Chapter 14 #2
As if he didn’t believe what he was hearing, Bob quickly finished tying his bow, then literally pushed past Melanie.
Walking around the autopsy table to reach the cooler’s door, he pulled it open.
Immediately he could see that one of the two gurneys was empty.
He lifted the edge of the sheet covering the remaining body and immediately recognized Stanley Kramer, the previous night’s death.
Letting the sheet go, he stepped back out into the autopsy room, closing the cooler’s door behind himself and turned to look at Melanie.
“What possibly could have happened?” he questioned with a confused expression.
“I’ve no idea whatsoever,” Melanie said. “It was there when I wheeled Stanley Kramer in last night.”
“Did you hear anything from the Jamesons yesterday? Particularly from the mother, Arlene?” Bob asked as his mind frantically searched for some plausible explanation. Mrs. Jameson had been persistent in her interest to get the body released so funeral plans could be finalized.
“Not a word,” Melanie said. From her expression it was obvious she was just as confused as he by this unexpected development.
“When you got here this morning, was anything amiss?” Bob asked. “Anything at all? How about the doors? Were they locked?”
“There was nothing unusual,” Melanie said. “And yes, the front doors were locked as they always are. The one thing I didn’t check was the freight door. I’ll do that right away!” Without another word, she left the room.
Turning to Jack and Laurie, who were now outfitted in surgical gowns and leaning up against the autopsy table, Bob said, “I’m so sorry about this weird, unexpected situation.
I can assure you that nothing like this has ever occurred in the six years I’ve been county coroner.
I’m at a total loss of how it could have happened. ”
“Don’t be concerned on our behalf,” Laurie said. “We’ve had a few mix-ups about disappearing bodies at the OCME, so it happens. Take your time. We can entertain ourselves while you do what you have to do.”
“Any chance one of the local funeral homes came and got it because of mixed messages?” Jack asked.
“There’s only one local funeral home, called Ames and Sons,” Bob said. “But they don’t have access. At least I don’t think they have access. You’re right, though, I should check.” He got out his phone and as he put through a call, Melanie returned to report the freight dock was locked up tight.
Bob’s conversation with the funeral home was quick and to the point.
They’d not had anything to do with Ethan Jameson as of yet and were awaiting a call from Bob to initiate their involvement.
They hadn’t been in contact with the Jameson family since the day of Ethan’s death.
Terminating the call, Bob asked Melanie if she’d quickly check the office’s tiny pharmacy, which was in a locked metal cabinet in a locked storeroom off the procedure room.
“Good idea,” Melanie said as she again quickly exited the autopsy room.
“If someone was raiding your office for drugs, why would they take a body?” Laurie asked out of curiosity. It didn’t make sense to her.
“I have no idea,” Bob admitted. “I’m truly at loss here and grasping at straws.”
“I’ve got a different take,” Jack said. “It seems to me the only reason for the body to have disappeared would be to keep it from being autopsied.” As if it were yesterday, Jack could remember an OCME case involving a xenograft liver transplant patient where the transplanters didn’t want it to be discovered.
Similar to this occasion, the body had seemingly vanished into thin air.
Solving that complicated case had ultimately required a trip to Africa, of all places.
“That’s an interesting thought,” Bob said, giving the idea its due. “Are you thinking the pest control people might not want us to figure out what the particular pesticide was involved?”
“Something like that,” Jack said with a shrug. “But perhaps I’d be thinking more about the family. Do you know if either the mother or the father have any particularly strong feelings, religious or otherwise, against autopsies?”
“The father is a drunk and has been a drunk since the Bennet Shoe factory closed,” Bob said. “So, he’s not capable of pulling off anything like this. And the mother is the quintessential grandmotherly type who wouldn’t be capable, either.”
At that point Melanie returned. “No problem with our pharmacy,” she reported. “There wasn’t even any evidence of someone trying to get into the room. And I looked around a bit more in the waiting room and the exam rooms. I don’t see any evidence whatsoever of anyone being in here.”
“Do you want to put off doing the autopsy on the body that is still here?” Laurie asked. “We don’t care when we do it, do we, Jack?”
“Actually, I do have a preference,” Jack said. “I’d like to do it this morning since I don’t know what time Warren and his girlfriend might arrive. I’m assuming it’s going to be this afternoon, but I want to be available and at the house.”
“Good point,” Laurie said.
“I’d like to get it done as well,” Bob said.
“Particularly with patients scheduled to start at one thirty. But let me first make a quick call to Bill Hargrove and report we had a body theft. I’d also like to check whether or not anything at all out of the ordinary was seen last night.
I know he has his team check on the clinic every night.
My sense is that the police need to be involved because this unexpected body disappearance must have some overarching significance that we’re completely missing, especially with it happening in the middle of these confusing and rapidly progressive dementia cases. ”
“Do you think they are related?” Laurie questioned.
“I’ve no idea,” Bob admitted. He threw up his hands in frustration. “Something like this is not supposed to happen here in our isolated Shangri-la. Let me apologize to you guys. I’m sorry! Truly I am.”
“Don’t be silly,” Laurie said. “We certainly don’t blame you, and we’re perfectly happy to take it in stride.”
“Besides,” Jack admitted. “I kinda like conundrums, and this has the makings of a good one.”