[Cookie] (Untitled) A Pen Bryton mystery
Nov. 7th, 2006 03:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kittydesadeTitle: Untitled
Setting: Penelope Bryton mysteries
Characters: Pen Bryton
Word Count: ~350
Morgues were always ten degrees colder than the rest of the building, at least. I used to think that morgue techs should be issued lab coats made out of white wool or something. I wanted my jacket when I walked in. Mostly because of the chill.
"I told you, I'll have the cause of death when… oh."
"Hi." I smiled. "I'm not looking for a cause of death. Not yet, I have a missing person I'm checking on. Detective…" I had to look at the business card. "Scott Bradley said that you might have a Jane Doe that matches my girl?"
He took a look at the photo I held out for him and before he could open his mouth his face said it all. Even if he wasn't sure he thought it was the missing girl.
"We do have a Jane Doe, came in this morning, she looks a lot like your missing girl."
That wasn't the answer I wanted to hear, in two ways. "A lot like?" I watched him go over to a drawer, check the number, and slide out the body.
There's a trick to checking the identity of a body. First of all, make sure it's no one you know. Doing a body identification of someone you know, well. There's nothing like it, and it's not something you can ever be prepared for. If it's someone you don't know, if you're in the line of work where you have to run around with a photograph and a strong stomach, don't breathe. Take as shallow breaths as you can and concentrate on the physical.
A human body is made up of parts. Bones, skin, teeth, hair, eyes, all parts of a whole that makes a person when you add in a personality, a soul. Take away the soul and it's just parts again, and if you can match the parts in the right order to the picture or information that you have, then you win. If you try to put the soul in and match it up with an empty place where the soul was, you lose.
Setting: Penelope Bryton mysteries
Characters: Pen Bryton
Word Count: ~350
Morgues were always ten degrees colder than the rest of the building, at least. I used to think that morgue techs should be issued lab coats made out of white wool or something. I wanted my jacket when I walked in. Mostly because of the chill.
"I told you, I'll have the cause of death when… oh."
"Hi." I smiled. "I'm not looking for a cause of death. Not yet, I have a missing person I'm checking on. Detective…" I had to look at the business card. "Scott Bradley said that you might have a Jane Doe that matches my girl?"
He took a look at the photo I held out for him and before he could open his mouth his face said it all. Even if he wasn't sure he thought it was the missing girl.
"We do have a Jane Doe, came in this morning, she looks a lot like your missing girl."
That wasn't the answer I wanted to hear, in two ways. "A lot like?" I watched him go over to a drawer, check the number, and slide out the body.
There's a trick to checking the identity of a body. First of all, make sure it's no one you know. Doing a body identification of someone you know, well. There's nothing like it, and it's not something you can ever be prepared for. If it's someone you don't know, if you're in the line of work where you have to run around with a photograph and a strong stomach, don't breathe. Take as shallow breaths as you can and concentrate on the physical.
A human body is made up of parts. Bones, skin, teeth, hair, eyes, all parts of a whole that makes a person when you add in a personality, a soul. Take away the soul and it's just parts again, and if you can match the parts in the right order to the picture or information that you have, then you win. If you try to put the soul in and match it up with an empty place where the soul was, you lose.