A cut above. This is the name and number of Vidal Herrera’s thriving private autopsy business. A former investigator with the L.A. County coroner’s office, Herrera sees a coming "golden era of death for the death-care profession" as aging baby boomers, frustrated by a decline in autopsies ordered by cost-conscious governments and hospitals, pay for the dissection of deceased loved ones. A standard autopsy-with detailed report, microscopic slides and archived tissue samples-costs about $2,000. Currently, Herrera and his crew see 900 clients a year, including the occasional celebrity. They also clean up crime scenes when conventional maintenance workers aren’t up to the task. "We are the voice of the dead," says Herrera. "An autopsy is like a biography." -J.S.