“Betty tells me that you were a friend of Oliver’s, and that he sent you our way.” Elbows still rigidly positioned on the desk, her eyes fixed on Val’s.

“Yes,” Val replied simply. She felt her cheeks tighten and jaw clench. She said nothing further.

“I also hear he tried to get two of you to apply for this job. To be honest, I only knew about one. We have an ad posted too. Did you see it?”

Val smiled and shook her head, maintaining as much composure as she could. “No, Oliver told me about it.”

Julia appeared to be satisfied with the answer and continued with her next question, sitting back in the chair now. “So tell me, why does a dentist want to become a death investigator?”

“I’m looking for a change in careers, something new. Something where I can use the medical knowledge I’ve obtained.” Val exhaled in relief. Julia was more relaxed and it seemed like there weren’t going to be any more questions about this Oliver person. She leaned back herself, crossing her legs, adding casually, “To tell you the truth, I’ve always been fascinated with forensic science and would love to do something in this field.” The response came out with an air of credibility. Val knew she’d be asked why she wanted a change in careers and had learned, from previous experience at other interviews, not to admit that her injury was the reason.

People tended to act differently once they knew what happened. Oh, they were always kind at first, congratulating her on her courage. But Val would find them catching their words, apologizing at every turn, treating her like she was a victim. They also seemed skeptical that she would be a good employee. That maybe her injury was a little more serious, and the use of her hand was a lot less than she let on. Convinced that it had cost her several jobs over the last few months, she just couldn’t take any chances right now.

“I can understand that. From what I hear, dentistry can be routine,” Julia said.

“It is.” Val laughed, accentuating her light-hearted response, though dentistry was anything but routine.

Julia laughed too and added, “I was in private practice at one time, in medicine, though. It’s all the same. I know what you mean. Sometimes you’re just ready for a change.”

“What kind of medicine did you practice?” Val asked with interest.

Julia didn’t answer immediately. She shuffled papers again and then said quietly, “I was a surgeon.” She didn’t elaborate on what kind of surgery she did. Val sensed something was off and strategically changed the topic, talking again about how interesting forensics was and now how much she admired Julia’s position as a medical examiner.