Dead Shot (A Cal Murphy Thriller Book 1)

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Kevin Mendoza pushed the dark-framed glasses back up his nose. He peered at his clipboard and then returned his gaze at the lifeless body of Cody Murray.

Nothing prepared him for investigating the deaths of three teenage boys in a 24-hour period. While attending the University of Washington Medical School, Kevin had seen a few gunshot wounds and one pit bull attack victim. But never a cadaver even close to what he was looking at now.

Despite the pervasive rumor around Statenville, none of the victim's wounds appeared to come from any variety of feline, mountain lion or otherwise. But they definitely looked like claw marks, scratch marks from someone in close proximity to each victim. Long slashes across their torso. Legs. Arms. Faces. No segment of the body was clear.

Kevin was nearly convinced it was a surprise attack of some kind, maybe even a vicious one that immediately sedated each victim before carving him up. Then he looked under their fingernails. That's when he realized that this was more freakish than he could have ever imagined.

He picked up Cody's hand and looked again. Scraped off skin was compacted under each fingernail. Kevin figured even his favorite TV medical examiner would have been perplexed by how such a death could have occurred.

Without more testing, he couldn't be certain; but Kevin's initial assessment was that each victim literally scratched himself to death. Exsanguination would be the term used in his official report, but it would be reported in the media as "bleeding to death." They scratched themselves with such fierceness and intensity that they severed several major arteries and bled to death.

Kevin was finishing up his preliminary report when his cell phone rang.

"Dr. Mendoza here."

"What did you find?" asked the voice on the other end.

"Who is this?"

"You know good and well who this is. Now answer my question: How did those boys die?"

Kevin paused, unsure of whether he wanted to reveal his initial findings, especially to this caller.

"I think they all bled to death."

"Nope. They overdosed on drugs."

"I beg your pardon. We won't know from the tox screens that they overdosed for a few more days. But that's not what ultimately killed them."

"I think you misunderstood me. I said, 'They overdosed on drugs.' And you're canceling the tox screens. You understand?"

"OK, got it."

Kevin wasn't thrilled to go along with this cover-up, but if he was going to be re-elected this fall, complying with his request made sense.

He hung up the phone and began filling out a new form. He slid his old report to the bottom of his clipboard, wanting to investigate on his own for curiosity's sake. He would present the fake report to the Sheriff's Department and media, but their deaths were too bizarre to not investigate.

Kevin then wrote a short email to the lab in Boise, canceling the tox screens of the victims' blood.

The cover-up was almost complete-and then he heard his cousin calling his name down the hall.

"Kevin?! Are you here?" Kelly shouted.

He knew she was working her way down the short hallway, looking for him in each room.

Kevin pulled sheets over two of the victims in his exam room. He shoved his clipboard out of sight and prepared to sell his cousin on the fact that he was leaving the room and should join him in his office.

Their hands both gripped the door knob on opposite sides at the same moment. Kelly let go. The door flew open and she was staring her cousin - Dr. Kevin Mendoza, the county coroner - in the eyes. They were eyes of guilt.