Well, it is now the next morning and we picked up Kerstina at the airport. I should have known better and brought her with us at the beginning, we need a doctor and she is also qualified to do autopsies. She will just watch and make sure the autopsy on each body is done correctly. First we went to get the original autopsy reports and this guy was no more helpful than those at city hall. 

“Look,” I said, “my girlfriend here wants to see the autopsy reports, and now. You cannot deny her that right since she is the nearest relative.” ”Oh, uh, I did not realize she was your girlfriend sir,” he said, “I will get the reports for you.” I am not really sure why he was more cooperative once he found out Amber was my girlfriend. I mean, she is not, but for this case she will be. 

Poor Amber was a bit embarrassed by this at first but said she could act out her part. This was actually Sky’s idea and Aari thought it would be good as well. Bouncer is pretending to be a distant cousin that has come along to help her out. Aari is the leader of a criminal cartel known as “The Rockwood Riders”, and Annelie has done a wonderful job of putting out lots of information about them that will be easy to check on, which I am sure people here will want to do. 

“This is the whole autopsy report?” asked Kerstina, “It is not very complete.” ”Well, it was a simple autopsy,” he responded indignantly, “it was obvious they died of smoke inhalation, there was no criminal activity at the scene, so there was no reason to continue any further.” ”I want another autopsy done,” said Amber firmly. It was easy to see this man was getting nervous. 

“You will need to have all the paperwork done beforehand,” he said, shaking a bit. Allan handed him the paperwork he requested. Then off we went to the cemetery, and I had a feeling we would find the same kind of unwillingness to help here as well. Just as we arrived the man in charge was starting to drive away, so we blocked the road. ”What do you think you are doing?” he asked in a gruff voice. 

Allan handed him the proper paperwork to dig up the bodies. ”I do not have the time right now,” he complained, “you will have to wait until next week.” ”You will do it now,” I said, “everything else can wait, you have no choice.” He looked around at us and Bouncer got out of the van, walked over to the man’s car, picked up the front end and turned it around. 

“The man said to do it now,” said Bouncer with the same booming voice that Rock has. We went to the right plots, but the gravestones were not right, they had different names on them. ”Well, somehow you have the wrong information,” said the worker, smiling, “now it will have to wait until next week.” 

“Start digging,” I said, “if you have moved the bodies I will have you arrested by the state police and you will end up in state prison for 15 to 20 years.” His mouth was open quite wide at that point. ”Hey, look,” he said, “I have only been working here for a couple months, so I have nothing to do with anything here. If there was a change, it happened before I started to work here.” 

“Liar!” said Amber firmly. She is good at that. She does not mind saying what she thinks. ”My girlfriend does not seem to believe you,” I said, “according to city records, you have been working here for 5 years now,” then I turned to Amber, “it is okay honey, I am sure he just forgot.” Then I kissed her on the cheek. 

Surprisingly she did not blush, one thing I was afraid she might do. She just turned and smiled at me. ”Bouncer,” said Aari, “get that backhoe and start digging.” ”NO!” yelled the worker, “Uh, I just remembered we had to move the bodies of your family because these people had bought those plots first, 8 years ago, just a mix-up, so we moved the other bodies over to the far side.” 

“Liar!” said Amber again, “my dad bought those plots 15 years ago and I have the paperwork to prove it!” ”You are in big trouble,” I said to the man, “now show us and then dig them up.” He did so and we soon had the bodies at the morgue and the autopsies began. Amazing how easily Kerstina found something very obvious that this doctor did not find the first time. 

Each one had been shot in the forehead. Poor Amber did not handle that news too well. ”Oh Steve,” she said, “hold me.” She was crying by this time. Meanwhile, “I tell you, that guy and a couple others look like gangsters or something. The head guy is Aari Rockwood,” said the cemetery worker. ”Do not worry,” said the man, “you are much too nervous, I will take care of things.” 

Then he called for a certain man, named Chris Landers. ”Take care of that cemetery worker,” said the voice, “he is too nervous, he will end up talking.” ”Good as done,” said Chris. The cemetery worker died that night when his house burned down…

To Be Continued.

©2023 Steve McLeod.