Matter of Trust by Sydney Bauer Page B

‘David has faced some extremely powerful adversaries in the past, my dear – high level government officials, the FBI, national identities with the power of the media behind them. Anddespite the incredible odds against him, he’s always come out on top, if a little battered and bruised.’ Nora managed a smile. ‘So when it comes to home – his friend’s domineering mother, his brother’s stubbornness, the memories of feeling ill at ease – I can’t help but feel that David will take it all in his stride. He’s a survivor, Sara – and he’s dealing with people he knows, so—’
    â€˜No,’ said Sara, interrupting her well-meaning friend. ‘I know what you’re trying to say, Nora, but in this case I believe David has no idea what he’s getting himself into.’
    Finally Nora understood exactly what Sara was trying to say. ‘You think Chris Kincaid had something to do with that poor woman’s death?’
    â€˜I’m not sure. But I think men like Chris Kincaid don’t do anything without calculation. I think it is odd that he asked David to make discreet enquiries in the first place. I think it is strange he asked David to fly down to accompany him to see the Newark police.’
    â€˜And if he was involved? If he is charged?’ asked Nora.
    â€˜Then I have no doubt David will represent him.’
    â€˜But David never defends anyone unless he believes in their innocence.’
    â€˜Then I guess he’ll convince himself that Chris is exactly that.’
    Nora met Sara’s eye, and Sara could see that her friend knew she was right.
    â€˜It’s early days, my dear,’ Nora said, as if in consolation.
    But Sara was shaking her head. ‘I don’t think so, Nora. I think that whether he realises it or not, the whole reason David took the bar in Jersey in the first place was to show he wasn’t leaving them completely, just in case one day, he could play the knight in shining armour and save one of his family or friends and in doing so, prove to them all that his decision to leave, to become what he has, was the right thing to do after all.’
    â€˜You think he seeks approval – from the people he loves most?’
    Sara nodded. ‘Don’t we all, Nora?’ she said with a sigh. ‘Don’t we all?’

19
    I n the State of New Jersey, the Office of the State Medical Examiner, or OSME, is established within the Division of Criminal Justice of the Office of the Attorney General and the Department of Law & Public Safety and is under the immediate supervision of a State Medical Examiner, or SME.
    The SME supervises the state’s Northern and Southern Regional Medical Examiner Offices (NRMEO and SRMEO), which provide death investigation services to six of New Jersey’s twenty-one counties, accepting close to 2500 examinations each year.
    In the case of the NRMEO, the busiest office in the state by far, a staff of six or so headed by Regional Medical Examiner Salicia Curtis burn the midnight oil trying to keep on top of the huge numbers of cases that move through their office every year – cases that involve close to 1500 autopsies – hundreds of these sadly falling under the category listed as homicide.
    For David, the trip to the ME’s offices had been nothing short of suffocating. McNally had suggested they all go in his car and Chris had immediately agreed. David knew his friend was avoiding the inevitable one-on-one they would need to have as soon as they were alone – he felt Chris was dragging him down his road of deception as far as washumanly possible, making it all that much harder for David to turn back.
    Half of David hated his friend for the position he had placed him in, and the other half hated himself for not standing up and walking out the minute the first lie had been told. He could not help but recall the times when he’d followed Mike and Chris