“It’s next on my list.” Truth was Val really couldn’t bring herself to do it. Howie had been Val’s partner in death scene investigation when she first arrived and he was the one who taught her everything she knew about this job. His sudden departure from the medical examiner’s office was painful and she had to admit that she missed her work friend. She didn’t want to deal with replacing him now. Why can’t Dr. Maddox review his own damn candidates?

Gwen put her elbow on the counter, palm on the side of her cheek. Wary. “It’ll be nice to have some free time again. I clocked nearly seventy hours last week.”

“Well I have nearly eighty.” It came out a little sharp and Val immediately regretted it. Val knew Gwen was fully aware of Val’s stress with this issue, but her reaction was uncalled for. “Sorry.”

“Really, it’s okay, Val. I know what you’re going through.” Gwen’s hand went to Val’s, reassuring.

She smiled at her friend and held her hand tightly. Val’s phone vibrated and she looked down to see who had left a message. Her stomach dropped.

“What is it?” Gwen shot up. “You’ve gone pale.”

Val didn’t pick her head up from the screen. “It’s the prosecutor from Clearwater, Florida. The one who’s handling the case of the man who bit me, the suspected serial killer.” The moment Val had been dreading, the moment she had pushed as far away from her as she could, was here. And as she remained glued to the phone she wished it to not be true. The prosecutor left a simple text:

We’re going forward next month. We need to start prepping you for the stand. Now.

Val’s hands were shaking. “Gwen, I don’t know if I can do this. I don’t want to look at him again.” Val hated to feel like this—a victim. After her attack, she hid away from everything. Her job at the medical examiner’s office had been a rebirth of sorts for her. And she just wanted to put that part of her life behind her and not relive it. Jesus, Val understood why victims don’t want to confront their attackers. But Val also had her other reason for not wanting to testify. While she was a victim of Mr. Tate, he bit her and he ended her dental career, Val just wasn’t sure he was a murderer. “Gwen, I wasn’t convinced by the dental evidence I collected. What if he didn’t kill those women? This is a capital case. It’s not a jail sentence. It’s life or death.”