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Chapters (36)
  1. VECTOR
  2. Copyright page
  3. Dedication
  4. AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  5. Epigraph
  6. PROLOGUE
  7. ONE
  8. TWO
  9. THREE
  10. FOUR
  11. FIVE
  12. SIX
  13. SEVEN
  14. EIGHT
  15. NINE
  16. TEN
  17. ELEVEN
  18. TWELVE
  19. THIRTEEN
  20. FOURTEEN
  21. FIFTEEN
  22. SIXTEEN
  23. SEVENTEEN
  24. EIGHTEEN
  25. NINETEEN
  26. TWENTY
  27. TWENTY-ONE
  28. TWENTY-TWO
  29. TWENTY-THREE
  30. TWENTY-FOUR
  31. TWENTY-FIVE
  32. TWENTY-SIX
  33. EPILOGUE
  34. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  35. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
  36. GLOSSARY

Tears sprang into Yuri’s eyes. That they were tears of joy made no difference. He was thrilled the tears had come to add to his theatrics. But mostly he was thrilled that he’d been right about how to get rid of Connie. Despite all his anxieties, it had worked. He was free, and Curt was going to be pleased.

“I know this must be a terrible shock to you,” Dr. Cooper continued. “She is such a young person.”

“Thank you,” Yuri said. He wiped his tears away with the knuckle of his right index finger, making sure the doctor saw the maneuver. “I suppose I have to make some sort of arrangements for her body. Do you think someone could help me? It’s something I don’t know anything about.”

“Absolutely,” Dr. Cooper said. “I can have Social Service come and talk with you in a few minutes. But I can relieve your understandable anxiety by saying that you don’t have to make any decisions tonight.”

“No?” Yuri questioned. “Why not?”

“Because your wife is going to be what we call a medical examiner case,” Dr. Cooper explained.

“Does that mean an autopsy?” Yuri asked with consternation.

“Yes, it does,” Dr. Cooper said. “But I can assure you it’s done with full respect for the deceased.”

“But why an autopsy?” Yuri demanded. “You have the diagnosis.”

“That’s true,” Dr. Cooper said. “We know she died of acute respiratory distress with a history of asthma. But she is a relatively young person who was, prior to this unfortunate attack, a healthy, albeit obese, individual. We all think it best to have the medical examiner take a look in case we’re missing something. I don’t want you to be concerned. It’s purely routine in such cases.”

“I’m sure you’re not missing anything,” Yuri sputtered.

“Thank you for your vote of confidence,” Dr. Cooper said. “But I’m sure even you will have an easier time coming to terms with your loss when the cause for this tragedy is proved beyond the shadow of doubt. You understand what I’m saying, don’t you?”

“Certainly,” Yuri managed to reply as the anxieties he’d felt earlier came back like an avalanche.

NINE

____

NINE

Tuesday, October 19

6:43 A.M.

Laurie surprised herself by waking up before her alarm. She couldn’t remember having done that for years. It was especially surprising considering her expected jet lag from having flown in from Paris the morning before. But then with a simple calculation she realized that at that moment it was already after noon in the French capital, and even though she’d only been in France for a couple of days, she must have made some adaption to the local time.