Dead Ringers

Partner Swap

I'm jarred awake by the screaming of my alarm. Finding the button, I hold it until the alarm shuts up. I sit up and stretch, allowing a giant yawn to escape. The fog that had followed me last night seems to have passed. Mushu joins me in bed, rubbing against my back and purring.

I smile. "Good morning, Mushu." He purrs louder. Pulling the blanket off my legs, I begin my morning routine.

- - - - -

As normal, I arrive at work around eight. Elliot sits at our desk, typing away on his computer. I plop down in my chair across from him.

"Were you here all night?" I ask.

Elliot snorts. "Please. Give me some credit."

"Alright, did you actually go home last night instead of coming here to finish yesterday's reports?"

"Now that sounds more like me, but no. I finished the reports last night."

"I'm so proud of you." I smile sweetly at him as he glances at me then rolls his eyes.

Logging onto my computer, I pull up our case file. Everything seems to be in order. "Hey, do we have Mr. Hardy's phone number? I still want to talk with his son."

"Five steps ahead of you. I called him right after I got in the morning. We're going to go talk to his son this afternoon. Over Skype. In his office." I glance at Elliot; his eyes have wandered to some random point and have glazed over in thought. "That didn't seem wrong until just now," he says offhandedly.

I snicker as Elliot comes back to Earth. "I'll take it."

"Why do you want to talk to Thomas Hardy anyways?"

"I just want to ask him a couple of questions. See if his situation is anything like mine or completely different."

Elliot nods thoughtfully. "Fair enough." His eyes zero in on something behind me.

I turn in my chair to see Jeb briskly walking towards us. He looks flustered and annoyed. Usually not a good sign with someone as easy- going as Jeb. Reaching our desk, he slams his hands down.

Fixing me with a pointed look, he says "Morgue." Shifting his look to Elliot he says, "Now."

Apparently, this is all he has to say, for he turns on his heel and stalks back towards the labs and examination rooms. Elliot and I share a curious glance before standing and following.

We keep pace with Jeb's stalk all the way to the exam room. The sliding doors swish open and Jeb turns on us. "My expertise only goes so far. Sure, the last two times I looked at bodies on your case it was a bit strange, but this- this is completely impossible. There is no way this could have happened. Understand?"

Elliot pulls back slightly. Jeb is completely unhinged, it would seem. I bob my head slowly twice. Jeb releases a pent-up breath and turns around once more. He mutters something under his breath as Elliot and I glance once more at each other. Elliot's look of mild concern matches my own. I'm slightly unnerved as Jeb leads us farther into the exam room.

He stops at the table that holds my doppelgänger. Without hesitating he pulls the sheet covering off. I don't know how to process what I'm seeing. I can hear Elliot trying to form words.

My doppelgänger is now no more than a shriveled-up mummy.

"I was going to put the body in one of the individual cells this morning but found it like this," Jeb explains.

"How?!" I demand.

"I haven't the slightest. I'm no expert on mummies but I know they just don't happen overnight."