Stillwater

Brooding clouds hang overhead, as I pull up to the entrance of Stillwater Memorial & Forensic Services.

Directly in front of me sits the entrance atrium. Pre-planning and bereavement to my right, which extends out from the front of the building. Just past that sits the forensics & mortuary department. Vehicles parked by offloading bays stand empty.

Passing a pair of touch operated kiosks, I enter through a pair of glass doors. The atmosphere is welcoming, if a little too quiet. Not what I'm used to.

Stepping towards a counter, I immediately greet the receptionist, 'Afternoon, I'm here to see Dr. Fields.'

'Have you got an appointment, sir?' she asks, a warm, friendly – almost uncanny smile on her face.

'Yes,' I nod, 'I'm here about the position in the pathology department.'

'Ah! Dr. Hamilton,' she responds, her fingers tapping away at the keyboard, 'Please... Take a seat and he'll be with you shortly.'

'Thanks,' I respond, taking a seat.

'No problem at all,' she assures, rounding the large desk, 'Can I offer you anything... Tea? Coffee?'

'Coffee, please.'

My eyes sweep across the coffee table in front of me. A collection of magazines neatly piled on top. Mostly gardening, fine living, psychology and wellness.

Prints on the walls evoke a sense of serenity, drawing my eye out to the horizon. I can almost imagine the sound of the waves, lapping at the shore, and the sea birds singing overhead.

'Doctor Hamilton?' a voice calls out. To my left, a man whose appearance reminds me a little of George, from Seinfeld.

'Doctor Fields,' I say, extending a hand, 'thanks for meeting with me.'

'My pleasure,' he says with a smile, 'It's not everyday that I get an application from a well-renowned pathologist.'

'Please… step into my office,' he motions for me to enter, 'What brings you to Brennan?'

'To be honest,' I say, sliding into a guest chair, 'I wasn't expecting to head to a small town.'

Nodding, he listens intently.

'Pressure,' I say, as the receptionist enters with coffee. She leaves, and I turn back to Doctor Fields, 'and yes… even substance abuse played its role.'

A lie.

He clears his throat, and sits back in his chair. A look of concern laced with curiosity, on his face.

'I need to find myself again,' I take a sip of coffee, I happened to learn about this town, about its facilities, and I took a chance reaching out.'

'Yes,' he says, leaning, 'and we're glad you did. Our current pathologist is heading to New York in a couple of weeks. We don't have nearly as many cases here, as there… but we still need someone for the role.'

Our conversation takes all of ten minutes, before Fields stands, 'Come… let me show you around,' he says, opening the door, 'Then we can discuss the details.'

'This is the pathology department,' he says, as he swipes an access card, and we enter, 'there's a dedicated lab headed up by Greg, our lab technician.'

Each of the examination rooms is expansive, featuring stainless counters, wash bays to one side and a movable examination table sitting beneath high intensity lights.

'Here's our storage,' he points out. I'm immediately surprised by the number of cadaver cabinets. Probably half the town can be stored here, though I say nothing.

I step closer to them, scanning the labels on the drawers. Fields stops and turns, 'You coming?'

'Yeah… sorry.'

Further on, we pass the radiology department, before heading down to the sublevel. 'All X-rays can be done onsite,' he says, 'That's Kathy's department… If you need X-rays, she'll be the one to talk to.'

'Seems like nobody's around at the moment,' I remark.

'Yeah, that's because by this time they're handling more administrative work. Their offices are upstairs… I'll introduce you to them later on.'

Rounding a corner, a figure disappears through a door. The door clicks shut. We pass by and a clattering and hum emanate from within. Interesting, he didn't mention what's behind it. Didn't even look, when the noises occurred.

Staring at the door for a moment, I notice the biometric lock – every other lock used a keycard. I continue to follow Fields.

'And this, is the crematorium,' he gestures, 'So as you can see, even though we're in a small community, Brennan has constructed a well-appointed facility.'

'It certainly has… quite techy too,' he nods, knowing I'm referring to the information kiosks at the front entrance.

'This town is built around it. Many of the folks living here have tech backgrounds. Big corporate CEOs and the like.'

'So! What do you think? Can you handle it?' he scans my face for any indication of doubt, 'You will need to stay clean… non-negotiable – and there are strict protocols.'

'I can handle it,' nodding, I face Fields and ask, 'When do you need me to start?'