"The director of Operation Carcajou has asked if I could assign one of my personnel to act as liaison to his unit. With this war heating up he'd like to be sure the crime lab, the medico-legal staff, and his investigators are al on the same page at the same time."

I didn't wait to hear more.

"I can do it."

"It's spring. Once the river thaws and the hikers and campers hit the woods your workload is going to get heavier."

That was true. The number of floaters and decomps always increased when the weather warmed and the past winter's dead came to light.

"I'l work overtime."

"I was going to assign Real Marchand, but you are welcome to give it a try. It's not a ful -time job."

He lifted a paper from his desk and handed it to me.

"There is a meeting at three this afternoon. I'l cal to tel them you're coming."

"Thank you. You won't regret this."

He rose and walked me to the door

"Is there a positive on the Vail ancourt brothers?"

"We'l know once their medical records show up. Hopeful y today."

He gave a two-thumbs-up gesture.

"Go get 'em, Tempe," he said in English.

I returned the gesture and he shrugged, then retreated to his office.

In addition to being a superb administrator, Patineau fil ed out a shirt more impressively than most bodybuilders.

Mondays are busy for every coroner and medical examiner, and this one was no exception. As LaManche went through the cases I thought the meeting would never end.

A young girl had died in the hospital and the mother admitted only to shaking her. Three years is beyond the age for Shaken Baby syndrome, and a contusion suggested the child's head had been slammed against a hard surface.

A thirty-two-year-old paranoid schizophrenic was found with his stomach open, innards spewing onto the carpet of his bedroom. The family claimed the wound was self-inflicted.

Two trucks had col ided outside St-Hyacinthe. Both drivers were burned beyond recognition.

A twenty-seven-year-old Russian seaman was found in his cabin with no signs of life. He was pronounced dead by the ship's captain, and the body was preserved and brought ashore. Since the death occurred in Canadian waters, an autopsy was required.

A forty-four-year-old woman was beaten to death in her apartment, Her estranged husband was being sought.

Medical files had arrived for Donald and Ronald Vail ancourt. So had an envelope of snapshots.

When the pictures were passed around we knew that at least one twin lay in pieces downstairs. In a splendid Kodak moment Ronald Vail ancourt stood bare-chested, flexing his upper torso. The see-no-evil skul decorated his right chest, LaManche assigned each of the autopsies to a pathologist, and turned the Vail ancourt documents over to me.