Page 15 of Dusty

“I can’t do it, not if she is blaming me for her death.” He said that he’d never thought of that. “I could assist if you can find a doctor willing to do it. But as far as me being alone with the body, that’s not going to work for a great many people.”

“I’m going to call the hospital now. That’s where they usually take the bodies. Let me see what I can find out.” She sat down in the chair and waited for the man to return. She was going to suggest to whoever was in charge that Donald be given a desk job. The man didn’t know what he was doing and it was going to cost the station a lot of grief if someone didn’t sue them first. While she waited, she called Dusty.

After telling him what she’d been told, as well as her opinion of Donald, he said that he was sorry. Telling her to call Locke. He might know someone in that field who could assist in the autopsy. If not, then she’d have to wait on the results.

“I don’t know what she might have died from, but I’m betting it was her heart. She had to be at least a hundred or so pounds overweight. I remember Scott telling me that the doctor was forever putting her on a diet, but she didn’t follow it. But I won’t know until someone confirms it.” He asked her if she’d done that sort of work before. “Yes. There were so many men and women who would die, and someone had to take charge of the outgoing work. There would have been bodies lining the walls if we didn’t have people there to do the work.”

“I can imagine.” He asked her to hold on. That his brother was there. He didn’t say which brother, but she would bet that any and all of them would help out if they were asked. “All right. Locke is making a phone call. He told me that he’d get back to you in a few minutes. In the meantime, I’m going to be finishing up here with the campaign that I’m working on to raise the funds for the school. Thanks for that.”

When the phone beside her rang, she didn’t answer it. It wasn’t her phone, and it could have been someone having an emergency. It was about two minutes after the phone stopped ringing that Donald returned to tell her that the call was for her. She picked it up on the first ring.

“Sergeant Shipley.” The person on the other end of the call laughed. “If you called me for a chuckle, then you’re going to be sadly disappointed. I’m busy here.”

“It’s David Hathaway.” It took her a few seconds to know who that was. “Locke called me and asked me if I could make it so that you’re the county medical examiner. I whole heartly agree with him on you being the best man for the job. I’m sending through—”

“Hold on there, Buster. I didn’t say I wanted the job. And in the event no one told you, Alma blamed me for her death.” He said that he trusted her to be fair. “Well, I don’t know that I want the job.”

“Did you know that that county alone is backed up in examines by forty percent? The work they need done needs to be done by someone who can be trusted. And since I trust you more than most doctors I know, I’m going to make sure that the county knows to piss you off is to piss me off. Do this for them, and I’ll owe you a big favor. I don’t say that to many people, so you know.” She told him that she just got out of working for him. “Yes, you did. And I’m glad to have done it. But you might want to remember that you’re a small county, and there are fewer than ten unexplained deaths a year there. Not a lot to keep you out of your new home if you were to take the job.”

“I don’t want…don’t I have to be voted in or something? I mean, that’s the way it works around here, doesn’t it?” he laughed and asked her if she was looking for someone to vote her in or was she discrediting his being able to tell her she had the job. “Both, I guess. I’ll do it, but I’m sure that people are going to bitch.”

“Doubtful. With you doing the work, that means that people will have their death certificates to be able to open accounts that might otherwise be closed to them. I’m thinking that, too. If you never say anything to anyone, no one will ever know.” She told him she liked that idea. “I do as well. So can I count on you to work for me again?”

“No. But I’ll work for the county, and that’s all I’m going to say about it.” She made her way to the hospital and asked where she was to be stationed. The board was there, too, welcoming her to the job and telling her what an asset she was going to be. She’d see, she thought to herself, if she was going to be an asset or not.

Chapter 7

Locke was assisting her with the backlog of bodies that were in the county. There were only seven, but she was pissed off because there were seven of them that hadn’t been done. By the time she was ready to leave for the day, she and Locke had gotten nearly all the bodies identified, and most importantly, the office of the county medical examiner cleaned up enough so that they could use the office. It had been emptied out for nearly ten years, she told him.

“While there were no rats in the place, there were enough stink bugs in the room that would have qualified for a colony.” He laughed. “I kid you not, Dusty. It looked like there were thousands of them in every corner of the room. Locke and I will never be able to look at a bug again without being sickened by them. Gross. And I’ve been overseas and thought that I’d seen it all.”

“I’m glad that you were able to help out. I know that no one is to know, but I was stopped on the street twice today on the way home in having people ask me if you’d gotten to their relative as yet. I guess Mr. Jones died over a month ago, and his family had been at a standstill in getting things done in all that time. I was also told that the government gives veterans a marker when they pass as well.”

“They do. Though I thankfully haven’t had to look into that as yet. Tomorrow, we’re going to get started. I’m so glad that Locke is going to be with me. He said that he has to work a little bit in the office, and this will be perfect for his degree. I didn’t know he wasn’t a doctor, to be honest with you. I had no idea that he was, as he calls himself, a plain nurse. He’s far from plain anything if you ask me.” Dusty told her that he’d gotten the degree to help out Martha, the woman who had helped them in so many ways. “That’s what he told me, too. That she’d been better to you guys than your mother had ever been.”

“More than anyone could have asked for.” She asked him about dinner. They were supposed to have dinner with Demitrius tomorrow night as he was trying new foods out. “When I saw him at noon, he was picking up things from the grocery store. He said that he was going to have a salad, too, which he was really hoping went over well. I don’t know what he meant by that, but I’m willing to try things.”

“It’s going to be one of those foo-foo salads, I’m betting. I can’t stand those kind of things. I want salad stuff, not fruit. If I wanted a fruity salad, then I would get one. But only tomatoes and lettuce belong in a salad. Cucumbers, too, but nothing else. That kind of thing is supposed to be a side dish.” Laughing, he asked her about onions. “Occasionally, you can have them in there so long as they’re pickled. I love pickled onions.”

“I’ll have to take your word on that. I don’t care for anything pickled.” They spoke more about the dinner tonight and what they might be eating. Shipley wasn’t the adventuresome type of person with her food. “That’s probably because you’ve only had army messes. I’m betting you didn’t get too many fresh burgers, did you?”

“Not where I was.” They talked a bit more about food and the kind of things that Demetrius usually cooked for them. “I’ve never had lamb before. Unless you count having gyros. That’s a good food, if you ask me. Also, I’m not a huge fan of pizza if there are other things on it besides meat and cheese. Regular meat, not chicken.”

“Honey, I think that chicken is considered regular meat as well.” She said it didn’t belong on a pizza. “How do you feel about pineapple on a pizza then?”

“I’m hanging up on you. Those are fighting words.” They were both laughing by the time she was home. Putting her phone away, she went into the house to be greeted by small arms and her favorite family. Parker wasn’t too old, but she was learning that her aunt loved hugs, so that helped, too. She’d forgotten that they were babysitting the kids tonight as her sister had a date.

“How many dates have you had with Brad now? Do the Secret Service get in the way of youguys having a good time?” Amanda told her that they were just friends. “Sure you are. And I’m your uncle.”

“Really? And all this time, I thought that we were identical twin girls.” Amanda did look like she was happy with dating the vice president. “Tonight is a huge deal in that I’m going to be present as his date to a lot of other dignitaries. With David having the flu, Brad and I have had to step in some for him. Have you heard if he’s doing better or not?”

“I haven’t, though I did hear from his secretary that he’s supposed to be better in a couple of days. Admit it, you’re having a blast.” Amanda said that she was and that Brad was making her feel so special. “He’d better if he knows what’s good for him.”

The car showed up for Amanda about the time the pizza did. Brad paid for the pizzas for the kids and tipped the man an extra hundred for not saying who had paid. Of course, that went out the window as soon as he posed for a selfie with the man. Sometimes, she wondered where their heads were.

Parker was about eight months old now and was able to gum a crust really well. Mandy, of course, liked her pizza hot and spicy just like she did. People had been telling her for months that Mandy could be her clone, and of course, she took that to heart. She did have some special connection with the little girl.

After dinner, they headed to the living room for movie time. She couldn’t believe how much fun they were all having, so when the front door buzzer sounded, she didn’t want to go and answer it. Sending Dusty to answer the door, she was surprised when he yelled for her from the front hall and told her to come to him. She stood there staring at the man and woman for a little bit before she knew who it was.

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