Chapter 3 The Pressure to Back Down

Julian's expression didn't change at Lucian's sharp tone. "I only believe the evidence when I see it."

That single sentence made the autopsy room even quieter.

Lucian stared at him for several seconds before suddenly curling his lips into a smile. "Fine. Since you're all so determined, feel free to send it to the lab."

He put his glasses back on before turning his gaze to me. "But, Summer, allow me to remind you that forensic pathology isn't a detective novel. Corpses don't cooperate with your imagination."

I lowered my head.

Sherry whispered in my ear, "Thank you."

Her voice was so soft that it felt like a breeze on the verge of fading away.

The expedited DNA test would take time. Still, Julian ordered the evidence sealed again and put the case on hold.

I helped one of the assistants clean up the autopsy room, but I couldn't shake the uneasiness coiling in my chest.

Sherry had said her killer was in this autopsy room. However, the only people present had been me, Lucian, Julian, two assistant medical examiners, and a records clerk.

Julian was the captain of the Criminal Investigation Division. The two assistants had been in my sight the entire time, and the records clerk was a female officer.

So, who was the "he" Sherry had been talking about?

My eyes drifted to Lucian before I even realized I was doing it.

He was washing his hands. Water streamed over his fingertips, carrying away the faint traces of blood.

Perhaps he sensed me watching because he suddenly looked up at me through the mirror.

My heart lurched.

Lucian smiled. "Summer."

"Yes?"

"Come to my office after work."

His voice was gentle. Yet, it managed to send a forbidding chill down my spine for some reason.

Only the duty lights remained on in the forensic center by the time it was 7 p.m..

I knocked on Lucian's office door.

"Come in."

The main lights were off, and there was only a desk lamp casting a pool of light across the room. Lucian sat behind his desk with my internship file sitting beside him. He didn't ask me to sit.

"You had excellent grades in college."

I stood by the door, saying nothing.

"You were the top of your class, got a perfect score in anatomy, and your professor wrote you an outstanding recommendation."

He flipped through the file, his tone calm. "It's just a pity that you're too impatient."

I pressed my lips together. "Mr. Vance, I wasn't trying to show off."

"I know." He looked up at me. "You were trying to prove yourself."

I froze at the insult.

He closed the file. "We get interns like you here every single year. You're all smart, perceptive, and more importantly, ambitious. They all thought they were going to change the world, just like you are doing so now.

"But you're no longer in a classroom. Every word written by a medical examiner can change the direction of a case. Every conclusion affects both the living and the dead."

He sounded so righteous.

If Sherry's voice hadn't still been echoing in my head, I might have believed that I'd made a terrible blunder.

Lucian stood and approached me. "I can let today's incident go."

I looked up at him.

His tone softened as he continued, "Tomorrow, write a statement admitting your lack of experience and that you mistakenly identified contamination as skin tissue. Withdraw your request for a second examination, and I won't let this affect your internship evaluation."

I finally understood why he'd called me here. He wanted to pressure me into backing down.

"But the sample's already been sent to the lab."

Lucian smiled. "It can still be withdrawn."

"Why should I do what you want?"

Silence filled the office for two long seconds.

The smile slowly faded from Lucian's face. "Summer, don't back yourself into a corner."

It sounded ominous considering how my back was currently pressed against the door, and my palms were already damp with sweat.

Just then, a muffled voice suddenly drifted from the storage cabinet in the corner of the office.