consider it a great favour if you gave it another week.'
I sat there for a moment, admiring how neatly he'd trapped me. 'I
walked into that, didn't I?'
He smiled. 'Yes, you did. But you can hardly break your word to
an old man, can you?'
I had to laugh. Oddly enough, I felt lighter than I had done in
ages. 'OK, then. A week.'
Tom gave a satisfied nod. He tapped his fingers in time to the
trumpet coming from the car speakers.
'So what do you think of Dan's new helper?'
I looked through the window. 'Jacobsen? She seems keen enough.'
'Mm.' The fingers continued to beat out a gentle tattoo on the
steering wheel. 'Attractive, wouldn't you say?'
'Yes, I suppose so.' Torn said nothing. I felt my face start to burn.
'What?'
'Nothing,' he said, grinning.
Tom had called ahead to warn the morgue that the exhumed
remains were on their way. They'd have to be examined in a separate
autopsy suite in order to avoid cross-contamination with the body
from the cabin. Just the possibility of that could cause an evidentiary
nightmare when the killer was caught.
Assuming he was.
Kyle was talking to two other assistants in the corridor when we
arrived. He broke off to take us to the suite he'd prepared, glancing
behind us as though expecting - or hoping - to see someone else.
He looked crestfallen when he realized there was no one there.
'Is Summer coming in today?'
The attempt at nonchalance wasn't successful.'Oh, I dare say she'll
be stopping by later,' Tom told him.
'Right. I just wondered.'
Tom kept a straight face until Kyle had left the autopsy suite. 'Must
be spring,' he said with a smile.'Gets the sap rising in everyone.'
The casket from Steeple Hill was brought in just as we'd finished
changing into scrubs and rubber aprons. It had been transported in a
box-like aluminium container; one coffin nestling inside another like
Russian dolls. Before anything else the body had to be X-rayed, so
Kyle wheeled the whole thing into the radiography room on a
trolley.
'Need a hand with this?' he asked.
'No, thanks, we'll manage.'
'Tom. . .' I said. The remains would have to be lifted from the
casket to be X-rayed. Decomposition had reduced the body mass,
but I didn't want him exerting himself.
He gave an exasperated sigh, knowing what I was thinking. 'We
can wait till Summer gets here. I've already gotten Kyle in trouble
once.'
'Oh, it's all right. Martin and Jason can cover for me.' Kyle had
perked up at the mention of Summer. He gave a shy grin. 'Besides,
Dr Hicks isn't here right now.'
Tom reluctantly conceded. 'Well, OK, then. You can help David
lift the body out once we've taken photographs .'Just then his phone
rang. He looked at its display. 'It's Dan. I better take it.'
While Tom went into the corridor to speak to Gardner, Kyle
and I unsnapped the big clips that held the aluminium lid in
place.
'So you're British, huh?' he asked. 'From London?'
'That's right.'
'Wow. So what's Europe like?'
I took a moment to wonder how to answer that as I wrestled with
a difficult clip. 'Well, it's pretty varied, really'
'Yeah? I'd like to go someday. See the Eiffel Tower, places like that.
I've travelled around the States, but I've always wanted to go somewhere
foreign.'
'You should try it.'
'Not on my pay' He gave a rueful smile. 'So ... is Summer going
to be a forensic anthro like Dr Lieberman?'
'I imagine that's the plan.'
He kept his attention on unfastening the clips, trying to seem
unconcerned. 'Does that mean she'll be staying in Tennessee?'
'Why don't you ask her?'
The look he gave me was terrified. He quickly dropped his gaze.
'Oh, no, I couldn't. I just, you know. Wondered.'
I managed not to smile. 'I expect she'll be here for a while yet,
anyway'
'Right.'
He nodded, furiously, burying his head in his work. His shyness
was painful to see. I'd no idea if Summer would welcome his
attention, but I hoped he found the courage to find out.
We were about to lift off the aluminium
I sat there for a moment, admiring how neatly he'd trapped me. 'I
walked into that, didn't I?'
He smiled. 'Yes, you did. But you can hardly break your word to
an old man, can you?'
I had to laugh. Oddly enough, I felt lighter than I had done in
ages. 'OK, then. A week.'
Tom gave a satisfied nod. He tapped his fingers in time to the
trumpet coming from the car speakers.
'So what do you think of Dan's new helper?'
I looked through the window. 'Jacobsen? She seems keen enough.'
'Mm.' The fingers continued to beat out a gentle tattoo on the
steering wheel. 'Attractive, wouldn't you say?'
'Yes, I suppose so.' Torn said nothing. I felt my face start to burn.
'What?'
'Nothing,' he said, grinning.
Tom had called ahead to warn the morgue that the exhumed
remains were on their way. They'd have to be examined in a separate
autopsy suite in order to avoid cross-contamination with the body
from the cabin. Just the possibility of that could cause an evidentiary
nightmare when the killer was caught.
Assuming he was.
Kyle was talking to two other assistants in the corridor when we
arrived. He broke off to take us to the suite he'd prepared, glancing
behind us as though expecting - or hoping - to see someone else.
He looked crestfallen when he realized there was no one there.
'Is Summer coming in today?'
The attempt at nonchalance wasn't successful.'Oh, I dare say she'll
be stopping by later,' Tom told him.
'Right. I just wondered.'
Tom kept a straight face until Kyle had left the autopsy suite. 'Must
be spring,' he said with a smile.'Gets the sap rising in everyone.'
The casket from Steeple Hill was brought in just as we'd finished
changing into scrubs and rubber aprons. It had been transported in a
box-like aluminium container; one coffin nestling inside another like
Russian dolls. Before anything else the body had to be X-rayed, so
Kyle wheeled the whole thing into the radiography room on a
trolley.
'Need a hand with this?' he asked.
'No, thanks, we'll manage.'
'Tom. . .' I said. The remains would have to be lifted from the
casket to be X-rayed. Decomposition had reduced the body mass,
but I didn't want him exerting himself.
He gave an exasperated sigh, knowing what I was thinking. 'We
can wait till Summer gets here. I've already gotten Kyle in trouble
once.'
'Oh, it's all right. Martin and Jason can cover for me.' Kyle had
perked up at the mention of Summer. He gave a shy grin. 'Besides,
Dr Hicks isn't here right now.'
Tom reluctantly conceded. 'Well, OK, then. You can help David
lift the body out once we've taken photographs .'Just then his phone
rang. He looked at its display. 'It's Dan. I better take it.'
While Tom went into the corridor to speak to Gardner, Kyle
and I unsnapped the big clips that held the aluminium lid in
place.
'So you're British, huh?' he asked. 'From London?'
'That's right.'
'Wow. So what's Europe like?'
I took a moment to wonder how to answer that as I wrestled with
a difficult clip. 'Well, it's pretty varied, really'
'Yeah? I'd like to go someday. See the Eiffel Tower, places like that.
I've travelled around the States, but I've always wanted to go somewhere
foreign.'
'You should try it.'
'Not on my pay' He gave a rueful smile. 'So ... is Summer going
to be a forensic anthro like Dr Lieberman?'
'I imagine that's the plan.'
He kept his attention on unfastening the clips, trying to seem
unconcerned. 'Does that mean she'll be staying in Tennessee?'
'Why don't you ask her?'
The look he gave me was terrified. He quickly dropped his gaze.
'Oh, no, I couldn't. I just, you know. Wondered.'
I managed not to smile. 'I expect she'll be here for a while yet,
anyway'
'Right.'
He nodded, furiously, burying his head in his work. His shyness
was painful to see. I'd no idea if Summer would welcome his
attention, but I hoped he found the courage to find out.
We were about to lift off the aluminium
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