Chapter 32
32
Cora pushed her plate back, a satisfied smile spreading across her face as she watched Jeremy finish the last bite of their shared breakfast. Sitting across from her with the morning light streaming through his kitchen windows, he looked effortlessly handsome. His hair was brushed casually to the side, refusing to cooperate entirely, with one rebellious lock always falling toward his eyes. The neatly trimmed beard he’d sported for last night’s wedding was now deliciously scruffy, giving him a rugged, morning-after appeal.
She’d slept later than usual, which wasn’t surprising given their night. The mere thought of those hours sent warmth coursing through her, and before she could stop it, a smile crept across her lips.
“What’s that smile for?” Jeremy asked, his voice rich and amused as he looked up from his coffee.
She chuckled softly, meeting his gaze. “Just thinking about last night.”
He leaned back, his grin widening. “Then here’s to many more nights of giving you something to smile about in the morning.”
Laughing, she reached for her glass of orange juice and lifted it in a mock toast. “Oh, that’s a good one. That could be a meme.”
Jeremy chuckled, the deep rumble of his laughter sending a ripple of delight through her. She couldn’t help but savor how he made her feel—light, warm, and entirely at ease.
The night before had been more wonderful than she’d anticipated. She’d expected the wedding to be lovely but hadn’t foreseen just how much fun she’d have, surrounded by a lively crowd. And afterward… well, she’d hoped for passion, but Jeremy had exceeded her wildest expectations. Their sheer connection and the way he made her feel cherished and alive was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. When they’d finally fallen asleep, tangled in each other’s arms, she realized her heart was undeniably falling for him.
Lost in thought, she was startled when her phone vibrated against the table. Glancing down, she saw a message from Dan. Her brow furrowed in curiosity as she unlocked the screen to read it.
Just wanted to say thanks for your diligence in the Parker case. Looks like we’re cleared by risk management.
She smiled at the text before looking up to find Jeremy’s curious gaze fixed on her. “It’s from Dan,” she said, reading the message aloud. She leaned back and let out a sigh of relief. “It’s nice to know risk management is satisfied now.”
Jeremy nodded thoughtfully. “I’m glad for you. I know you’ll do what’s right, but it feels good to have them off your back, doesn’t it?”
“What happens now?” she asked, setting her phone down. “I always know my part in these things, but I haven’t heard back from Detective Sullivan or Perez. I know they’re busy, but it’d be nice to get an update.”
“With the toxicology report you gave them, they probably started investigating the same day,” Jeremy said, leaning forward slightly. “They’ll dig into the victim’s relationships, job, family, living arrangements. All the usual steps.”
“And the subpoena to search?” she pressed.
Jeremy tilted his head, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. “Since they have probable cause, they could’ve gotten a subpoena or warrant within a day, maybe two. Judge Thompson’s been on the bench all week, and he’s good about signing off when it’s justified. But you know as well as I do, nothing works as quickly as it does on TV.”
Cora laughed, shaking her head. “It’s so true. People act like I can churn out reports the second I finish an autopsy. Toxicology, lab tests—they take time! Weeks, sometimes. And don’t get me started about rape kit results!”
He nodded in agreement. “I’m betting John and Elizabeth will check the Parker property soon. If there’s foxglove planted around their house—or even in the neighborhood—they’ll find it.”
“It wouldn’t even have to be in their yard,” Cora added. “If someone knew the toxic properties of foxglove, they could easily grab it from anywhere.”
Jeremy leaned back, his arms crossed over his chest. “True. But they’ll probably get a search warrant for the house, too. If Mr. Parker ingested the poison, they might find the source if it hasn’t been disposed of yet.”
Cora sighed, her fingers drumming lightly on the table. “And even then, the district attorney might decide there’s not enough evidence to go to trial.”
Jeremy’s lips quirked as he scoffed. “Welcome to our jobs, babe. You know it happens all the time. You work your ass off to build a solid case, only for it to stall if the DA doesn’t think they can win it in court.”
She tilted her head, her curiosity piqued. “What happens if your current case crosses jurisdictions? Like if your drug investigations lead to people outside this area?”
“Then it’s handed off to the state police, DEA, or FBI,” he explained. “But honestly, I’ll be satisfied if I can just shut down what’s happening here.”
She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. “Speaking of which, weren’t you going to check the finances of that church? Where’s that at?”
Jeremy blew out a long breath. “Took two days to get in front of the judge. He denied it at this time. Said we didn’t have enough cause. We need more to tie in the pastor to get the church’s finances. It came in late Friday. Pete and I are tackling it first thing tomorrow.”
Cora groaned, her head dropping into her hands for a moment. “Ugh. Mondays.”
He laughed, brushing his fingers along the back of her hand. “Come on, babe. You know how it is. We do what we can, and the rest is out of our hands.”
Her lips twitched into a sly smile as she straightened in her seat, leaning on her crossed arms. “Well,” she said, her voice low and flirtatious, “I can’t control what’s out of our hands… but maybe I can do something about what can be in yours .”
Jeremy’s eyes widened briefly before narrowing with a smirk, his expression shifting into pure, teasing confidence. “Oh, I know you can,” he said, snagging her hand and tugging at it.
Cora laughed as she let him pull her around the table, willingly stepping into his arms. Whatever the rest of the day held, she had no doubt they’d start it off right—with him, everything felt just right.
* * *
“Dr. Wadsworth? This is Detective Elizabeth Perez.”
Cradling the phone between her shoulder and ear, Cora sat up straight. The movement almost caused the phone to slip, and she snatched it before the receiver fell to the desk. “Yes, Detective. What can I do for you?”
“I wanted to keep you abreast of the investigation into the death of Roy Parker.”
“Thank you. I was just telling… um… I was just wondering what was happening.” She winced, her nose wrinkling. She hadn’t meant to divulge that she had talked about the case, but then, since it was now out that she and Jeremy were dating, she hoped Elizabeth would infer she had spoken to him. Before she could pull herself out of her now-muddled thoughts, Elizabeth continued.
“We got a search warrant and went to the Parker house. Mrs. Parker wasn’t happy, and her son threatened us, so he had to be restrained.”
“Oh, shit…” Cora moaned.
“But what we found were foxglove plants. We took pictures, and our team found stems cut low to the ground and footprints in the dirt.”
“But that’s still very circumstantial.”
“Yes, it is. But now we’re in the process of bringing them in for questioning. The sister, the wife, and the son. Well, the son is sitting in jail right now for attempting to throw a punch at our deputy.”
“Okay, thank you for calling. Is there anything else I can assist with?”
“Actually, yes. That’s why I’m calling. Can we bring the samples of what we took from their garden? I know you can’t make exact matches, but if you could identify that the poison could have come from these plants, that would help.”
“Absolutely. Bring them by, and I’ll make them a priority.”
“Thank you so much, Dr. Wadsworth,” Elizabeth enthused.
The detective arrived at the morgue quickly. Welcoming her, Cora invited her back to the lab, where there was sufficient light and the PPEs she would require. Once the two were suited, Elizabeth set the bags on the counter. Cora opened each one and signed the date and time she unsealed it.
She pulled out the plants, easily identifying they were foxglove. She leaned over to examine Elizabeth’s photographs from the Parker’s home garden. “Those shots are good. I don’t think I’ll need more, but there’s no reason not to take them while we have the plants here.” She looked up and asked, “Janice, would you photograph these plants? Then just upload them to the Parker chart.”
After cutting samples from a few plants, including some soil the deputies gathered, she turned to Elizabeth. “I’ll send these to the state lab, and they can hopefully analyze them.” She closed her eyes for a few seconds and sighed. “But, of course, there’s no way to tell if these are the plants used or who used them. I’m sorry that we can’t detect more.”
“Hey,” Elizabeth said, placing her hand on Cora’s arm, sympathy and understanding in her eyes. “Believe me, I know. Just ask Jeremy… he’ll tell you of all the unsolved or unprosecutable cases.”
At the mention of Jeremy, she chuckled. “After the wedding, I guess our relationship isn’t a secret, is it?”
“No.” Elizabeth laughed. “But it’s good. He’s a really great guy. I don’t know him well, but when I’ve worked with him, he’s dedicated and always has a smile to cheer everyone up. And the look I’ve seen in his eyes lately makes me know that you’re good for him, too.”
“Thanks, that’s nice to hear.” She looked down at the plants on the lab table and then at the photographs inside the house. She bent forward and studied several taken in the bedroom and kitchen. “Was there a drinking glass in the bathroom or near the victim’s bed?”
“No, we looked, but there was nothing.”
Nodding, she looked at the kitchen photographs again. “There’s a drinking glass on the refrigerator with other things. Why would someone set a glass up there?” She lifted her head. “Do they have grandchildren?”
“Yes. The son is married, and they have two little children.”
“If you used a glass specifically for poisoning Mr. Parker, then you’d want to make sure the children didn’t get to it.” She sighed. “But then, they probably ran it through the dishwasher to remove all evidence.”
“You never know. Some people who do criminal acts are not smart or, at least, not smart when trying to plan and cover their crimes.”
“Can you get that glass? If so, we can see if there’s residue and fingerprints. We’ll send it to the state lab.”
Elizabeth’s eyes lit. “You got it. I’ll call John, and we’ll get to the Parker place this afternoon.”
As the detective left, Cora smiled. Maybe, just maybe, she could help get justice for Roy Parker.