When the pager went off inviting him to visit one more death scene, a warning from Medical Examiner's Office investigators came with it. Peter decided he was up for it. It was a short walk from his home, after all. But what he ended up seeing changed the course of his career in journalism. This episode of Storied: San Francisco is the third and final part of SF Chronicle Pop Culture Critic Peter Hartlaub's story about his experiences with Medical Examiner's Office investigators back in 1999. To read the story that Peter wrote about his ride-alongs, go here: "In City's brutal underside, death is still a delicate matter." Here is Part 1 and Part 2.

Photo by Mark Costantini