by Ann Simas
Police had evacuated the remaining three buildings and SWAT had been called in, as well as the bomb squad. The arsonists were reported to have hand guns and explosive devices. That from police snipers on the rooftops who had a clear sight line into the community center.
The commentator also made note of the toll the Norovirus had taken on both the police and fire departments, which had necessitated requesting backup for both from nearby communities and other law enforcement agencies.
Andi looked at Father Riley. Father Riley looked at Andi and switched off the radio. “Time for a prayer or two,” he said. He sat back down and they both bowed their heads, hands folded, and talked to God.
After a while, Andi sat back in her chair.
Riley went to the sink and returned with two glasses of water. “Don’t ask me why, but drinking water has a calming effect on people.”
“Thank you.” She reached for hers with a shaky hand. “This is some serious business.”
“What’s going on with Sherry’s death investigation?”
Nice diversion, Andi thought gratefully. “Jack said I can tell you, but he asked us both not to discuss it with Phil.”
Father Riley nodded.
She explained about the missing samples first. “The results of the tox screen came back as mercury poisoning. Sherry is still insisting it has to do with her teeth. Vaughn mentioned today that she seemed to have a lot of trouble with the dental work she was having done. Her parents told me the same thing, when I talked to them.” She explained about how Sherry had been injured with the golf club and repeated the tidbit the Spences had given her about their daughter’s dentist being infatuated with Vaughn.
“Vaughn said that in addition to some crowns, the dentist told Sherry she had two cavities and needed some fillings. I did some research on the Internet and discovered that mercury is part of the amalgam concoction that makes up dental fillings.”
“You’re kidding?”
“Nope. There’s a lot of hullabaloo about using mercury for fillings because it can seep out when you chew.”
The priest blinked at her. “How do you know a word like hullabaloo? You’re too young.”
Andi shrugged. “I got it from my mom. Her vocabulary is extensive, believe me. She is a voracious reader and she writes articles for the Historical Society magazine on a regular basis.”
She pulled a packet of folded papers from inside her purse. “I found this information on dozens of sites on the ’net, including the Centers for Disease Control. Dental amalgam is approximately fifty percent metallic mercury, but also contains silver, tin, copper, and zinc. It’s soft when applied and takes about thirty minutes to harden.”
She perused the sheets for a moment, then began to read. “This is from the CDC. ‘Once the amalgam is hard, the mercury is bound within the amalgam, but very small amounts are slowly released from the surface of the filling due to corrosion or chewing or grinding motions. Part of the mercury at the surface of the filling may enter the air as mercury vapor or be dissolved in the saliva.’”
Andi looked up at the priest, who was wiggling his jaw back and forth. “You have fillings?” she asked.
“Yes, and I’m going to call my dentist on Monday to see about having them replaced. Imagine, fifty percent mercury!”
“The article goes on to say that the extent of ill effects depends on how many fillings, the overall condition of the person’s mouth, and so forth.”
Father Riley put his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “Andi, are you saying that you think Sherry’s dentist poisoned her with mercury?”
Andi put down the sheaf of papers on the table. “It makes sense. Sherry, from the start, has been saying the answer is in her teeth. We know that nothing organic remains in the teeth after cremation, but we’re talking metals here. Mercury is a metal. What if there’s some left in the cremation remains?”
Father Riley shook his head as if dazed. “Is it possible?”
Andi shrugged. “I don’t know. I found one website that said mercury vaporizes during cremation, but I found another one that said if biocremation is used, mercury from dental amalgam is contained and recycled. Does Phil use the biocremation process?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t mention it.”
Andi frowned. “I think he would have mentioned it, don’t you?”
“Probably. Maybe.” He shrugged. “Honestly, I just don’t know. If Jack doesn’t want us talking to him about this, we can’t ask.”
“True. I’m meeting with my dentist later this afternoon. I’m going to ask him some questions.”
It was the priest’s turn to frown. “Be careful, Andi. You don’t want to impair Jack’s investigation in any way or cause trouble for him.”
“I know and I won’t.”
“How will you explain your interest in this decidedly odd topic?”
“I don’t know yet. Any suggestions?”
Father Riley narrowed his eyes and puckered his lips, thinking. “Your mother’s a writer, you say?”
Andi nodded. “She likes doing historical research, then she writes articles about her findings.”
“Hmmm. Why don’t you say your mother is thinking about writing a mystery and you’re trying to come up with a plot to commit murder that she might be able to use.”
She thought about it for a minute. “That might work. The only problem is that Mike is my brother’s best friend, and he might mention it to Dell, and Dell might ask Mom about it.”
“That’s a lot of mights.”
“I know,” Andi admitted glumly.
“Might want to ask your dentist friend Mike not to mention it to anyone just yet, including your brother, as your mom is wanting to keep this to herself until she gets it all worked out.”
Andi liked the devious way his mind worked, but she had a small problem with it. “I’d be lying.”
Father Riley leaned back in his chair, rubbing his jaw with his big bear-paw hand. “I’ve been thinking about writing a mystery myself,” he said. “If Andrew Greeley can do it, I can do it.”
“I could substitute ‘a friend’ for ‘mom,’” Andi said, “and maybe insert the word ‘hypothetical’ into the conversation somehow. That wouldn’t be lying, would it?”
“There you go!” Father Riley said. “Problem solved.”
CHAPTER 15
After she left Father Riley, Andi took a chance and drove by the Spence house. From the street, and through the screen door, she could tell the front door was open.
She had haphazardly devised an excuse for the visit. Now if she could pull it off without arousing their suspicions.
Sally and Eddie greeted her warmly and insisted on serving her a nice cup of hot chocolate.
“It was so thoughtful of you to stop by to see Vaughn and the children,” Sally said.
“Our son-in-law is hurting something awful,” Eddie added.
Andi saw her opening and took it. “That’s why I stopped by,” Andi said. “I was wondering if you think there’s anything I can do to help out in some way.”
“That’s kind of you, Andi,” Sally said, giving her hand an affectionate squeeze. “Dotty is recovering from the flu, but swears she’ll be in tiptop shape by Monday. Eddie and I are taking the children tomorrow. We thought we’d drive up to the Portland zoo, give Vaughn some time alone, maybe catch his breath. He’s trying so hard, but he has a lot to learn.”
Andi nodded. “Please think about what I can do, will you? I regret so much that I didn’t reconnect with Sherry when she moved back to town. I wish I’d known….” Her throat clogged and her eyes burned.
“Don’t, Andi,” Eddie said gently. “They hadn’t been back all that long and things were always hopping over there, what with Sherry going back and forth to Bellevue. She mentioned to us not too long ago that she was going to look you up.”
Andi used a napkin to wipe her eyes. “Vaughn said she had a lot of trouble with her dental work and was in a lot of pain. Do you think the
re was some connection?”
“It doesn’t seem likely, but who knows?” Sally said. “When Sherry began to complain about the pain, Dawna told her she should take a long soak every night with scented candles burning and some scented bath gel, and when she washed her hair, Dawna suggested she use this special cleansing gel. Said it was an entire….” She looked at her husband, her eyebrows dipped in puzzlement.
“Metaphysical experience,” he supplied.
“Right. Metaphysical experience.”
“Like aromatherapy?” Andi asked.
Sally nodded. “Sherry said that was another way Dawna described it.”
“What kind of pain did Sherry have?”
“Dawna told her it was probably fibromyalgia. I have a friend who has it. Lots of achiness, lethargy, headaches. Sherry definitely had those kinds of symptoms.”
“So, did she try any of Dawna’s suggestions?”
“Dawna sent her home with a huge basket full of all kinds of candles and hair and bath products. Sherry tried them, but she didn’t see that any of it helped. Dawna encouraged her not to give up yet. Said it had taken her a couple of months to experience both stress and pain relief when she started using all that stuff.”
“Voodoo mumbo-jumbo.” Edgar grunted. “The woman doesn’t know beans about pain or stress management and she’s a rotten dentist, too. Sherry had nothing but problems with her fillings and the crowns she put on. I certainly wouldn’t recommend her after what our daughter went through.”
It has to do with my teeth, Andi. “Like what, specifically?”
Sally said, “Constant pain, couldn’t bite down on the right side of her mouth without a lightning bolt shooting up her jaw, bleeding gums. After the trouble with the fillings, I don’t know why Sherry went back there and let that woman put the crowns in her mouth.”
“Our girl didn’t want to insult Dawna, wanted to let that woman finish what she started,” Edgar said with a catch in his voice. “The dentist insisted the pain in her mouth would go away with time and regular brushings with fluoride paste.”
“Why fluoride?”
“Apparently, when they grind a tooth down to make way for a crown, sometimes the grinding removes too much porcelain and it takes a while for what’s left of the tooth underneath to recover. The fluoride paste helps with the rebuilding process.”
“Do you think Sherry’s headaches were related to the dental work?” Andi asked.
Sally and Edgar looked at each other, then at Andi. “I don’t know,” Sally said. “Do you think we should tell the medical examiner about all this?”
“It couldn’t hurt,” Andi replied, wondering if Jack would consider this little Q&A interference.
. . .
Satisfied with the way her day had gone so far, Andi beelined for home. She didn’t like to go empty-handed for a dinner invite and she made a mean oatmeal-raisin-coconut cookie. It would be a perfect dessert after pizza.
While the cookies baked, she turned on the news radio station to get an update on the arson/hostage situation. She glanced at the clock. Apparently, it was nonstop coverage at this point, because it was fifteen minutes before the local news hour. According to the reporter, it was still a standoff between the arsonists and the police.
Andi left the radio on and booted up her laptop. She opened her word processing program and at the top of a new document, typed in SHERRY: QUESTIONS.
And then she began to make her list.
Does Chapel of the Garden use biocremation?
Any metals found in Sherry’s remains?
Have police talked to Dawna Stimack yet? Can they go in with a search warrant right off the bat, so she doesn’t have time to hide anything if they find her comments incriminating?
Does Stimack have any kind of record, either criminal or of mental health issues?
Can anyone outside the Hemmer and Spence family corroborate that Dawna had the hots for Vaughn?
What dental work, exactly, was done on Sherry?
How would Dawna introduce mercury into the dental work, other than the amalgam, with a dental assistant in the room?
Sherry had been back in Edgerton for only six months—can previous dental records verify if cavities?
Would Vaughn voluntarily hand over fluoride toothpaste to Jack?
Have police talked to the people in Bellevue?
What about Sherry’s doctor in Edgerton?
Re: mercury poisoning—can the lab tests prove how it was introduced into the system?
Andi would have gone on, but her oven announced the last batch of cookies was done. She had to bag up the cool ones and hit the road. She was due at Mike’s in ten minutes.
On the way, she switched from XM over to local news. The fire at the apartment complex was finally under control, but two firefighters had been injured, along with a police officer who had assisted in retrieving someone’s pet. Andi sent a prayer skyward, not only for her brother and Jack’s safety, but for all the public safety personnel on scene.
A few minutes later, ensconced in his library/office, Mike didn’t find anything unusual about Andi’s story that she was asking some questions for her friend the priest who was thinking about becoming the next Andrew Greeley.
“Just be sure he spells my name right in the Acknowledgments section,” Mike joked, making Andi laugh.
And she was off. She had made a separate list of questions concerning dental work, mercury used in amalgam, and how else mercury could be introduced into the dental process.
“Your friend has quite the imagination,” Mike said as they neared the end of the hour.
Andi raised her eyebrows in what she hoped was a noncommittal response.
“The only problem with his plot line,” Mike went on, “is that we have dental assistants. How would your dentist do all these dastardly deeds with an assistant looking on?”
Andi was so startled that Mike had asked Question #7 from the list she was building on her laptop that she almost gasped. She recovered quickly and said, “He and I discussed that. What would you suggest?”
Mike leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head. “That’s a tough one. Basically, the assistant never leaves the dentist alone in the room. We’re working on the teeth, the assistant is rinsing, vacuuming, handing over implements. You know the drill.”
“I’ll pardon your pun,” she said, and he laughed, “but I never want to come back to your chair and hear that drilling sound again!”
“How will I build my retirement account?” he asked in jest.
“Don’t take any more candy trade-ins after Halloween?” she suggested.
Mike laughed again. “Good one! You know, I can think of a couple of instances when my assistant has had to leave the room. Usually, it’s to get a replacement instrument for one that fell on the floor, or to go get an X-ray, something like that. Only takes a few seconds, no more than a minute.”
All Andi could think to say was, “Hmm.”
“Sometimes I get up and leave the room to check on a patient in an adjoining room, depending on where I am in the procedure.”
“For instance?”
He thought a moment. “Some patients need more anesthetic than others. I walk away while I’m waiting for an additional shot to take affect.”
Andi hadn’t considered the possibility that Sherry’s dentist might have slipped away to grab something illicit. She bit her lip, thinking about it. “I guess he’s really going to have to get creative.”
“Pretty much. Hey, I just remembered the time my DA had to leave the room to use the bathroom. That took longer than a minute that time.”
Andi jotted down a note.
“Hey, you guys—ready for some pizza?” Dina called from the doorway.
“I’m starved!” Mike declared. “Let’s eat.”
“Thanks for the info,” Andi said. “My friend and I both appreciate it.”
“I can give you the name of a forensic dentist, if that will help,” Mike said.
“Not exactly, but someone who knows a lot more than I do about how dental work might be affected, in relation to crimes.”
“Good to know,” Andi said. “I’ll keep that in mind. Anybody local?”
Mike opened his mouth, but hesitated. “I know of one local who has been consulted, but she’s not certified or world-renowned or anything like that. She just likes to assist in criminal investigations, when she can, by matching up dental remains with X-rays.”
A shiver of both dread and excitement shimmered up Andi’s spine. “That wouldn’t be Dawna Stimack, would it?”
“Hey! How did you know?”
Andi gave him a weak smile. “A little spirit told me,” she said.
“Ha, ha,” Mike replied with a grin. “A smart ass, just like your bro.”
If only you knew, Andi thought.
. . .
Stuffed with pizza and cookies, Andi changed into her PJs as soon as she got home. With the music set on easy listening and the lights off with the exception of the one over the kitchen sink, so she could get something to drink without breaking a toe or running into a wall, she settled down with her laptop and got back to researching.
Without the slightest hesitation, she typed Dawna Stimack’s name into the search engine. Over a thousand hits came up. She bypassed those that offered, for a fee, a thorough background investigation, business rating, or the like, and focused on articles that connected the woman with law enforcement in any way.
A two-year-old article from the local paper included a photograph that showed Dawna had only gotten prettier with age. The feature article reported, a year after the fact, that Dawna had assisted in identifying human dental remains, which had been found on a farm near the south county line. The “farmer” had picked up mostly prostitutes and hitchhikers along the way to wherever and enticed them to his farm, where he’d butchered and fed them to his hogs. The farmer had only been found out because one of his victims had escaped and stumbled upon a sheriff’s deputy patroling a rural road after dark.