Obstruction of Justice by Perri O'Shaughnessy Page A

same flat delivery his son had. "Maybe you don’t know this. Leo Tarrant, a partner in the business, was up on that mountain with them. Leo’s infatuated with Sarah. Not only that, Ray and Leo have been on the outs for years because of it and some other things." He leaned closer. "Why did Leo go up there? For the fresh air?"
    "I’m sorry for your loss. But lightning killed your son," Nina said. "I was there. I saw it. Sarah told the coroner that she and Leo waited out the storm below the summit—"
    "Sarah’s Leo’s alibi? I’ll get the truth out of her— I’ve been in business for many years. I know a fish story when I hear it. This one’s rank. I wish I’d listened to Ray and gotten rid of Leo a long time ago, no matter how good he was at the business end. Leo won’t get away with it."
    "You know your son’s body was examined by the coroner? There was nothing suspicious—"
    "He rubber-stamped my son’s death and Sarah had Ray in the ground before I was even informed. I want an autopsy."
    "But it’s too late for that!" He had provoked her into raising her voice.
    "I want you to do whatever you have to do to exhume his body," de Beers said. "To come to the point."
    Stunned, Nina sat back in her chair. Sandy knocked and came in with coffee, and Nina took advantage of the time she was in the room to gather her thoughts. When Sandy had gone, she sampled her coffee and said, "What exactly do you think happened up there?"
    "Obviously, I don’t know," he said. "I’m just full of natural curiosity about why an experienced climber like my son was cut down in the prime of life by a so-called ’accident’ that sounds entirely avoidable. So I want an autopsy. I want to have Ray’s body fully examined. I want to see him myself. I don’t think that’s out of line. The coroner can do that, can’t he?"
    "Not without good reason. There is something in the, uh, Government Code about the coroner’s duties." As she spoke, Nina dialed in to her Internet server on the computer. When the connection had been established, she used a bookmark to go straight to the California Codes, typing the word autopsy in the search box. "Just a minute," she said, displaying the Code sections on her desktop.
    De Beers sat in front of her, his hat in his lap. I do whatever it takes to win, his jutting jaw and polished shoes said. He had the same combative and vigilant look as his son, as if the world were a shooting gallery where problems continually flew up in the air to be shot down one by one.
    " ’For the purpose of inquiry, the coroner shall have the right to exhume the body of a deceased person when necessary to discharge the responsibilities set forth in this section,’ " she read out loud. "The Code is vague. The responsibilities referred to are the general duties of the coroner in connection with determining the cause of death. Dr. Clauson already made an inquiry and closed the file on your son’s death. He won’t disinter the body without a strong showing of necessity."
    "In other words, he won’t do it just because we say do it. "
    Nina nodded. "And that’s only the first problem of many."
    "Keep going."
    "He would probably require the permission of Mrs. de Beers."
    "Leave that to me. What else?"
    "You’ll have to get another lawyer," Nina said. "I won’t handle this for you. I saw the lightning. I saw your son falling through the air an instant later. I’ve read the coroner’s report and I’m satisfied he died after being struck by lightning. In my opinion, trying to disinter your son’s body is a waste of your time and money, to say nothing about the distress this is sure to cause the family."
    "Don’t forget, I’m part of the family too. What about my wishes? Don’t my wishes mean anything?"
    Nina was ready to give up on this conversation. De Beers was a grieving relative. Family members had come to her before, convinced there was foul play in perfectly natural deaths.
    Many relatives now demanded an explanation