“Tax guy, isn’t that horrible? I don’t even remember the poor man’s name.” Julia shook her head at the memory. “Colin came in and went straight to the bar, ordered a drink and looked around. He saw me staring at him and smiled. I immediately turned away, embarrassed. I excused myself from the tax guy to go the lady’s room.”

Julia put her arms across her chest and leaned against the gurney and Val just watched her. With her head down and back slumped, Val couldn’t help but notice how vulnerable Julia looked.

“Colin was outside the bathroom door when I came out. His first words to me were, ‘Can I buy you a drink?’ I couldn’t believe that a guy like him was waiting for someone like me outside of a bathroom. He noticed me. He followed me. I told him that I was there with someone. He said, ‘That guy at the bar? This is a singles event. He can’t be your boyfriend.’ I confessed I’d just met him earlier that night and he said, ‘If it makes you uncomfortable to go back in and have a drink with me, then let’s go somewhere else for one.’” Julia shrugged her shoulders. “I went.”

Val searched again for comforting words, but Julia spoke first.

“I slept with him that night. Please don’t think badly of me. I’m not easy. He hung around. He was still in my bed in the morning. I thought that was a good sign. I didn’t care that he was more fascinated with my car, my house and my profession than he was with me. I was a plastic surgeon then, not a medical examiner,” Julia explained. “I didn’t have the looks to win him so I thought I could impress him in other ways, so of course I bragged. And when Colin asked me to marry him four months after meeting him, I agreed. I know it sounds stupid now but I just wanted to believe that he loved me.”

“That’s not stupid,” said Val. “That’s something we all want; someone to love us.” Val thought back to the day of her interview. Once Julia pressed her for the truth about her hand it was hard to hold back. The words tumbled out in relief as she unburdened herself. Julia was doing the same right now.

“Oh my, would you look at the time,” Julia said, her voice cracking. “I have a lunch meeting today with my lawyer regarding this lawsuit and I can’t be late, and the birthday party is probably already going on in the employee lounge. I have to make an appearance before I run.”

“Birthday party?” Val questioned. She hadn’t heard about a birthday party.

“Yeah, for Zoe Beauchamp, our toxicologist. Are you coming?”

“No, I don’t think so.”