Conversation · The Hanged Man

"That's right. What's next?"

"I don't like this game."

"For god's sake, leave the box unticked then. What next?"

Between the stench of death and the neverending corpse-examination, he's under some stress there. Better not to poke.

"What about the injuries we have inflicted?"

"Oh?" He looks incredulous: "So we inflicted them?"

"This is a team effort."

"You mean the spin-stabilized munition from a Kiejl A9/90 muzzleloader lodged in his lung?"

"Or the incision on the thorax -- from a chaincutter? Neither was a team effort. And I wouldn't mention them. Muddies the water."

"I agree. The waters are muddy enough."

"C, these pigs are fucking corrupt." The boy nods approvingly.

"Why don't you fuck them if you love them so much?"

"Now -- injuries."

(Keep it minimal.) "So -- back to injuries?"

"Injuries," he nods.

"But... isn't that sloppy?"

"Be pedantic, if you like -- it doesn't matter. No one else is going to investigate this man's murder. And if they do, such details would only confuse them."

"That was not a team effort. I just missed my shot. Also, let's not mention it. Muddies the water."

"You mean the incision on the thorax, from a chaincutter? That was not a team effort. And I wouldn't mention it. Muddies the waters."

"Okay, I have inflicted."

"Okay. So there's a spin-stabilized munition -- from a Kiejl A9/90 muzzleloader -- lodged in his lung."

"And an incision on the thorax, from a chaincutter." There's a pause. "I wouldn't mention those. Better not to muddy the waters."

There's a pause. "I don't think we should mention that. Better not to muddy the waters."

"Okay, so there's an incision on the thorax, from a chaincutter." There's a pause. "I wouldn't mention it. Better not to muddy the waters."

"Let's see." He tilts his head: "We have: bitemarks, contusions on the head and chest -- and a ligature mark encircling the neck. You'll need three fields. Leave a fourth one too..."

"I'm afraid we can't continue before we've gone through both the external and internal examination first. Thoroughly."

"This, I remind you, also necessitates the removal of the belt from around his neck. So we have a visual on the injury."

[Leave.]

Tell me something, dead man.

Shoot, Loonie Roonie!

"2. Internal examination -- where were we?"

"Respiratory system," he pries the corpse's mouth back open. "Put it down as -- oral cavity shows no lesions, mouth swollen, haemorrhaging present in mucous of the lips and mouth."

Write it down.

"Hepatobiliary. N/A." He wipes his brow.

Write: N/A.

"Same for toxicology and serology - N/A."

"Both?"

"Unless you have untapped reservoirs of knowledge there?"

Reservoirs? No -- but do they take obscure trivia and odd titbits?

Write: N/A

"Cardiovascular. The body exhibits lividity in the lower extremities -- feet, hands, and neck -- visually consistent with a hanging."

Write it down.

"Gastrointestinal," he breathes a sigh of approaching relief -- this is the last field on the list. He looks around -- to the ground, the pool of faeces there...

This will do.

... then: "Digested semisolid food in stomach -- voilà." He touches the corpse's bloated lower abdomen -- briefly.

Write it down, keep the voilà!

"What's next on the list?"

Write it down, omit the voilà!

"The completionist in me wonders if there's something we could still do..."

"We only have one test, as per regulation -- and we already requested semen."

"Pigs requestin' semen like it's no big deal."

"Is he touching it again? What is wrong with these mulkkus?"

"Can we change it to toxicology? Seems prudent."

"Add a request then. We'll know if drugs or poisons remain in his blood..." He looks at the monster. "At this stage, I doubt Processing will find anything, even if he was brimming with it."

Write: N/A and add toxicology requested.

"Yes, better to leave it at that. More important."

"Leave it N/A then."

"I'm not even interested in these boring mulkkus anymore. Haven't sucked him off or anything..."

"Like a toxicology screening?" He looks at the monster. "At this stage, I doubt Processing will find anything, even if he was brimming with cocaine. But still... you should add a request."

Mmm... brimming with cocaine.