Examining the Dead Got Me Branded a Cheater Chapter 04

Examining the Dead Got Me Branded a Cheater Chapter 04

After I got to Aravelia, I slept for three full days. I left all the department stuff behind.

I switched my phone on after three days. The texts and missed calls were a barrage. Claire was barking orders, demanding to know where I was, and gave me two hours to get to the station.

Even Harry rang to haul me back. The task force had shown up and wanted my help. If we closed this case, the last incident would be forgiven, and I’d be reinstated as a medical examiner.

All these messages almost cracked me up. I kept trying to tell them the truth, but nobody would listen.

They only started scrambling after the wealthy family called in a task force and embarrassed the department. It was too late.

I didn’t answer a single text. I stayed in vacation mode.

Aravelia was beautiful, but it didn’t feel as safe as back home. I got pickpocketed. He swiped my passport and every dollar I had.

I caught him, but he wouldn’t admit a thing and refused to give my wallet back. Thankfully, I had a little training. I put the punk down in seconds and marched him to the police station.

The officers recovered my wallet and returned it to me. They were on edge, working a thorny case that required the medical examiner to perform an autopsy.

There weren’t many medical examiners here. Most were part-timers. So the officers ended up waiting around for one to be free to come over. By then, the suspect might’ve already been long

gone.

Seeing the victim’s state and the loved ones clinging to the body really hit me.

I flashed the police captain my medical examiner credentials. “I can handle the autopsy and help you track down the killer quickly.”

He verified them and, grateful, told me to proceed.

I had more experience with solving cases than most. After the autopsy, I laid out a profile of the suspect. The officers pulled the footage and quickly found the suspect I’d described.

Once the suspect was in custody, the captain thanked me over and over and even asked if I’d stay on and join the team.

“Mr. Mercer, we really hope you’ll help us solve these cases. You’ve seen it yourself. We don’t have a medical examiner with your level of expertise in Aravelia, and it’s been a real hurdle.”

I waved him off. “I appreciate it, but I’m not planning to stay in Aravelia. Still, you can reach me anytime while I’m here on vacation.”

The captain let it go, yet he contacted me whenever they needed an autopsy. They covered my

housing, meals, and daily expenses in Aravelia for a year to keep me around. I was so at ease that I almost forgot about home.

Claire called me, aggressive as ever. “Evan Mercer! Did you fall off the face of the earth? If you’re alive, you could’ve said so! The department’s been searching for you everywhere.

“Do you have any idea how many resources you burned? We’ve already pinned you in Aravelia. Get back here. The task force is waiting.”

I’d enabled anti-tracking before I flew out. I disabled it for the last two days to check in with my family, which was how she tracked my location.

I could hear Harry on the line, too, pressing me on when I’d be back.