Kay looked up as Zealtor came in with a stretcher followed by Zed and Jay. He gathered Elle into his arms and lifted her, carefully laying her on the stretcher, taking an afgan that she had draped across the back of her couch to cover her. She was just so cold. He couldn't stand to leave her like that despite the fact that he knew she couldn't feel cold anymore.
"What happened?" Zed asked Kay as Zealtor went to work scanning the body. He had started to shiver a bit when he entered the room despite his thick jacket.
"No idea. No signs of a struggle and the door was locked from the inside," Kay told Zed as they watched Zealtor work over Elle's body. He had to struggle to keep his voice even, had to struggle to discribe what he had found. He didn't want to remember that scene, wanted to wake up in bed and find that it was all a nightmare. "I found her laying there, looked like she was having a snack before bed. She...." This was so hard. he forced himself to take on a totally dispassionate tone. "The body was already cold and stiff when I found it. Looks like she died sometime during the night." He had thought of stopping by to see Elle, had a case he had wanted her opinion of. Maybe if he had done that, if he had came by instead of deciding to wait until morning, then he would have been able to have helped her.
"At least eight hours ago, would be my guess," Zealtor said with a smile as he looked up from his examination of Elle's body, removing a probe that he had inserted into her. "Her temperature has already dropped to 86."
"86? It feels like minus six in here," Jay muttered as he moved his eyes around the room, looking everywhere but at Elle's body. He just couldn't look at that. "Why's it so cold?"
"New heating policy to save power," Zed murmured. "It's supposed to lower the heat in any room without activity for a certain amount of time." He didn't understand why Elle's room was still so cold though. Kay had been there for awhile. His entrance should have triggered the system to turn the heat up.
"Oh, my," Zealtor said as he started to run a scan of Elle's body. "This isn't good at all!"
"What's wrong? What did you find?" Zed demanded as he came over to the doctor. Elle was a healthy young woman. For her to be dead this fast.... What if they were dealing with something contageous?
"She choked on a bite of sandwich, turkey I believe," Zealtor said with a frown. "And I haven't even begun the autopsy yet! What a disappointment! Oh, well. Maybe I'll find something else interesting when I open her up."
Kay reached out, grabbing the edge of the stretcher to stop Zealtor from taking Elle away as he looked at Zed in a mute appeal for him not to let Zealtor do this.
"No autopsy. You know why she died. That's enough," Zed sternly told Zealtor. "I'll call and make the arrangements for the mortuary to come and pick her up, get her ready for the burial. Jay go with him and keep an eye on her. Someone will be here soon to get her." Zealtor wasn't going to have the pleasure of cutting Elle to pieces if Zed had anything to do with it.