Blindsighted Read Online Free PDF Page B

desk. She took out a fresh lab coat and slipped it on, saying, "I've already taken X rays and checked her clothing. Other than that, she's ready."
    Jeffrey turned, staring out at the table in the center of the morgue. Sara looked, too, thinking that Sibyl Adams was a lot smaller in death than she seemed in life. Even Sara couldn't get used to the way death reduced people.
    Jeffrey asked, "Did you know her well?"
    Sara mulled over his question. Finally she said, "I guess. We both did career day at the middle school last year. Then, you know, I ran into her at the library sometimes."
    "The library?" Jeffrey asked. "I thought she was blind."
    "They have books on tape there, I guess." She stopped in front of him, crossing her arms. "Listen, I have to tell you this. Lena and I kind of had a fight a few weeks back."
    Obviously, he was surprised. Sara was surprised, too. There were not a lot of people in town she did not get along with. But Lena Adams was certainly one of them.
    Sara explained, "She called Nick Shelton at the GBI asking for a tox report on a case."
    Jeffrey shook his head side to side, not understanding. "Why?"
    Sara shrugged. She still didn't know why Lena had tried to go over her head, especially considering it was well known that Sara had a very good working relationship with Nick Shelton, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's field agent for Grant County.
    "And?" Jeffrey prompted.
    "I don't know what Lena thought she could accomplish by calling Nick directly. We had it out. No blood was shed, but I wouldn't say we parted on friendly terms."
    Jeffrey shrugged, as if to say, What can you do? Lena had made a career out of ticking people off. Back when Sara and Jeffrey were married, Jeffrey had often voiced his concern over Lena 's impetuous behavior.
    "If she was"-he stopped, then-"if she was raped, Sara. I don't know."
    "Let's get started," Sara answered quickly, walking past him into the morgue. She stood in front of the supply cabinet, looking for a surgical gown. She paused, her hands on the doors as she played back their conversation in her mind, wondering how it had turned from a forensic evaluation into a discussion about Jeffrey's potential outrage had Sibyl Adams not just been killed but raped as well.
    "Sara?" he asked. "What's wrong?"
    Sara felt her anger spark at his stupid question. "What's wrong?" She found the gown and slammed the doors shut. The metal frame rattled from the force. Sara turned, ripping the sterile pack open. "What's wrong is I'm tired of you asking me what's wrong when it's pretty damn obvious what's wrong." She paused, snapping out the gown. "Think about it, Jeffrey. A woman literally died in my arms today. Not just a stranger, someone I knew. I should be at home right now taking a long shower or walking the dogs and instead I've got to go in there and cut her up, worse than she already is, so I can tell you whether or not you need to start pulling in all the perverts in town."
    Her hands shook with anger as she tried to get into the gown. The sleeve was just out of her reach, and she was turning to get a better angle when Jeffrey moved to help her.
    Her tone was nasty when she snapped, "I've got it." He held his hands up, palms toward her as if in surrender. "Sorry." Sara fumbled with the ties on the gown, ending up knotting the strings together. "Shit," she hissed, trying to work them back out. Jeffrey offered, "I could get Brad to go walk the dogs." Sara dropped her hands, giving up. "That's not the point, Jeffrey."
    "I know it's not," he returned, approaching her the way he might a rabid dog. He took the strings and she looked down, watching him work out the knot. Sara let her gaze travel to the top of his head, noting a few gray strands in with the black. She wanted to will into him the ability to comfort her instead of trying to make a joke of everything. She wanted for him to magically develop the capacity for empathy. After ten years, she should have known better.
    He