Page 87 of Forever Gone

The Harlan County coroner’s office occupied a low brick annex behind the county administration building.

Blethan’s private clinic stood elsewhere in an aging house with peeling paint and a brass plaque by the door. Selena had visited that building after Marlene Schmidt struck her with a lamp. The coroner’s office was less personal and no more welcoming. Two narrow windows faced the service lot. A steel delivery door opened toward a covered bay used by funeral homes and county vehicles. The public entrance sat beneath a faded sign naming three departments that had once shared the annex, though only the coroner’s office remained.

Selena parked near the rear fence.

Kelly removed sunglasses from her bag and put them on before stepping outside.

“That bad?” Selena asked.

“The sun’s unusually aggressive.”

“It’s eight-thirty.”

“It started early.”

Selena headed toward the entrance before the exchange could become friendly.

Inside, the reception area held six plastic chairs, a water dispenser, and a counter protected by a glass partition. A woman in her fifties sat behind it, entering information into a computer. Reading glasses rested low on her nose. A knitted cardigan hung over the back of her chair.

She glanced up as Selena and Kelly approached.

“Can I help you?”

Selena displayed her credentials. “Special Agent Selena Raven. This is Special Agent Kelly Voss. We’re here to see Doctor Blethan about the Sloane, Keller, and Mercer cases.”

The receptionist checked a paper appointment book beside the keyboard.

“You’re expected. I’ll let the doctor know you’re here.”

She rose and disappeared through a secured door behind the counter.

Kelly removed the sunglasses. “Is he always based here?”

“He splits his time. This is the coroner’s office. His private clinic is in an old house across town.”

“That sounds complicated.”

“It is.”

Kelly studied the closed door. “What’s Blethan like?”

Selena chose a chair near the wall but remained standing beside it. “He and I have a colorful relationship. Let’s leave it at that.”

“That usually means someone shouted.”

“I don’t think he’s a big fan of city folk.”

“But we come from here.”

“That was a long time ago, for both of us.” Selena folded her arms. “Washington left its mark on me. I don’t know whether Seattle and Quantico did the same for you.”

Kelly leaned against the back of a chair. “Seattle did. Quantico mostly left me with knee pain and an aversion to institutional food.”

The answer invited more. Selena did not take it.

A printer worked somewhere beyond the secured door. The building carried the clean chemical odor of disinfectant, undercut by old paper and heating pipes. From deeper inside came the brief metallic clatter of a tray being moved.

Kelly’s attention shifted toward the corridor.