Page 46 of Girl Between

George stood with her, his quiet patience so different from Jake’s demanding demeanor. It made Dana want to open up to George, but even that felt dangerous. Letting people in was what got her here.

“I’m not sure this is a good idea,” she finally admitted.

George nodded. “I can respect that, but let’s get out of this heat. You can wait inside. This shouldn’t take long. I’m sure Lena won’t mind if you wait in her office.”

Since Dana could already feel sweat speckling every inch of her skin in the midday Louisiana sun, she agreed.

Once inside it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the dimly lit foyer of the coroner’s office. Dana took her glasses off and wiped them with the hem of her t-shirt, hoping to clean some of the day’s dust away. When she put them back on, the room came into focus.

It looked just like she expected.

No frills, bland metal furniture, dingy linoleum floors, and buzzing overhead fluorescent lighting. What Dana hadn’t expected was the vibrant young woman in bright pink scrubs who greeted them. Magenta hair coiled in thick braids peeked out from her pastry-patterned surgeon’s cap.

She lit up when she saw the detective in her lobby. “Why, it’s Vincent George!” She fanned herself with her hands, grinning wider. “NOPD’s finest in my little slice of heaven. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Lena, good to see you as always. This is Dr. Dana Gray. Dr. Gray, this is Dr. Lena Cruz, head coroner for Jefferson Parish.”

Lena’s dark eyes widened with excitement, making the tiny silver piercing in her left eyebrow catch the light. “The FBI doctor?”

“Smithsonian,” Dana corrected.

“It’s an honor,” Lena said, rushing over to shake Dana’s hand with both of hers. “You really know your stuff.”

“Excuse me?” Dana asked, but Dr. Cruz was already moving on.

“I can’t tell you the thrill that went through me when I saw the transnasal craniotomy notated on the police report. Did you study Egyptology?” she asked, but not waiting for an answer, she continued. “What a truly fascinating subject. I’m ashamed to say I might not have spotted the abnormality, but now that it’s been brought to my attention it’s glaringly obvious.”

“What is?” George asked.

“That we’re dealing with someone with extensive medical knowledge, and an affection for the black market.”

“What’s that now?” George asked, but Dr. Cruz was already pushing through the double doors to the morgue giving them no choice but to follow.

The shrugging gesture George gave before following her, told Dana this was the norm when it came to the energetic Dr. Cruz.

Dana wanted to deny her curiosity, but an instant affinity pulled her toward the young coroner. Despite the woman’s loud attire, she was all business, and Dana couldn’t help but admire anyone who put their work first.

Following George, Dana found herself in the morgue exam room where Dr. Cruz quickly darted around straightening things with the haste of a teen who’d forgotten to clean her room. She packed up what looked like a half-eaten lunch, deposited it in the nearest mortuary cooler, and slid it closed.

George balked. “You store your lunch in there?”

“What? It’s been sanitized,” Dr. Cruz said. “Besides, that one’s reserved for medical cadavers. Haven’t had one here since I started.”

She moved across the room to stand over the half-sheeted form of the victim they’d discovered at Lafayette Cemetery last night. “Anyway, shall we begin?”

The abrasive smell of formaldehyde assaulted Dana’s senses, instantly bringing her back to a place she wanted to forget. Crime scenes, funerals, cemeteries. Her life revolved around such things for far too long.

She hated this part. Always being too late to do anything butanalyze the dead. She was beginning to wonder what the point was if she couldn’t stop it?

Trying to catch her breath, Dana closed her eyes, only to see a vision of Meredith’s apologetic face on the back of her eyelids. Eyes wide open again, Dana began backing out of the room.

George noticed. “I’m sorry, Lena, but Dr. Gray isn’t here to assist with this case.”

Dr. Cruz had been mid-sentence when George spoke. The look of disappointment in the young coroner’s eyes hit Dana like a blow. “Oh! I’m so sorry,” Dr. Cruz said. “This scene must be shocking,” she said, quickly pulling the sheet up higher on the lifeless body splayed out on the table in front of her. “I shouldn’t have assumed?—”

“No, it’s okay,” Dana interrupted. “I’ve seen plenty of corpses. But I’m in New Orleans on a research grant. I’m not sure I should be taking on another investigation right now.”

Dr. Cruz’s big brown eyes blinked back at Dana, even larger now that she’d donned a pair of exam goggles. “That’s too bad. I’m sure I would’ve enjoyed working with you,” she said with a straightforward mannerism so similar to Dana’s that it was hard not to admire the woman.