Page 54 of To Die For

She handed them over.

“Thanks. Uh, do you have whatever was found in the car?”

The woman hesitated. “It would be in the evidence room, I suppose.”

“Any way I can have access to that?”

“I’ll check,” she said.

“Thanks.”

“Will there be anything else?”

“Not for the time being, Miss…?”

“Mrs.Doris Chandler.”

“So did you perform the posts on the Odoms?” he asked.

“Oh, heavens no. I just do the clerical work and processing for the medical examiner and other folks here. Dr. Coburn performed the autopsies.”

“Is he here?”

“She.It’sSaraCoburn. And no, I’m afraid she’s not. She’s the ME for several counties and her work keeps her on the road.”

“Do you have her contact information?”

“I do but I’m afraid I can’t give it out without her permission.”

Devine handed her his card. “Well, here’s my info. Could you ask her to contact me at her earliest convenience?”

“Is this in regard to the autopsies? They were pretty straightforward, as I’m sure you’ll see when you read through the reports.”

“I’m sure they are, but I’d still like to speak with her.”

“I will pass along your request,” said Chandler.

“And check on the evidence room?”

She turned and went back inside without answering.

Devine watched her go and thought,How can everyone here seem so polite and helpful and not actually provide me a damn thing that’s useful?

He sat in the 4Runner and read through the postmortem results.

Theywerestraightforward as far as they went. But the tox reports, which would definitively say what was in their systems at death, had not come back in yet, so there was no official cause of death. But all other forensic indications pointed to a fentanyl-induced drug overdose, or so said Dr. Coburn in clipped language that was as dry as burnt toast. She had also noted that Alice Odom had a small lump in her right breast that might have been cancerous. But, of course, it would not kill her now.

Dwayne’s post didn’t reveal anything out of the ordinary. He was healthy except for being dead. But what if the fentanyl had been administered to them in a larger dose without their knowledge as a way to murder them?

He walked over to the door where Doris Chandler had entered the building after giving him the report. There was a bell to ring. She came in response to his pushing it.

“Can I look at the bodies?” he asked.

“I’m afraid that’s impossible,” Chandler answered.

“Why?”

“They’ve been cremated.”

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