Chapter 34

The officers drove me further into town to talk to a medical examiner. I couldn’t say how long it took us to get there, since I wasn’t exactly in my headspace during the ride. Rho remained by my side, though the officers didn’t realize it. She even dressed down for the depressing possibility of what I had to face. She wore a simple black dress that covered her to her knees yet hugged her as if it belonged to her little sister. She also had on a wide-brimmed black hat, black stockings, and black heels. Even the heels were sensible for the snow and cold weather, as if she could slip on the ice.

The officers parked in front of the building, and I felt like I was floating when I climbed out.

I looked up at the building. It was nice. Between the snow and the holiday decorations, it looked quite festive. It wasn’t a hospital, of that I was certain. It was simply too small to be a hospital. Not even an emergency room. Maybe doctors’ offices and possibly exam rooms, but nothing more. Officer Wilbourn led the way, and Fulton made sure I didn’t slip on any ice as we followed the sidewalk up to the entrance.

Once inside, and out of the cold, I felt a little better. An attractive blonde sitting at the receptionist’s desk looked up. She smiled at the officers and said, “Dr. Evans is waiting for you in her office.” Fulton led me away while Wilbourn stayed to chat with the blonde.

The place was something of a maze. It was as if the exact layout hadn’t been decided on before construction began, and even after it was started, changes were made. We stopped at a door with Dr. Evans’ name printed on it. He knocked, a soft voice from inside said, “Come in,” and he opened the door.

Fulton talked to Dr. Evans first. I stayed out in the hallway. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to talk to the doctor. I wasn’t even sure that I wanted to do anything. I didn’t feel right. It was like something deep inside of me was missing. Rho stood next to me, watching me. It made no difference. Even if I collapsed, she couldn’t call for help.

Fulton came out to the hallway and said, “Dr. Evans will see you.”

I nodded and walked into the office. Fulton quietly closed the door behind me.

“Hello,” the doctor said. “I’m Doctor Evans. Why don’t you come over and have a seat?”

I felt really out of it. I decided that sitting down was a good idea, so I walked over to her desk and sat in the closest chair.

Dr. Evans had a sympathetic smile as she watched me. Her dark eyes took in details and she adjusted her glasses before saying anything.

I looked at her for only a second, and then around the office, which was cramped. In fact, the doctor seemed to be a pack rat. Piles of papers and books covered every horizontal space. The walls were all covered with framed documents or certifications or some other important pieces of paper. Only a few pictures were present. Behind her desk, the wall was one huge set of shelves and cabinets. The shelves were crowded with books, binders, folders, and all kinds of paperwork. Even her desk felt crowded. She had a computer set up on the side opposite from me, and piles of folders on my side. The only cleared section was in the center of the ink blotter where here hands were currently clasped together.

I looked up at her face again. Her smile was mixed with an expression of apprehension. There was no way to know how many times she sat in this office or even stood in some sort of viewing room while someone had to identify a deceased relative or loved one. While I understood that it was a necessity, I could not imagine having to do it. I was having enough difficulty sitting here, under the impression that I would soon be looking at a picture of my dead father. I still didn’t want to believe it. They had to be wrong. He wasn’t dead, which meant I would be looking at many pictures of people I didn’t know, while they hoped I might recognize one of them.

“I understand from Officer Fulton that you’re looking for your father,” she said with a tone of sincerity.

I nodded and studied her. She was easily my Mom’s age with dark wavy hair pulled back in a bun. Her eyes were deep brown and studied me with the same level of scrutiny the officers used. She wore the classic doctor’s white lab coat, but under that was a beige blouse that bulged pleasantly. Everything else was hidden behind her desk.

Sex wasn’t the point of this meeting. If I thought sex would help, then I was sure Rho would make a fantastic distraction, but I didn’t see her anywhere. Instead, I looked up at the only pictures in the room. The two featured children appeared old enough to be in high school. I pointed them out.

“Those are my babies,” The doctor said with a smile. “Mandy will turn seventeen next month, and Paul is home from his first semester at Virginia Military Institute. He plans to be an officer in the Marines. So far, he’s on his way.” Then she looked at me. “You look like you should be in college.”

I nodded. “I’m studying Architecture at the University of Texas at Arlington.”

She frowned. “That’s a long way away from home.”

I smiled, though I knew it didn’t reach my eyes. “I have problems with the town I grew up in.”

“But I thought you were looking for your father.”

I nodded. “I have problems with the people in Newton Grove, not with my family. It’s only rotten luck they live there.”

She pointed at her computer. “Well, this could end your search or delay it. Are you ready?”

I sat up straight in my seat and nodded. “Yes.”

“Now, I try to take pictures in the best light. This man appeared to have died in his sleep, so there are no wounds or the like. He simply looks like he’s asleep.”

I nodded and watched her hands as she typed in a command on the keyboard. The monitor lit up and a picture appeared.

She was right. Dad looked like he was asleep.

I pushed back from the desk because I felt like I was going to throw up. Sure, I had considered the possibility that dad was dead. After all, I pointed out that possibility to Alyssa when she talked about what she wanted to do when I found him, but that didn’t mean I truly believed it. He was my dad, and regardless of the reasons he originally left last August, he didn’t deserve this.

I looked up again. I studied the photo. There was no mistaking him for anyone else. It was Dad. I nodded and waved at it. I couldn’t bring myself to say anything yet.

Doctor Evans turned the monitor off. “Are you going to be alright?”

I simply nodded. I knew, intellectually, that I would be okay. I knew, eventually, I wouldn’t be overwhelmed by these emotions. I knew, but I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t think. I could barely breathe.

The doctor turned and opened a cabinet behind her. She pulled out a bottle of water and offered it to me.

I took it, gulped some down, and then replaced the cap. It calmed the urge to throw up. When I looked up again, there was a short glass sitting on her desk in front of me. It held a finger of brown liquid.

For a few seconds, I stared at the glass. Yes, I was a lightweight, but I was in no mental condition to do anything now other than mindlessly eat or drink.

I picked up the glass and sniffed it. Whatever she offered, it was strong.

“I know you’re not twenty-one yet,” she said, “but under the circumstances, I don’t believe the officers will begrudge me.”

I nodded, closed my eyes, and drank it down in one gulp. Damn, it burned!

I set the glass on her desk and she took it. She put it away and looked at me again. “Consider that a small offering to the dearly departed.”

I nodded again, still unable to articulate words.

The doctor stood up, moved around the desk, and stood in front of me. Then she knelt down in front of me. She smiled when I looked at her, and then eased in close and up, hugging my head to her chest.

I didn’t know this woman. I wasn’t accustomed to getting hugs from people I didn’t know. Yet, according to my girls, I enjoyed it when they made the first move. I supposed it was the best way she could comfort me, considering the way I sat in my chair. Under normal circumstances, the hug might even be fun, having the side of my face pressed to her breasts.

Yet, this didn’t strike me as normal behavior for the doctor. In fact, it felt similar to when Sheila Cooper wanted sex from me. Why Sheila? Why Doctor Evans? I wasn’t wearing my fetish. In fact, it had been destroyed in the fire back in Texas. I hadn’t cast any spells that would draw women to me. Especially women I didn’t know or who had absolutely no reason to approach me like this. What was going on?

Doctor Evans pulled back and cupped my face. For a second, I thought she might lean in and kiss me. Instead, she shook her head and pulled away.

I sat up and watched her return to her seat. I was sure something had affected her. I was also sure she had finally realized what she was doing and shook off the urge. For a moment, she sat looking both frustrated and confused. I didn’t blame her. I felt the same way.

After a moment, she turned again. This time the other way. She opened another cabinet, and pulled out an urn. It was made of brass, simple in design, yet elegant. She set it on the desk in front of me. “I never know how the person identifying someone will react. Sometimes, they’re devastated. Sometimes relieved. Most of the time, it’s simply a matter of acceptance, like with you. Until I know, I keep the remains out of reach.” She smiled gently then and added, “It’s less messy that way.”

I couldn’t help but smile too.

“Since we don’t have the money to bury all of the souls who are unclaimed, we cremate them. When the officers radioed ahead and I was informed you were on your way to possibly identify your dead father, I went down to the lobby and bought this urn.”

I nodded. “It’s nice.” It was the first thing I had been able to say.

“Well, certainly better than the sealed can he was in previously.”

I laughed. It helped. It helped a lot. I could think again. That gnawing void in my gut was gone. I knew I still had to grieve, but the initial shock was out of the way, which meant I could ask questions. “Where was he found?”

She turned the monitor back on and hit a few keys. “He was lying on the bed at the Motel 6, room two-one-two.”

“You said there were no wounds. Was there any sign of what killed him?”

“No,” she said. “According to this, he didn’t have so much as a bruise. The M.E. performing the autopsy concluded that he died of heart failure.” She shrugged. “It’s the default when the cause cannot be determined.”

Unless medical science couldn’t identify the cause, I thought.

“I am puzzled by his death,” she said. “He was healthy. He should have lived another forty years. It makes me believe something killed him, but we can’t prove it. If we could, there would be an investigation because that would mean murder.”

I sat up straight again. “You don’t believe he died of natural causes?”

She pointed at the monitor. “It’s as if something made his heart stop, something we cannot identify.”

I nodded. “That’s good enough for me.”

She blinked at me. “That’s it? You don’t want to ask about poison or venom or any number of other things all those damned CSI shows find?”

I arched an eyebrow. “Why, did you CSI something?”

She snorted a laugh. “I’m a Medical Examiner. The CSIs would be coming to me for answers.”

“True, but those shows rarely investigate anything as mundane as this. Unless there was evidence at the scene that indicated more than what you’ve found.”

She shook her head. “According to the police report, nothing in the room looked out of place. He had a couple of hundred dollars in his wallet, a suitcase full of clothes, and drove a late model Pick-up.”

I nodded and then nodded at the monitor. “Is it possible for me to get a copy of that?”

She pointed at the monitor and I nodded. “I doubt the answers you’re looking for are in there.”

“Maybe not, but my family is going to have questions. They’ll want to know I didn’t make a mistake identifying him.”

She nodded and said, “Of course.” Then she typed in more commands and said, “Give me a few minutes.” Then she stood up, and left the office.

Rho stepped up next to the Medical Examiner’s desk. She continued to wear the black dress and hat. “She said he died of heart failure. Did you know magical assassins specialize in spells that cause heart failure? The spell can be trigged by any number of mundane acts, like drinking your morning coffee, or touching your keys, or stepping into an elevator.”

“Or sitting on a bed?” I added and she nodded. “She said he was found on the bed in his room at the motel. My only question would be why kill him? What did he do to deserve that?”

“The bigger problem you have is finding that locket,” she said. “You can’t use magic to find it, and now he can’t tell you where he hid it.”

I looked at Rho then. “What if that’s reason he’s dead? What if the same person who killed Hayden found my dad and tried to get information out of him? Only, Dad didn’t know anything because he hadn’t seen Hayden in almost twenty years. Not wanting Dad to go to the authorities, this person killed him.”

Rho shook her head. “Why would that person even question your Dad, much less find him here?”

I thought about it. “Hayden said Dad may have felt her death. That was months prior to his disappearance and death. He decided to wait until I left for school, and then left on his own to find out what happened. He may have even contacted someone he knew who also knew Hayden. If that was the case, he may have told them where he would be so they could meet and talk. Therefore, either that person killed Hayden, or the killer intercepted the call and got to Dad first.”

Rho blinked her eyes in thought. “While that makes sense, I cannot imagine who your dad would contact. It’s not like Hayden kept him up-to-date on her contact list.”

I shook my head. “It makes no sense then. He didn’t leave for several months after Hayden’s death. It’s not like the killer would be actively seeking him out and only to find him when he left the house.”

“Not unless the protective spells on your family’s home were meant to protect more than just you,” Rho said.

I looked at her. “Wait, you think someone was actively looking for dad all that time after Hayden’s death and couldn’t find him because of the protective spells on the house?”

She nodded. “If that person knew your father had a history with Hayden, then yes.”

I shook my head. “There are only two reasons anyone would be looking for Dad after they killed Hayden.”

Rho didn’t respond because Dr. Evans returned with two large envelopes for me. “I included all the records, photos, and reports involving you father. I also added a thumb drive with an audio file of the notes from the autopsy.” She shrugged. “It would be dry stuff for you, but any other doctor may notice something we could have missed.”

I accepted the folders with a nod and said, “Thank you for everything, Doctor. I may not find all the answers I need, but I now know what became of him.”

She smiled with that same note of sympathy in her expression as when I first saw her. We shook hands, and I left her office.

The hall was empty. I retraced the route Fulton used to lead me to Dr. Evans. Rho silently followed me.

Officers Fulton and Wilbourn were both waiting with the blonde receptionist. Now that I felt a little more normal, I could see the appeal. She was more than just pretty. When she saw me, she adopted a sympathetic expression and I wondered how long I would see that on everyone’s faces.

Wilbourn had apparently earned a date with the blonde, because he said, “I’ll see you Friday night,” as he stepped away from the desk.

Fulton didn’t have to ask whether the man they found was my dad. The urn I carried along with the packets of information answered the question for him. He simply turned and led the way back to their cruiser.

While they drove, I called Mr. Van Dusen.

He answered with, “Don’t tell me the Police are harassing you again.”

I chuckled at the irony of the question and timing. “No, fortunately. I have something else I need help with.”

“Oh good, do tell.”

“I just found my father. It turns out he passed away last August, only a few hours after he disappeared.”

“My condolences,” he said. “Were the police any help?”

“Actually, nobody knows what killed him. He was found dead in a motel without a mark on him. For the time being, I’ll accept that and move forward.”

“I can look into whether he had a will, and if so, see that it is executed.”

“Yes, thank you. I suppose I’ll also need to know about any properties in his name that need to be transferred and such.”

“Of course, I’ll get to work on that immediately.”

“Thank you, Mr. Van Dusen.”

“I’ll be in touch,” he said and hung up.

I set my phone down and my stomach grumbled. It was loud enough that Officer Wilbourn looked back at me. “What was that?” he asked.

I patted my belly. “Know any good places to eat?”

He nodded and pointed. “Johnny Mac’s. It’s all home-style, except his burgers. He grills those. They’re better than anything any fast food place can mock up.”

Fulton, behind the wheel, said, “If you want, we can take you.”

I chuckled. “Don’t you guys have streets to patrol or something?”

Wilbourn grinned. “It’s not often we actually get to help someone. Usually, we’re handing out tickets or arresting someone.”

I nodded and shrugged. “Sure, if you guys don’t mind. I don’t know Emporia.”

He nodded too and we went to Johnny Mac’s for lunch.

Johnny Mac’s was empty, but that was probably because most of the seating was outside, in the snow. As soon as the officers and I walked in, however, I could tell this place was different. It wasn’t arranged like other fast food restaurants. Only two tables sat inside, and they weren’t bolted to the floor. The chairs were real chairs that could be moved around. The place was a throwback to older designs of fast food.

When she saw Officer Wilbourn, the girl behind the counter grinned and leaned on the counter, showing off her cleavage. He swaggered up to the counter with a smile and said, “How are you, Stacy?”

Stacy’s smile brightened that much more and she said, “I’m doing better now, Officer Wilbourn.”

I didn’t think Stacy was more than seventeen, but then flirting wasn’t illegal.

“What can I get’cha?” she asked.

“We’ll take three burgers, fries, and drinks.”

She moved over to the register and then the number hit her. “Three?” she asked and finally took her eyes off Wilbourn. She glanced at Fulton, and then looked at me. She looked back at Wilbourn and pointed at me. “You got a rookie here or something?”

Wilbourn shook his head and said, “He just found out his father died. We’re helping out some.”

“Aw,” she said and looked at me. “I’m sorry.”

I nodded.

She looked at Wilbourn again. “I’ll get everything out to you lickity-quick!”