Bones Burnt Black: Serial Killer in Space Read Online Free

squeamish about medical
procedures you may wish to step out into the waiting room.”
    Mike thought about it, even glanced at the door, but
couldn’t bring himself to leave. Once she’d stopped breathing he’d begun to
fear the worst, and now he had to know: Was she going to die? He looked
at the machine. “I think I’d like to stay.”
    “As you wish.” Six mechanical arms swung out of the
examination array and gently but firmly grabbed Val’s floating pink body. One
seized her around the waist, one around each ankle and wrist, and one around
the top of her head just above the eyes. The array then drew blood from her
arm, and smoothly lifted her eyelids to examine her pupils. “I’m sorry, Mister
McCormack. But I might as well tell you: Ms Cortez is dead.”
    Mike stared at the body and squeezed the handhold hard
enough to produce pain in his fingers. He recalled how cheerful and full of
life she’d been the last time he talked with her. He felt his throat tighten.
He fought it, but didn’t win.
    He recognized the sensation from a few years ago when
his favorite aunt, a kindly woman who’d often baby-sat him as a child had
passed away; and from a few years earlier when his saintly grandmother had
died; and from a number of years before that when his buddy and partner had
‘bought it’ too. He tilted his head back and looked at the ceiling, then sighed
and closed his eyes. “What did she die of?”
    “Are you sure you are not squeamish?”
    He brought his head down level and looked at the
medsys. With a noticeable trace of hesitation, he said, “I don’t think so.”
    The array emitted a long black snake-like appendage
that slithered into Val’s mouth and continued slithering an additional two
feet.
    Mike tried to hide his involuntary grimace from the
medsys by briefly covering his mouth with one hand.
    “Her stomach contains a high concentration of sodium
cyanide,” the machine said.
    “Cyanide?” Mike’s eyebrows went up. “She was poisoned?”
    “Yes, and yes. Either by herself or by someone else.”
    Mike’s eyebrows went down. “But she was still alive
when I found her. I thought Cyanide killed instantly.”
    “Only if hydrogen cyanide is used—sometimes called
hydrocyanic acid or Prussic acid—in which case, the victim can fall dead still
holding a poisoned drink. But this was sodium cyanide: a cyanide salt. It must
first be broken down by stomach acids so that free cyanide can be released into
the stomach and absorbed by the blood. Once in the blood, the cyanide then
enters into chemical combination with the oxygen-carrying hemoglobin producing
a new molecule: cyanhaemoglobin. This new molecule prevents the blood from
releasing oxygen to any of the tissues throughout the body. A victim of cyanide
poisoning is thus starved of oxygen; the pulse becomes weak while respiration
speeds up. It’s also the cyanhaemoglobin in the blood that turns the skin pink
and gives the breath an odor of bitter almonds.”
    Mike couldn’t think of anything to say. He just floated
next to the antique eye chart with his mouth open. She was so young. Had so
much to look forward to. He thought about the last time he and Kim had had
dinner with her. The young woman had displayed a wonderful sense of humor
exemplified by the series of amusing stories she’d told about her childhood in
Barcelona. Her hair, long and thick and dark, had bounced festively as she
laughed. Her eyes too were dark, though her skin had been surprisingly light,
almost creamy. Above all, it was her bright and gentle smile that had made Mike
feel so at ease. And I think Kim liked her too. He was wrong, of course.
He had no understanding of women, even the one he loved.
    “Did you know her well?” the medsys asked.
    “Not really. I’m a structural engineer; she’s
lifesupport. We both worked on the construction of this ship but we never met
until this flight.” Mike didn’t mention that he’d found her somewhat
attractive. He made a