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That got my attention. "What information?" I asked eagerly.
"Well – I've got the autopsy report.
The report! "Can we meet for lunch someplace?"
"One o'clock. Sam’s Sandwiches."
Sam's was right down the street from Roasted Love. "You bet. I'll see you there."
# # #
I arrived at Sam’s Sandwiches a few minutes before one, and went straight for my usual table at the back. Sam referred to it as my thinking table and I was sure I'd need it today.
I hoped Daniel had not ended up with an emergency call. I waited anxiously, and about ten minutes later he walked through the door.
My breath caught as I watched that tall handsome man stroll confidently toward me with a folder tucked under his right arm. He bent to give me a light kiss on the cheek. His eyes sparkled like a child’s on Christmas morning.
Out server appeared and we gave her our orders. "I’ll take an iced raspberry tea and a chicken salad sandwich," I said.
"And I'll have a grilled cheese and a diet Coke. And potato chips for both of us," said Daniel. He smiled in my direction. "What? No watercress sandwich this time?" The server jotted everything down and then left for the kitchen window.
"It's a woman’s prerogative to change her mind on occasion," I said. "Now – hand over that report."
Daniel slid it toward me. I flipped open the manila folder and scanned the autopsy report.
The first thing I saw was the name at the top. "John Doe," I repeated. "Don’t they know his name yet?"
"Yes, they do know his name. But I don’t. It's altered here since Leo Swenson didn’t want to pass around a report with John’s real name on it. They're still investigating." Daniel took a sip of his Coke and waited for me while I went on reading.
The report stated that "John Doe" died of a heroin overdose. And then I noticed something else. "Is 'benzodiazepine' the sleeping pill you told me about?" I asked.
Daniel nodded.
"Where would John have gotten sleeping pills? He was as poor as anyone I ever laid eyes on. I mean, he had no money to pay for a prescription."
Daniel smiled gently. "Most any pills are easy enough to buy on the streets, as I told you. He could even have gotten them from a trash bin. I can only tell you that that's what they found in his system."
"Yeah. I guess facts are facts." I was still very doubtful, but I did have to own up to the possibility. "I guess he could have used something like benzodiazepines on occasion. Sleeping on concrete isn’t exactly conducive to a good night’s sleep."
Daniel’s eyes were gentle when he looked at me. "No. I'm sure it isn't."
I was finding out that I had a lot to learn about illegal drugs. Ever since John’s death, I starting paying closer attention to the people around West River. No one I saw appeared homeless to me and I had to admit that if anyone I met was on drugs, I sure couldn’t tell.
All I did know was that it had been four days since John’s death and the empty little spot in front of Roasted Love still gave me a hollow feeling every time I saw it.
"Laila, there's something else I want you to know." Daniel paused, and then looked up at me. "John will be buried tomorrow morning at nine o'clock."
I sighed. "Okay. Thanks for telling me." My shift at the coffee house didn’t start until eleven the next day, so that would give me time to go and say good-bye to John.
"Now, John had no resources to pay for burial, and neither does his brother. Steven told them there is no other family, and so John will be buried in the pauper section of the cemetery."
I nodded slowly. "Steven told them? You mean – the investigators found John's brother?"
Daniel smiled just a little. "As a matter of fact, they did find the brother you mentioned. You were right – he's in Maxfield Correctional Facility."
I sat for a moment while that sank in. "So – John's brother Steven is still in prison. But I didn't find him listed there when I looked online." I looked up at Daniel. "Maybe I had the wrong name. Maybe his brother goes by a different name."
Daniel nodded. "It's possible. But right now, that's confidential."
