“There have been two other similar deaths. One was so similar to my grandmother’s it seems eerie. The other is sorta similar, but my guess would be that he was discovered immediately after he suffered whatever the other two suffered, because on the third one they actually went through a real resuscitation attempt.”

“How do you know all this?”

“I’ve met the wives. I also talked both of them into not allowing their husbands to be embalmed or cremated. I think we have three bodies of people who have suffered some kind of a fatal medical crisis. The hospitals want to call it a heart attack, whether it’s warranted or not, because all three have each had some kind of cardiac history. To tell you the truth, it has been my sense that the hospitals just want to get rid of these cases as soon as possible, and frankly, that has made me suspicious from day one.”

“Could any of this be a kind of defense on your part as a way of helping you deal with the emotional aspect of losing your grandmother?”

For a moment Jennifer turned and stared out the car window. It was a good question, even though her first response was irritation that Neil would be capable of thinking she was making all this up. She turned back to Neil. “I think that there is something wrong with these three deaths. I think they were not natural. I do.”

It was now Neil’s turn to stare. He chose to stare out the front window. When he looked back at Jennifer, she was still looking at him. “It would be something hard to prove without autopsies. I assume you’ve been trying to get one.”

“To some degree,” Jennifer admitted. “As I said, once the death certificate is signed, they don’t think about autopsies. They just want to get the body out of the cafeteria cooler. But the reason I’m treading water today is because something is happening tonight that could turn this all around.”

“What do I have to do, guess?” Neil complained when Jennifer paused.

“I just want to make sure you are listening.” Jennifer said. “Did I ever mention to you that Granny was a nanny to a woman who’s become quite well known as a medical examiner?”

“I believe so, but remind me again.”

“Her name is Laurie Montgomery. She works as a medical examiner in New York City along with her husband, Jack Stapleton.”

“I can recall your mentioning Laurie Montgomery but not Jack.”