Cedar Creek, Nevada - Wednesday, June 28, 1995 6 Days Prior . . .

Cedar Creek, Nevada

Wednesday, June 28, 1995 6 Days Prior . . .

FOUR DAYS AFTER BAKER JAUNCEY’S BODY WAS SNATCHED FROM THE Reno morgue in the dead of night, the Harrison County Post ran a story on the death of the prominent attorney. Since Sandy had called in Nevada Highway Patrol, he’d been relegated to the bench like a second-string quarterback on Friday nights. He was still running his end of the investigation from the sheriff’s office in Cedar Creek, but ascertaining details about the state’s investigation had become increasingly difficult. He had no reliable sources inside the Nevada State Police force, and all the people he knew from the Highway Patrol had gone quiet about the case.

Something odd was happening and Sandy was working hard to figure out what it was. He’d placed several calls to Dr. Rubenstein’s office, the coroner in Harrison County, asking for an update and an explanation of his autopsy findings. Sandy wanted to know how the coroner—who was a family doctor by training, but elected coroner of Harrison County by the Margolis political machine—could even perform an autopsy on a body that had already undergone a postmortem exam in Reno. And Sandy was curious to hear how Dr. Rubenstein had come to a conclusion about the cause and manner of death that was in direct contradiction to Rachel Crane’s analysis.

None of his calls were being answered, so Sandy had to get his information from the newspaper. He opened the Post and read the article:

Hit-and-Run Death Turns Up New Details

CEDAR CREEK—The investigation into the hit-and-run death of Baker Jauncey, a local Cedar Creek resident, has been taken over by the Nevada State Police. Baker Jauncey, a partner at the Margolis Margolis law firm, was found deceased on Highway 67 in the early morning hours of June 24. Accident investigators from the Nevada Highway Patrol located a car near the scene of the accident that is believed to have struck the victim. The car was registered to Annabelle Margolis, the wife of Preston Margolis, an attorney at Margolis Margolis, and the daughter-in-law of Reid and Tilly Margolis.

An autopsy performed by Dr. Barry Rubenstein, the Harrison County coroner, confirmed that Baker Jauncey’s death was consistent with being struck by a vehicle at high speed.

“We are looking at every and all possibilities in this case,” said Nevada State Police Chief Patrick O’Day.

When asked if he had reservations about the case involving the prominent Margolis family, Chief O’Day said, “My office will follow the evidence, wherever it leads. Annabelle Margolis is a person of interest in the investigation, but that’s all I’m willing to share at this time.”

He folded the paper and picked up his desk phone. Rachel Crane answered on the first ring.

“You see the Post this morning?” Sandy asked.

“I did.”

“Rubenstein is claiming his autopsy showed that Jauncey’s death is consistent with a hit-and-run.”

“Which means he’s either totally incompetent, which is possible—he’s a goddamn family physician who’s never trained a day in forensic pathology—or, he’s a bold-faced liar.”

“I suspect a little of both.”

“I reported the transfer to my boss,” Dr. Crane said. “He told me the order came from the higher-ups and that I should leave it alone.”

“Don’t touch it, Doc. This is my fight and I’ll take it on. Stay clear of the nonsense up here, you don’t need the headache.”

“Sorry I wasn’t able to keep the cat in the bag, Sandy.”

“Not your fault. But now that the feline is loose and roaming, I’m curious what it plans to devour next.”