes I wish I could get an inside look into his thoughts.
“Not sure yet.” Rhys shakes off the water, then grabs one of the green robes.
Once we’re fully covered, Dr. Keller walks us behind the partition. “It’s interesting you should bring up the Delany case,” the pathologist says. “A female victim was discovered just yesterday. I recognized the lacerations right away during my initial exam at the scene. I pulled the Delany file this morning to compare.”
The body on the morgue table is pale, the Y incision already cut into the victim’s sternum. I cover my mouth and quickly look away, catching my breath.
“Is she all right?” the doctor asks.
“She’s fine,” Rhys answers for me. “This just wasn’t on the agenda.”
“Oh,” Dr. Keller remarks. “Here. Let me get you some Vics. The victim hasn’t been dead long, so I didn’t think the smell was too bad. Of course, I really don’t notice it anymore.”
He attempts a weak smile, and I nod. “Just a bit shocking…when you’re not expecting it.”
“Even without the smell, the mint in the rub helps quell the nausea from the sight.” He hands me the Vic’s Vapor Rub. “A kind of numbing, cure-all for the senses.”
“Thank you.” I dab a fingertip into the ointment and smudge it beneath my nose. “Just needed to get my bearings.”
Truthfully, this is the first dead murder victim I’ve seen in person. Working cold cases, you get used to the pictures. After staring at mutilated corpses for a few years, I believed I built up a tolerance, a defense. But with images you’re removed, distanced. It’s not the same as real life.
Nothing prepares you for this.
Then the doctor pulls back the sheet covering the victim’s face.
And the woman on the gurney is no longer just a body.
The floor shifts, and I vertically right myself to keep balance. Oh, God. No.
I press my hand to the partition, thinking that will somehow stop the spinning motion. “Cam…”
Dr. Keller approaches me cautiously. “You know the victim?”
