As for the last patrol squad, it had the most and the most varied responsibilities, such as investigating cases, apprehending thieves, patrolling the streets at night, and collecting rent and taxes, and so on. It was roughly equivalent to the police, urban management, and tax authorities in later times. The patrol squad was further divided into mounted and foot patrols. Since both were responsible for investigating cases and catching thieves, they were collectively referred to as constables in later generations. However, strictly speaking, the mounted patrols focused more on police duties, and Edward Harris was the head of the mounted patrol squad. Now that a murder had occurred, he naturally had to be present.

“Has Robert Baker been notified? Tell him to hurry up and perform the autopsy. This new Sheriff Cooper is young and hot-blooded, and he’s a newly appointed jinshi. We can’t afford to offend him!” As Edward Harris spoke, he stood up, preparing to head to Xiahe Village.

“Eddie Harris, you don’t know because you haven’t been around these past few days. Robert Baker helped someone carry a coffin a couple of days ago, but there was an accident and he was crushed so badly he coughed up blood. He can’t even get out of bed now.” The yamen runner delivering the message looked troubled as he spoke. Coroners were technically part of the yamen, but they were quite free in their daily lives and were only called upon for autopsies and similar matters. Usually, they also took on odd jobs, like helping with funerals, to supplement their income.

When Edward Harris heard this, his expression darkened. There were only two coroners in the yamen. Besides Robert Baker, there was only James Thompson’s father, who was a gambling addict. But he spent most of his time in various gambling dens, hiding from debt collectors, and no one knew where he was now.

“In that case, hurry to Kaifeng County and borrow Samuel Reed!” Edward Harris hesitated for a moment before finally making a decision. Kaifeng Prefecture governed several counties, and Kaifeng and Xiangfu were both capital counties, with frequent exchanges between them.

“Go all the way to Kaifeng County? That’s too far, and Sheriff Cooper is already waiting in Xiaoshui Village. It’ll take me at least a day to go there and back. What if Sheriff Cooper gets angry?” The yamen runner looked troubled again at Edward Harris’s words, glancing at James Thompson. After all, if James Thompson’s father were around, he wouldn’t have to work so hard.

“I’ll go to Xiaoshui Village first. You go to the yamen, ride a horse, and come back as fast as you can. If Sheriff Cooper blames us, I’ll take the responsibility!” Edward Harris gritted his teeth. He really didn’t want to offend Sheriff Cooper, since the man was a legitimate jinshi. Although Edward Harris seemed to be doing well as a squad leader, his status was actually quite low, not even as high as the clerks in the county office. If Sheriff Cooper really decided to hold him accountable, he’d be in serious trouble.

“Uncle Harris, if it really can’t be helped, I’ll go with you!” At this moment, James Thompson spoke calmly. The reason he and his sister could live at the charity house was mainly because of Edward Harris’s protection, so he didn’t want to make things too difficult for Edward Harris. Besides, it was just examining a corpse—James Thompson felt it shouldn’t be too hard for him.

“You? Don’t be ridiculous. What could a child like you possibly know?” Edward Harris was stunned at first by James Thompson’s words, then grew impatient. Although James Thompson’s father was a coroner, he spent most of his time gambling and had never taught James Thompson anything about the trade. Plus, James Thompson was so young, so Edward Harris didn’t believe he was up to the task.

“Uncle Harris, from what you said just now, this Sheriff Cooper has just taken office and is young and eager to make a name for himself. He’s probably looking for someone to make an example of. We’re very grateful for all you’ve done for our family, but if we break the yamen’s rules and Sheriff Cooper catches you, he might really use you as a scapegoat. If you get in trouble because of us, my sister and I would feel guilty for the rest of our lives.” James Thompson spoke again, his tone calm.

“But you don’t know how to perform an autopsy, and you’re so young. What’s the point of going?” Edward Harris was touched by James Thompson’s words, but still couldn’t quite trust him.

“How will we know if we don’t try? After all, I’m the son of a coroner. I’ve picked up a few things just by being around him.” James Thompson could tell Edward Harris was wavering, so he gave a confident smile.

In his previous life, James Thompson wasn’t a forensic doctor, but he was somewhat related to the medical field. He mainly worked in pharmaceuticals, and when he first graduated, he thought he should venture out while he was young and make more money. As a result, he was sent by his company to Africa, which was a hellish place. The pay was good, but it was earned at the risk of his life. The area he was stationed in was constantly in turmoil, with an extremely harsh social environment—robberies and shootings were almost daily occurrences.

Besides the harsh social environment, the natural environment was just as bad, with all kinds of infectious diseases rampant. That was also why James Thompson’s company was doing business there. James Thompson didn’t trust the local doctors, and because of work needs, he taught himself a lot of medical knowledge. Whenever his colleagues had headaches, fevers, or injuries, they usually came to him for help.

What’s more, James Thompson was a detective fiction enthusiast. He had read almost all the forensic novels and watched all the TV shows. Of course, the things in novels and TV shows couldn’t be taken at face value, but at least they gave him a lot of forensic knowledge. Plus, he had taught himself a lot of medical knowledge, so he felt he was more than capable of acting as a coroner. Especially since, in the Song Dynasty, coroner techniques were still very primitive—Song Ci was from the Southern Song, and “Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified” hadn’t even appeared yet. James Thompson had read “Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified” too, and he felt his own skills were probably no worse than Song Ci’s.