Discerning Retribution

iv

The Mandatory Science

A KNOCK CAME AT THE DOOR just as Dr. Karina Austria finished signing her name on the DNA test request form for the club manager's body. Filling out forms for every little thing she required was a necessity she had never appreciated. It always took a portion of her time she'd rather use being productive.

She waved at the younger man standing outside the glass door to come inside without further preamble, and placed the cap back on her pen.

The doctor had already finished with her external examination of the manager's body, and had concluded that cause of death was what she initially thought - multiple antemortem injuries and burns to the face, torso, and extremities associated with an explosion. What was left is to analyze the tissue samples, confirm the body's identity via DNA, and wait for the long list of test results.

With so many things still to be done, Karina was thankful she had people working for her in the department; they would be performing the actual tests in her stead.

"Papers?" Her visitor walked towards the table, hands tucked in the pockets of his long, white coat. He smiled as he approached, perfect teeth showing.

She nodded her affirmation. "You can tell?"

The man pointed to his own eyebrows. "Your brows did the talking."

She sighed. "It never fails to ruin my mood.

"You should get yourself an assistant to do those things. That way you can just sign them and be done with it."

"Well, there's you."

He laughed, taking a seat on one of the chairs in front of the table without waiting to be offered. "You and I both know I'm too swamped with work to do clerical jobs. Unless you rather have the forms done instead of the actual tests."

Her head forensic pathologist, Dr. Pascal Gomez, was a guy a year younger than her who had gone to the same medical school. He was pristine in every sense of the word, with his stylishly done hair and formal attires. Though unlike Karina, he never had to worry about ruining his neatly pressed clothes since his work was purely done at the labs.

He had been working with her for the past two years, just after he returned from London and was immediately designated to his position. He was given remarkable recommendations by the very few pathologists in the country that there was really no question why he was given the job.

"I can make you do overtime though. After all, I'm still technically, your boss."

Pascal laughed harder. What the chief ME said was true, but their working relationship had always been more of a partnership than superior-subordinate. He knew there was no way the other doctor would actually mandate him to do extra hours.

"You wouldn't be so heartless."

"Well, true." She leaned back on her swivel chair. "What brings you here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be working on your samples from the club manager?"

"Yep. But then more pressing remains arrived so, I had to leave the manager with one of my residents." Subtle excitement glinted in the other doctor's slanted eyes through his bifocal framed glasses.

The guy had an unusual fascination with inexplicable deaths, which most people considered burdensome to deal with. She didn't mind though; it made her job a lot easier when there's somebody who's willing to take on the tedious cases.

"Jane Doe's body is finally here?"

Pascal looked thoughtful. "If you can consider bags of human tissue and half the skeletal system a body, then yes."