Page 26 of Chosen Path
He raised his head and looked at Bodhi. “She was sick, then?”
“She had a bad cough.”
“Like bad enough to kill her?” Booth wanted to know.
“I don’t know. If the medical examiner authorizes an autopsy—”
“—Never gonna happen, my friend,” Booth said.
“Why not?”
The police officers exchanged a look. Bodhi had already determined that Booth was the senior of the two, and what happened next confirmed it.
Perth opened his mouth to respond, and Booth sliced her hand through the air in a sharp motion. Perth clamped his mouth shut instantly.
So Bodhi turned toward Booth and repeated the question. “Why not?”
She exhaled through her nose and rested a hand on her hip. He wondered if the gesture was unintentional or meant to draw his attention to the weapon holstered there.
Finally, she said, “Because the people of Scandia Bluff are weird about it. There’s never been an autopsy performed up here.”
“Never?” He found that hard to believe.
“Well, not since the 1950s. Right after the medical examiner system was put in place statewide. That was the first and last one.”
Bodhi tilted his head. “That’s a pretty specific nugget of information to have at your disposal.”
Booth’s expression softened, almost imperceptibly, into something that approached the shadow of a smile. “I asked the ME about it.”
“Idle curiosity?”
She shook her head, and her ponytail whipped back and forth across her shoulder blades. “Not exactly. We’ve been on the force a while. Fourteen years for me, and a decade for old Perth here. There’s not a lot of violent crime out here, but people die. In most of these little towns, the doctors or EMTs or what have you will call any questionable deaths into the central medical examiner’s office. That’s what we were taught to do. Better safe than sorry, right?”
“Right.”
She gave her head another shake. “Not in Scandia Bluff. Everybody knows you don’t request an investigation in Scandia Bluff unless you personally watched someone shoot the deceased or there’s been a biochemical attack or something like that. You just don’t. The one and only autopsy was performed by Doctor Larson’s predecessor, who was run out of town on a rail.”
“Really?”
“Well, not literally. They didn’t tie the guy to a post and tar and feather him first.”
Bodhi blinked. “U.S. history major?”
“Guilty as charged.” This time Booth flashed a real smile. “But the family did sue the doctor and kick up a holy fuss with the state. The whole death investigation system was still brand new, and they didn’t need the drama. So word came down: no autopsies out of Scandia Bluff. Doctor Larson got the message loud and clear.”
“But that was almost seventy years ago,” Bodhi protested.
“Apparently nothing’s changed in that regard.”
“Funny that Doctor Larson didn’t tell Molly, er, Doctor Hart about this unstated rule.”
He was musing, talking to himself more than to the police officers. But another look passed between the partners. This time, Booth nodded as if to give Perth permission to speak.
He said, “I’m sure Doc would’ve if he hadn’t, you know, died. But it would be good ifyoutold her.”
“Pardon?”
“Someone has to let her know. Everyone’s been looking the other way—the mortician, the medical examiner’s office, our boss. But she can’t keep reporting deaths as suspicious and creating a paper trail that shows nobody’s following up on her reports. Understand?”
