My Sisters Keeper

60

MY SISTERS KEEPER

SIXTY

At the coroner's lab in Joburg, Vladimir's men are standing outside the lab, watching through the glass as the coroner performs the autopsy.

Its barely been twenty four hours since Vladimir died and his men need answers to take back to his father in Russia. They know when they get back to Russia they need concrete proof of his death and a reason why he died.

The coroner tries to calm his nerves, he's never done an autopsy with people watching, but these men have taken over his lab. Vladimir's body laid on the table as he prepared his tools. As soon as he had on his protective gear he got down to work.

He opened him up, as soon as his insides were visible the coroner took a step back with his mouth covered. The guards noticed and quickly rushed in. The smell from Vladimir's insides fill the room making the men's steps falter. His second in command covers his mouth and nose and gets closer to the body. He looks inside and to his surprise, it's like an empty shell. Where there should be organs, there's nothing but what looks like coals.

"What happened to him?" The second in command asks the coroner.
"I dont know, it looks like he either ate or drank something that fried his insides." The coroner picks up what should be a heart, and the fact that it easily disseminates from the body with no scalpel or razor scares him a bit. He's never seen anything like this in his entire career.

The coroner continues with his examination, but even when he is done he still has no proper answers. How could he when he's never seen this before. He concludes that this must have been a poisonous substance that made this man like this, but he couldn't figure out which poison was used. He takes a part of the live and sends it to the lab for a toxicology test. He makes sure to write in his notes that the lab should test for any and every poison they can think off, even the ones that are supposed to be untraceable.

As soon as his assistant leaves he turns to Vladimir's men.
"The lab will conduct a test to see which poison was used."
"So he was poisoned?" The second in command asks with his jaw clenched and veins bulging. In his head he is already preparing for revenge. Whoever did this needs to pay.
"Yes, he was poisoned. The poison mixed with the acid in his stomach and literally burned his organs one by one. The liver is worse than that of a man who smoked ten packets of cigarettes everyday for ten years, his kidneys have shrunk and now they look like raisins, his heart is like a rotten apple."
"So that's where the smell was coming from?"
"Yes. In all my life as a coroner I've never seen a case like this."
"But a few minutes before he died he was fine, he was walking and talking like normal, how is that possible? Shouldn't he have been in pain?"
"He should have been. Maybe he put on a brave face so as not to seem weak in front of you or his men."

The second in command nods and walks closer to the body. Inspite of the smell he puts his hand on Vladimir's cold forehead.
"I will find who did this boss, and they will pay. They will pay dearly for this. I promise you I will avenge you. Even if its the last thing I ever do." He kissed him on the forehead then turned back to the coroner. "Close him up, we are taking him home. Make sure we have the documents to get him out of the country." The coroner knew not to argue so he just nodded his head and got on with his work.

Vladimir's men made arrangements to take Vladimir's body home. By morning the plane was ready and waiting at the airport. The coroner had made sure to get all the documents ready for his departure. The police, after being bribed of course had also released the body. The flight to Russia took off at exactly six pm.

Meanwhile in Soweto, Tshegofatsho, a waitress at the Phonenix lounge was walking to the taxi stop to get a taxi to work. She looked like she hadn't slept in days. She was worried about her mother and little sister. It's been almost two weeks since they were taken from home.