Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
As I was leaving the victim’s town home, there were two fake ficus trees on each side of the entry, and I stopped. Henry, who was carrying out boxes, nearly bumped into me.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Look around,” I said. I pointed to the train room and the office. Everything was neat and orderly. Not a book was out of place. I’d glanced in the kitchen and there were no dishes in the sink.
Ewan came to the entryway.
“What are we looking at?”
“Symmetry,” I said. “Nothing is out of place, and everything is neat and orderly.”
“Right, and?” Ewan asked.
“These trees are fake but are different heights.”
They glanced at each other and then at me.
I shrugged. “So, you know how I love some UK mysteries? You’ve watched a few with me.”
“Aye,” Ewan said. “What does that have to do with trees and our case?”
“One is taller than the other. I saw an episode where the victim had hidden drugs under a fake tree like this. The detective noticed the different heights.”
I leaned over to pull the tree from the pottery it sat in, but it was stuck. Ewan tugged as well, and it came loose.
In the bottom was a plastic garbage bag. I’d already taken off my gloves, so Ewan reached in and pulled it out. He sat it on the floor.
When he untied the bag, he opened it so we could see. Inside was cash and a lot of it. If the tops of the piles that had been rubber banded together were any indication, it was several thousand.
“How much do you think that is?” I asked.
Ewan flipped through some of the bills. They were all one-hundred-pound notes. “Tis difficult to say without counting but at least fifty thousand pounds.”
I’m sure my eyes were the size of saucers. “That doesn’t seem like something a man who invests money for a living would keep around. Unless …”
“Unless, what?” Ewan asked.
“He was getting ready to make a run for it,” I said. “Maybe someone found out things didn’t add up with his accounts. He knew he was under investigation.”
Ewan shrugged. “Then why take the part-time job with the train? That isn’t the action of someone running away. Perhaps, he was saving to invest in something else.”
“Then put the money in a safe,” I said. “He has to have one around here somewhere. I know you like evidence, but my gut says he was up to no good. Maybe he took the part-time job because he loves trains, and he was biding his time until he could make a getaway.
“I mean, think about it. As the government closed in on him, he could don his costume, hop on a train, and be at the airport in Edinburgh in a couple of hours.”
“But someone got to him before he could do that,” Henry offered.
I nodded.
Ewan sighed. “That is a scenario, but we deal with …”
“Facts,” Henry and I said at the same time.
“Exactly,” Ewan said.
“I bet you a pint at the Pig & Whistle he has money all over his home. That amount isn’t exactly enough to run away from the life he had and start a new one. I have to go. Abigail has something she wouldn’t tell me over the phone. But you need to check.”
“Aye,” Ewan said.
Maybe we needed more proof, but things were definitely not adding up with the accountant.
Henry gave me a ride down the mountain to my practice. He’d been instructed by Ewan to find out what Abigail had discovered in the tests. That was no problem for the young officer, since she and her brother were two of Henry’s favorite people.
I put my bag on her desk. She was just coming down the hall from the lab.
“That was quick,” she said.
“Henry gave me a ride.” He came through the door as I mentioned him.
Abigail’s cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink, which happened anytime he was near. She’d been through a great deal as a youth and wasn’t terribly trusting when it came to men.
We had that in common.
But sweet Henry had all the time in the world when it came to Abigail and Tommy. I’d enjoyed watching their relationship blossom over the past year.
“The Doc said you had something new.” Henry smiled at her, and she bit her lip.
“Yes, I decided since the lip balm had been treated with bee venom, I’d check the epidermis for signs that it might be on more than his lips. I tested patches for reactions and found that the venom wasn’t only on the lips.
“If he used a moisturizer or shaving cream, it may be in those. We should check all of his toiletries. I’m surprised there wasn’t some sort of skin reaction given his allergy. That part doesn’t make sense to me.”
“The concentration may not have been as strong,” I offered. “We think the bee venom was injected into the balm, and the levels were quite high. But tainting something like shaving cream, if it comes in a can like most of it does, wouldn’t be as simple.
“Henry, when I checked earlier there wasn’t much in the way of toiletries in the bathroom.”
“I’d already boxed everything, once the ACC said we were dealing with some sort of toxin.”
“Ah. That makes sense. Can you find that box in evidence and bring it down for tests?”
“Yes, is there anything else?”
“Maybe a few articles of clothing. Look for things that are a bit worn.”
“Why some of his clothes?”
“I’m curious how long this poisoning has been going on and if perhaps the killer had upped their game.”
“How would they poison the clothes?” Abigail asked.
“I don’t think the killer did, but I want to check. And they could have misted the bee venom on there. It’s a stretch, I know, but I want to make sure.
“Again, the murderer most likely thought we would think it was just an allergic reaction. And they may have thought we wouldn’t check the lip balm.
“We need to keep that part of the case quiet from the public.” Though, we’d already spoken with Kiara who made the balm. I had a feeling she wouldn’t say anything that made her business look bad. From the way she’d reacted, I didn’t think she would want anyone to know we’d even spoken with her.
“It’s a very odd way to kill someone,” Henry said. “Using bee pollen. He dinnae seem like a man who would run around and tell people he was allergic. How would the killer even know?”
“Which may tell us that his murderer knew him well. Maybe it’s even someone we’ve already spoken to. But you know your boss, and he’s going to need proof, not supposition. If we can show other toiletries and such are tainted, we’ll know it is someone who had access to his house.”
I snapped my fingers. “That reminds me. He seemed to be a man who likes things tidy. There is nothing wrong with that, but I wondered if we might check to see if he has a cleaner who comes in to take care of things.”
“Good idea,” Henry said. “I’ll ask the boss when I go back up.”
The doorbell rang, and we all looked at one another.
Then I checked the monitor by the door. After a few dangerous incidents where killers showed up at our door, Ewan had insisted on updating the security with cameras and monitors so we could always see who was on the other side of the huge oak doors.
It was Mara with a woman I didn’t recognize.
“Is everything OK?” I asked as I opened the door.
“Yes,” Mara said. “This is Kaitlyn Jacks, the sister of the deceased,” she added quietly. “She has come to identify the body.”
Mara gave me a face that said she had no idea what was going on with the woman and found her to be suspicious.
We didn’t need anyone to identify the body. Mara and Ewan had already done that.
“She drove in from Glasgow when she was notified about her brother’s death.”
Ewan had mentioned that he had a sister when I asked if the train set could be donated. There hadn’t been any pictures of her in his home. Though, other than trains, there hadn’t been many personal affects downstairs.
“I stopped into the pub for a late lunch and asked where I might need to go next,” the woman said.
Dressed in a power suit of gray, with a white blouse, she appeared to be someone who was used to getting what she wanted.
She had that air about her. “I was going to try the police station, but Mara says my brother is here. I’m ready to take him home. ”
“I see. We can prepare him so you can see him, but I’m afraid we are several days away from releasing the body. His death is under investigation.”
Kaitlyn’s eyes narrowed. “Do you mean to say someone killed him?”
“As I said, his death is under investigation at the moment. Until we are finished, I cannot release the body.”
The woman’s eyebrows went up. There was something about her that was off-putting, and it wasn’t just her attitude. She acted like someone who felt that dealing with her brother’s death was an imposition.
We all mourned in different ways, but she didn’t appear at all sad.
“I wish the ACC had made that clear. I will be having words with him. All he said was that my brother had an allergic reaction and died.”
It didn’t seem right to say, yes, because his death was suspicious but that was all Ewan could admit.
“Right. Until all the evidence is gathered and processed, we need to keep him here.”
“We would be happy to make the arrangement for transport when we are done,” Abigail spoke up. She and Henry had been watching the conversation from the waiting room.
“Won’t you come in,” I said. “Abigail, can you please prepare Mr. Jacks so that his sister can see him?”
“Yes, ma’am.” She took off.
“I need to get back,” Henry said and left quickly for the door. He was probably headed straight to Ewan to tell him about this latest development.
“I have to get back to the pub, as well,” Mara said. “You are in good hands with the doctor.”
“Can I offer you coffee or tea?” I waved toward the coffee and tea bar we kept stocked in the waiting room. During regular business hours, we also had fruit and protein bars available for the patients.
That was something quite different from working in the ER, where it was diagnose the patients and move on as quickly as possible. Here, going to the doctor was an event, and we tried to make patients as comfortable as possible.
“No. I had lunch at the pub. If my brother died of an allergic reaction, why is his death being investigated? I do not understand.”
That was a very good question and a tricky one for me. “We are not one hundred percent certain how the reaction happened. So, we are running tests to determine that.”
“Do you think someone killed him?” She appeared shocked by the idea.
“As the ACC said to you, we’re investigating all possibilities. I really can’t say until we are done. If you would like to take a seat, I’ll see if I can help Abigail get him ready for you.”
We’d done a full autopsy, which meant several cuts to cover. Abigail had stitched him earlier, but it took more than that to make the body presentable.
In the autopsy lab, she was scurrying around.
“I’m about done,” she said. “I wanted to put away any logs or tests we still have out so she wouldn’t see them.”
“Smart thinking.” I helped her clean up, not that there was much to do. Abigail kept everything neat. It was a matter of putting away anything that might have encouraged the sister to have more questions.
As we came out of the autopsy room, Tommy came in the back door. He was dressed in khaki shorts and a T-shirt with one of his favorite video games.
“Hungry,” he said to Abigail.
“I made you some lunch,” she said. “Do you want to eat in the kitchen or the garden?” There were several benches in the garden where he liked to sit when he wasn’t working.
“Garden,” he said. He was a young man of few words. Not that he didn’t have the vocabulary. He did. He was quite bright. But he was never one to prattle on about anything except flowers, and sometimes video games.
He was a lover of nature and preferred to be out in it no matter the season.
“Go on out, and I’ll bring it to you, but wash your hands first.”
“I’ll handle our guest. You take care of Tommy.”
She smiled at me. “Thanks.”
I did one last check of the autopsy room and then went to get the sister.
She sat ramrod straight in one of the chairs. Her brunette hair in a tight bun at the nape of her neck. I wondered what she did for a living.
“Are you also an accountant?” I asked as I led her through my home and kitchen to the autopsy suite.
“No,” she said. She didn’t offer any other information.
OK, then.
I put in the combination that opened the door and led her inside. Once the door was shut. I slid down the sheet to the neck.
“Why does he look like that?” she asked.
His lips were still misshapen and an odd color, but other than that he appeared normal. “The reaction made his lips and face swell a bit.”
“The only thing he was allergic to was bees. How was he stung?”
“As I said before, we are still investigating.”
“You’re a country doctor. Doesn’t it make more sense for a medical examiner in the city to take a look?”
The words didn’t hurt my feelings. If I were someone from outside looking in, I might have asked the same.
“I’m the former head of ER at a Seattle hospital in the States. I’ve only been here a year. Part of my new duties is that I’ve taken on the role as coroner. All of my findings are sent to the medical examiner in Edinburgh. I can assure you that your brother is being well looked after.”
“Oh,” she said.
“Would you like a moment alone with him?”
She shook her head. “No. I just needed to see for myself that it was actually him.”
I pulled the sheet back over his face. Then I followed her out the door and shut it.
“When was the last time you saw your brother before today?”
She stood in my kitchen looking anxious to leave. “I don’t understand why that would matter.”
“We are trying to find out if anyone might have heard or seen something before he died.” I prayed Ewan wouldn’t kill me for spilling the tea as Mara liked to say.
Her shoulders stiffened. “Are you saying he was murdered?”
Yes. But I wouldn’t admit it out loud. “I can only say we found something that looks suspicious. When was the last time you spoke to him, and are you aware of his daily life?”
She sighed, and then twisted her hands together. It was the first bit of emotion she’d shown.
“I wasn’t in touch with him. We hadn’t spoken in nearly a year.”
“Why was that?”
She bristled. “I do not see how it is any of your business.”
I ignored her tone. “Did you have a falling out?”
“You could say that,” she said. Then she headed for the front door. “Whatever happened between me and Donald has nothing to do with your investigation.”
From her tone and anger, I wasn’t so sure about that.