A Dose Of Ketamine

Meanwhile,back at the hospital’s hallway, Elias was sitting while patiently waiting for the autopsy results. Few minutes later, he was approached by a nurse.

“Excuse me sir. Are you Mr. Elias by any chance?”

Elias lifted his head,his eyes meeting hers. “Yes. I am,” he said. With a sigh of relief the nurse said “come with me. Dr. Brooklyn has the autopsy results.”

Elias nodded, rising from his chair and walking alongside the petite nurse. Dr. Brooklyn’s office was a sanctuary of order. Wooden shelves lined the walls, stacked with thick medical journals and framed certificates. The desk stood polished, carefully decorated with a pen set, a leather-bound notebook, and a single framed photo of a young boy holding a kite.

Brooklyn sat behind the desk, his chair positioned slightly toward the window, where the late afternoon sun struggled to pierce the closed blinds. Across from him, Elias stood with the  poise of someone who knew bad news was coming. His tailored suit and carefully composed face suggested control, but his eyes betrayed a dim light of unease.

Brooklyn leaned forward, clasping his hands on the desk. "Nathan’s case is...complicated," he began, his voice low but deliberate.

Elias raised a brow. "Complicated how?"

Brooklyn opened the folder before him, his eyes scanning the neatly typed report. "We confirmed drowning as the primary cause of death," he said, sliding a sheet of paper toward Elias. "Water in the lungs. Diatoms consistent with the ocean. All standard for a drowning case."

Elias barely glanced at the paper. "And?"

Brooklyn’s fingers drummed once against the desk. "Toxicology revealed traces of ketamine in his system. Not a fatal dose, but enough to render him unconscious."

The room seemed to grow heavier, the air thickening with unspoken implications. Elias’s jaw tightened, his gaze hardening.

"So, he was sedated," Elias said flatly.

Brooklyn nodded. "The bruise on his temple indicates a secondary injury,likely from the impact of the car going over the bridge. But the sequence is clear: the ketamine incapacitated him first. He was unconscious when he hit the water. The drowning was inevitable."

Elias paced to the window then back to Dr. Brooklyn. "How certain are you?"

"As certain as the autopsy results dictated," Dr. Brooklyn replied evenly. "The body was in the water for five days. The drug’s presence was faint, but the signs are there. Whoever had sedated him had knew that Nathan wouldn't be able to fight back."

Elias turned sharply, his eyes sharp. "Do you have anything else?"

Brooklyn hesitated, then shook his head. "Not yet.” For a moment, neither spoke. The tension in the room crackled like a taut wire.

Finally, Elias exhaled, running a hand down his face. "Thank you, Doctor," he said, his tone clipped but polite.

Brooklyn watched as Elias moved toward the door, his steps deliberate. Just as he reached for the handle, Brooklyn spoke again.

"Elias," he said softly.

Elias paused, glancing over his shoulder.

"Don’t let this slip through the cracks," Dr. Brooklyn said, his gaze steady. "Nathan deserves better than that."

Elias’s lips curved into a grim smile. "Neither will I." He said as he walked towards the office door taking his leave.

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving Dr. Brooklyn alone with the fading light and the lingering weight of unfinished answers.

Immediately after getting the autopsy results, Elias retreated back to the the Vanguard estate,within Dr. Vanguard’s study. Dr. Vanguard was seated on his seat,a huge mahogany desk right before him with some decorations on it like his books,pens, documents and files e.t.c.

“You can have your seat,” Dr. Vanguard said gesturing to the seat in front of his large protruding desk. Elias gave a light nod and sat down on the chair. Elias sat across from Dr. Vanguard, the dimly lit and quiet office. He placed a manila folder on the table, its edges slightly worn out.

Dr. Vanguard, leaning back in his chair, adjusted his glasses and gave Elias a look that was a mixture of curiosity and impatience.

"I got the autopsy results back," Elias said, his voice steady but carrying a hint of something darker beneath it.  "Thought you'd want to see them."

Dr. Vanguard sighed, his gaze turning to the folder. "Took them long enough. What are we looking at?"

Elias opened the folder, the sound of paper cracking in the quietness of the study. His eyes scanned the report briefly before meeting Dr. Vanguard's. "Cause of death was blunt force trauma. He had a minor fracture in his skull."

Dr. Vanguard’s expression hardened, a furrow appearing on his brow. "Not surprising, given the state we found him in. Anything else?"

Elias hesitated, his fingers sweating and tapping on the folders before he slid a photo across the table. Dr. Vanguard picked it up, taking a proper look at the image closely, but Elias continued. "That’s where it gets strange. The fracture doesn’t match the scene. There was nothing in the scene. The car didn't even implode that cold have led to it…."

"Like whatever hit him isn’t something you’d find lying around?" Dr. Vanguard interrupted, his tone more of a statement than a question.

Elias nodded. "Exactly. And there’s this." He slid another photo across. "A clean puncture wound on the left side of his chest. Not fatal, but precise. One could say it looks like a surgical act."

Dr. Vanguard’s eyes squinted as he examined the image. "Hm," he muttered, setting the photo down gently. "No weapon found for that either, I assume?"

"None." Elias shook his head, his lips pressed together in a thin line. "And here’s the main deal. A toxicology analysis was done and the screen came back positive. Small traces of some kind of paralytic agent were found."

Dr. Vanguard’s eyebrows shot up. He leaned forward, his fingers tapping the edge of the table in thought. "Paralytic? Are we talking about an accidental intake here, or...?"

Elias' smile was grim. "Doesn’t seem accidental, does it? Although Nathan might have been a medical expert, taking drugs wasn't something he would involve himself in." Elias said wrapping up the documents that were already spread all over the desk of Dr. Vanguard.

Dr. Vanguard was quiet for a moment, his mind clearly working through the implications. "So we’re dealing with a murder case? If Nathan was intoxicated with a formula this could be the possible reason for his death."

Elias nodded, his gaze unwavering. "That’s where my head’s at. I’ve got the lab running a deeper analysis on the toxin. Maybe it might give us the answers we are looking for."

Dr. Vanguard set the photo down, his expression darkening as he folded his hands together. "Let’s hope so."

“Yes sir,” Elias said as he stood up in an attempt to leave. Dr. Vanguard nodded, giving him permission. Few steps away from the door Dr. Vanguard called Elias' name.

“Yes sir.” Elias answered making a turn as he faced Dr. Vanguard. “Nobody should hear anything concerning the autopsy results. If the press gets some information about this it would be a hot news and all I want is for my son to be buried peacefully not as a scandalous body,” Dr. Vanguard said in a calm and concealing tone.

“Yes sir,” he said bowing slightly as he excused himself leaving the study. The silence in the room hung heavy, both men aware of the gravity of the situation that had just begun to unfold before them.