Chapter Twenty-Six #2
“I asked Mr. Casey why they swapped and he said Jessica had seen the flat that morning and asked Yvette to borrow hers and only said she was going to run an errand. She was due back around lunch when Yvette said she needed the car because she had to run an errand too. Something about going to the municipal dump and hedge clippings. He did say the sisters didn’t swap cars regularly. ”
“What about the accident report? Was there anything in that?”
“Two things stood out to me. One was that there weren’t any skid marks on the road that would have suggested sharp braking if she swerved to avoid something. An animal, maybe. Or another car.”
“Isn’t that strange?”
“Hmm, not exactly. It had been raining a little the previous night but the road was drying out. If it was late, I would have hypothesized that Mrs. Casey fell asleep at the wheel but it was morning, as you know, and she’d bought a coffee before she set off for home.
Since the car was in good order, and there was no alcohol in her system, we’re thinking she might have made a driving error approaching the bend, or perhaps she swerved for something and didn’t brake in time.
There’re plenty of deer in that area so she could have been spooked by them crossing. ”
“And the second?”
“The airbag had been disabled. Again, not entirely unusual. Might have happened accidentally during a service.”
“What about anything else in her system? Did you run a full tox screen?”
“There wasn’t any indication we should run anything beyond the usual alcohol and drug checks, which were all clean like I told you before. What are you thinking? She was poisoned? I don’t see the barista poisoning random customers.”
“No, me neither, but what about something that made her sleepy?” I asked, wondering.
“Again, not sure how that would be administered when Mrs. Casey was on her own when she bought the coffee and for the drive.”
“Is there anything slow acting?” I asked, knowing I was clutching at straws. “Her lawyer said Jessica had a horrible headache. Valerie thought it was stress-related but could it caused be something else?”
“Not like you’re thinking, and there doesn’t seem any reason to think she administered a sleeping pill to herself, or took anything to counter the headache. I think you and I both agree she wasn’t suicidal so it’s looking like she was spooked. Accidents like this do happen.”
“Yeah,” I said softly, disappointed that the official police reports hadn’t shed any light on the case.
“We’re releasing Mrs. Casey’s body tomorrow,” said Garrett. “I’m not against testing her for a broader panel if you have something convincing, but you’ll have to be quick. I understand Mr. Casey wants a cremation.”
“Okay, thanks,” I said. “I appreciate the help. We might have discovered something else. I’m not sure how it fits into Jessica’s case yet but it’s definitely suspicious.”
“Go on.”
I hurriedly told Garrett about Yvette’s anonymous emails, then what we’d discovered in the rehab yard, and my subsequent conversation with Maddox.
“I don’t like this,” said Garrett when I finished. “It’s rare for me to say but it sounds like you should hand this case off to the Feds.”
“They’re informed but I’m on the property and I have access.”
“Take Maddox with you, if you can. Get him to verify the horses are stolen and he can organize the sting.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” I said.
“Good. Don’t let your confidence run you into trouble. I know you’re a solid investigator but some things are bigger than you. It’s good to know when to hand off. How much longer are you staying on the farm?”
“Jessica’s cover story gives me plenty of time, and I want to check out a few more things. I want to know how involved Joel is with Harvey’s horses and I need to find out if Jessica knew about it, or suspected, or uncovered it.”
“Could she be in on it?”
“No, there’re no indicators of that. I think she was running a legit farm and Joel, Yvette, and Harvey, were all taking advantage of her in one way or another. Jessica figured out enough to change her will and get advice, but I want to know if she knew more. Her phone or laptop would help.”
“I have a black phone but there wasn’t a laptop in her personal things in the car, and I have no reason to ask if she had one”
“A black phone?”
“Yes, new model. Plain case with the Ashgrove Farms logo.”
“When she came to see me, she had a pink phone case with JC on it.”
“She could have switched out the cases.”
“Or she has two phones,” I suggested. “One for farm business, and one for personal use. I think she gave me two numbers.”
“My guys double-checked the car. There was no second phone slid under a seat or any way you might think a phone might get tossed. Mr. Casey didn’t say anything about two phones.
Hey, I gotta go, but before I do, Mom and Dad wanted to know if you’re coming to dinner later?
They didn’t want to text you in case it blew your cover. ”
“I’m pretty sure I could have worked our parents into my cover story, given that everyone has a mom or dad.”
“Yeah, well, I won’t tell them that or they’ll come visit you. Just text them yes or no.”
“Will do,” I agreed and we disconnected.
For a few minutes, we sat in contemplative silence, then I had an idea. “Let’s go search for that pink phone,” I said.