Ashes to Ashes

by Campbell, Jamie

  Her parents looked much younger than she had remembered them. She smiled, reminding herself they had been younger then, eleven years younger in fact.

  She wiped away the remainder of her tears. As she stared at the family portrait, she came to a decision. Yes, it was hard to continue to investigate but it had to be done. There was no one else that was going to find out the truth, no one else that wanted to find out the truth. It had to be her and she was going to have to be strong.

  She placed the newspaper articles into her handbag and put the key in the ignition. She had composed herself and already decided what she must do now. The only thing that she had been putting off, the one thing that she had hoped she wouldn’t have to do. She pulled out of her car space and headed for the morgue.

  Chapter 9

  The morgue was conveniently located in the same building as the hospital. Ironically, the funeral house and cemetery were across town.

  The car park was full, so Jasmine circled around until she found a park out on the street.

  Unless you were specifically seeking out the morgue, you wouldn’t know of its whereabouts. It was tucked discreetly behind the hospital in an area that patients and their visitors wouldn’t have to pass. It was as if they were trying to hide their dirty laundry and pretend there was no need for its very existence.

  Jasmine took a deep breath and walked through the automatic doors. It was silent inside and looked deserted. There was a small cubicle with a tiny glassed-in office that was big enough to only fit a desk and office chair. On the counter was a brass bell next to a sign that read ‘If office is unattended, please ring bell.’ She picked it up and gave it a little shake. It made a high tinkling sound.

  She waited for a few minutes and considered whether she should try ringing the bell again. The place seemed so deserted that it was possible there was no one there. ‘No one living at least’, she thought, trying not to be freaked out about what was probably behind the walls.

  She picked up the bell again, but before she could ring it, the office door opened and a man in his twenties entered. He was not what she was expecting. Instead of being creepy or looking like the grim reaper, he was actually quite attractive. He wore glasses, but it accentuated his dark brown eyes, rather than make him look like a high school nerd. He had a mop of dark hair to match and his skin was a coffee colour. Definitely not what she was expecting. For a moment she lost her train of thought.

  “Can I help you?” He spoke was a slight accent. She thought it sounded a bit like Spanish, but she couldn’t be sure.

  “I hope so. I was wondering if it was possible to find out who did an autopsy on a person from a while back. I think it was a Dr Sid Frasier, but I can’t be sure.” She smiled at him, mostly because she couldn’t help herself.

  “We don’t usually give out that information. Patient confidentiality and all that. You know how it is.”

  “What about to a relative? It’s my parents’ autopsies that I’m interested in.”

  “Even then, I’m afraid we need some documents to prove it. When did they die?” He looked apologetic.

  “They died in 1994. What kind of documents do you need and I will try and find everything?”

  The gorgeous Spaniard leaned forward and slid open the glass window that was separating them. “To be honest, we tell people those records are available, but really it’s not so easy. It’s pure good luck getting them. The requests get lost in a mountain of paperwork and people usually just give up, which suits the health department.” He gave a small wave with his hand, indicating that Jasmine should lean closer. “What I can say, but you didn’t hear it from me, is that Sid Frasier has been the only doctor performing autopsies here for the last twenty years.” They leaned back.

  “Okay, so what you’re telling me is to go home and fill in all the forms and then that will start the process.”

  “Exactly, I’m sorry there is nothing more we can do. Once you complete the forms, drop them back here or to Office 109 in the main hospital wing.” He winked and Jasmine almost fell to the floor swooning.

  “Thank you for your help.” He slid the window closed and watched her leave. She couldn’t resist it and looked back over her shoulder at him one last time as she was opening the door. He smiled and waved at her. She waved back and headed towards the main hospital entrance. ‘Now if all the morgue attendants looked like that, then I’m sure more people would be happier to visit,’ she mused.

  The hospital was bustling with people, all walking with a purpose, whether they be nurses carrying folders or patients trying to make an appointment on time. Jasmine walked through all the activity without being questioned. It was exactly as she had expected. Everyone too caught up in their own mission to stop and question her.

  She found a corridor of offices and started to walk past each one, trying to read the name on the door. They were conveniently sequentially numbered, starting from one-hundred-and-one. There was at least some method to the surrounding madness. She continued up the hall until she was standing outside number one hundred and nine. Underneath on the nameplate embossed in black ink was the name Dr Sidney Frasier. She knocked on the door and waited to hear a male voice.

  Instead of a voice giving her an enter command, the doorknob started to turn and the door was pulled back into the room. Standing there was a doctor dressed in the archetypal white overcoat, worn underneath was a grey suit. He wore wire-rimmed glasses and his hair was as white as the coat.

  “Hello, may I help you?” He spoke in a kind and friendly voice. Obviously his bedside manner had been impeccably honed over the years.

  “Hello, Dr Frasier?”

  “Yes, that’s me. But you can call me Sid.”

  “Thank you, my name is Jasmine Parker. I was wondering if you would have a few minutes to speak with me.” He stood back from the door and ushered her inside, indicating to one of the vacant chairs.

  “What brings you to my office, Jasmine?” He resumed his seat behind the cluttered desk. His chair wasn’t like the simple visitor chairs, his was made of black leather and it reclined.

  “My parents were killed in a fire in 1994, thirteen years ago. I’m trying to find out more about what actually happened to them. I know you have been performing autopsies here for the last two decades. I was hoping you might be able to give me some information.” She looked at him hopefully, trying to see what his reaction was. His face betrayed nothing; instead, he leant right back in his chair and cupped his chin in his left hand.

  “I have been working here for the last thirty years, twenty of that doing the autopsies. What exactly do you want to know?”

  “How my parents died? What was left of their bodies? Was there anything unusual found?”

  “Thirteen years is a long time to be digging this information up. Tell me, why do you want to know?” He was looking at her curiously, still holding his position.

  Jasmine didn’t want to give too much information away. She really had no idea who was trying to get her to give up. For all intents and purposes, it could be anyone. Not one person in Avalon was off her suspect list. “I guess I just need to know what happened. I was only little back then and I was never told anything. I need to reconcile this in my mind so that I can really lay them to rest.”

  Sid finally rested his pose and turned towards his computer screen. He shook the mouse side to side to remove the screensaver.

  “What were their names?” She told him and he typed it into the computer system. After a moment, he moved the mouse and spoke again. “Ahh, here they are. Yes, I remember that one. They were severely burnt, the worse case I had seen in my career. The report was largely left inconclusive.”

  “What conclusions were reached?” She tried to extend her neck to see the computer screen, but it was at too much of an angle away from her.

  “Well, let’s see. Julia’s condition was too severe. There was nothing of her left to examine, except a few bone fragments. We have listed the presumed cause of death as sev
ere burns and smoke inhalation.” He looked over his glasses at Jasmine to see her reaction. When she didn’t flinch, he continued. “John Parker was more, er, complete. We managed to perform a partial autopsy on him and concluded that he died as a result of smoke inhalation.”

  “When you say complete, how much was left of him?”

  “All of his body was there; it just wasn’t in a very good state. Badly burnt, but his internal organs were still in good condition. We were able to carry out most of our usual procedures on his remains.”

  “Did you find anything unusual when you carried out your procedures?”

  “He was a healthy man. There is nothing odd noted here. Kidneys were good, liver was good, the only thing missing was his appendix, otherwise, a good specimen of a man.”

  “I know it’s asking a lot but would it be possible to get a copy of the report?”

  “I’m sorry, I can’t give them out. You will need to go through the official channels. You can apply through the Freedom of Information Act. The details are all on the state government’s website.”

  “Thank you very much anyway. I really appreciate your time.” They both stood and shook hands.

  “Any more questions, you know where I am. I hope you find peace with this.” He walked her to the door and closed it behind her as she left. She wasn’t sure if she’d just learnt anything new or not but it was more information than she ever wanted to know about her parents’ death. In her rational mind, she knew if they had died in the fire, then they would have been severely burned. However, she had always been able to tell herself they probably just died peacefully in their sleep from the smoke and the fire never even entered their room. After hearing it put so bluntly by the man who had examined their dead bodies, the rational voice won the argument.

  She walked out through the chaos of the hospital, past reception and out through the sliding doors. As soon as she was through the doors the immediate quiet was a world away from the hospital interior. She walked through the cars neatly lined up in the car park and out to her car that was waiting in the street. She decided she needed someone to talk the latest events over with and drove downtown to the Avalon Times office.

  Caleb was at his desk typing furiously on his computer. He didn’t notice Jasmine until she greeted him.

  “Hi Jaz, how are you?” He spun his chair around to face her, giving his complete attention.

  “I’m okay. What are you doing for lunch?”

  He looked at his watch. “Lunch time already! I guess I’m having lunch with you. I’ve almost finished this piece. Give me five minutes and I’ll meet you at the Round Bagel?”

  “Sounds good, I’ll see you there.” She walked out of the office and down the street to the Round Bagel, a little bakery-come-café that they often frequented in their college years. It was nothing fancy, but it made the best sandwiches in Avalon. She took a seat inside and before she knew it, Caleb had walked in and taken the seat beside her.

  He spoke in his best Humphrey Bogart voice, “So what’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?”

  “Waiting for a guy like you I guess.” The waitress appeared at their table and they ordered lunch; a cheese and tomato sandwich for Jasmine and a ham salad for Caleb. They waited until the woman had left before resuming their conversation. “I was just at the morgue.”

  “Cool, see any dead people?”

  “No, no dead people.” Just a hot guy, she finished in her head. She recounted her morning and what Dr Frasier had told her. Caleb listened intently, making a face when Jasmine was describing the condition of the bodies. The waitress delivered the sandwiches in time to hear the end of the story.

  “Gee, what a way to go.”

  “Yeah, I liked it better when I didn’t know.”

  “Don’t you think it’s weird though?” asked Caleb.

  “What? That they were burnt? I’d say it was logical.” She took a bite of her lunch.

  “No, that your mum was completely cremated while your dad was still complete. Weren’t they lying in the same bed?”

  “Good point I hadn’t thought of that. You’d think they would have been in the same condition. I don’t know, maybe Dad had woken up and was trying to escape or something.”

  “Maybe, but still, they were in the same room. The fire would have burned at roughly the same temperature. Even if your dad had made it to the window, he was in there for the same time as your mum.”

  “Okay, what about if Dad hadn’t been in bed, heard the fire and went in to get Mum out. If the fire had started in the bedroom, he may have turned and run and died in the hall a few minutes later.”

  “Plausible. I still think it’s weird though. Maybe you could ask your grandparents where the bodies were found. They might have been told at some stage.”

  “I will. I’ll give them a call later. All this talk about dead bodies is not good lunchtime conversation.” She pushed her half-eaten sandwich away and took a sip of her soft drink.

  “I know this is personal to you, but I think to get to the bottom of it, you will need to pretend it’s not your parents. Stay impartial, unattached.” Caleb continued eating.

  “I know; it just gets hard sometimes. What do you think about the animal cruelty claims?”

  “You said your dad was an animal lover. It’s probably just a bogus claim. Someone out for his job maybe.”

  “There must have been something to it though if the police investigated.”

  “Not necessarily, trust me I see it all the time. Someone decides to get revenge, instead of getting mad, and calls in the police – or the newspaper. When people want something bad enough, they can be irrational.” He finished his lunch and pushed the plate to one side.

  Jasmine was a little annoyed that Caleb was so quick to just discount it as a nasty rumour. “What about the fact it happened only two days before he died? I think that’s got to be too much of a coincidence to just be random. I’m thinking of calling up some of his old work colleagues to see what they thought of it all back then. I know one of them still lives in Avalon, he works at the Golden Chest Pharmacy now.”

  “I guess it’s worth a try. Don’t be disappointed though if it was just a mountain made out of a molehill. What made headlines one day, could very well have been yesterday’s news after only a day. I have to get back to work. Thanks for having lunch with me.” They went to the counter of the Round Bagel and paid for their lunch.

  Jasmine walked Caleb back to work before saying goodbye.

  “Hey, are you still alright staying at your apartment? I always have room if you want some company. You don’t even need to bring your sleeping bag.” He smiled at her.

  “It’s alright; I don’t think they’ll come back. I’ll keep it in mind though.” She gave him a quick hug and crossed the road to where her car was parked. When she turned it on, her CD player started blaring, she sang along on her way to the pharmacy. It was a good way to relieve stress.

  The Golden Chest Pharmacy wasn’t very far from the newspaper headquarters. On a normal day she probably would have walked instead of taking the car. However, she didn’t feel like it today. The day had already used up most of her energy.

  The prescription counter was at the back of the store, to get there, Jasmine had to walk through the cosmetics and perfume departments.

  She remembered Brad Goodman vividly. He was a very large, overweight man with a balding head. Not the most attractive man on the outside but he was like a big kid on the inside. Her parents had always invited him to every gathering they had organised. He was just fun to be around and one of the nicest people you could ever hope to know in your lifetime. On the rare occasion that Jasmine had needed medication, she had always made sure to buy them off Brad. He knew who she was and would make sure to fill her prescription personally.

  She spotted him as soon as she approached the counter. He was speaking to an elderly lady who was acting out something wrong with her elbow. He was listening as if it was the most important
information he would ever hear. He glanced up for a moment and saw Jasmine. She waved and he returned it, holding up a finger to indicate he would only be a minute. He reached behind the counter and produced some kind of cream for the woman. She took it and then headed towards the front of the store to pay. He waved Jasmine over to his counter.

  “Little Jasmine Parker, what a pleasure to see you today. What can I get for you?” His face broke into a big smile that matched his over friendly voice.

  “Dr Goodman, it’s a pleasure to see you too. I was hoping you’d have a few minutes to speak in private.” She returned his friendly nature, but it wasn’t forced. Brad just brought that out in people. He was much more suited to working the prescriptions counter rather than cooped up in a research laboratory.

  “For you, I have more than a few minutes. Come on through.” He opened up the swinging half-door and walked into the back of the store behind the high counters. There was no one else around, except for the two of them.

  “Thank you. How have you been?”

  “Fantastic! How about yourself? You’re looking well.”

  “I’ve been good, thank you. What I wanted to ask you is about my father. I kind of stumbled across an article about him. It said he was made to resign from the lab because of animal cruelty. Do you remember anything about this?”

  He made a face, first of thinking hard and then of a shocking memory. “I do, it was terrible at the time. The police and animal people came. They went right through everything. People were protesting outside, throwing things at us when we came to work, it was a nightmare. Don’t fret though, it was completely made up. We never even tested on frogs in our lab, let alone puppy dogs like they’d claimed. Can you imagine, your father hurting a puppy? None of us had it in us.”