The Body Thief (24 page)

“Are you at work? I need to see you.”

Sam heard the urgency in Rohan’s voice and
her heart skipped a beat. The last time he’d turned up at her work
they’d ended the night in his bed. The fact that they hadn’t found
time to repeat the experience was at the forefront of her mind and
she couldn’t help but think it was also in his.

“Yes, I’m here until six.”

“Good. I’ll be there in an hour.”

Sam ended the mid-afternoon call and tossed
her cell phone back down on her desk. She was doing her best to
catch up on the endless paperwork that crowded her desk. Autopsy
findings, lab results, blood work and a whole host of other data
had to be entered into their system and then forwarded to the
relevant police commands around the state. It was a never-ending,
but necessary aspect of her work and the part that she least
enjoyed. She’d been at it almost an hour and still had a pile to
go, but at the thought of Rohan’s imminent arrival, her spirits
lifted.

If she stayed focused for the next hour,
she’d come close to getting to the bottom of the most urgent of the
paperwork. If she came in early in the morning, she could finish
off the rest. Decision made, she bent to the task at hand.

“Sam, how are you doing?”

She looked up and spied Richard leaning on
the doorframe to her office. She threw him a distracted wave. “Hi,
Richard. I’m fine. Trying to get up to date on the paperwork. You
know how it is.”

He nodded and moved further into the room.
“Back in my day, we had to type it all up on manual typewriters.
You guys have it easy! A couple of strokes on the keyboard and the
computer does the rest.”

Sam chuckled. “Yeah, right!”

“True story!” Richard protested in mock
distress.

“Next you’ll be telling me how hard it was
to conduct a post mortem without electricity. Don’t worry, Richard,
I’ve heard it all before.”

“Now, Sam. Be fair. How old do you think I
am? I’ve never once said I worked in the days before
electricity.”

He grinned and her lips tilted in response.
“Is there something I can do for you, boss? I’m kind of busy here
entering information into my computer,” she said cheekily.

“Anything in particular?”

“Just trying to catch up on last week’s
cases. I have a ton of pathology reports that need to be entered,
along with the notes I’ve made about the PM’s I did yesterday and
today.”

Richard nodded. “I was speaking to the
coroner the other day. He told me you mentioned a donor body that
came through without a consent form.”

“Yes, I meant to tell you about it, but it
happened on the weekend you were sick. I ran into the coroner first
thing Monday morning. I wanted him to know so that he could speak
to our transportation staff. We can’t pinpoint exactly where the
form was mislaid, but we can make sure our guys had nothing to do
with losing it and if they did, they need to smarten up their act.
Lost paperwork can have serious implications. We can all do without
the hassle.”

“Is that all there was to it?”

Sam frowned at the sharpness of Richard’s
tone but nodded and continued to enter data into her computer. Her
boss remained where he was. After a moment, she glanced up at him
again. “Is there anything in particular you needed to speak with me
about?”

“No, I just wanted to touch base and see how
you were doing. You haven’t noticed anything else that’s strange,
have you?”

“No. In fact, I haven’t caught a single
donor body for a while, other than when I filled in while you were
sick that time. My brother might have been right. He assured me the
extra numbers were probably the result of the higher toll winter
has on people. Now that the weather’s warmed up, we certainly have
fewer bodies coming through.”

“I think I said something to you along those
lines when you first raised it with me ages ago.” Richard’s smile
was followed by a friendly wink.

“Okay, okay. No need to rub it in,” she
laughed good-naturedly. “It was strange, that’s all and when I did
the PM on that woman who had no consent form in her paperwork, I
kind of freaked out.”

“Nothing wrong with that. Our line of work
freaks a lot of people out.”

She grimaced. “You know what I mean.”

“Of course. You were being thorough, Sam.
It’s an admirable trait. Don’t be too harsh on yourself. There’s no
harm done.”

“I guess not. Still, I feel a little silly
that I mentioned it to the police.”

Richard frowned, as she expected him to.
“The police? Why would you go to the police?”

Sam shrugged, uncomfortable. “A friend of
mine who works as an embalmer at the Max Grace Funeral Home
suggested it. She’d also noticed a few weird things.”

Richard’s expression grew stern. “You should
have come to me, Sam, before you went to the police. I could have
spared you and the department a whole lot of embarrassment. I hope
this doesn’t get out.”

Sam ducked her head, feeling his
disapproval. It was true. She should have gone to Richard first,
before jumping to such wild conclusions.

“What did they say?”

She looked up. “Who?”

“The police?”

“Oh, we met with a detective and he promised
to look into it. I’m not sure what’s up with it now.” She opened
her mouth to tell him that the detective in question was on his way
to the morgue, but something held her back. Rohan hadn’t told her
why he was paying her a visit. It might be purely personal and
there was no way she was going to share that with her boss.

“From now on, I’d appreciate it if any
requests made by the police come through me. Are we clear?”

Sam caught the hard edge in his gaze and was
a little taken aback. She was a senior pathologist, well versed in
dealing with the law enforcement. Still, she nodded in response.
“No problem, boss. Will do.”

“Good. Now, I have to leave for an outside
appointment. I won’t be back today. I’ll see you in the morning.”
With that, he hurried from the room.

Pushing the visit from her mind, Sam
returned her attention to the reports in front of her. It hardly
seemed like any time at all before Angie buzzed to let her know
Detective Coleridge had arrived.

Butterflies swarmed in Sam’s stomach and she
did her best to slow her breathing down.
Would she end this
night like she had the last time he’d arrived at her place of
work?
Anticipation surged through her. She couldn’t wait to
find out.

Assuring Angie she’d come out to the
reception area in a few minutes, Sam took her handbag and hurried
to the staff restrooms, pleased she’d already taken the time to
shower and change out of her scrubs. Scrabbling inside her handbag
for a lipstick, she quickly applied a couple of coats and then
refreshed her eyeliner and mascara. Peering at her reflection
critically, she at last deemed herself presentable. Dumping the
makeup back into her handbag, she turned around and left.

* * *

Rohan heard the sharp click of heels on the
tiled floor and turned in time to see Samantha open a door and
stride into the waiting room. She wore a tailored dress in a smart
purple-and-white checkerboard pattern that ended above her knee. It
was made from some kind of stretchy fabric that clung to her in all
the right places. A pair of four-inch, black heels complemented the
outfit.

She smiled and he noticed her lips were
freshly glossed in a bright red color. It looked good against her
dark hair and olive skin. He found himself smiling back, wanting to
take her in his arms and kiss her senseless. Aware of the
receptionist seated behind the counter a few yards away, he played
it safe.

“Doctor Wolfe, thank you for taking the time
to see me.”

Surprise lit the corners of her eyes at his
formal manner, but she responded in kind. “What can I do for you,
Detective Coleridge?”

“I was wondering if there was somewhere we
could talk in private?”

Her eyes flared with heat and his groin
immediately reacted. He cursed under his breath but was relieved
that behind his suit pants his erection would remain concealed to
all but a very astute observer.

“Of course. I’ll take you through to my
office.”

She turned and opened the door she’d just
come through. He followed, enjoying the gentle sway of her hips as
she led the way. Memories of holding her naked against him, loving
her through the night, bombarded him and it was all he could do not
to groan.

She pulled up outside a doorway that had a
faux bronze nameplate with her name on it and he swallowed a sigh
of relief. At least he wouldn’t be forced to keep up the pretense
of being almost-strangers much longer. As soon as they were in the
privacy of her office…

She opened the door and he closed it behind
them. A second later, he grabbed her and pushed her back against
the wooden panel. When his lips found her mouth, he kissed her like
he’d wanted to from the moment she’d greeted him and was gratified
when she melted against him. Her arms went around his neck and she
clung to him as if her life depended upon it. He knew how she
felt.

“Christ, it’s been so long since I tasted
you.” He groaned and kissed her over and over again. Her lipstick
was smudged all over her mouth, but he didn’t care. He was like a
drug addict being offered a line of coke and he couldn’t inhale
quickly enough. It scared him to think how important she’d become
to him in such a short time, but there was nothing he could do, or
wanted to do, to curb that.

He pressed himself against her, leaving her
in no doubt about the state he was in. She groaned softly and he
caught the sound of it in his mouth. With his body pinning her to
the door, he reached out and cupped her breast… Squeezed it. His
thumb skimmed over her nipple. She gasped and angled her head so
that she could access his mouth more easily and continued to kiss
him.

A lifetime later, he pulled back his head
and tried hard to slow his breathing down. His heart pounded and
his cock throbbed, but he was also aware they were in her office.
Though the walls were solid and the door was closed, it wasn’t like
he could take her spread-eagled across her desk.
Or could
he…?

As if reading his mind, Sam shook her head.
“No.”

He grinned. “No? Are you sure?” He captured
her mouth again and kissed her until they were both gasping for
breath once again. This time, Sam pulled away.

“Yes, I’m… I’m sure.”

He winked. “In that case, how have you been?
It feels like forever since I last saw you.”

She blushed a little—which he found
endearing—but nodded. “Yes, for me, too.”

“As much as I’d like to collect you and
drive hell for leather to my place, I’m actually here on official
business.”

“Oh?” she asked, moving away from him and
straightening her dress. She took a seat behind her desk and pulled
a tissue from her bra and daubed around her mouth.

“Yes, it’s about that information I asked
for—the autopsy findings of each of the bodies that donated organs
over the winter months.”

“Yes, of course. Sorry, I’ve been so busy I
haven’t had time to gather all that. When do you need it?”

“As soon as possible. The more I delve into
this investigation, the more I suspect the terms of the consent
won’t gel with what’s been found during the autopsy.”

Sam frowned. “You mean, you think there
might have been tissue harvested illegally?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.”

She stared at him. “That’s a big call. Do
you have any proof?”

“Not yet. Call it gut instinct.” He
grimaced. “I might be wrong. Hell, I’d be more than happy to be
proven wrong. The thought that a doctor could be on the loose,
doing something like that is appalling. Unfortunately, there’s only
one way to find out.”

Sam chewed on her lip and Rohan could see
the worry and indecision on her face. In all likelihood, she was
thinking about her brother. He could understand her concern. If
something were amiss, there was a very strong possibility her
brother was involved.

“What is it, Samantha?” he asked gently.

“My boss—Richard Davis. He was in here just
before you arrived. He gave me a not-too-subtle dressing down about
going to the police before coming to see him. He instructed me to
send any future police requests through him. I should tell him
you’re here.”

Rohan nodded. “By all means, let him know. I
don’t want to get you into trouble. I’m happy to speak with him
about it. It’s not like he’s going to refuse.”

Sam looked relieved and then another frown
marred the smooth skin of her brow. “The only thing is—Richard’s
already left for the day.”

“Damn. I really need them as soon as
possible. The sooner I can compare the paperwork, the sooner I’ll
know what we’re dealing with—if anything.”

Samantha sighed. “Perhaps I could call him
and let him know you’re here. He should be happy to give permission
over the phone.”

She reached for the phone and dialed a
number. From where he stood, Rohan could hear the sound of a
voicemail message and then Sam spoke.

“Hi, Richard, it’s Sam. Sorry to annoy you,
but I have a detective here right now requesting copies of
paperwork associated with the donor bodies we spoke about earlier.
Can you please give me a call?”

She hung up the phone and waited. A few
moments later, she began to tap her nails on the desk. Rohan
reached out and covered her hand with his.

“Relax, I’m sure he’ll call back. In the
meantime, I can think of any number of ways we can keep ourselves
occupied.”

“What did you have in mind?” she murmured
suggestively and his cock once again sprang to life.

He reached down and cupped her cheek and
then stroked her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. Heat flared
in her eyes and his body tightened almost painfully. If they didn’t
get out of there soon he’d bend her over the desk, work be damned.
From the expression on her face, he could tell she was equally
affected.