“No amount of cleaning could make you look good,” Howie said, laughing. Val hadn’t even seen him come back into the room.

Val held out the plastic container for him. “This is from the boy who was shot.”

“Thanks. I’ll get this to the cops for ballistic testing.” He took the container, and placed it on the morgue counter, next to paperwork that appeared to be his. “We have our okay to get started on the next case. Your case. I need you to put one of these on.” He held up a white disposable jumpsuit. It had a zipper up the middle and looked like the kind of thing people wore for biohazards. This one was complete with a hood. “We’re going to start you off easy with something that should be second nature for you. It’s a dental ID.”

“Why do I have to wear this?” She looked around the room. No one else had on anything like it. They were all in hospital scrubs.

“That’s because we have to work in the decomp room.”

“Decomp room?”

“I mean, the autopsy isolation room.” Howie continued with instructions for dress. Shoe covers for her sneakers were next. Once those were in place he gave her a surgical cap for her hair and a thick mask to cover her nose and mouth. She was grateful for the mask. There was a stench in the air, like raw sewage mixed with rotten eggs, and it helped to block it out.

“Let’s get your gloves on now. Make sure to pull them up over the arms of the suit.”

Val did as Howie instructed.

“You only need to see how this is done once. You’ll be able to do it yourself next time.” Howie dressed himself in the same manner, then took the gurney and wheeled it into the autopsy suite.

The room was bigger than Val thought it would be, and quite cold, much more so than the main morgue area. “Why is it freezing in here?”

“They keep it colder in here for a couple of reasons. The big reason is it gets hot as you work. With all you’re wearing, you’ll realize as soon as we start how quickly you’ll sweat.”

While he moved the gurney into place, she inspected the room, wondering what the other reason was. High on the wall was a small window. On the sill were many dead flies. She immediately began to feel itchy.

Howie picked up the file and started to read the report. “John Doe # 457987. Found washed ashore on the banks of the Niagara River by a couple of kids fishing. That will give them nightmares for the rest of their lives.”

Val eyed the body bag, eager to see what was inside. This was her own case and she couldn’t wait to get started. “Can I open the bag?”

“Yeah, but when you unzip it, make sure to stand back.”