Chapter 26 #2
“Please, call me Kaitlyn. I’d be better if you’d release my brother’s body,” she said.
“I need to move on with my life. You’ve had plenty of time to run all the tests.
” She was bitter and angry. I didn’t blame her, but I was curious if this was about her brother or the money she’d expected from him.
“Right. And we have. I’m waiting for the ACC’s permission before I can release the body. I’m sure his investigation will wrap up soon. Don’t you want to know what happened to your brother?”
Her lips were a hard line. She shrugged. “Of course, I’m not a monster. But I do have a life, and I need to get on with it. If you and the ACC are so serious about my brother’s case, why are you at this party? Shouldn’t you be investigating?”
“The ACC is the host of the party, and I’ve honestly done my part of the investigation. I can assure you, though, we are doing everything in our power to solve the case.”
She harumphed, and then walked away.
“Rude,” Jasper said.
I sighed. “She’s lost her brother, and we’ve kept her here a week. She probably does need to get back to her job.”
“If I were looking at suspects, she would be high on my list,” Mara said.
I frowned. “Why would you say that? Do you recognize her from last night? Is she the one who tasered you?”
“I couldn’t say,” she said. “I never saw the person. They were in the shadows.”
“Same for me,” Jasper said.
“She isn’t really mourning his death, is she?” Mara questioned “It is more that all of this is an inconvenience for her. She just wants it over with so she can probably cash in on the insurance. She can’t do that without a death certificate.”
Insurance. I hadn’t thought about that. If he had any, his sister was most likely the beneficiary.
“I need to find Ewan. I’ll be back in five.”
“Don’t go investigating without us,” Jasper said.
I laughed. I had no plans to leave the tent. Last time I’d done that, I’d ended up with a bonk on the head and a stay in the hospital.
Again, it was hard to believe that was a year ago.
I couldn’t find Ewan, which probably meant he had to leave the party. I texted him, but he didn’t answer.
After borrowing one of the umbrellas the valets were using to help people off the shuttles, I walked the half block to the police station.
“Hello?” I called out. While the door was open, there didn’t seem to be anyone inside.
“Just a minute,” Henry called out.
“Henry? I just need to know where Ewan is,” I said.
He came out of an office holding a bunch of files.
“He and Carl are checking out a break-in. Can I help you?”
“A break-in? Where?”
“I dinnae think I should say.” He had a worried expression like I might press him on the subject.
“It is OK. Maybe, you can help me. I was curious when going through the victim’s files, if you found he had any sort of life insurance?” That was only sort of a lie. I hadn’t thought about the life insurance until a few moments ago.
“I can check the case notes. Let me put these down, and I’ll take a look.”
He looked through a number of pages.
“It says here, we are still searching the boxes and itemizing. He had so many files. It is not listed by the forensic accountant. She just sent in the first part of her report, but there is a second half to come.”
“But so far, you haven’t found anything pertaining to insurance?” That should have been the first place for me to look. But I was still a novice when it came to investigating.
“Not yet.”
“Do you mind if I take a look through the files from his home and office?”
Henry blew out a breath. “Doc, I dinnae think the ACC would be happy about that.”
“I’ll take the blame. We can tell him I snuck into the station.”
“I’m not one for lies,” he said.
“Well, I’ve tried to text Ewan twice, and he hasn’t answered. I have one of my gut feelings that Jacks’s death might be tied to insurance or some kind of payout. As the coroner, I’d like to see those files. I adore you, Henry, but I’m fairly certain you have to let me look.”
The color drained from his face. “Is that true?”
I nodded. “Ewan agreed to let me in on everything that was going on, so I didn’t get myself into trouble.”
“Well, I suppose that does make sense. Follow me,” he said reluctantly.
He led me to the room where he’d come from earlier. “I’ve labeled everything home or office, and the desk drawer or cabinet it came out of,” Henry said.
He was quite precise and careful about things. I had a feeling that was one of the reasons he and Abigail connected on so many levels.
After a half hour, I found what I’d been looking for, and I sat down in a chair to read it.
The insurance policy was for a million pounds, which gave everyone who had known him motive. The benefits were to be paid out to the sister, and a charity devoted to the restoration of old steam engines. Each party received half of the funds.
That was a lot of motive.
I wonder if the sister knows. She’d said she was owed some sort of payout. And the assistant and girlfriend had talked about the hidden money. Were those two things tied together?
I rolled my eyes. Of course, they were. And the sister had to know. That was why she kept pressing for the body and the death certificate. I took some pictures with my phone and put the files back.
When I walked back out, Henry was still the only one at the station.
“Have you heard from Ewan?” I asked. “I have something to tell him.”
“No. He’s not answering his radio, nor is Carl.”
Well, that wasn’t good. A knot of worry formed in my stomach. “Where did they go, Henry, and do not use protocol right now. They could be in danger.”
“Do you think?”
“Just tell me where they are.”
“At the murder victim’s home. The neighbor, Mrs. Culbert, thought she saw a light inside the house. They went to check it out.”
“You call in reinforcements. I’m heading over there,” I said. And I ran out with the umbrella before he could say no.
The house was just down the street and over a block, and it was completely dark from the outside.
My hope was that Ewan and Carl had checked things out and gone back to the party. Maybe, he couldn’t hear his phone or radio with all the noise.
When I approached the porch, Mrs. Culbert came out dressed in her house coat, an umbrella, and rain boots.
“Doctor, what are you doing here?”
“We haven’t heard back from the ACC. Did you see them leave?”
“No, I assumed they were still in there. I could hear a bit of rumbling around through my walls. Paper thin they are.”
Especially, if one kept an ear close to them.
“I’m going in to check on them. If you don’t see or hear from me in ten minutes, call the cavalry.”
I didn’t give her time to answer. The door was unlocked. I shook out the umbrella and wrapped it closed. I held it like a weapon as I walked into the victim’s home.
I hadn’t gone far when I found Ewan out on the floor, his hands tied behind his back.
“Ewan,” I whispered and shook him a bit. He was out cold, but he had a strong pulse.
“Carl,” I called out. My voice warbling with nerves. That knot in my stomach tripled and bile burned the back of my throat.
“They can’t help you,” Kaitlyn said. “They are all tied up, Doctor.”
She stood there holding the taser. It looked like a real gun.
“Why would you do all this? You’ll never get away with it.”
“I just have to dispose of one more body, and I’m home free. I take the insurance money and find a nice island that doesn’t have an extradition treaty. All I need, Doc, is for you to sign that death certificate.” She raised her arm with the taser.
I held up the umbrella, like it was going to help me somehow.
“I can’t do that if I’m dead.”
She laughed cruelly. “Oh, I won’t kill you until the paper is signed. I’ve already shot up the ACC and his man with a cocktail of barbiturates. They won’t be waking up any time soon, and they didn’t see me. So, no reason to kill them. You on the other hand …”
Oh. No. I’d put myself in the middle of trouble once again. When would I learn?
Never, most likely. Especially, when others might be in danger.
“What happens if I refuse to sign?”
“I already have a copy of your signature, and I’ve become a fairly good forger,” she said.
“You’ll never get away with it.” Then it hit me. “You’re the one who broke into my office.”
“I am. I wanted to destroy the evidence, but I had to settle for some papers that had your signature. All a part of my plan B. I also have another cocktail of slightly stronger drugs, in case someone saw my face, which you did. In a way I’m doing you a favor.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Your death won’t be as painful as my brother’s. You’ll just die in your sleep.”
“How did you get the venom into his lip balm? You said you hadn’t seen him in more than a year.”
She cackled. “Well, I lied, didn’t I? I was here three weeks ago to drop off his birthday present.
He’d called to tell me he was sorry. He wanted me to come for a visit.
I pretended to forgive him. I had noticed the last time he came to apologize for losing my money that he used the balm constantly.
That’s when the idea came to me. So, while I was here, I used the bee venom I’d bought on all his toiletries.
I’ll be honest, I thought he would die much sooner.
It took nearly two weeks for it to work. ”
“But you weren’t at the train station that night.”
“Oh, but I was. Just under a different name, and I left early. Well, once I’d pushed my dying brother into a cupboard.
He had invited me, and everything fell into place that night.
His face was swollen, and he could barely make out who I was by the time I found him.
It was quite easy to guide him into that office and then the cupboard.
And of course, I hid the EpiPen from him.
Now, to finish my plan, we need to head down to your office so you can hand over that death certificate. My car is outside.”
There was no way I’d be going anywhere with this one. But I had no idea what to do.
“Come along, Doctor.”