CHAPTER 36

36

LOG 10/16/2023 21:18 GMT-4

TRANSCRIPT: AUDIO/VIDEO RECORDING

Sordello: Was he hallucinating, or do you believe he actually saw a dead person? Maro: Seriously? What kind of question is that? Analysis Note: A 16.9 fl oz bottle of water was provided to the subject. He drank approximately two-thirds before setting it aside. No change in his vitals either before or after.

Sordello: I'm simply asking for your opinion. Maro: I think he believed he saw a dead person, but there was nobody there. He was clearly traumatized, possibly on something. I didn't get much of a chance to investigate. If I had to guess, it was probably from the cold of being in that locker, the start of hypothermia. Hallucinations are common when overexposed to extreme cold. Sordello: That wouldn't explain what caused him to climb into the locker in the first place. [ Silence ] Maro: I'm sorry, was that a question? Sordello: You appear to be getting agitated, Deputy. Are you okay to continue, or would you prefer to take a break? Maro: [ Waves hand in air ] I want this over. Let's keep going. Analysis Note: Sordello removes the stack of folders from the pass-through and replaces them with the file on the coroner, Gerald Furber. She slides the carrier forward, allows Maro to retrieve the folder.

Sordello: Prior to relocating to Hollows Bend, the man you know as Gerald Furber lived in Aurora, Illinois, under the name Benjamin Kramer. He worked in the coroner's office for the better part of two years and was released from duty when it was discovered he was having sex fairly regularly with the bodies that came in. Two or three times per week. Young females … mostly. Maro: [ Retrieves file ] That's not possible. Furber grew up in the Bend. He lived in that house his entire life. Inherited the business when his father passed. Sordello: I have no reason to lie to you. There's video. That's how he was caught. And his prints are on file. Staff at the coroner's office are required to be registered with the state. There's no mistake. It was him. Maro: [ Removes a page from the folder and presses it against the glass, his finger indicating the top left corner ] Then how do you explain this? It can't be him. Sordello: We'll get to that. When Ms. Sanchez told you she was having trouble reaching her daughter, how did that make you feel? Maro: Are you psychoanalyzing me now? Sordello: You were on duty, Deputy. The proper course of action upon exiting the coroner's building would be to return to the sheriff's office and regroup with your superior, but you didn't do that, did you? Instead, you went with your girlfriend. One of your girlfriends. Maro: Gabby is my girlfriend, not one of them. There is nobody else. Let's be clear on that. And Ellie would have done the same thing. Sordello: That doesn't make it right. [ Silence ]