"Dean, what are you doing?"
Niel watched as Dean expertly dismantled the gun and couldn't help but ask.
"Some necessary precautions!"
Having checked the gun, Dean hid it on his person and then patted Niel on the shoulder. "Let's go. We're going to see your brother."
Niel's expression tensed with worry at Dean's actions.
She was very concerned that Dean would do something rash.
But then she thought about what Dean had said earlier.
Biting her lip, Niel chose to follow behind him.
The forensic science department is generally used by police to examine evidence and perform autopsies, but it isn't used for evidence storage, so security isn't very strict.
Niel showed her identification and registered with the guard.
The guard picked up the telephone and made a call inside.
After a brief wait, a man in a white lab coat and wearing a mask came out and greeted the two people waiting at the door. "I am Henry, the coroner. Are you Mas's family?"
Dean and Niel nodded.
"Follow me, please," Henry said as he led the way. "We were just about to call you. Mas's examination is finished, and you can take him away now."
"Coroner Henry, have there been any findings regarding my brother's shooting?" Niel asked, realizing that the police had likely come to a conclusion about the shooting.
Henry glanced at Niel's swollen eyes and hesitated.
By regulation, he isn't supposed to disclose any case information before the police close the case. But this is a victim's relative, a sweet-looking young girl at that.
Observing Henry's demeanor, Dean quickly interjected, "Coroner Henry, my sister has been grieving deeply over Mas's death. If there has been some result regarding Mas's case, it would bring her some solace."
"Alright, you're right." Henry conceded. He stopped and turned to face them. "The police have already caught the killer. Your brother was unlucky. He was carrying a large sum of money, which an addict happened to see. That addict had just lost a lot of money and then got an idea..."
"Oh..." Niel murmured.
Upon hearing that the killer had been caught, she covered her face, a mix of relief and sorrow evident in her sobs.
Dean quickly embraced her, whispering words of comfort.
Coroner Henry didn't rush them, leaning against the wall with a sigh. "Actually, this sort of thing isn't uncommon in Las Vegas. A colleague of mine was also affected by this shooting. Damn this gun freedom!"
Dean, standing beside him, had a thought upon hearing this. "Coroner Henry, were there other victims besides Mas?"
Henry nodded. "The shooting happened in an alley. Mas went in there, followed by the addict, who thought it was a good opportunity. Unfortunately, my colleague lived there. He was just stepping out when a stray bullet from the addict hit him in the forehead."
"That is truly unfortunate."
Dean sighed, as if mourning the loss of life.
He looked earnestly at Henry. "Coroner Henry, your colleague died innocently because of what happened to Mas. If it's possible, Niel and I would like to see his body to express our condolences later."
Henry shrugged. "Of course, that's fine."
Upon receiving a positive response, Dean patted Niel on the shoulder. "Niel, if Mas were still here, he would certainly want you to stay strong. We need to arrange Mas's funeral, so let's not delay Coroner Henry anymore."
Niel took a deep breath, wiped her eyes, and nodded firmly.
The three of them took the elevator to the morgue on the second subterranean level.
There was another security booth here.
After greeting the person there, Henry swiped his card to open the door to the morgue and then brought Dean and Niel to a body covered with a white sheet.
A tag with Mas's name hung from the body's foot.
Dean asked Niel to wait where she was and went forward alone to lift the white sheet.
Under the sheet was Mas's familiar face, now pale, his expression frozen in the grimace of death.
He could no longer smile.
Dean's gaze moved downward.
Mas's chest and limbs had numerous stitched wounds.
Those were bullet holes, surrounded by traces of dissection.
The bullet holes were scattered, at least a dozen, but the only fatal one was to the chest.
The shooter was quite amateurish. Apparently, they were excited and panicked, like a knee-jerk reaction, hardly aiming before emptying the magazine. This was very different from the methods of a professional killer.
Dean internally breathed a sigh of relief.
He was most afraid that Mas had been eliminated by that unknown organization because they became aware of his investigation into his father's case. If that were the case, it wouldn't just be Mas in danger; he and Niel would also face risks, and it might even affect Dean's current family. After all, this wasn't like the movies. In his previous life, he had been a Sweeper trained by an organization, one of their peripheral operatives, and knew full well that facing such a power alone was a certain death sentence. Now, it seemed that Mas was just plain unlucky. This reassured Dean, but also filled him with guilt. After all, Mas had been carrying a large sum of money, likely intending to use it to meet that coroner. His death still had something to do with Dean himself. Good brother, rest assured, I'll look after your family!
Dean snapped back to reality, laid the white cloth back down, and gestured to Niel. "Niel, after we've contacted the funeral home and they've prepared him, you can say your goodbyes."
Niel nodded silently.
She knew her brother's current appearance was probably not very peaceful.
Seeing that Niel did not object, Dean turned to Coroner Henry nearby. "Coroner Henry, I'd like to see the other innocent victim involved."
Henry pointed to the bed next to Mas's. "He was my senior from school, a prominent figure there. He used to work as a coroner in the Los Angeles Police Department but resigned eight years ago. I never thought I'd have to conduct an autopsy on him... Damn it, I didn't even know he had settled down in Las Vegas. Otherwise..."
Dean ignored the other man's rambling.
He approached the coroner's body. As he solemnly bowed, his gaze flitted to the toe tag on the man's foot.
Santoni Gahr! The very coroner Mas had been investigating! Dean confirmed his suspicion. Mas had gotten Santoni's address, then used some method to coerce or entice him into a meeting. Then, the accident happened...
After bowing, Dean stepped forward with a serious expression, pulled back the white cloth, and revealed Santoni Gahr's face.
He had not died peacefully. A bullet had passed straight through his forehead, killing him instantly.
"Hey, you can't..."
Henry started to intervene, only to hear Dean intone piously, "May the Lord bless your soul and grant you peace. Amen."
Seeing this, Henry stopped.
It was always good for a believer to pray for his old school senior.
After his mock prayer, Dean led Niel to handle the arrangements for retrieving Mas's body.
Places like this often collaborated with funeral homes.
Thanks to Henry's enthusiastic recommendation, and since Niel wasn't short on money, she selected a major company to handle Mas's affairs. All Niel had to do was contact Mas's friends to attend the funeral.
With the killer brought to justice, Niel felt much better.
When it was time to part, Niel asked Dean curiously, "Are you a believer?"
"Of course!" Dean replied with a faint smile. "I am the Lord's shepherd, often guiding lost lambs to feel His teachings."
"Then, would you conduct my brother's funeral?"
Niel lowered her head. "My father doesn't care about Mas's death at all. He's started a new family and said he won't come to see my brother. I'm my brother's only family here in the United States."
Dean was taken aback for a moment, then gave Niel a hug. "Of course, I can. I am Mas's family too, and yours."
Niel's eyes filled with tears of gratitude as she embraced Dean tightly. "Dean, you're so kind. I'm very glad my brother had a friend like you..."
They set the date for Mas's funeral.
Dean bid farewell to Niel, got into his car, and drove to Santoni Gahr's residence.
Santoni Gahr was the coroner who had conducted the autopsy on his predecessor's father and had forged the results. Although it was now certain that Mas's death was an accident, Dean wasn't sure whether Mas had revealed his intentions when he contacted Santoni. If they had been exposed, his and his family's peaceful life might be shattered, and Niel would be in danger too. Without getting to the bottom of it, Dean wouldn't be at ease.