Page 35 of Hidden Hero

“Well, along with your suspicions, I talked to his physician, who concurred that he didn’t have a diagnosed heart condition. I have completed a postmortem. When you say your brother was feeling poorly, what did you mean? Can you give me specific symptoms?”

“He’s always had a strong constitution, but his stomach was increasingly upset. Sharon said it was stress from working the farm too much. Sometimes he’d come in complaining of feeling dizzy or lightheaded. And when he’d be out working, he sweat a lot more than he used to. Other times, he felt weak.”

Cora continued questioning the sister, documenting her concerns and noting her observations. With sympathies given again, she watched as the sister was escorted out of the mortuary before asking to see the wife.

Sharon Parker walked in with fire in her eyes and a rigid set to her jaw. She had the slightly disheveled appearance of someone who had rushed to the emergency room, but instead of a devastated, grieving widow, the woman before her was ready for a fight.

Cora had barely expressed her condolences and informed Sharon that their session was being recorded when the woman slammed her hands down on the table.

“What did you do to my Roy? Did you cut him up?”

“Mrs. Parker, a postmortem was conducted?—”

“I’m going to contact my lawyer! No one gave you the right to do that to my husband! I’ll have your medical license and sue this hospital!”

“Mrs. Parker, I understand you’re upset. As the medical examiner, I have the authority to order an autopsy if the death is deemed suspicious, sudden, or unexplained.”

“What on earth was suspicious about a man his age having a heart attack? This was just an effort for the hospital to get more money! Well, I’m not paying for it. And I’ll tell my insurance company not to pay for it either! And then I’m going to contact my attorney!”

“Your husband did not have documented heart disease. I spoke with his physician and the attending ER physician. With a family member stating to the attending ER physician that they suspected something else was wrong, I deemed it necessary for an autopsy to give us an understanding of his death.”

The woman burst into tears as her hands clasped together as they pressed against her chest. “I can’t believe you did this to my husband. He was a good man. Kind. And you… you… I can’t even say it. What you did to him was so horrid!”

“It is my and my office’s duty to treat your husband’s body with the utmost respect and care. We have finished the postmortem and will wait for any lab results to give us the information we need.”

“What did you find?” she demanded.

“We found evidence of heart damage.”

“See! See! I knew it! There was no reason for this!”

“There are other tests, such as the toxicology report, that we’ll have to wait on. Once pathology is done, then we will have a clearer picture of precisely what caused your husband’s death.” Cora kept her voice calm and her words succinct.

Sharon glanced at Cora and quickly dropped her gaze to the table, where her clasped hands were now clenched so tightly that the skin around her knuckles was white.

Cora continued, “While you are certainly within your rights to request a review of the procedures and consult your attorney, you will find that the law protects my duty as the medical examiner to ensure we understand what has happened.”

Sharon stood quickly and mumbled as she threw open the door and walked out.

Cora sighed heavily, clicked off the recording device, and stood. She had barely reached the door when she stopped suddenly and looked up at the man standing so closely.

“Dan! I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you.”

He placed his hands on her shoulders and bent slightly to hold her gaze.

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I had a break and thought I would come down. I saw the wife leave, so I suppose that was an unpleasant conversation.”

“Not the first unpleasant conversation I’ve ever had, and certainly not as bad as a few others. I interviewed the sister first, who agreed that the postmortem was necessary.”

“Is there anything I can do? I need to head back up to the ER, but I’d like to keep tabs on what’s happening with this case and you.”

She shook her head. “I’m good. But thanks for checking on me.”

His hands dropped from her shoulders, and he smiled. A throat clearing near the end of the hall caused them to turn to see who was there. Her eyes widened at the sight of Jeremy. She smiled, then her gaze dropped to the spark in his eyes and the tic in his jaw. She tilted her head to the side. “Detective Pickett. What brings you here today?”

His gaze moved from Dan down to her, and she could have sworn the fiery spark softened, and his lips quirked upward on one side.

“Well, Dr. Wadsworth. How about lunch?”

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