CHAPTER TWELVE
Kate stood in Jennifer's pristine kitchen, her phone balanced in one hand while she scrolled through the Goodreads summary of Gaudy Night.
The silence in the house felt oppressive now that Jennifer's body had been removed and the initial chaos of the crime scene investigation had settled into methodical evidence collection.
Through the window, she could see DeMarco coordinating with the local police officers who were canvassing the neighborhood for witnesses.
Kate read the passage twice to make sure she’d understood it correctly.
In Sayers' novel, the attempted murder involved doctoring someone's evening tea with a substance that would cause a slow, agonizing death.
The victim was meant to be found hours later, having succumbed to what would initially appear to be natural causes.
The parallel to Jennifer's death was too precise to be coincidental.
She continued searching for more detailed plot summaries and character analyses.
She was particularly interested in the specific method of poisoning described in the novel, wondering if it matched whatever substance had been used to kill Jennifer.
The fact that Jennifer had been reading this particular book when she died suggested their killer was not only familiar with classic mystery literature, but was specifically choosing novels that contained murder methods they could replicate.
Margaret's death had been staged to reference Murder on the Orient Express, with the brass candlestick serving as both murder weapon and literary symbol. Now Jennifer had died while reading a book that featured poisoned tea.
Kate heard footsteps in the hallway and looked up to see DeMarco approaching with her phone in her hand. She looked somewhat drained by whatever task she’d been assisting with outside. DeMarco waved her phone slightly, indicating she’d just received a call.
"I’ve got Wagner on the line, with forensics," DeMarco said, her expression tense. "They want to conference with us about their preliminary findings. Can we use the dining room?"
Kate followed DeMarco to the formal dining room, where they settled at the polished cherry table. DeMarco placed her phone in the center and activated the speaker function.
"This is Agent DeMarco. I have Agent Wise here with me. Go ahead with your report."
The voice that came through the speaker belonged to Bill Wagner, the lab's senior forensics analyst. Kate had worked with him on several previous cases and respected his thoroughness.
"We’ve completed our initial analysis of the ceramic mug and its contents from the Haynes residence," Wagner began.
"I can confirm that the tea was contaminated with a toxic substance.
We're still running tests to identify the specific compound, but that could take hours. But we can confirm that the victim was indeed poisoned.”
Kate and DeMarco exchanged glances. "How long before you can identify the specific poison?" DeMarco asked.
"We should have definitive results within the next three to four hours. However, I can tell you that whatever substance was used, it was present in a concentration that would have been lethal within thirty to sixty minutes of consumption. And I’m willing to bet it’s going to be plant-based."
Kate leaned forward toward the phone. "Bill, this is Agent Wise. Based on the concentration levels, would the victim have experienced immediate symptoms?"
"Not immediate, but within five or ten minutes. But there’s one other thing you might be interested to hear: we also found textile fibers in the victim's nasal passages and around her mouth and nose area."
DeMarco frowned. "What kind of textile fibers?"
"Cotton blend, consistent with fabric from a pillowcase or similar soft material. The positioning and depth of the fibers suggest they were introduced during the final stages of the victim's life, when she would have been weakened by the poison but not yet deceased."
Kate felt a chill of understanding. "You're saying she was suffocated after being poisoned?"
"That's what the evidence suggests, though we'll need the medical examiner's full autopsy report to confirm the actual cause of death.
But based on what we're seeing, it appears the victim was first incapacitated by the poison, then manually suffocated with a soft fabric item, probably a pillow or cushion. "
The implications were disturbing. The killer hadn't been content to simply poison Jennifer and wait for the toxin to take effect. They had remained in the house, watching her suffer, then personally ensured her death by suffocation.
"Bill, is there any way to determine how the poison was introduced into the tea?" Kate asked. "The victim was using a standard tea bag, so direct contamination of the liquid seems unlikely."
"We're examining the tea bag itself for trace residues, but you're right that it would be difficult to introduce poison into a sealed commercial tea bag without obvious tampering.
More likely, the poison was added to the mug either before or after the hot water was poured.
Maybe even the kettle from which the water was poured. "
Kate considered this information. If the poison had been added to the mug or kettle, it suggested someone with access to Jennifer's kitchen and knowledge of her nightly tea routine.
The killer would have needed to know that Jennifer would come downstairs after the book club meeting and prepare her usual chamomile tea.
"Thank you," DeMarco said. "Please call us as soon as you have the specific identification on the poison."
"Will do.”
DeMarco ended the call and looked across the table at Kate. "Someone poisoned her tea, then waited around to make sure she died. This guy has a pair on him, that’s for sure.”
Kate nodded, her thoughts turning to the book club members she'd observed the previous evening.
"I may have found something, too," she said.
"I did some studying up on the book Jennifer appeared to be reading when she was killed.
" She held up her phone, showing the Goodreads summary.
"Gaudy Night contains a scene where someone attempts murder by poisoning a woman's evening tea.
The victim is supposed to be found hours later, appearing to have died from natural causes. "
DeMarco's expression darkened as she absorbed this information. "So our killer is definitely using mystery novels as blueprints for murder."
"It's more than that," Kate said, standing up from the dining room table and beginning to pace.
"Margaret was killed with a candlestick while reading Murder on the Orient Express, which features a prominent candlestick red herring.
Jennifer was poisoned while reading Gaudy Night, which includes attempted murder by poisoned tea.
The killer isn't just using the books as inspiration.
They're specifically targeting victims who are reading the novels that contain their preferred murder methods. "
"That suggests someone with extensive knowledge of classic mystery literature," DeMarco observed. "And detailed knowledge of what each book club member is currently reading."
Kate felt pieces of the puzzle beginning to form a clearer yet darker picture.
"Think about the timeline. Jennifer left the book club meeting around nine o'clock last night.
She was probably home by nine-thirty, which gives her an hour or so to prepare for bed, come downstairs, and make her tea.
The killer had to know her routine well enough to predict that she would be having tea and reading at that specific time. "
"And they had to have access to her kitchen to contaminate the mug or the tea or whatever the hell it was that they did," DeMarco added. "Either earlier in the day, or during the window when she was at the book club meeting."
Kate stopped pacing and turned to face DeMarco. "Or they had help from someone who lives in the house."
The implication hung in the air between them.
Rick Haynes had been upstairs sleeping when Jennifer died, according to his statement.
He'd found her body the next morning and called 911 immediately.
But he also had complete access to the kitchen, knowledge of Jennifer's nightly routine, and opportunity to contaminate her tea mug without suspicion.
"We need to question Rick more thoroughly," Kate said. "His story is simple… and tragic. But right now, it all points to him.”
"He seemed genuinely devastated when we interviewed him," DeMarco replied. "The grief appeared authentic. If he was faking it, he’s damned good."
"Grief can be authentic even when someone is responsible for the death," Kate pointed out. "People kill for complex reasons, and they can still mourn the loss even when they caused it."
DeMarco pulled out her phone again and started scrolling through her interview notes.
"Rick said he knew about the book club but admitted he usually tuned Jennifer out when she talked about it.
He could name a few of the members, but didn't know details about their relationships or discussions.
He said half the time, he didn't even know what book they were reading. "
"That could be genuine disinterest, or it could be a deliberate attempt to distance himself from anything that might implicate him," Kate said. "We need to dig deeper into their marriage, their finances, any recent stresses that might have motivated him to want Jennifer dead."
"But that doesn't explain Margaret's murder," DeMarco pointed out. "If Rick killed Jennifer, who killed Margaret? And why would both murders be staged to reference mystery novels?"
Kate resumed her pacing, considering the implications of multiple killers versus a single perpetrator with an elaborate plan.
"Maybe Rick didn't kill Margaret, but he knew Margaret's killer and copied their methods.
Or maybe we're dealing with two different killers who are coordinating their attacks. "
"Or maybe Rick is our killer for both victims, and his claim of disinterest in the book club is a lie designed to throw us off," DeMarco suggested. “Or, you know… not the killer at all. Which, honestly, is sort of where I’m leaning.”
Kate's phone buzzed with a text message. She glanced at the screen and saw Allen's name. Emma can watch Michael until 2 PM. Hope you're making progress. Be safe.
The reminder of her family responsibilities brought Kate back to the present moment. She was standing in a dead woman's dining room, theorizing about whether that woman's husband had murdered her, while her own husband was juggling childcare arrangements to accommodate her work schedule.
"Jennifer's brother should be arriving from Raleigh sometime this afternoon," DeMarco added, still consulting her notes. "That might give us additional insight into Jennifer and Rick's relationship."
"In the meantime, we need to consider the safety of the other book club members," Kate said. "If our killer is working through the group systematically, everyone who was at last night's meeting could be a potential target."
"Including you," DeMarco pointed out. It reminded her of concern Allen had expressed earlier in the morning. "You were there as an observer, but the killer might not know that. As far as they're concerned, you're a new member who could disrupt whatever plan they're executing."
Kate felt a cold realization settle in her stomach. Allen had been right to worry about her safety. By attending the book club meeting, she might have inadvertently placed herself on a serial killer's target list.
"We need to contact Eleanor and the other members," Kate said. "Warn them to take precautions, vary their routines, maybe stay with friends or family until we catch this person."
"Agreed. But we also need to be careful about how we approach them. If one of the book club members is our killer, we don't want to alert them that we're closing in."
“Good point.” Kate realized that this might be trickier than they thought.
Two women were dead, possibly a third in danger, and she had spent the previous evening sitting in the same room as their killer.
The realization that she had been so close to the murderer without recognizing the threat made her feel both professionally frustrated and personally vulnerable.
"Let's head back to the office," DeMarco said. "We can dig into Rick’s history and see if Records and Research have any developments with the other book club members.”
"Actually, maybe we should divide and conquer," Kate said. "You head to the office, and I'll swing by Eleanor's house. I'll break this news to her and talk to her about the possibility of contacting the other members."
“Sounds like a plan,” DeMarco said as they made their way back down the hallway, toward the Haynes’ front door.
As they left Jennifer's house, Kate found herself thinking about the yellow ceramic mug that had contained Jennifer's final cup of tea.
Someone had carefully prepared that poison, knowing exactly how much would be needed to incapacitate but not immediately kill their victim.
They had wanted Jennifer to suffer, to experience terror and pain before death finally took her.
The personal nature of that cruelty suggested someone with deep emotional investment in Jennifer's death. Whether that someone was Rick Haynes or another member of the Willowbrook Book Club, Kate was determined to find them before they could stage another literary-inspired crime scene.