“I lucked out the day Lucas came into my life. He’s hot and crazy smart.” He is irresistible. I don’t know how some other woman hadn’t snagged him up before me. If people can’t see what I do, maybe that is a good thing. They will stay away from my husband. Okay, I might be the jealous one. Not that I have to worry about Lucas. That man will never leave me. He meant every word of those wedding vows when he said them. ‘Til death do us part.
“Let’s not forget he’s out of his mind crazy in love with you.” I smile at her because it’s the truth. She reaches her hand across the table to grab mine. “All kidding aside, if you’re feeling a certain way about Chad, I think you should tell Lucas.”
I squeeze her hand. “I don’t think it’s to that point yet, but I promise I will.” She stares at me, not convinced by my words. “I will!” I reassure her. If he does something else, I’ll bring it up to Lucas. Until then I hope it goes away and it really is all in my head.
“Good. Now, who did Lucas say was going to win? I’m thinking Peggy. Is it Peggy? He always guesses right.” I open my mouth to tell her what Lucas told me but she stops me. “Wait, don’t tell me. It will ruin it. I’ll wait like everyone else.” I laugh because she’s right. Lucas always does get it right.
Chapter Nine
Lucas
“Cause of death is asphyxiation, specifically suffocation. Cyanotic tissue is visible around the mouth and chest and extremities. There are signs of petechiae in the eyes and along the neck.”
“Use broken blood vessels,” I suggest, interrupting the intern’s dictation. When she looks up, I explain, “it’s easier for the lay people to understand what you’re saying. Not many people will know petechiae are tiny hemorrhages but most will understand broken blood vessels. You write these reports for police officers, prosecutors, judges, and jurors.”
“Okay, gotcha. There are signs of broken blood vessels around the eyes, along the neck and in the wrists.” She checks with me again to see if I approve. I do and signal for her to continue. The process of dictating the report goes on for another twenty minutes. I point out a couple of areas that I think the intern has missed but overall, I’m pleased with her progress. After she finishes, she puts the dictation equipment away and starts to clean up the report while I zip up the body and push it into the containment unit.
“Who do you think did this?” the intern asks as she fixes the dictation errors in the document.
“That’s for the detectives to figure out. We merely examine the bodies brought to us and make conclusions about the time and manner of death.”
“Right, but aren’t you a little curious? Like this woman who was suffocated. Most people that die of asphyxiation are strangled, but this woman was suffocated and there weren’t any signs of defensive wounds. She had some alcohol but not enough to render her unconscious. It would’ve had to happen in her sleep.”
With someone she trusted, I mentally add. The detectives should be able to narrow it down easily. We were able to pinpoint the death within a thirty-minute period. There would only be a few people in contact with the deceased during the time of death.
“They’ll be able to figure it out. Lee and Sanchez are very good,” I assure the intern. Almost too good. If I didn’t have my position and their trust, perhaps I would’ve been caught, but they are handicapped in a way that they don’t even suspect. Some crimes don’t need to be solved, though. It’s not a mark against them and I hope they don’t take it as one.
“I’m guessing it’s her husband. It’s always the husband, isn’t it? Or the boyfriend. Maybe it’s a good thing I’m single.” She sighs heavily as she punches the print button. Once the report is printed out, signed and stamped, we both clean up the room for our next examination.
“Where’d you meet Angel?” the intern asks as we wipe down the table.
“At the grocery store. She was struggling with the self-checkout.” In actuality, I’d seen her on the street and followed her inside the store. Her struggling actually was the result of me leaning on the scale when she was trying to weigh her tomatoes. I confessed later and she laughed.
“Huh. I guess I should stop using the delivery service then. I usually order all my groceries in because I hate people but I’m tired of being alone. I want someone, but I also don’t. Do you know what I mean?”
I actually do so I give the girl a terse nod. Angel is the only person I love. The rest of the world I merely tolerate. If I hadn’t met Angel, if I hadn’t seen her on the street, I would be alone. She keeps me tethered to this world, makes me realize that there is some part of humanity worth saving.