2005
GRAVEYARD SHIFT
CHAPTER 10 – Versatile–
"Did you know that:
On average, right-handed people live 9 years longer than their left-handed counterparts?"
Zelgadiss watched Xelloss with a mix of curiosity and humor. Xelloss was plainly distracted, and Zelgadiss thought he knew why. Xel had asked him for 'Lina advice' on more than one occasion, and Zelgadiss had not been particularly forthcoming. As far as he was concerned Lina was Gourry's girlfriend, and until he was told differently he wouldn't do anything to hurt that relationship. Gourry was a stalwart buddy, and Zel hadn't many of those left since his accident.
He certainly sympathized with Xel that was for sure. Even he had fallen for Lina, so he knew what that was like, but more his more recent loss of Filia was more painful. Additionally, if Xelloss was smarting from Lina's disinterest, then Zel could surely feel for the guy.
That was why Zelgadiss didn't say anything to Xel– it was a face-saving measure. Had they been close friends for years, then he might have broached the subject, but Xel was older and experienced. Zelgadiss felt the guy would be insulted by his interference. So, he watched, chuckled to himself, and made sure Xel didn't burn down the house or anything until Valgaav got in from another climbing event.
"I'm back!" Valgaav called from the front door. "What smells good?"
"Dinner. I broiled hamburgers. You know, something quick that won't heat up the kitchen any more. Want me to put one on for you?" Zelgadiss asked.
"Yeah, but I wanna see how long you cook it so I can do it for myself sometime." Val stood watching Zelgadiss, and then asked, "Xel eat?"
Zelgadiss nodded. "Yeah, what he didn't drop on his lap and the floor. He's changing his clothes. He's having a hard day."
"Poor Xel-bo," Valgaav said, but he was smiling while he said it. "He'll live."
Xel drove by Amelia's to pick up Lina on their way to work. As she climbed into the back set alongside Zelgadiss, she flashed her new driver's license for all to admire. "Everybody see my shiny new license? Great picture of me, too!"
"Yeah, great. Now put it away. Xel's driving. He'll look at it later," Zelgadiss snapped. Seeing Lina's picture reminded him that he would have to get his retaken the next time he was to renew his license. What a treat that would be! He decided that he wouldn't think about that problem until he had money to buy a car.
As Xel pulled into the empty parking lot at the Rubyeye Mortuary and Funeral Home, Valgaav twisted around in his seat and said to Lina, "Oh, by the way, my father's having a big party at the Palace Resort. You're invited, if you wanna come."
Xel slammed on the brakes so hard, he nearly sent Valgaav careening backwards into the windshield. The seatbelts held, but Xel's temper fared less well. Xel had been planning on inviting Lina and making it at private date. Now Valgaav had gone and made the event another just-friends-hanging-out thing. HIS PLANS WERE RUINED!
"What the f#456&!" Valgaav roared as he slammed his shoulder into the dashboard.
"Didn't you see the raccoon? Didn't want to hit it." And that was all Xel said. When he got out of the car he slammed his door before running around to Lina's side and opening her door for her. "It's gone now," he said as he extended a hand for her to take.
Lina wasn't bothered at all. She was so excited about getting her license and starting her new job that she missed the interchange of dark looks between Valgaav and Xel. "So where's my corpse-hauler parked?"
"The van is around the corner under cover," Xelloss told her, his jaw clenched as he fought to control his anger. "But first we check in and see what the assignment sheet says and get the keys."
Zelgadiss knew enough to keep his mouth shut. If Xel liked Lina, had Val's invitation come as an unwelcome surprise– like competition? Zelgadiss didn't think that Valgaav would try to horn in on Xel's action, such as it was, with Lina. He was too busy rock climbing with Sylphiel, wasn't he? Or just hanging out with the whole group. Zelgadiss suddenly felt very inferior to his cousins, and sorry for himself. He'd never get to date a girl or make a new friend.
"So do I just wait for a call or surf the police radio waves for accidents, or what?" Lina asked, not bothering to hide her youthful enthusiasm.
"There are various places that should call us," Valgaav said dismissively. At the moment, he wasn't keen on having Lina there, or having her do 'pick ups,' or being within one hundred yards of Xel. Lina would be disruptive-- he was positive of that.
Xelloss continued in his own vein. "I know that where I was employed before, the workers at Val's level frequently took payment under the table for notifying Zelas' funeral homes of deaths in the hospital. That way her funeral homes could send an agent out to approach the family."
Valgaav frowned. "That's not legal. I heard of that, but I am not aware of any cases where the allegation was proved."
Xel shrugged. "From my own experiences, I know that in some cities the funeral home business is extraordinarily competitive, and I am aware of one case where agents of two funeral homes got into a fight in the morgue over the disposition of a body that each claimed. Very ugly."
Valgaav snorted. "I'll bet."
"So, the family came up with the Inter-funeral home bowling tournament. The winner would get first dibs on all contested bodies. It simplified the business tremendously."
Zelgadiss looked Xel in the eye, uncertain if he was telling the truth or making up a funny cover-up story, when Valgaav said, "We don't compete with your mother's string of businesses; me and dad are into bowling for the fun of it."
Clearly, Valgaav and Xel were on less than friendly terms that night. It made Zelgadiss uncomfortable. Lina, luckily, either didn't notice or care. "So what do I do? Just sit and watch until the phone rings?"
Valgaav picked up the clipboard and read over the night's assignments. "First off, you have to learn about your job, the equipment, and how to conduct yourself."
"How I conduct myself? You gotta problem with how I act?"
"You represent my dad's business. You will be the first contact the families have of it, so yeah, I care how you do your work." Valgaav and Lina exchanged defiant expressions.
In the end, Lina deferred to him. "That makes sense. Okay, so what do I need to know about? I'll bet yer dad's got a pamphlet of info for me, am I right?" She winked and shared her cutest facial expression with him.
"You got it." Valgaav cracked a smile and handed over a thin booklet. Lina's charm wore him down.
"It says here that: I will need to take the following items with me: '1. Hearse, station wagon, or van, called the 'first call car' is used to pick up human remains at home, institution or coroner's office.'"
Xelloss held up the keys rattling them to get Lina's attention. "The keys are stored over here. There are ones for the fancy show hearses, but these are marked for the pick-up van. And forget what it says there; we just call it the van."
"Cool, I'll go out and see the van in a minute, then. Next... '2. A multilevel adjustable cot, capable of being raised to various heights for the convenience of the user.' Where's that? In the van?"
"Yeah, I'll show you how it works." Xel smiled with satisfaction. He realized that he was the only one present who had any experience with this aspect of the job, and although he hadn't done pickups for many years, and hated it when he had, he was thankful now that he had the experience, if only to bring him and Lina some alone time.
"Good. Next... '3. A strong helper.' Hmm, looks like that will have to be you too, at least for the training period."
"Guess so..." Xel smiled a killer smile he couldn't hold back.
"It will be Zelgadiss after that. Xel is too highly paid for that duty," Valgaav put in.
"Got it. Just what makes you so highly paid, huh? I would think Valgaav would be, since it's his dad's place."
"That has nothing to do with pay," Valgaav snapped.
"I have a PhD, Lina. He has a two-year degree," Xel paused to gauge Val's state of mind. When Val nodded, Xel knew it was okay to release a little more closely kept information. "... although he wants to go back to college to specialize in, what was that? Oh, yes forensic anthropology– studying bones. Don't say anything to Gaav, though; he wants Valgaav to remain here full time." Xel folded his arms and waited for Valgaav to disagree, but he didn't. "Valgaav started college when he was seventeen. Quite the genius."
"Not really," Valgaav muttered, and turned away to review the assignments.
Lina knew that meant Xelloss was older than she'd first guessed. Now she was intrigued, but continued her reading. "Interesting, Okay, '4. At least 1 clean sheet...'"
Zelgadiss showed her where to find those.
"Got it. '5. A head rest or pillow...'"
"One will be in the van with a couple spare sheets. If not, come see us. We have a couple stashed in different places," Xel told her.
"Okay...then, oh, this is pretty obvious, '6. Good directions, name, etc.' I'll take care of that. Then there's '7. Blank death certificates.'"
"See me about those," Valgaav said curtly.
"Can't let important documents like that fall into the wrong hands," Xel said. "They come to us numbered and have to be carefully accounted for."
"Gotcha. That brings me to the last point, '8. Infectious case kit-disaster pouch.' Now that sounds serious."
"It's also in the van. Gloves, masks, plastic body bag, among other things. I'd recommend the gloves most of the time. Bodies...secrete the nastiest stuff." Xelloss shuddered slightly at some bad memory. "Above all, you should always present a professional appearance when making a removal. And there is a nice coverall in size petite 3 with your name on it."
"It's pink." Lina made a face, and looked toward Valgaav for help.
"You can get fitted for a uniform, which would look nicer, but that means coming in during day hours sometime."
"I'll do that, Val, you can bet."
Valgaav put down his notes. "Some places require a licensed employee to perform your job, and because the Cepheid folk want that too, you'll be working with one of us until your training is complete and you get your certificate. Probably by the end of summer, I'd guess. That means you could come back next summer at full pay. If you want to come back, that is."
"I'll know after the first week whether or not I like the work, but at full pay I bet I'd love even hauling them out of the river." She laughed, but something about Xelloss' expression when she'd said that made her uneasy.
"Next page," Lina read from her booklet again. "'The three places from which a funeral home is usually asked to remove a diseased human body is: 1.Hospital or nursing home; 2. Residence of deceased; and 3. Coroner's office."
The phone rang, and Valgaav, who was nearest, answered, "Rubyeye Mortuary services. Can I help you?" His eyes shot to Lina and held her. "Right. Hold on while I put you in touch with our recovery assistant who will be on the scene directly."
Lina skipped to the phone, but before Valgaav allowed her to grab it from his hand, he said, "Looks like you'll need to add a number four to that list of sites. This one falls into that 'other' category. Get good directions and any recommendations for special equipment."
Zelgadiss and Xel moved closer, waiting to find out what the mystery was. Valgaav looked serious, but keenly alert, as if he were anxious for Lina's welfare.
"Got it. Nothing we can't handle. Yeah, sure thing. Bye." She passed the receiver back to Valgaav. "Wow, you weren't kidding. You ever been to the Zanaffar laboratories at this location?"
Zelgadiss took the scribbled note in a shaking hand and read it. "Yes. Special Ops. That...that was where I-I worked. I can show you the way..."
Valgaav, who was in charge of the morgue room, made it clear whose job was what. "Zelgadiss, you stay here, we'll do some lab work and wait for Xel and Lina to bring in the body."
Lina, unable to extract the keys from Xel's grasp, pushed him towards the door. "Get moving then. It'll take us half an hour to just get there."
"Okay, you need to know a few things. Residence removals are a delicate matter. Ask yourself, 'Is this a legal removal?' If there are any suspicious circumstances about the deceased, it must be reported, like blood dripping from a hole, pills all around the body."
"I don't think that's gonna be a problem tonight, Xel. The body is in a tank of water and it's been there...awhile. Police investigators are already on the scene."
"Oh, well...that's good. Otherwise we have to report questionable case to the coroner first, here in Seyruun--according to Gaav, and he's the boss. If in doubt, have the funeral director, which on the graveyard shift is Valgaav, by the way, get a release from the coroner. It's Val's responsibility to determine if the removal is legal, and we don't want to get him into trouble, right?"
"Right. I take it you followed different orders when you did the job?"
"Well, I guess...that's a secret."
"Which means you did illegal stuff, at least Valgaav would think of it that way."
Xelloss shrugged. "Did you know that, on average, right-handed people live 9 years longer than their left-handed counterparts?"
Lina smiled at his rapid change of subject. "No."
After a short pause of silence, Xel scooted a little closer to her and asked, "Shouldn't there be a shorter word for 'monosyllabic'?"
"Oh, but there is--'jock'!"
They both laughed at that one. Lina felt that she could probably keep up with Xelloss tonight and drive at the same time. "Okay, I got one for you. Why is the word 'abbreviate' so long?"
Xelloss shook his head and smiled. "I don't know but it was probably made up by the same guy, don't you think?"
"Yeah." There were no street lights or other cars on the road. She nodded as they passed a sign for the turn off she'd been watching for.
"Isn't it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do 'practice'?" Xel asked, his voice low and serious sounding.
"No, but if you keep talking like that I'll get the creeps. Now help me. Look out for the loading area."
Lina wheeled the van into the back parking area, past the security gate and then backed up to a loading dock where an investigator was waving at her.
Xel opened the back of the van and hopped in. Lina followed his actions, and inside he demonstrated how to remove the attachments holding the cot in place. "I'll carry the accessory bag," he said as he stepped out onto the dock.
"Yeah, knock yourself out," Lina grumbled. She found the cot to be lightweight and easily maneuverable. "Hi! We're here to remove a body."
"This way."
Lina's face appeared unwell in the faintly illuminated light glowing through the murky water. She and Xel stood looking down into a saltwater tank where a partly skeletonized and badly decomposed body was floating near the water intake for the filter.
"What's this here for?" she asked with a kick to the metal corner of the enclosure.
"We were told that it's a tank of leftover sea water used in experimentation and then stored. It gets used for firefighting, when needed."
"So he drowned? Must have been in here a long time," Lina said to Xel.
"We'll see," was all he said as he passed Lina a pair of gloves. "This will get messy. Unpack a plastic cover and body bag, unzip it and spread it on the cot. If we're careful and with a lot of luck, we'll get the plastic sheet under it and haul it out that way. Watch your feet. And don't fall in."
"Thanks," Lina wrinkled her nose. The smell of rot was noticeable as they stirred up the water. "Like I was gonna."
In the end, it took two officers to help, but they managed to pack the body into the bag.
"Look at this," Xelloss pointed out to Lina and the investigator in charge. "Live fly larvae."
"Hey, even I know that they don't hatch in salt water!" Lina said.
"We'll do a thorough examination back at the morgue," Xel assured the investigator, who looked shaken at the findings. "If we find that these larvae found on the body and trousers prove that the body has been in the tank for only a short time, we'll let you know, because then you'll know that the death happened someplace else and the body was moved and dumped in here."
"Can you give us a time of death with that, then?" asked one of the observers.
"Yes," Xel said as he and Lina zipped shut the bag and belted it in place on the cot.
Lina pushed and Xel guided the rolling cart to the van. Lina discovered that it was much more difficult than she thought to steer it loaded. At the van, the head investigator exchanged business cards with Lina. "Yes, Rubyeye, very trustworthy outfit. I didn't know you were in the pick-up business."
"Yeah it's a new service," Lina beamed. "Weeknights only."
Xelloss showed her how to move the cot into the back of the van. "Feet first is how Gaav likes it. That's it. Then lock it down."
Lina waved to the officers and jumped into the driver's seat. Xel hadn't missed how the one in charge had given her an especially meaningful smile. He felt a twinge of jealousy squeeze at his heart. He knew other men would find Lina attractive, and someday she'd notice, too.
"A few more reminders, Lina," he began when they were underway.
"Don't tell me, I'm already on it." Lina cranked up the air conditioner and opened the rear windows.
"Right. If there is a window, always open it for ventilation."
"Oh, say, Xel. I'm hungry, do you think that we can stop a..."
"Number two: avoid stopping at the Seven-Eleven until this part of the job is over, people are very curious. And three: vans with the company logo plastered on the side certainly never belong at McDonalds."
"Yeah, okay. I get your point. Still..." but Lina did her job and drove the rest the way without complaint.
Upon arrival at the funeral home, Xel showed Lina where to park and how to unload within the garage or carport, if possible, to block the view of the work. "During the day you'd first take all your paperwork to the office for processing."
"What paperwork?"
"Body release papers, but we'll do that next time when we have a more usual case. Anyway, it's time to roll him in through the back door. From there listen to what Valgaav tells you to do, which might be to move the deceased to an embalming table or onto a gurney to be stored in the cooler. Don't leave the body on the cot unless instructed to do so. It needs to be cleaned and prepared for the next pick up, which can come at any time, or all at once."
"This all seems too secretive. Hiding our movements from the public eye, slipping in the back door..."
"Often it is. Most people don't want to see what's going on, or at least they don't want others to see what's going on. And they certainly don't want to think that we are so sloppy that someday strangers will see what's happening to them!"
"Hey Val! Look what we got! A real corpse with bugs and mystery and everything!" Lina was thrilled.
Xel wondered if there was anything that could shake her up and decided that he didn't want to meet up with whatever that might be.
"Put it on the embalming table. Level the table first- show her how Zelgadiss, don't just stand there. Okay, Lina, place the head at the end away from the drain, and Zelgadiss, help her get it out of that bag. Watch the fluids! Ah, shit..." Valgaav moved aside to let Zelgadiss get the paper towel roll.
"Completely undress the body, what little is left on it. Xel, you collecting the larvae?"
Xel was, and, while he was busy, he mentioned, "If this were in better condition you would cover it with a clean sheet. Oh, and make sure the head is supported with a head block. Again, it hardly matters with this...case."
"Once on the cot, make sure the head is propped up on a pillow or head block, to prevent a purge," Valgaav said.
"That's a nasty mess caused by gas build-up, pushing food, etc. through mouth," Xelloss clarified for Lina, who was about to ask.
"Next, position the arms with head blocks also. Arms should have the hands together at the waist, White Shrine style, or at the sides, for Cepheid or unknown." Valgaav let the rotting flesh remain at the sides of the body. "Okay, there's none on this yet, but if there is a toe tag, leave it there. Never remove ID tags. They don't belong in some desk unless you are going to look for new work soon! Same for wrist identification from the hospital: if there is any, leave it on. Zelgadiss, get a blank tag and the chart, enter the name 'John Doe' on the computer, and record the ID number on the tag and the chart we got going. Xel? You got the bugs on the chart?"
"I recorded the presence of larvae on the corpse and their number on the chart, yes. The 'bugs' are currently residing comfortably in the incubator." He smirked at Valgaav, and then carried his incubator box to his desk.
Zelgadiss did as he was told, then let Lina attach the toe tag. He picked up the accumulated garbage and plastic bags, made sure that they were sealed, then said to Lina, "This stuff becomes nastier as time goes on, believe me. This is where the garbage for incineration goes." And he showed her the bin.
Valgaav covered a smile with his hand, and then returned to business. "Lina, it's your job to clean the cot mattress and reusable body bag with a sponge and antiseptic soap. Use a little spray of antiseptic to finish it off. Don't forget to put another head block and sheet in the cot for the next use; in fact, replace anything you used, like gloves, okay?"
"Right," she agreed.
"If you had any problems with the cot, or other equipment, write it down or tell someone. The equipment must function well on each trip. Oh, then return the cot and equipment to the van or wherever it belongs."
"Yeah, yeah..."
"And when you are done with all that, wash your hands with antiseptic soap!" Valgaav shouted over the roar of water at the sink.
"Geez, whatta slave driver!"
1Valgaav and Zelgadiss performed most of the autopsy, with Lina watching as soon as her other duties were completed. Xelloss stepped in a couple times to offer his opinion, but let Zelgadiss carry the brunt of the load.
Zelgadiss, Xel observed, was a clever, smart kid who was quick to learn, exacting, neat, and detail-oriented. He liked him and wanted to help him regain his upbeat personality– not that he was any good at being constructive, but Xelloss liked challenges.
"You can tell by the size of the wound on the skull here that he was shot at close range in the back of the head."
"Execution style," Xel commented.
Valgaav nodded. "Probably."
"Likely. No other signs of major trauma. No knife damage to bones, scrapes or anything. The skin is pretty far gone, but I see no signs of rope burns..." Xel moved off to pick away at his larvae find.
Zelgadiss was first to spot the glint of gold as the mesh trap in the sink caught larger debris as he 'ran the gut'. Excited that he might have found a clue to the man's identity, he dug around until the gold chain and medallion were freed, and then he washed them. "Hey guys? I found something the guy swallowed. It's funny, I remember this from someplace."
Valgaav put down his knife. "Well, keep thinking. If you get a lead, we can follow up on it with dental records. Xel can run his head through the x-ray, if necessary."
"I beg your pardon?" Xel stood and addressed Valgaav. "My head will not be run through anything. Oh, I see, you meant the deceased's head. Yeah, I guess I could do that, but it's been a long time since I did tech work on that machine. We might be able to get away with a dental impression and let you tackle the comparisons. The police will want to double check it all anyway with an outside source."
"I could do that, sure," Valgaav said thoughtfully. He studied up on bone identification, which naturally included teeth, in his free time. He was going to go back to school and study what he was really interested in, not the classes his father had coerced him into taking.
But Zelgadiss couldn't remember where he had seen the chain before. Everything that had happened around the time of his accident was a blank now. The more he concentrated the more certain he was that the necklace had something to do with that time, but the concrete memory eluded him.
"Come help me here," Xel called to the obviously frustrated Zelgadiss. He pointed him over to his desk.
Zelgadiss folded the chain in a towel and handed it to Lina, who had just washed her hands for the third time. "Don't lose this, okay?"
"I'm not scatter-brained," she insisted. She climbed up onto a stool and looked the medallion over. "There's a big tree on one side and a doughnut on the other. Kinda like a doughnut. Which reminds me, is there a snack machine in the building?"
"Out the door on the other side of the Cadaver Keep, down the hall, first left," Valgaav directed her before Xel could jump up and offer to show her the way. He didn't want to play the 'bad guy' all the time at work.
Xelloss was examining the fly larvae, and he had no trouble getting Zelgadiss involved comparing his findings to the on-line insect database. "Okay, we agree that the live fly larvae collected from the body and pants absolutely could not have survived in salt water, thus proving that the body had been in the tank for only a short time. Obviously, then, the death happened at another site and the body was moved. Okay, so based upon examination of the larvae, I estimate that the death occurred some seven to ten days earlier, the average incubation time for the most probable varieties of fly. We'd know for sure when these mature into the actual flying creature and we get an absolute ID on them, right Zelgadiss?"
"Yeah. At this stage we can't discount five or six possibilities, but they all take about the same length of time to hatch from eggs." Zelgadiss referred to the calendar and ticked off the days.
"Nice job, but can you get it in gear, roll on back over, and close up the body? We have another work order to do tonight awaiting embalming in the Keep," Valgaav said. He was exasperated by the growing disorganization under his watch due to so many heads to direct. "What's the matter now, Zelgadiss?"
"In gear...gear...That word...like a name..."
"Kildear was here?" Xel piped up from his desk.
"Kildear...no, but like that. Someone... at Zanaffar Pharmaceuticals with a name like that." He dove back at the computer. "Give me a minute here, Valgaav." He entered the personnel database of the company through the company's website and using the passwords he'd memorized from his grandfather's notebook.
"What are you...whoa...?" Xel was impressed at the speed at which Zelgadiss could break into the company records. Even he hadn't that skill; of course he didn't know the passwords either. "Deerheart?"
Zelgadiss shook his head. "I saw that name too but it's not quite..."
"Dilbert?" Lina joined the group. "Isn't he in a comic strip?"
"That's it! Dilgear, right below that. Dilgear. That name ...this chain and that name."
Zelgadiss continued scrolling through the personnel file on 'Dilgear'. "Looks like he's on an extended vacation," Xel pointed out.
"Wow, you mean this could be him? The dead guy?" Lina asked.
"Possibly, or Dilgear killed this guy, who swallowed his chain as a clue. I don't know. I can't even picture Dilgear or recall why he's important yet, but I will. It's in my head I just need to get it out."
"Here's the picture on record. That help?" Xel looked into Zel's eyes hopefully.
"We need a hypnotist, and I know just the person!"
Zelgadiss turned around in his chair to face Lina. "That was in high school and it was just for a magic show. She really isn't..."
"She sure is! Amelia is quite adept at hypnotism. I'll call her now and..."
"Put the phone down," Valgaav ordered. "We are going to finish the job. Fill out the forms. Xel will call the investigator and pass on our findings. Then we'll do what's next on the list and go home. I want to shower, go to sleep, and enjoy my weekend, beginning with my dad's birthday party. We can call Amelia later in the morning when it won't terrify her."
"Oh, yeah," Lina smiled with a blush. "I forget what time it is for the rest of the world."
To speed things up, Xelloss offered to close up the body that may have belonged to Dilgear, while Valgaav took the upper and lower jaw impressions. Zelgadiss cleaned up, with Lina offering to wash the tools and sanitize everything for the next body. Valgaav filled out forms, and Zelgadiss covered the body with a plastic coated sheet, rolled it into the cadaver keep, and manhandled it into a locker.
Valgaav secured the lock, affixing the ID number off the toe tag to the key tag, and then helped Zelgadiss locate the next cadaver. "Check the shorter one first."
Zelgadiss found the toe tag. "You're right. This is the next one. How did you know?"
"It says: Young girl. See, on the order? That one's the smallest."
Xel requested dental records for Dilgear, and then pulled out the investigator's card and placed his call. "Xelloss from Rubyeye Mortuary...yeah, we met tonight. Here's the scoop, although we're still waiting on confirmation via dental records..."
Zelgadiss moved the body onto the embalming table and set out the cleaned tools. He pulled away the sheet, and then looked away with a blush rising from his neck. "I-I don't think I can...do this."
Valgaav placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's easier to deal with the older ones."
"I suppose, but it's not just that."
Lina left Xel's side and took a peek at the new corpse. She understood Zel's problem immediately, unfortunately she didn't think twice about telling the others. "He's never seen a naked girl before. Whatta start, huh? And now he hastta help embalm one!"
Valgaav's eyes widened. He was only a year older than Zelgadiss and it never occurred to him how different their life experiences had been. "No kidding."
If it was possible, Zelgadiss' blush deepened. "Not completely," he muttered in a tone barely discernable to the others.
"Ah...well... I'll work with you and make it strictly clinical. No autopsy is required; that was already done at the hospital where she died. Botched abortion, says here." Valgaav moved into Zelgadiss' exit path.
Zelgadiss had no other choice but to turn back to the table. "So, where do I start?"
"Wash it down with antibacterial, to start," Valgaav told him.
Seconds later, "Zelgadiss!" Valgaav shouted. He grabbed the other guy's shaking arm, forced him to drop the scalpel in his trembling hand, and wrapped him in a firm hug. He was afraid Zel was going to crack and split the building. He nudged Lina away with a harsh look. "Hey, dude...It's not a person any more. No feelings. What's important are those of the people going to look one more time at her and say good bye. See?"
Zel nodded, but he didn't 'see'. Valgaav released his hold and looked him in the eyes. "But, I can't cut her." Zelgadiss said, his eyes loaded with haunted pain. "I can't damage her...cut her...scar her..."
"So, we got to make her look peaceful again for them, her family and friends. Okay? We do it for them. This is just a...like a doll. Let's make it look good, okay? And to do that we have to do our job. Stop the decomposition going on inside. Right? Okay, then to do that we have to open the body and clean it out, re-pack it, sanitize it, replace the blood with embalming fluid, and close it up. Vurumagen will pretty her up and dress her in the morning, but tonight, we have to get her ready. Got that? See how important a job you have to do? We only have a few hours before the gases build up and degradation of the tissues begin, so...what do you say? You ready to help her family out?"
Lina sat still and listened. She was impressed with Valgaav's maturity and skill at putting Zelgadiss at ease and turning his attention off the girl's nakedness and onto the job to be done. Zelgadiss wordlessly returned to the body and proceeded, Valgaav working alongside him and teaching him the steps all the way.
"Ah, the wonders of the modern world. Yeah, got the dental records and the impressions. Valgaav! Gotta minute?"
"I can do the aspiration part," Zelgadiss assured Val.
Valgaav pushed Xel over to watch him anyway and picked up the phone. "Hello? Yeah, I took the impressions. Okay, the crown-work lines up as does the fixed retainer attached to inner lower teeth. I'd say it's a match, but you could order new x-rays. We'll put the chain in an evidence bag, sure. Body's locked up now. I'm sure it'll be secure. Okay, if you like, I'll keep the key on me. Valgaav Rubyeye. Yeah, same one. My dad. No problem. Bye."
Valgaav hung up the receiver and turned to his friends and co-workers. "We could be in danger. Lina, I think we'll give Amelia a call and check out that hypnotist act of hers. We need to get some clues to what happened to you."
Xel's face hardened. "Perhaps I should pay Rezo and Eris a call. He may have known this Dilgear fellow, and Eris owes me...us... some information."
"I..." Zelgadiss began.
"Not this time," Xel said to him. "You and Amelia have your own business to attend to. Now, back to work, right Valgaav? Let's see if we can get this out of the way before the party, okay?"
Valgaav nodded, thankful for Xel to handle that reminder. He didn't want anything to mar his dad's party. "Let's give our patient here our best, then go home."
Xel, who had already had the most important part of the party marred for him when Valgaav asked Lina to join them before he had the chance, dawdled away his time at his desk, and surreptitiously spied on Lina as she observed Val and Zelgadiss perform the procedure. He would make the best of it, to be sure, but he had to plan out his moves more carefully now. He would have to think up the perfect excuse to ask her out, so that she couldn't refuse him. No, he would have to sweep her off her feet.
"Oooh, that sucks out the blood and pumps in the embalming fluid at the same time! Cool!" Lina was excited.
Xel sighed. Sweep Lina off her feet? What was he thinking? Maybe, if he died in a bloody, ghastly way...?
End Graveyard Shift, Chapter 10