Nightwatch by Jo Leigh

Author:Jo Leigh [Leigh, Jo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Action Adventure Mystery & Detective, Romantic Suspense
ISBN: 9780373612895
Amazon: 0373612893
Goodreads: 104143
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2003-12-31T11:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

THE AUTOPSY SUITE at Courage Bay Hospital was a meticulous white, and Callie Baker noted with approval that the morgue technician and the pathologist were well into Bruce Nepom’s autopsy when she arrived. She’d asked to be present for the examination of the skull and brain, and from the looks of things, it would be another twenty or thirty minutes before that procedure would begin.

Just as she was about to go outside and call Chief Zirinsky, the door behind her opened. Max had a white gown on over his uniform. He looked strikingly handsome, especially when he smiled at her.

“I knew I shouldn’t have had breakfast before I came here,” he said.

“After all these years, you’re not used to autopsies?”

He shook his head. “It’s a miracle I don’t embarrass myself.”

“I remember a few when you looked pretty green.”

He shook his head, but took the jab with good humor. “So what are you thinking on this, Callie?”

“I’m anxious to see the back of his skull and the damage done to the posterior of the brain.”

“You’ll be able to tell if the injury was caused by something other than a falling roof?”

“I should, yes.” She walked closer to the autopsy table. Nepom’s body had already been cleared of internal organs, and the body block had been removed from underneath his back. The pathologist, Ralph Kushner, who’d been with Courage Bay Hospital for almost ten years, nodded her way.

“We’re doing the brain now, Doctor,” he said.

Nepom’s head was elevated and Kushner used his scalpel to reveal the skull. Typically, he would cut the skull now to reveal the brain, but instead, he exposed the back area so that he and Callie could look at the damage.

As she suspected, there was a deep concussion just above the brain stem, with a large portion of the skull shattered. “There,” she said to Max. “That was the result of a heavy blow by a blunt instrument. A hammer or a pipe. But my money’s on a hammer.”

Max cursed softly, taking out a notebook that he had in his breast pocket. “You’ll get me the report ASAP?”

“Of course.”

The pathologist went on to remove the brain, and it amazed Callie that Nepom had lived as long as he had. “You know anything about him?” she asked Max.

“Not much, but I have a feeling I’m going to get to know Mr. Nepom real well.”

“There’s one other thing I wanted to show you,” she said, moving down to Nepom’s arm. She held it up, her white gloves so clean-looking next to the man’s weathered skin. “This tattoo.”

Max looked at it carefully and made another notation in his book. “Can you get a picture of that for me?”

Callie glanced at the morgue technician. “Will you take care of that, Dell? Send me the pictures along with the report.”

“Sure thing, Dr. Baker,” he said, heading to the side cupboards where they kept the camera equipment.

“Is there anything else?” She put Nepom’s arm down carefully before turning to Max.

“No, I think that pretty much says it all.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.