Death by DNA by Pierce Roberts

Author:Pierce Roberts
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
Published: 2017-11-30T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 56

Tom and Kate met Jules for breakfast in the tiny dining room of Hilda Stromberg’s B&B. The aroma of fresh brewed coffee, chocolate and yeasty breads, blended with the unmistakable lure of pork sausage and bacon.

Hilda was a stereotypical villager with her round cherub face, stout frame and braided hair circling above each ear. Expressing her hospitable nature, she proudly treated them to a generous assortment of those baked goods, sausages, eggs and potatoes, followed by large plates of cheeses and fresh fruit. They were the only guests at the small B&B, but were presented with enough food for several times their number. Jules, who wasn’t a breakfast eater, managed only a couple of sausages, cheese and some fruit. Kate prayed as usual, which caused Jules to comment, ‘Bon’ as she finished. She simply looked over to Tom and said, “I have a lot to be thankful for!”

They finished breakfast and each took a large coffee to go before heading out to the medical clinic. The sun was burning off the morning mist and a light breeze was starting to move the warmer air up the hillsides. When they got to the office, Dr. Loomis was waiting for them on the porch, fiddling with a meerschaum pipe, nervously cleaning its ornately carved bowl. He took them into the treatment room where his friend laid covered with a large jade-colored surgery drape.

“This is the best person that I ever knew. Let’s get this over with,” said Loomis with a sheen of sweat just over his brow. The worry hung heavy upon his shoulders as he stood back.

Jules walked to the table and lifted the shroud, doing a quick gross examination of the body. It appeared in very good condition despite not having been embalmed.

Loomis, who seemed obviously distressed, asked him, “Do you want to tackle this or should I?”

“I would prefer since you are the official coroner that you do the gross autopsy and I will then select the tissue samples we need. I am only interested in the brain, so unless you want to do a complete post, that will be all we need to look at,” Jules replied.

Loomis took four pathogen barrier gowns from the wall closet and gave one to each of them. They then put on plastic face shields and heavy autopsy gloves. Loomis removed an instrument pack from an old enameled glass front cabinet, and retrieved a Stryker saw from the bottom shelf. Next, he draped off the Chief’s skull and made a careful incision from behind his right ear over the crest of his skull and behind the left ear. He then dissected the skin and scalp from the face to the back of the skull, exposing the boney top of the dome. Wiping the tissue fluid from the bone, he started up the Stryker and cleanly cut the top of the cranium off with light smoke drifting airborne as the saw ground its way around the circumference. Next, Loomis cut away the connective

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