Page 42 of Forever Dark
“Can you bring in the local forensic pathologist?”Selena asked.“I’d like to speak with them.”
Blethan stared at her for half a second.
Then he grinned.
It transformed his face, but not kindly.
“You’re looking at him.”
Selena looked up.“You?”
“Aye.Me.”
“You do both jobs?”
“In this county, yes.”
“The coroner and the forensic pathologist.”
“Well done.”
“That seems like a conflict.”
“It seems like rural life, Agent Raven.”
“You’re telling me there’s no independent pathologist involved in a homicide?”
“I’m telling you I did the examination, signed the report, and sent it where it needed to go.”
“Is it not expected to have a second pair of eyes on all this?”
“No,” Blethan said.“You just got here.I’ll tellyouwhat’s expected.”
Selena felt her jaw tighten.She thought of Meg’s words.No flare-up with the locals.No complaints.Otherwise, it would look bad for Selena.But she was finding it increasingly difficult to contain her displeasure.
He nodded toward the clipboard mounted at the end of the drawer.“My name is on the coroner’s note.Same name on the pathology summary.Same signature.A big-shot city girl should’ve noticed that if she’d studied the reports properly.”
Selena turned on him.
“I’mfromHarlan County.”
Blethan’s grin faded into something harder.“Oh, so you just picked up being rude in the big city and graced us with bringing it back with you?How generous of you.”
Selena stepped toward him.
“Is there anything new,” she said, each word clipped, “to be added to the report?What about footprints or fingerprints?”
“No.All in the report.The killer’s boot marks seem to be from some sort of custom sole, more than likely he’s made the sole himself so the make of the boot can’t be traced.And then he’s worn gloves, so no prints.”
“Anything you might have missed?”
“No.”
“Anything you were too overworked, too underfunded, or too proud to put in writing?”
His eyes sharpened.“Careful.”
“No,yoube careful.I’m here because someone is dead and someone else may die if we don’t stop posturing long enough to do the work.I don’t care if you like me.I don’t care if the sheriff usually holds your hand through these conversations.I asked you a direct question.”
