She rose from the seat in an attempt to get out before the tears ran freely, but it was too late. They were already streaming down her cheeks. As Val wiped them with the back of her hand, Julia reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a tissue.

“Thank you for your time. It was very nice to meet you.” Val kept her head down and stretched her right hand to pick up her bag, reaching for the tissue with her left hand.

“What happened to your hand?” Julia asked.

Val didn’t reply. She didn’t know what to say. Her mouth opened, trying to form words, but nothing came out.

“I’m sorry I was digging around with the questions. But honestly, you could make more money one day in practice than in two weeks in this position. It’s not the kind of job people lie to get. There’s a reason why you want this, and it goes well beyond a desire to work with the dead.”

In a moment of much-needed relief, Val let it all out. Once the first words tumbled, she couldn’t stop, describing the attack and how she couldn’t practice anymore. She finished by confessing that this job was her last hope and as she came clean, she caught herself, embarrassed at exposing so much to a stranger. She wanted to die on the spot. Val hated to be seen as a victim, but for the last few minutes, she was just that.

Julia wheeled her chair back from the desk, her face sympathetic. Val had seen this reaction a number of times before. This is the point where she would be told, “We’ll call you if we’re interested.”

Julia took a deep breath. “Being a private practice dentist is very different from what this job demands.”

Oh no. Val cringed. I’m going to be lectured before being shown the way out. There was nothing left to do but sit and take it.

“Most busy offices like this one can’t have one of the medical examiners going out in the field every time someone dies, so we hire death investigators to go in our place to analyze and report on the circumstances of the death.”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I thought a degree wasn’t necessary. The ad stated you were looking for someone with a medical background. It didn’t say medical doctor.” All Val wanted to do was hide her head and crawl out of the room.

“That’s because a medical degree isn’t necessary. The death investigator responds to the scene of a death not as the medical examiner but as a representative of this office. Evidence is acquired from the scene to help someone like me determine cause and manner of death, as well as any information to identify the decedent, if that’s unknown.”

“So, this is kind of like being a cop?”