Nobody's Fool Y'all

9

 It was time to get a move on.

Bill had wasted enough of the day brooding about Percy. He needed to drive over to Bowey Hill. He'd decided not to send a deputy to observe the autopsy. 

It just made good horse sense that if Percy was going to take a personal interest in this case, Bill was going to need to know every detail of the investigation inside and out. He grabbed his car keys and set off on his grisly mission.

He parked in the small lot behind the morgue and entered through the steel door that was used by ambulances and hearses to drop off and pick up corpses. There were several attendants milling around the area. They all recognized the sheriff and threw up a hand in greeting. He proceeded down the long hallway to the room where the deceased woman had been taken. The autopsy would be conducted by Dr. Webb Mason. Bill was glad to see the grizzled old doctor as he adjusted his microphone and prepared to start the procedure.

"Hello Doc," Bill said.

Bill took his place at the end of the table, out of the way, but with a good view of the body.

"You made it just in time. I was wondering if I would have to start without you," replied the doctor, clicking on the recording microphone.

He listed all present and the case number then began describing the condition of the woman on the table. The procedure began like any other autopsy. 

The coroner examined the body for wounds or identifying markers. He began at the head and worked his way down the body. Bill was glad the doctor was so thorough. Any evidence the coroner could uncover would help the investigation.

The doctor combed the hair and checked the scalp for wounds. No wounds were visible. Dr. Mason talked into the microphone as he proceeded. 

The coroner moved to the face. He examined the mouth and found no foreign objects. He described the condition of the buccal cavity and teeth. He made a request for the tech to get dental x-rays to aid in a possible identification of the body.

"I don't think that's gonna help us much. Her teeth are strong, Bill. I don't see any signs of fillings, caps, or dental work. Maybe that in itself is something a dentist would recognize, that is, if she visited a dentist and her dentist is from around here. If not, I don't see how her teeth will tell you anything except she had one dazzling smile."

As he moved up to the eyes, his gloved fingers pushed on the eyelid to check for signs of strangulation.

"That's odd. I think we've got a problem here, Sheriff."

The coroner turned off the microphone and motioned the sheriff to come take a closer look.

Bill moved up to the head of the body to see what the doctor was talking about.

"What's the matter, Webb?"

The doctor pushed again on the victim's eyelid, first one eye, then the other.

"It looks like somebody has glued the lids shut. I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before. 

What do you think it means?"