Police officers in winter tactical gear quickly strung yellow crime-scene tape around the area and sealed it off.
"Take him into custody!" the lead officer ordered coldly.
Two officers dragged Ethan away from my body while he was still frantically trying to wrap me in his jacket.
A medical examiner crossed the tape carrying an evidence kit. After a brief preliminary examination, he emerged with a grave expression.
His voice was quiet. "The victim had acute mountain sickness complicated by severe high-altitude pulmonary edema. The cause of death was acute respiratory failure from HAPE, compounded by severe hypothermia caused by the extreme cold. She spent an extended period before death in a freezing, sealed, oxygen-deprived environment, which accelerated her death."
At the words "acut
