All Chapters of Examining the Dead Got Me Branded a Cheater: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Evan, you've already put the department's year-end reviews at risk, and people online are at the station demanding answers," said Harry Langford, the police chief.His face hardened, and he slammed the table.Outside the station, crowds held up banners that read, "Unethical medical examiner Evan Mercer", "Violates the deceased's privacy", and "Re-victimizing the deceased".Online, the calls for me to leave the department kept piling up.I held my ground. "Chief Langford, I followed protocol that day when I performed the autopsy. The injuries were in the private area, and as the medical examiner, I had to examine that first—"The police captain, Claire Sutton, entered and cut me off. "Chief Langford, the crowd outside calling for Evan to be kicked out of the department keeps growing. We should issue a notice of disciplinary action against him immediately."She shot me a sidelong look, her eyes ice-cold. "Do you still think you did nothing wrong? Marrying someone this sanctimoniou

Chapter 2

Claire took Julian's hand, her eyes bright with a smile. "Chief Langford, Jules isn't the type who smiles on the outside and rots on the inside. Everyone vouches for his character."Hand in hand, they looked more like a long-married couple. And me, her supposed husband, stood in a security guard uniform outside the medical examiner's office.Julian shot me a taunting look and flung a closed-case file at me. "Take me to the body. I'll show you what real professionals do. I can tell you what happened without even doing an autopsy."His swagger made my skin crawl.Under Claire's threatening glare, I forced a smile and gestured for him to go ahead. "Sure, show me the miracle."Inside the medical examiner's office, Julian circled the body twice. Off two scratch marks, he detailed how the crime was done.The other two medical examiners and I broke into laughter.While Claire poured on the praise, my assistant, Ruth Greenwood, couldn't help but say, "Captain Sutton, don't you think thi

Chapter 3

Julian scoffed and started holding court. "Don't worry. I'll handle your daughter. I'm nothing like him. I'll make sure her privacy is fully respected!"Seeing the family's cold stares, I was done. I was resigning anyway. The case was no longer my concern.I turned to leave when Claire arrived with her squad and barked, "Evan, Julian's about to start the autopsy. Go assist him at the table. I didn't demote you so you could loaf on the department's dime!"Hearing that, Julian stuck out his left leg and ordered, "Clean my shoes, Evan. And fetch two basins of water for handwashing. You know the rules about keeping the autopsy room sterile, right?"I snorted. "Happy to."I grabbed the floor rag, shoved it into his mouth, and punched him a couple of times until I heard his jaw pop."You lunatic! Evan Mercer! Stop!"Claire leveled her gun at my head and said coldly, "Jules put you on as his assistant, and you attack him? You must have a death wish."A chill shot down my back. I could

Chapter 4

After I got to Aravelia, I slept for three full days. I left all the department stuff behind.I switched my phone on after three days. The texts and missed calls were a barrage. Claire was barking orders, demanding to know where I was, and gave me two hours to get to the station.Even Harry rang to haul me back. The task force had shown up and wanted my help. If we closed this case, the last incident would be forgiven, and I'd be reinstated as a medical examiner.All these messages almost cracked me up. I kept trying to tell them the truth, but nobody would listen.They only started scrambling after the wealthy family called in a task force and embarrassed the department. It was too late.I didn't answer a single text. I stayed in vacation mode.Aravelia was beautiful, but it didn't feel as safe as back home. I got pickpocketed. He swiped my passport and every dollar I had.I caught him, but he wouldn't admit a thing and refused to give my wallet back. Thankfully, I had a little

Chapter 5

Obviously, the task force had everyone at the department on edge. A serial killer targeting young women was more than enough to rattle the city.With the task force bearing down, the department was probably in a full-blown panic.Claire's shriek drilled into my ear. "Evan! Stop playing dead and get on a plane now!"I held the phone away and said, "First, we're divorced, so you don't get to boss me around. Second, I already quit the force. I'm just a civilian now. The department's mess isn't my problem."Far as I can tell, you're the ones asking me for help. When you need a favor, you drop the attitude."Claire paused, then I heard her slam the phone in fury. "Evan! Drop the attitude! You think the department can't run without you? I couldn't care less if you come back. Rot out there for all I care! I'm never begging you!"I cut the line, sank into the lounger, eyes on the shoreline, a grin tugging at my lips. They really couldn't crack the case without me.…Barely two days lat

Chapter 6

Julian shot Claire a look. "Claire, weren't you the one who said Evan was just here to back me up and for you to pry him for details? So why is he doing the autopsies now?"You're putting my top talent on the sideline and letting a guy with a tainted record handle it?"He glared at me, all huffy, basically forcing Claire to choose between us.Claire had to jump through hoops to get me back, so there was no way she'd defend him now. She tugged him aside and murmured something.I couldn't be bothered with whatever they were up to. I pulled on my gloves and got to work.Julian suddenly stopped me and turned to Tyler. "Professor, I know you want him on the autopsies since he knows the details of the first case. May I request a head-to-head comparison? I'd like you to see clearly who's more capable!"Then he gave me a challenging look and said under his breath, "Claire already told me. Once they squeeze you for everything you know, you're out of the department. How long do you think y

Chapter 7

This was a huge honor. On an HQ task force, every member was either a genius or someone who simply outworked everyone else.There weren't many government-sanctioned task forces, and Tyler's was the best in the country. With them on a case, nothing remained unsolved.The other members laughed and chimed in, "Professor Robinson hardly ever reaches out like that. We've all heard about your earlier situation.""To us, the deceased aren't about gender. You did nothing wrong.""Now isn't the time. Once the case is closed, we'll report Chief Langford and Captain Sutton to HQ for disciplinary action."I was genuinely moved and rose to thank everyone. "Thanks for believing in me. I'd like some time to consider joining the task force. Let's deal with the case at hand first."I'll complete the remaining autopsies tonight and submit a thorough report. I hope we can break this case soon."…I'd just finished the report and was about to drop it off at Tyler's office when Claire showed up. "O

Chapter 8

"No way. I hammered that out with Professor Robinson. It can't be wrong. The only other explanation is you got the wrong person."Harry whipped the report at my face and showed the interrogation-room footage up on the screen. "Look for yourself! Does this match your composite?"Surprisingly, every detail matched.Julian sauntered in with a smirk, gloating. "I told you he wasn't up to it. If I'd done the autopsy, we might've had the killer already. That task force isn't much better, either."They keep saying they can crack anything, but this case has been dragging on forever."Something felt off, so I went back through the report carefully. "Hold it. This isn't the one I submitted! Someone swapped it! Chief Langford, I'll provide you with the composite now. The suspect isn't the person in this report!"Harry slammed his mug down on the table and barked, "Enough! Sounds to me like you're the one who's not up to the job. Everyone in this department wants this case solved. Who do you

Chapter 9

I sat down, nice and calm. "No need to rush me out. We deserve an explanation, right? Let's sit for a bit and get this sorted today."Claire frowned and called in her team to throw me out.Just then, a joyous shout came from the hallway. "Professor Robinson and his team have caught the suspect! The case is finally solved!"The task force filed into the office.Tyler gave me an approving nod. "Well done. You didn't let me down."As expected, Tyler had noticed something was off long ago. He hadn't told me right away because he wanted to test the chemistry between me and the task force.Luckily, with years of casework behind me, I caught on fast.I looked at Harry and Claire and asked coldly, "With Professor Robinson standing right here, are you still going to cover for Julian?"Harry was visibly rattled. He forced a show of calm as he reached to shake Tyler's hand. "You guys are the real task force, solving the case so quickly. We were even considering assigning additional person

Chapter 10

Tyler reported to HQ that Harry had been covering for Julian at the department and allowing him to meddle in the investigation. They brought Harry in for questioning.In the serial murder case, Claire's repeated defense of Julian delayed the investigation, leading to three additional victims. This was a serious failure on her part.She was stripped of her captain's rank and suspended, and the decision was announced publicly. As for when she might return to the department, the higher-ups hadn't given a definitive answer.As for Julian, once he was no longer under the department's protection, the victims' families, who had been waiting for him, hired a group of men dressed in black to take out their anger on him.Not long after, he showed up at the station in a manic state to file a report. Before anything was even filed, he took his own life.As for the rumors about me back then, they disappeared without a trace once we caught the serial killer.Meanwhile, the newly appointed poli

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