It was almost Halloween in October of 1979 when a Lancaster, South Carolina physician who also worked as an assistant county coroner failed to show up for work. His colleagues heard conflicting stories about where he was, and one business owner felt the need to alert the police. When the doctor was discovered murdered, the community hoped his killer would soon be caught. But it would take more than a year before an arrest was made, and it highlighted the dangers of mixing business with pleasure and just how deadly a love affair can turn. Fifty-one-year-old Dr. Joe Smith was a fixture around the Lancaster, South Carolina community for many years. He had…