Legacy of the Dreams

Chapter 20 - Another Fire

It was ten p.m. when Greg and Susan left their house, headed to the county morgue. They carried with them the most recent photos they could find of Susan's mother, Mrs. Mildred Abernathy.

"Are you alright?" Greg asked his wife as he drove.

"I don't know," Susan said. "Part of me doesn't want to believe it's her. That the car belonged so somebody else. I'm sure a lot of women in her age group drive blue Honda Accords."

"I'm certain a lot of them do," Greg said. "Were they able to confirm the license plate?"

"Not at first. Apparently the rear one wasn't attached to the car when they found it, and the front bumper is missing. They had to call the salvage company to ask them take another look. That's what was taking so long," Susan explained.

"But they did find it?" Greg asked.

"I guess they did. I assume that's why they called me," Susan said. "They want me to help them identify the driver. All they could tell me for sure is that it was a woman, probably elderly, about 5 feet 4 inches tall."

"That sounds about right, Susan," Greg said.

"Maybe. I remember when I was growing up, Mom was a fraction of an inch shy of 5'6". She didn't like to wear heels because she thought they made her too tall. I suppose she did shrink some in her later years, but an inch and a half? That seems like a lot to me," Susan said.

"It probably isn't," Greg said. "Did your description of her clothing help?"

"It didn't sound like it. I'm not sure why ... unless the car caught fire or something," Susan said.

"Did they say that?" Greg asked.

"No, but I can't figure out what else could keep them from identifying her immediately. I mean, she had her purse with her. She usually keeps it beside her, right there on the front seat. Her identification should have been with her at the scene of the accident," Susan said.

"Unless there were extenuating circumstances," Greg said. "Did anyone tell you the nature of the accident?"

"Not really. My guess is she missed one of the hairpin turns and went off the side of the road," Susan said.

"It is pointless to speculate. We'll know soon enough," Greg said.

c

Greg pulled up in front of the county run building and parked. Not surprisingly, at this hour there were very few cars in the parking lot, but there were some. He waited for Susan to gather her things as they got out, then walked with her to the door of the facility. The sign above the entrance read, Coroner & Medical Examiner's office.

"Can I help you?" a man at the desk asked when they walked in.

"We're the Abernathys," Greg said. "Someone from this office called my wife about an hour ago and asked us to come."

"Are you sure it wasn't someone from the Sherriff's office?" he asked.

Greg looked questioningly at Susan.

"It might have been. I was supposed to meet them here," Susan said.

"Just a minute," the man said and he went to talk to someone in the back. A man in a Sheriff's Department uniform was with him when he returned.

"Mr. and Mrs. Abernathy?" the man said with a hint of confusion.

"Yes," Susan said.

"I thought you said the name of the driver was Mrs. Abernathy," the officer said. "Are you married?"