Chapter Thirty-Seven: Dead and Gone

It was an unusually cold morning given the time of the year. It was early in the morning and the air crystallized in front of the various people as they breathed heavily. A few people stood outside the wall created by the yellow tape, watching not so much out of concern but rather out of morbid curiosity. Several officers stepped carefully around the sheets that covered the two bodies as they took pictures, scribbled notes and talked with people that had first seen the bodies in the park.

This part of town was deceptive in that it had been meticulously planned and built, which gave it a clean, safe feel; however, the surrounding parts of town were not given the same “makeover” treatment. The neighboring buildings were old and falling apart. Signs that once proudly advertised the name of the businesses were now faded and barely legible. Many of the old hotels had been converted into low-rent studio apartments that housed the bums and drunks that could afford the petty cost of the room. Those who could not afford an apartment often stayed in the park, sleeping on the lawn or on one of the many benches that dotted the river path.

When police were called to this part of the city to investigate a murder or other death, it often involved one of these bums who had died in their sleep, or perhaps had been killed by another vagrant. This is exactly what the cops expected on this particular morning, but were shocked to find two young people lying lifelessly on the edge of the sidewalk, partially on the lawn. A male and a female about the same age. No obvious wounds or trauma that indicated the cause of death. The were wearing casual clothing – jeans and a blue sweater on the female, jeans and a T-shirt on the male. Nothing to indicate that they were jogging or perhaps passing through the park after a night of partying.

The crowd had grown slightly, but it was still early so not many people were out yet. Taking advantage of this, the police hurried to clean-up the crime scene before the crowd could grow and before news crews could arrive. An ambulance pulled near the area, the bodies were placed on stretchers and loaded. The sheets were carefully kept in place to prevent anyone from seeing the faces of the victims since the police had yet to identify the individuals. People were encouraged to leave the area repeatedly, but tended to just shuffle amongst themselves.

Once the pictures had been taken, the area scoured for evidence or clues and all traces of the crime removed the tape was removed and people finally scattered and left the park. By late morning there was no trace that anything had happened there. The drunks that were unwillingly removed from the area earlier returned now to lay on the lawn and assume their positions on the benches. They did not seem at all concerned that two people had been seemingly murdered there just hours earlier.

* * *

The tests were becoming tedious. Chris remembered something that Einstein had said: “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Were his doctors insane? Each time they tested Chris (which was becoming more and more frequent) they did the same thing over and over. They had become fixated on the “healing” that seemed to take place when his arm was injured. It was creating matter, in a sense. He was as baffled as the doctors, but had long since given up looking for an answer. Much like learning to deal with the loss of his arm, he accepted it as his reality and had moved on.

He debated in his mind whether to allow Dr. Spencer and the other doctors to continue with the endless tests. Although he appreciated the free stay in Reno, he began to feel that quality of life was continually decreasing. He often felt that he had poor quality of life, but his time with Sam had begun to change that. Doctors had often told him that they worried that he suffered from depression. To him it felt more like a constant state of complacency. Not really caring what happened from one day to the next. He wasn't necessarily sad and only had an occasional burst of anger that quickly passed more of the time. In any case, medication would not be necessary, he decided.

The thoughts he had were not that different from what he thought about every time he left the medical building to meet Sam outside. But this time he thought something that he didn't usually think about. Sam. She really did make him feel happy, didn't she? It's time to leave Reno and get on with life. The doctors would have to do their tests without him. They could watch a video of the many procedures and would have exactly the same experience as if he was there.

With a newfound feeling of resolution, Chris swung open the door and looked around for Sam. She never went far – she always stayed around the lake, reading the many tiny plaques placed near many of the trees. As usual, he made his way around the lake to find her so they could go home. This time he walked a little quicker, feeling good about having made up his mind to leave Reno.

By the time he was crossing the bridge that stretched over the south side of the lake he realized that she wasn't there. He paused for a moment to scan the lake, using his hand to shield the sun from his eyes to enhance his view. No sign of Sam. He continued his journey around the lake slowly while waiting for her to come back. She's probably just getting something to eat, he thought.

The sun touched the mountains in the west and Chris sat on the steps near the university cafeteria. He stood and started to make his way back to his hotel room a few blocks away. She might be there, but she always waits at the lake. The sun finally dropped completely behind the mountain as Chris walked into the lobby of the hotel.