Page 38 of Raging Inferno

A fight ensued over paying the check. Dom smiled smugly, thinking he’d won, only to realize Presley had tricked him. She’d cheated and switched her credit card for his.

“That was sneaky. Next time, I pay.”

She quirked a brow. “There’s going to be a next time?”

“Oh, yeah.” Several, if he had anything to say about it.

Driving through town was slow-going with traffic and stoplights. Dom turned into the complex that housed the chief medical examiner’s offices and the county morgue. After he parked, he escorted Presley into the building.

“Have you been here before?”

“A few times.”

He guided her through the hallways and opened a glass door.

A woman with ash-blonde hair fastened into a loose bun and red cat-eye glasses greeted them. “May I help you?”

“We’d like to speak with Dr. Anders. I’m Captain Dominic Bianchi from the Serenity Shores Fire Department.”

“One moment, please.”

The woman stood and disappeared down a corridor. She returned quickly. “She’ll see you. Follow me.”

She led them to a door and ushered them inside. A woman in a white lab coat stood. “Captain Bianchi, it’s good to see you again.”

“You too, Dr. Anders.” He shook the woman’s outstretched hand. “This is Presley Parrish. She’s an investigator with COBRA Securities.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Dr. Anders studied Presley intently. “Parrish? That name sounds familiar.”

#

Presley shook the hand of the pretty woman with a chin-length blonde bob and hazel eyes. If Presley had to guess, she would peg the doctor to be in her mid-to-late forties.

“I’m originally from the area,” Presley responded.

“Ah. Well, maybe that’s it.” With a wave of her hand, she said, “Please, have a seat.”

Once they occupied the chairs in front of her desk, the doctor sat down. “What can I do for you?”

“We’re looking for information on two recent deaths: Margy Binder, and Nancy Babcock.”

Dr. Anders’s brows pinched. “Ms. Binder passed away a few days ago. Smoke inhalation. I just finished autopsies on Nancy Babcock and her husband. They also died from smoke inhalation.”

“I don’t mean to second-guess you, but are you certain that was the cause of death?”

“Positive.”

“Again, I’m not questioning your methods, but how can you be sure? The two women were long-time friends, and it seems strange that they both perished the same way, days apart.”

“Maybe I’ve only been here for a couple of months, but let me assure you, Ms. Parrish, I am very good at my job.”

The words were pinched, and Presley feared she was making an enemy of the ME.

“But to answer your question, a smoke inhalation death is not unusual. In fact, it kills twice as many people as burns.”

“How do you determine the cause of death?”

---