A Thymely Death, page 21
"So let's dig in. Tell me about the autopsy," Olivia insisted.
"You're never gonna believe it." Janis flipped open her laptop. "I've got the report right here." She read aloud, "Robert Bartholomew Ulrich died of…" she looked up at Olivia,"…botulinum overdose."
Olivia's eyes grew wide. "What is that exactly?"
"Botox," Jets explained. "The old guy was poisoned with Botox, smeared onto his arm."
"How is that possible?"
"Take a look at this photo." Janis spun her computer around for Olivia.
"There's a big scratch on his arm I didn't notice before."
"Right, no one saw it at first. If they did, they dismissed what they saw. I mean, what person doesn't have a scratch or two on their body? You walk in the woods and a branch catches you. Happens all the time."
"Right, like a branch," Olivia said. You're just making excuses for not noticing that scratch at the time.
"Or a rose bush," added Janis.
Olivia kept her face blank.
Jets continued to explain. "So I didn't think about it right away, neither did the doctor. Once the death certificate had been filled out, Ulrich was rushed off to the mortuary. The plan was to store the body, have a quick service, and then bury him immediately."
Jets leaned over her desk. "On the day we found him dead, Ulrich's daughter-in-law scheduled a cremation. But then someone read the fine print on Ulrich's DNR." Janis turned to her laptop screen to read aloud, "It says here that Ulrich requested no cremation."
Olivia's stomach clenched. "Do you think Ulrich Sr. suspected that someone wanted him dead?"
Jets's eyes narrowed. "I thought of that. The obvious people to benefit from his death would be his son and daughter-in-law, and of course your current favorite, the forlorn and lost Raleigh."
Olivia felt offended. "I have compassion for Raleigh, but that doesn't mean I'd ignore any wrongdoing on their part."
"I know you like the kid, what with your Tone Ranger bonding, but admit it. They're kind of nuts. They dropped out of school. Did some breaking and entering instead of renting a room. They had access to the code at Thyme Out and could have easily plastered the place with trans slogans. Plus they were the first on the scene to report the keying of Cookie's car."
Jets continued. "You know vandals often show up afterward to watch people's reactions to their work? That's why Raleigh looks suspicious. They were right there to announce Cookie's damaged car."
"All of that is true," Olivia admitted. "But I think Raleigh's gender fluidity makes them a vulnerable target."
Jets sighed. "I just wish the kid would pick a team. I don't get the in between girl and boy thing, I really don't."
"So your gender sensitivity training didn't take?"
"I'm sensitive enough," mumbled Janis. "I just have trouble getting used to this pronoun crap and you have to admit, the kid looks guilty."
Janis is trying. Maybe the most I can hope for is that she's aware that she's judgmental.
"He doesn't look guilty to me," Olivia said emphatically. "But back to the Botox. How does the scratch have anything to do with botu-whatchamacallit?"
"Botulinum," Jets said firmly. "The coroner thinks Botox was injected into a tube of antibiotic topical cream, probably with a syringe. Then the cream was smeared onto Bartholomew Sr.'s arm. Wham bam thank you ma'am, he's got an overdose. His heart stops, he takes his last breath, and then he's dead."
"That's diabolical." Olivia shook her head. "I read somewhere that Botox had some dangerous side effects, but I didn't think it could be used as an actual poison. So what happens now?"
"We start interviewing the family members," Jets said. "And I'm thinking of pulling in your pal Raleigh. They'd be my first suspect for sure."
Olivia bit her tongue. She looked down at her shoe, remembering the thumb drive. When she wiggled her foot, she realized it had worked its way up, lodged into the side of her arch. If I tell Janis about the thumb drive it may get Raleigh into more trouble.
Olivia heard the door open behind her. She turned around in her chair.
"Hey, Olivia, Officer Jets," Brad drawled. "I've got somebody to see you."
Brad opened the door further. Mayor Maguire trotted inside, stopping to look at Olivia.
"He's been pawing at the glass door," Brad explained. "Can't get my work done."
"Leave the dog and get back to your desk," ordered Jets.
Once Brad left, she added, "The kid is always interrupting me with one problem or the next. Can't help himself. When I took my sensitivity class, they talked about weed and cognitive impairment; Brad's the poster boy."
"I'm happy to hear you learned something from the training." Olivia reached over to pat Mayor Maguire's head. The dog ducked, avoiding her hand. He lowered his head as if interested in her shoe. He sniffed and then pawed at her foot, which drove the thumb drive farther under her arch. Ouch. Stop that, M&M.
"Why is he pawing at you?" Jets asked.
Olivia curled her fingers around the dog collar, pulling his head away from her shoe. "Good boy, M&M," she said, doing her best to distract him. And stay away from that thumb drive.
The dog wrenched away from her grasp, ducking his head to sniff the same shoe. As he pawed, the lace caught on his claws, untying the knot. Before Olivia yanked his head away again, Janis Jets stood up, walking around the corner of her desk.
"What do you have, Mayor? Something in Olivia's shoe?" Janis bent over to inspect as Mayor Maguire continued to paw. "Maybe you'd better take the shoe off and see what's going on. The mayor and I both want to know."
Olivia leaned over to slip off her shoe. The thumb drive dropped away from the bottom of her sock, falling to the floor.
"And what do we have here?" Janis Jets swooped her hand down to pick up the drive. She walked back to her chair, holding it in front of her. "So do you want to tell me why this was in your shoe, or do I just plug it in and find out for myself?"
Mayor Maguire watched Olivia. A smile appeared on his lips.
She glared at him. Dang it, M&M. Why did you have to out me to Janis?
Mayor Maguire, no longer interested in her shoe, curled up at her feet. She took a deep breath. "The thumb drive belonged to Robert Ulrich Sr. Raleigh knew about it but couldn't find it in Granddad's belongings after his death."
"And how did it come into your possession?" Jets asked.
"I found it just this morning, in Flex Million's desk at Hello Age. Residents' belongings are stored in that building."
"If I remember correctly, he's the handyman and bus driver at Hello Age."
"That's him," Olivia agreed. "I found the drive in a locked box in the bottom drawer of his desk."
Jets leaned forward as she stared at Olivia. "Now that's interesting." Janis held the drive in front of her, staring at the sun. "It looks like something I'd buy my ten-year-old niece, with the thingy on the top. More like a kid's toy, if you ask me."
"Sunshine, that's what Robert called Raleigh. It was a thing between them. You know the song 'You Are My Sunshine'? Anyway, Raleigh knew about the drive and that it held their grandfather's most recent will."
"That's what Raleigh told you?" Jets sounded skeptical.
"Why won't you believe what Raleigh says?"
"I already told you, they look suspicious. And I think Raleigh is manipulative. They conned Cookie into a job before the bakery was even open. And then they've brought Cookie nothing but bad press ever since. Since the slogan event, Thyme Out has lost nearly every customer. Cookie is quite frustrated. That's why Raleigh won't get an award for best Lily Rock citizen of the week."
"I get that," Olivia admitted.
For a moment her confidence in Raleigh faltered. Maybe Janis and everyone else is right. Maybe Raleigh is manipulative and they've hooked me like a big plump gullible fish. Olivia glanced at the thumb drive in Janis's hand. Am I being gullible?
She grew quiet, attending to the inner turmoil with calming breaths. Then she shook her head.
I believe in Raleigh. Everything in me tells me they're genuinely grieving the death of their granddad. Janis doesn't see things from my perspective. It wouldn't be the first time.
"Are you going to plug that thing in?" she asked Jets.
"I suppose I am." Jets pulled her laptop closer, sliding the thumb drive into the slot. She leaned forward to peer into the screen. "We've got a last will and testament right here," she announced to Olivia. "I'll have a quick look."
Olivia knew better than to ask to see the document. "That's what Raleigh said. Their granddad showed them the thumb drive before he passed away."
Jets ejected the thumb drive. "The problem is, this document only makes Raleigh look more guilty. He had motive. Pushed to an untimely death, the sooner Ulrich Sr. died, the sooner Raleigh would inherit. I just need to find out where Raleigh was that afternoon, when Ulrich Sr. was discovered dead in the garden.
Olivia inhaled. I know Raleigh was right next door at Thyme Out. But I can't tell Janis, or she'll arrest them.
"I'd better get going," she told Jets.
"Don't you go and warn that kid." Jets glared.
Instead of answering, Olivia patted Mayor Maguire. They walked toward the door together. "I'll take the mayor with me. He can have dinner at our place."
"You do that," Jets said with a distracted wave of her hand. "I've got some calls to make. Thanks for coming in."
On the way down the hall, she realized, I did just what I didn't want to do. The thumb drive only made things worse. Now Janis has enough proof to arrest Raleigh for Robert's death.
CHAPTER THIRTY
The next morning Olivia stood at the sink. She reached over to open the window and inhaled deeply. A recent rain had brought out the fresh scent of pine and earth. Holding two mugs full of coffee, she walked to sit across from Michael at the kitchen table.
"I'm mad at you," she said as calmly as she could.
His head rocked back, his forehead wrinkled. "What did I do?"
"You made Janis fire me at the constabulary," she said.
"I did not," he retorted. "Did nothing of the kind. I may have mentioned how nervous it made me when you went undercover that time, but I never suggested she fire you."
Olivia leaned forward. "And you didn't consider that Janis would just as soon fire me rather than upset you?"
Michael shook his head back and forth. "Did she tell you that?"
"In so many words," Olivia mumbled.
Michael reached across the table for her hand. "Okay, I'm going to explain myself. You have no idea how nervous you make me when you turn all amateur sleuth. The last time, I admit, I started acting like some kind of overprotective boyfriend, which may have caused Jets to get tense. Considering she's already one trip wire away from an explosion on the best of days, I see why she fired you. Janis is nervous for your safety. She doesn't want to admit her feelings, so she used me as an excuse."
Olivia's eyes widened.
Michael continued in a softer voice, "You may not realize, but that's what love looks like. People get concerned and sometimes step into your business. It's not easy loving someone who's putting herself in danger all the time."
"I never thought about it like that, you know, from your perspective." Olivia paused to take in his admission.
I feel overprotective about Raleigh. It's not that different. No one thinks about how it would be to be a they/them. How you probably wake up every morning wondering who you're going to be that day. How other people look at you as if you don't belong. And how your family might think you're just a big inconvenience.
"So I'm sorry if I had anything to do with you losing your job at the constabulary. I'll talk to Janis." Michael still held her hand.
"Janis told me that I'm the problem, not the constabulary. I'm in just as deep at Hello Age. I think I'm a common denominator for trouble."
Michael's eyebrows raised. "I don't want to believe that. But I must admit you've caused me a certain number of sleepless nights since we met, so maybe you have a point."
"I do," she said.
"But think on the bright side. If you didn't care so much about people, investigating every emotion and perspective, Jets would have to solve her own crimes."
"Which brings up my next point," Olivia said. "I need to tell you all about the missing will and the thumb drive."
Michael stopped smiling. He patted her hand. "I need more coffee." He took a long sip from his mug.
Olivia stood up to grab the coffeepot. She refilled his mug and then hers.
"Remember good ol’ Flex Million?" she began.
At noon, three rapid knocks came from her closed office door. I wonder who that is?
"Door's unlocked," she called out.
To her surprise, Janis Jets stuck her head inside. "Got a minute?" she asked crisply.
"Perfect timing." She shut down the computer. "It's my lunch break. Do you need privacy or can we walk around?"
"We can walk and talk." Looking all business, Jets wore her navy blazer over a white button-down shirt. The blazer grazed the khaki slacks below the belt.
"I see you have your weapon." Olivia pointed to the slight bulge near Janis's right hip.
"I used to think these old people were benign, but now I'm thinking they are as nefarious as anyone else. So in answer to your question, I'm packing heat."
Olivia laughed. "That may be the first time I've ever heard that expression in real life, not from TV or a movie character."
Jets ducked her chin in embarrassment. "You got me. I've been watching old Humphrey Bogart movies on Netflix. I may have picked up some of the lingo."
"Oh, the lingo." Olivia kept her face straight. "Makes sense."
"Not like you have any room to talk," Jets said, opening the door for Olivia. "Your whole life is one Nancy Drew adventure with an unending series of dead bodies and eavesdropping."
"You know that Nancy often packed heat?"
Jets looked surprised. "I had no idea. You've actually read those old books?"
"I read them all when I was a kid." And I read them now when no one is looking.
"That explains everything. Stories have a huge impact on how we look at things."
"Look at you, going all psychological," laughed Olivia. She closed the door behind them.
Standing in the hallway outside her office, Olivia nodded toward the back exit. "Is there anywhere in particular you'd like to go? I have half an hour for lunch. Please say you brought me a sandwich."
"I didn't bring your lunch. I'm a cop, not a fairy frickin’ godmother."
"Okay then, no lunch." Olivia shrugged. "I assume you came to have a look at Flex's office and the storage area?"
"You assume correctly. Plus one more thing. I want to know more about the guy who died a couple of days ago."
"Would that be Thorgood Adams?"
Jets nodded. "Not a name you'd forget."
"I'm still inputting his paperwork," Olivia said.
"And that would be protected by HIPPA?" Jets said.
"It would."
"I don't suppose you'd break the law again…"
"I never make decisions on an empty stomach." Olivia patted her middle.
"You only break the law when it suits you, is that it?"
"Stop complaining. You got Mr. Ulrich's paperwork hand-delivered." Olivia pushed open the door that led outside. And the thumb drive that you kept. "If we walk out this exit, we can head toward the parking lot to have a look at Flex's office. He'd be back from the daily bus trip by now, probably having lunch with his ladies."
"I can wait for a few minutes," Janis said, her eyebrows raising. "Any chance you've seen Raleigh Ulrich today?"
"Like I'd tell you!" Olivia protested.
"So as a warning, I called Raleigh's parents last night to let them know that I wanted to talk to them again."
"Raleigh's nearly twenty-one and considered an adult. Why call his parents?"
"Since Sasha and Robert Jr. are the next of kin in my investigation, it would be wrong not to let them know." Jets turned her inscrutable face toward Olivia. "Plus if they know I'm still on the case, then they may trip up under the pressure."
Olivia's stomach churned. Is Janis distracting me while one of her cops is searching for Raleigh?
Olivia stopped to catch her breath at the top of the incline. "There's the building." She pointed toward the woods.
"Looks like an old barn," Jets observed. "So why don't we pay Flex Million a visit? I bet he's back from lunch."
"Sounds good to me. I'm happy you have a weapon. He gives me the creeps, especially when I'm alone with him."
"Yet you keep breaking into his office," Jets commented. "No wonder Michael's always worried about you."
"And he says you're also worried," Olivia replied. "I talked to him this morning."
"What? Give me a break! My biggest worry is how you obstruct my investigations."
They arrived at the front of the building. The door had been flung wide open.
"Anyone here?" called Janis from outside.
Flex appeared in the doorway. Ignoring Olivia, he looked at Janis, a sheepish grin coming over his lips. "How can I help you, Officer?"
"I'm looking for Raleigh Ulrich."
Instead of answering her question, he pointed at Olivia. "Why is she here?"
"Don't change the subject. Have you seen Raleigh Ulrich?" Jets pushed.
Flex shrugged. "I see the kid around. Come on in, I know you want to look around for yourself." Flex stood aside as Janis then Olivia walked through the doorway.
To Olivia's surprise Sasha Ulrich stood in the middle of the room, wearing tight black jeans and a white cowl-necked sweater. Sunglasses were perched on her head.
Janis spoke first. "Mrs. Ulrich. Looks like you came right over after our phone call. Seen Raleigh anywhere?"
Sasha's cold stare took in Olivia, then returned to Janis. "I was here to ask Flex the same question. He always knows where people can be found at Hello Age."
"But I haven't seen Raleigh," Flex insisted.
Jets rocked back on her heels. "So no one has seen Raleigh." She glared at Flex. "At least no one who cares to admit to seeing them."
