Page 64 of Hidden Hero

He nodded and slid into the chair. After a few minutes, he turned the chair around, revealing a furrow between his brows.

“Well?” she asked.

“It says foxglove-derived toxins.”

“And…?” she prompted.

“I… I don’t know what that means. I’m not familiar with foxglove. Did it cause the hyperkalemia? With that level of potassium, he would be dying, but I don’t understand the toxins,” David admitted.

“Then research. Find out what you don’t understand. I have a call to make, but I assure you that once you research, you’ll retain the information much better than me reciting the details.” She turned and caught Janice’s eye roll. Offering a confirming nod, she walked over to a desk with a hospital phone.

She had a direct line to Sheriff Colt Hudson. He wanted to be informed of any suspicious death she found as the medical examiner if the body was discovered in his county. Sheriff Liam Sullivan had the same request from her if it involved his county.

“Colt? This is Cora Wadsworth.”

“Cora. Good to hear from you, but that means you have something for me.”

She chuckled. There was always a downside to being a medical examiner. She was needed but rarely wanted, simply because if she was calling, that indicated she had discovered a suspicious death. “You’re right. I do. I have a man who died in our ER with what appeared to be a heart attack, but his sister voiced her suspicions to the ER doctor who passed them to me.”

“And they turned out to be right, I presume.”

“Yes,” she sighed. “I need to report this to your detectives.”

“Okay,” he agreed. “Let me check my board, and I’ll send two over to you. Will you be around?”

“I’ll be here the rest of the day unless I get called out.”

“Okay, I’ll get right on it. Thanks, Cora,” he said before ending the call.

She leaned back and let out a long sigh. A high followed the acknowledgment she’d made the correct call, but it was followed by the realization that someone had intended Roy Parker’s death. It wasn’t up to her to determine who did what, but knowing that she would play an integral part in finding his killer was one of the reasons she did what she did. Even in death, he deserved that justice. A hand gently landed on her shoulder, and she recognized the touch.

“You did good, boss,” Janice said softly.

“Thank you,” she whispered. She knew she was sometimes curt and straightforward in her speech and mannerisms, but that was only because she couldn’t allow emotions to overshadow what she needed to do as a clinician. But she never wanted to offend her staff, so when they reached out to offer her support, she felt as though they were a team. She demanded a lot from them, but no more than what she demanded from herself.

An hour later, the mortuary receptionist called back to Cora, announcing the detectives there to see her.

“Send them to the interview room two,” she instructed. Picking up the file she had filled with printed reports of Roy Parker’s autopsy findings, including the toxicology report, she looked at David and said, “You need to sit in on this.”

He hesitated, then nodded.

She arched her brow and held his gaze without speaking.

Her expression must’ve been all the prodding he needed. “With all due respect, Dr. Wadsworth. I don’t see myself working as a mortuary clinician.”

“I understand, and that’s fine. But this is part of your rotation. As with any medical profession, you can expect that, at some time, you might have to be interviewed by law enforcement for various reasons. I would like you to join me as an observer. Then you can write down this experience and include it in the report you’re working on concerning Mr. Parker.”

His expression brightened, and she shook her head. At least he followed her dutifully down the hall. As she stepped into the room, she found that the receptionist had just left, and the man and woman inside greeted her warmly, holding out their badges as identification.

She looked at the badges and then nodded. “Detective Perez. Detective Sullivan. I’m Dr. Cora Wadsworth, and this is Dr. David Jenski, my intern. He’s here to observe our proceedings.”

The four quickly sat around the table, and Cora studied the two detectives before her. Elizabeth Perez was attractive, probably in her early thirties. Her thick, dark hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. She wore slacks, a white blouse, and a short leather jacket. John Sullivan was nearly six feet tall, had lean muscles, was mid-thirties, and was dressed in neat, dark jeans, a pale blue shirt, and a gray sports coat.

She cocked her head to the side. “Detective Sullivan, I don’t suppose you’re related to Sheriff Sullivan, are you?”

He smiled and nodded. “Liam and I are cousins.”

“It’s nice to meet you both. I wish the circumstances were better.”

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