The Dying Breath: A Forensic Mystery

book. It’s called The Last Rose of Summer by Robert McGinnis. It’s to make your wife happy. The grass you painted is beautiful, but don’t forget to put in the flowers, too. That’s where the color is. Now I’m sounding like a fortune cookie.” She leaned over to squeeze his hand before slipping out of the room, sure she could hear the sound of a faint chuckle as the door clicked shut.
    Back at the nurses’ station she picked up her dozen balloons from Betty, who was chatting with a male nurse in blue scrubs.
    “That’s the angel I was telling you about,” Betty said, while Cameryn disappeared into the elevator, catching her image in the shiny steel doors. The fuzzy reflection seemed older, more confident. The balloons bobbed against the ceiling as she exited onto the fourth floor, her heart skipping as she approached the room.
    Forensics had taught her that scars left tissue much tougher than skin. In a way she was stronger now, and so was he. Stronger together than they ever would be apart.
    This time she didn’t knock but instead opened the door quietly. Justin was sleeping, his chest rising and falling gently, his head bent to one side, his dark hair tousled against the pillow. For a moment she stood there, watching. A machine beeped in the background while light poured into the room in pale yellow squares. One knee propped the sheets into a tent. He must have sensed she was there because he stirred.
    “Cammie,” he murmured. It was barely a whisper, caught between wakefulness and sleep.
    “I’m here,” she answered, as she stepped forward into their new life.
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Acknowledgments

    I’d like to thank the many people who helped me explore the forensic field. You have unselfishly shared your knowledge and passion—the glimpse into your world rocked mine! I’m especially grateful to: Thomas M. Canfield, MD, Fellow at the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Chief Medical Examiner, Office of Medical Investigations; Kristina Maxfield, Coroner; Robert C. Bux, MD, Coroner, Medical Examiner, Forensic Pathologist; David L. Bowerman, Coroner, Forensic Pathologist; Dawn Miller, Deputy Coroner; Werner Jenkins, Chief Forensic Toxicologist; Chris Clarke, Forensic Toxicologist; Sandy Way, Administrator, El Paso County Coroner’s Office; Sheriff Sue Kurtz, San Juan County Sheriff’s Office; Melody Skinner, Administrative Assistant, San Juan County Sheriff’s Office; Chief Michael J. Phibbs, Elizabeth Police Department; Thomas Carr, Archeologist, Colorado Historical Society; and a special thanks to Robert Scott Mackey, D-ABMDI Deputy Coroner and Chris Herndon, Deputy Coroner, El Paso County Coroner’s Office—two inspiriting professionals and my conduits into a macabre world.