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Five hours later I knew a lotthat would help me in my own situation All the zombies in the movies were the enemy--mindless creatures that wanted to kill and eat flesh and brains There were still two ht of watching the This isn’tas I stayed well-fed, right?

Clive and Randy were still watching the end of the third e Roht it was I’d lost track I glanced at the clock: One AM

"Y’all can keep watching I’ve had enough" I stood

Randy looked at ht?"

"Nah," I said "I need to be up early" It sounded weak, and Randy sighed and rolled his eyes

"C’ his eyes fro the ot dispatched I knew that was the point of these ee, for soet under my skin "Besides," he continued, "your ive it up for hiive Randy any hot lovin’ with Clive around About a year ago Clive hadboth him and Randy at the same time--the kind of joke that wasn’t really a joke if I’d even hinted at being willing to go for it Which I wasn’t At all

I tried to think of a nasty-funny co "I need to go," I told Randy, ignoring Clive’s bark of laughter "I’ll call you later, okay?"

He gave ie"

I kept the sie Yeah, that was us I collected the movies we’d already watched and headed out I didn’t ask Randy to walk me out to my car, and he didn’t offer I left to the sound of Clive yelling encouragement as zoue tech, Jerry, was sitting at the co He lifted his hand in a ithout taking his eyes fro

"Jerry," I replied, ruff tone The parody was apparently lost on hih, because he simply kept on hatever it was that had his attention on the computer

I puta?" I asked

He gave a heavy sigh "Busy day yesterday Dr Leblanc cut the headless pizza guy yesterday afternoon, as well as a heart attack and an MVA that Nick brought in after you got off" He closed the solitaire gae that shohich bodies were scheduled to go to which funeral homes "Those last till probably be picked up later today"

I peered over his shoulder at the screen "What about the Pizza Plaza guy? Anyone picking him up?"

"There’s some sort of hitch with the ID which means official notification hasn’t been made, which also means there’s no one who’s authorized to ed, clearly and deeply unconcerned

"What happens if no one ue forever?"

He wagged his head in a no "That would be disgusting," he stated "Bodies still rot in there Just takes longer Like e at houe cooler was exactly that--a cooler, not a freezer Early in my time at the coroner’s office, I’d stupidly wondered aloud why it wasn’t a freezer, until it was pointed out toan autopsy on a frozen slab of meat would be a wee bit difficult Oh Yeah

"So what happens to the?"

His chin dipped in a nod "Riverwood Funeral Hoet reimbursed a set amount for each one They have a plot set aside for the pauper burials--no headstones or anything, though"

I frowned "Why not? What, poor people don’t deserve a real grave?"

A whisper of arave And the exact location is recorded But there are a lot of people who’d never pay for a funeral if they knew the state would do it for free"

"Ah I get it," I said "People ant to be able to visit the grave are gonna pay for it Bet there are still people who don’t care, though"

"Agreed, which seeh, I suppose Funerals can be expensive And are for the survivors, not the decedents"

I si herself There’d been no funeral No one would have come to it anyway

"That’s what happened with the other headless guy," Jerry said