Killer Calories

with her work and didn’t realize that not everyone shared her fascination with the macabre. More than once, Dr. Liu had shown Savannah “interesting” things that had haunted her dreams for Weeks, even months.
    And Tammy was one of the most squeamish persons she had ever known. Talk of earthworm farms could put her off a spaghetti dinner.
    But she seemed to be rallying as she rose from the floor and walked on shaky legs over to the table.
    “Wow...” she said, staring wide-eyed at the open chest cavity. She gaped at the flesh that had been peeled back on either side from the large “Y” incision that went from shoulder to shoulder and down the chest to the pubis. “Inside, he looks like... like... meat.”
    Dr. Liu laughed. “That’s exactly what he is. What we all are. A little unsettling, huh?”
    “Yeah. Gee, I’m glad I’m a vegetarian.”
    Savannah sidled up to the table to take a look. “I know what you mean. I don’t eat rare steak or barbecued ribs for at least a week after I’ve watched Dr. jenny do an autopsy .“
    “ Oooo , gross.” Tammy was starting to turn green again, so Savannah decided to cool it.
    “Have you ever seen a human heart?” Jennifer asked, shoving the organ under Tammy’s nose.
    “Ah... no.” Tammy swallowed hard. “It’s so small .“
    “Only about the size of your fist.” W ith the scalpel Jennifer made a quick, deft slice through the muscle, opening it for closer inspection. “And here... is a valve,” she added, showing them the thin, pink membrane.
    “Really?” Tammy’s color was improving as her interest was piqued. “I thought it would be thicker, stronger than that. It’s so delicate you can see through it.”
    Jennifer laughed. “Don’t let it fool you. It’s a lot stronger than it looks. If this young man hadn’t done something so stupid as ride a motorcycle when he was drunk, this heart and its valves would have worked hard for him another fifty years or so.”
    Savannah looked at the lifeless face, trying to imagine how he had looked before, animated, with the spark of life glowing in his eyes. She thought of his parents, of the tragic waste. She thought of her own brothers and sisters... all eight of them... and all younger than she. At times like this, she always sent two brief prayers heavenward: one of thanks that they were alive and healthy, and another that they would stay that way.
    “So, what’s the cause of death?” Savannah asked.
    “Head injury. I took a look in his ears and saw hemorrhaging behind the eardrum. That means a probable fracture through the base of the skull.”
    “So, why do you have to open up his body,” Tammy asked, “if you know it was his head?”
    Dr. Liu smiled her soft, mysterious smile that Savannah found so intriguing. “Because I’m thorough, my dear. I take pride in being thorough. I never do anything halfway.”
    Savannah winced inwardly, wondering how she was going to approach the subject of Kat Valentina’s autopsy without sounding as though she were questioning the doctor’s conclusions. Dr. Jennifer Liu was a great gal with a charming sense of humor , but she wasn’t kidding about the professional pride thing. She took her work very seriously and wasn’t open to criticism. Long ago, Savannah had decided that she didn’t want to offend Dr. Liu, both because she liked her... and because she was more than a little intimidated by her.
    “But... um... some diagnoses are harder to make than others,” Savannah said as nonchalantly as possible. “Take drowning, for example.”
    Both Tammy and Dr. Liu shot suspicious, questioning glances her way. So much for subtlety.
    “That’s true,” Jennifer said slowly... deliberately. “Drowning is a difficult diagnosis. It’s usually a conclusion reached by exclusion, taking all evidence and circumstances into account.”
    Savannah decided to push a little harder. “And it’s probably hard to tell if it’s an accident, a suicide, or homicide.” Jennifer lifted one perfectly shaped eyebrow. “It can be difficult. But most drownings are accidents.”
    “Some are homicides.”
    “Very few.”
    The two women stared at each other as Tammy watched, fidgeting and looking miserable. The only sound was the hum of the overhead exhaust fan.
    Finally, Dr. Liu broke the tension. “What are you trying to tell me, Savannah ? Spit it out.”
    “I’m not trying to tell you anything. I was going to ask you if there’s any possibility that Kat