Chapter Fifteen
Aram opened the door for me to the dark autopsy suite. I was still stunned at the news of his divorce. The smell of stale disinfectant steeped the air and reminded me of the imminent task at hand. He flicked on wall switches, and the ceiling exhaust fan roared. There was nothing inviting about the blue-white artificially lit room, gray nonslip floor, and stainless-steel autopsy table, sink, and shelves. Cool air chilled my arms, and I vigorously rubbed them.
Like in the photos, I imagined a body on the pedestal autopsy table, with a giant Y incision.
I swallowed a lump in my throat.
“June?” Aram said in a soft tone, frowning. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you to assist me, especially after what you’ve been through.”
After all this time, Aram could still read me and sense how I felt. At one time, I had found these qualities more attractive and desirable than Aram’s looks or status. But today, they were of no consequence because he had decided to leave me. I straightened my posture.
“I’m actually fine, Aram.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. Now, shall we don our PPE? John Doe in the drawer over there isn’t getting any fresher.”
Aram chuckled. “No, definitely not. All right, let’s do it.”
Let’s do it. I snapped my mouth shut. Did he deliberately choose those words to make my mind wander? No, he wouldn’t have. Or would he?
We pilfered the supply shelf along the wall, and each put on a long-sleeved waterproof gown, mask, face shield, and gloves.
“Would you know where the body diagram charts are?”
I rummaged through the wall file holder and found a set of sheets. “Right here.”
“Perfect. Now let’s get Mr. Doe.” He wheeled a transport trolley to the cooler drawers. “Which number is he in, June?”
“Compartment five.” I sounded more casual than I felt.
Aram swung open the door.
I gravitated closer. Coolness swirled around my ankles as I peered into the dark, lifeless recess.
Aram butted up the trolley to the open compartment and then yanked out the stuffed black bag. He wheeled the gurney over to the autopsy table. I plunged forward to help guide the body bag onto the examination table. Aram hit the foot pedal of the recorder. “Test, test.”
“Ready to begin, June?”
I nodded.
Under my mask, trapped breath heated my face, and my heart pounded faster and harder for more oxygen. I swallowed to keep the gastric juices down. I became faint and panicked as my symptoms intensified.
Aram grabbed the zipper tab.
“Wait,” I said and swayed.
“June!” Aram rushed over and put an arm around my waist.
We retreated from the table. “Hey, how about we get you some fresh morgue air,” Aram said and removed my face shield.
His voice soothed and lessened my distress.
I pulled off my mask. Air cooled my damp face, and breathing became a hundred times easier.
“That’s better,” I said.
“Got a bit woozy?”
“Yeah. This is embarrassing.”
“You’re not the first to get queasy. You should see all the first-year residents that go down.”
He guided me to a chair and squatted beside me. “How about you go for a bite to eat? I can handle things here.”
I couldn’t disagree. “That’d be for the best. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t give it another thought.”
There was a bang on the door, and Aram straightened up. “Come in.”
The door cracked open, and Patrick stepped in. “Hello?”
“Patrick.” I didn’t know if I was more happy or more surprised to see him.
“Vinny told me you were down here. How are things going?”
“We were about to start the autopsy,” I said and left out the details.
The men looked at each other, and I almost groaned at my predicament. “Uh, Dr. Hamid, this is Officer Verbeek. He’s the officer that came upon the crime scene.”
“It’s good to meet you, Officer.”
“Likewise,” Patrick said. “Thank you for giving this case priority.”
“Once I found out June was personally involved, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
“I appreciate that, Doctor. Taking care of our own,” Patrick said.
Aram crooked a brow. “Yes, but there’s more to it than that.”
A noise escaped from my mouth. This scenario was getting a little too uncomfortable. I didn’t want any personal issues to surface. There was no need to go there.
“Officer,” I said quickly, to change the topic. “Dr. Hamid was just asking if there are pictures of the crime scene.”
I could tell Patrick was suppressing a smile. I assumed he found my addressing him professionally amusing.
“Yes, there are several photos, but I don’t have hard copies with me.”
“Great,” Aram said. “I’d like to see the shots. Vinny will probably contact your department about them.”
“That won’t be a problem. I can do you one better. The crime scene is still taped off. Would you like to visit the area yourself?”
Aram’s eyes widened. “Yes, absolutely. That would be ideal. Is later this afternoon a possibility?”
I listened to the guys make a “date.” Awkward didn’t begin to describe this triangle.
Then they looked at me. Were they going to include me on their field trip?
“Count me in,” I said. “I’m fully invested in this case, and you gentlemen are not going without me.”
Besides, guys talked. I couldn’t let my past relationship with Aram come up in conversation. When the time was right, I wanted to tell Patrick myself.