The cop car escorted them into the parking lot of a contemporary, two-story building that looked entirely too luxurious to be a morgue. In huge white letters, the words HARRIS COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINER glared menacingly from the brick, only adding to the melancholy.

Deven shuddered but remained silent as Justin parked and killed the engine. He paused and she felt his eyes studying her. Maybe he expected her to say something. But what could she say? Her fingers trembled as she reached for the handle. Outside of the window, Officer McKinney and Officer Wise stood waiting on the curb and she was tempted to avert her eyes to keep from meeting those sympathetic gazes. Better to get it over with.

The four moved in a hushed huddle towards the glass doors, each consumed with their own angst. Justin held Deven close as he steered her up the sidewalk. Officer McKinney led the way, while Officer Wise pulled up the rear, only breaking the line to rush forward and open doors for them before stepping to the side to let them enter first.

Deven trudged through a lobby, surprised at how clean and professional it looked. It reminded her of the waiting area to an expensive corporate company with its semicircle check-in desk and armchairs positioned against the large windows. Between two matching couches in the center of the room sat a single coffee table littered with books, pamphlets, and glossy magazines, though Deven couldn’t understand how anyone could read in a place like this. Or why they would even want to.

The group continued through the lobby and headed down a narrow hallway lined with closed doors that smelled of antiseptics and deodorizers. No dead bodies, Deven mused, and the fact prompted a sigh of both surprise and relief.

Officer McKinney opened a door on the left and she gestured for them to enter. The conference room was spacious with a boat-shaped table circled by eight leather chairs. A woman was seated on one of the end seats, her hair pulled back in a neat bun and glasses perched on a nose sprinkled with freckles. She was dressed simply in a blouse and slacks, and her smile was one of sympathy as she rose to greet them, stretching her arm across the table.

“Good morning Ms. Reynolds,” she said. On a subsequent thought, her eyes quickly flicked to a clock on the wall. “I do appreciate you both for coming down so early. I’m Maria, the Chief Medical Examiner.”

Deven accepted her outstretched hand, the grip much colder and firmer than she would’ve expected for a woman of her petite stature. Unsure of what to say next, Deven nodded and gestured absently towards Justin. “Um, this is my—”

“I’m Justin,” he said formally, replacing Deven’s handshake with his own. “Nice to meet you.”