“On a scary scale with the ghost of Scrooge’s Marley on the low end and the demon we encountered at Hotel Utica at the high end, where would you rate Lionel?” Harper asked.
“More like Beetlejuice in a bad mood,” she said. Even with as irate as Lionel was, Natalie still couldn’t take his ridiculousness too seriously.
Harper blew out a breath. “Good. I can deal with that.”
Natalie laughed. “And think of it this way. Gabe is going to be thrilled with how unhappy Lionel is over us finishing his book. So he’ll be in a great mood.”
Harper laughed. “There is that.”
They’d reached the door of the lab. Natalie knocked, and a few moments later the door swung in to reveal Liam, looking a bit disoriented.
She knew that look. He got it if he was disrupted when he’d been deep into his work and his own thoughts.
“Hey. Sorry. You busy?” Natalie asked, already knowing the answer.
“A bit. Come on in.” He backed up and let them come in and close the door against the cold.
“We had to get away from Lionel,” Harper said, then took a giant step back when she noticed the table she stood next to held a brain. Or at least a portion of a brain.
Liam let out a short laugh. “Can’t say I blame you.”
“And we were wondering if you’d gotten any test results back on the autopsy,” Natalie added, forcing her gaze to not stray to the horror on the counter.
It was really no wonder it grossed her out to cook any meals containing meat since dating Liam.
He frowned. “I haven’t checked my email today. Let me do that now.”
“It’s almost dinner time and he hasn’t checked his emails yet today?” Harper whispered, clearly appalled.
Natalie smiled. “He lives a whole different existence than you do.”
“Clearly,” Harper said with a sideways glance at the brain.
“Got it,” Liam announced from where he stood bent over the computer on the desk.
“Really. Wow. Great. What does it say?” Natalie asked.
She dared to venture farther into the room. That meant she was now standing closer to a table that most likely contained Lionel’s cadaver.
It didn’t matter how bright or clean Liam kept the lab, it was still a house of horrors in Natalie’s opinion.
“I’m opening the file now,” Liam said, sitting in the desk chair and leaning toward the monitor.
Evidence of foul play would have the police back here and Natalie and Liam back on the suspect list. They all knew it. Most of Mudville knew it.
Finally, after what seemed like countless minutes, Liam stood and turned to face them. “Natural causes,” he announced.
Natalie’s eyes flew wide. “Really?”
“This is conclusive?” Harper asked.
“Yes. The county coroner has done all the testing they can, given the circumstances. Based on the lab results and the findings, myocardial infarction—a heart attack—was the determination.”
“Thank God.” Natalie blew out a loud breath. “So the New Haven police won’t be knocking on my door again?”
“Not unless it’s with an apology,” Liam said.
“Ha. I don’t see that happening. Do you?” Natalie asked.
