Page 11 of Death on a Scottish Train

I nodded.

Jasper drove us up the small hill to my home.

“Thanks for the ride,” I said as I helped Abigail move my kit out of the van.

“Promise you’ll let me know if you find anything out?”

“I will,” I said.

As soon as we made it inside, I headed for my coffee machine. It was going to be an even longer night, and I needed a brain boost.

While I made coffee, Abigail headed to the back of the practice to start the lab testing. The town was remote and sometimes we were cut off from the outside world. Ewan had made certain the practice was equipped for anything that might happen. We had more up-to-date equipment than many small hospitals in America.

Abigail was a marvel and had taught herself how to run all the machines. I trusted her more than I would any other lab tech.

By the time I had the autopsy suite set up, Ewan and his team arrived with the body. They had to roll him in the cramped position he’d been in because of rigor.

As Abigail took more samples from him and cut his clothes off, I began lining up my tools.

The other officers left, but Ewan stayed behind to help. At some point he’d changed into a cable-knit sweater with dark jeans and boots. Mara and I called it his working uniform.

“You don’t have to be here,” I said. “I’m sure you’re exhausted.”

“As are you,” he said. “And I remind you that as the Assistant Chief Constable, I must be here to oversee the findings.”

He told me that every time, but I wasn’t sure it was true.

That said, I didn’t question him. He’d been through this so many times with us that we all worked like a well-oiled machine.

Abigail handed him the chain of evidence clipboard. He recorded things as we went about our business.

Almost an hour later, I made my first cuts. And it was easy to see why the victim had died. His windpipe was closed off, and his lungs had signs of extreme irritation. As did his heart, which showed signs of the same sort of stress.

“Any idea what could have caused such a reaction and failure so quickly?” Ewan asked.

“We’ll know more when the tox screens are done,” I said.

I glanced at Abigail, who checked her watch. “Another couple of hours,” she said.

After that, we worked quickly and efficiently. Ewan logged things down, as Abigail put things in evidence bags or helped me with the weighing and measuring.

We finished in the early hours of the morning. By that time, all I could think of was going to bed.

“Everyone go home,” I said as we covered the body. “We can look at all the tests in the morning. But I need some sleep.”

“You do look dead on your feet.” Ewan nodded.

“Uh. Thanks.”

“I can stay and run more tests,” Abigail said.

“No. You need to rest as well. Just lock everything up in the lab. We’ll take a look at the results later on. I promise to send over the reports first thing to you, Ewan.”

I didn’t bother stifling a huge yawn, as I nearly shoved them both out the front door.

But even though I was exhausted, I couldn’t resist checking some of the labs that I knew would be finished.

I headed through my practice and back to the lab.