“I can’t say anything for sure. What do I know? I think that it was such a shock to them, they’re having a hard time accepting it. When something happens out of the blue like that… a healthy kid one minute, and then the next he’s gone… they want to believe it’s not true. Somebody made a mistake. You see it on TV all the time, cold cases, reversal, someone on death row who was completely innocent… It’s part of our culture. So, they’re looking for that ‘oh, we were wrong.’”
“Could be.” Zachary cut pieces from his steak and chewed the tender beef slowly. “I think you’re right about the shock. They’re all a little… removed from reality. Stuck in disbelief.”
She nodded her understanding. “You can understand where they’re coming from. It’s pretty tough to lose a kid like that. You want to blame someone. Whether it’s a stranger, or the police investigation, or the medical examiner. Someone to blame.”
“Yeah. Maybe so. As long as they don’t blame me.”
“As long as they pay you, who cares? Maybe you can offer it as a service. Scapegoat for hire.”
Zachary chuckled. Kenzie had some twisted sense of humor.
“Since we can’t read the report while we’re eating, why don’t you tell me about yourself? Have you been a private investigator for long? What made you go into it?”
“My interest in photography, for one. And TV. I grew up on detective shows.”
“And is it like you thought it would be?”
Zachary snorted. “I don’t carry a gun. I don’t break into people’s houses. I don’t chase down murderers every week. A lot of it is tedious desk work, but yeah, I still enjoy it. I like teasing out all the evidence and solving the puzzle. Although most of what I do isn’t that puzzling… husbands and wives cheating on each other, routine background checks, that kind of thing. I don’t always get something that I can dig my teeth into.”
“Do you come from a big family? Lots of brothers and sisters?”
Zachary was taken aback and immediately on guard. “What does that have to do with anything?”
Kenzie’s eyes flashed up from her steak to his face in surprise. “I’m wondering about your background. What makes you tick. It was just a question.”
“I don’t…” He had been about to say that he didn’t want to talk about his past, but that would just send up flares that there was something to talk about. “I don’t have any siblings.”
“Only child?”
“Well, yes.”
“Were you spoiled?” Her eyes were dancing. “I’ll bet you were spoiled.”
“No. My parents… I lost them when I was young.”
“Oh.” She blinked and recomposed her face. “I’m so sorry. That was a tactless thing to say.”
“You didn’t know.”
She ate in silence, her cheeks noticeably pink even in the dimness of the room.
“How about you?” Zachary asked. “You have to tell me about yourself. How did you get into the medical examiner’s office? I hear people are dying to get in there.”
“Oh,” Kenzie groaned and kicked him under the table. “You did not just say that!”
“What? It was an accident. I didn’t mean that…”
She laughed and shook her head. “You are an enigma, Zachary Goldberg! I always loved science in school. I was fascinated when we did dissections. Couldn’t get enough of it. While the boys were horsing around, throwing frog intestines at each other, and the girls were pretending to throw up or faint, I was enthralled. I mean, there I was, for the first time, actually seeing an animal’s organs. I’d always understood they were there, and what they did, but I was actually seeing them and holding them in my hands. It wasn’t abstract anymore.”
“And that’s when you decided you wanted to be a death doctor when you grew up”
“It was either that or a serial killer. I thought I’d make more as a doctor.”
Zachary laughed. As long as the spotlight wasn’t on him, he could have a lot of fun with Kenzie. She was fun and pleasant to be with. “So, are you on your way to becoming a full-fledged medical examiner? I mean… I’m not sure what your training is or what your duties are now.”
“I’ve still got a little way to go yet. It’s like… an apprenticeship. I get to work with a brilliant doctor, get some practical experience while I’m doing my schooling. It works for me.”
“And do you have family around here?” He was careful to phrase it as a casual question about her family and let her fill in the details, rather than putting her on the spot as she had done with him.
“My parents are about a three-hour drive away. Close enough to get there if they need me, or I need something from them. Far enough away to be independent. So that they don’t call me about every little thing, and vice versa.”
“Sounds good.”
“I am an only child.” She offered it up, knowing that he wasn’t going to ask.
“Spoiled?”
“Not as much as you’d think.”
Zachary’s steak was gone. He sat back, having a sip of beer and thinking about his case.
“Parents don’t always spoil their children, even if they only have one child.”
“No, of course not.”
“I don’t think Declan was spoiled.”
Kenzie nodded gravely. “Do you think they were strict with him?”
“Not strict…” Zachary made a face, trying to think of how to phrase it. “Well, maybe strict, but not big disciplinarians. They both have OCD, so there were probably a lot of rules. Things that they wouldn’t let slide that a normal parent—”
“Neurotypical,” Kenzie corrected.
“I think they were probably different than neurotypical parents. And I don’t think they were that… close to him.”
“Well…” She scraped at the gravy and mushrooms left on her plate. “Not all parents are as closely bonded to their children as you would expect. Though sometimes, it’s just that they don’t show it well. Not all parents are demonstrative.”
“Maybe that’s it. They act like they cared for him, but it feels funny. More removed.”
“That’s something you should probably consider.”
He raised his eyes
