together. He had originally declared the time of death at forty-eight hours, possibly longer, but over the past several hours he had changed his mind, placing the time of death closer to thirty hours. Otto had called as he was getting ready to go home that evening to inform Cowan that they had confirmed the man’s identity, and the fact that he was part of the cleanup crew at the closed nuclear weapons plant. Cowan had originally estimated the man’s age to be in his sixties. Otto had said the man’s work records put him at forty-four. Something had caused the man’s decomposition to increase at a faster rate than normal.
After four hours spent reexamining the body, and reformulating his theories, he summoned Otto to his office at almost eight o’clock that night. Otto knocked, entered the lab, and was then directed to wash and suit up before Cowan would talk with him.
Garbed in a blue gown, latex gloves, and a blue mask and cap, Otto approached the body. Cowan noted that his gaze rested on the dead man’s feet, the only part covered by a cloth. Cowan retrieved the black plastic sheet that lay under the autopsy table and covered the rest of the body in deference to Otto.
“We have some issues,” Cowan said. “Time of death has proven elusive.”
Otto asked, “What about the blowflies? I thought they identified time of death.”
Cowan nodded. “With the wet nature of the sores on the body, it wouldn’t surprise me if the blowflies were on him within an hour of death. The blowfly eggs were hatching into larvae when Josie found the body. It usually takes time for the body to decompose, but he was decomposing before he was dead.”
Otto winced at the thought.
“Judging by the decomposition of his body, the green and black marbling of his skin, and the insect larvae, I’m going to change my original estimate. At this point, I think he was killed Saturday night. Gauging the lividity, his body was transported several hours later and deposited in the desert late Saturday night, early Sunday morning.”
Otto nodded in appreciation. “Nice work, Cowan.”
Cowan frowned. “It’s not so easy. This whole case is troubling me.”
“How so?”
“After you called, first thing I did was go back to the internal organs. This wasn’t the body of a forty-year-old man. I found the intestinal track highly putrefied. The intestinal tract is always first to disintegrate, especially in high heat circumstances, but his entire GI tract was further decomposed than it should have been. The rest of his organs were more in line with the twenty-four-to-thirty-six-hour theory.”
“Can you translate that?”
“Something ate up his arms, and then ate up his digestive tract.”
Otto blew air out in frustration. “We’re all thinking radiation. The guy worked at the Feed Plant. Is that where you’re headed with this?”
Cowan placed his hand on the black plastic sheet covering the body, and then paused. “I’m putting him away for the night. Turn your head if you want.”
Otto walked over to the laundry tub and began taking his mask and gown off.
Cowan began preparing the body for the cooler as he talked. “That’s the angle that makes the most sense. But why his GI tract? If he’d had a massive dose of radiation and chemo he could have developed sores. Some cancer victims develop open wounds and they fester over a year before the body’s immune system can heal them. Conceivably, radiation or chemo could have caused the sores on his arms and head. But I saw no evidence of cancer.”
“That’s not what I was getting at. Could he have picked up that kind of radiation exposure at the cleanup site?”
Cowan eyed Otto over his reading glasses, then rolled the metal gurney and body over to the freezer. “I know what you were getting at. I can’t answer it, though. I don’t have any idea what kind of radiation might be leaking out at that plant. I find it highly unlikely it caused the sores on this man’s arms, though. My opinion is that it would take a prescribed, intensive, and malicious intent to cause the sores on this man’s arms.”
“Cause of death?” Otto asked.
“I’m just not ready to commit. There are three distinct traumas. The exterior sores, the GI tract, and the blow to the head. I’m not able to piece together how they are related.”
“If they’re related,” Otto said.
“Obviously, I’m no expert in radiation poisoning. I’ll be contacting the Centers for Disease Control in the morning.” Cowan peeled his