by Angela Ford
She learned to move her mind to that safety place, where she felt no pain but the fear remained. His grip on her that night had scared her. He’d twisted his shoulder into her throat. She couldn’t catch a breath. She felt herself turn blue. A quick thrust of her knee stunned him long enough to run from him. He’d grabbed the back of her shirt and yanked her from the top of the stairs, but then he paused and laughed. She remembered his exact words. “You’re not worth it.” Forcefully, he shoved her toward the staircase. Luckily, Basia reached for the bannister and her hold prevented her fall. Her life flashed before her as she ran down the stairs. By the time she made it to the bottom, her decision had been made. It was time to leave Darek Bernard.
The next morning, he knocked on the bedroom door. It startled her. She found it difficult to open her eyes. They felt swollen and sore. She’d cried herself to sleep.
“Basia, may I come in please?”
His voice had calmed from the night before. It sounded more like the voice of the man she’d fallen in love with. She got out of bed and whimpered. A slight cramp in her leg caused her leg to buckle when she tried to walk. It reminded her of the night before and his knee pressed deeply into her thigh. She lifted her skirt and discovered her bruised thigh. She hadn’t even changed. She’d slept in her clothes. Pain struck her in the face. Then she remembered his nose had rubbed against her cheekbone. She stopped to look in the mirror. It frightened her to see the mark on her face. He’d rubbed so hard, her skin appeared to have a carpet-burn-like scrape. Her skin appeared raw from his action. She felt the burn when she slightly touched it. The thought that her husband had abused her, horrified her. Her body trembled. She wondered if it would be safe to unlock the door. She reached for her gun and switched the safety release.
He stood with an offer of a single red rose that he held in his hand.
“Whoa! No need for the gun, Basia. I come in peace, with an apology.”
His lips moved but she heard only the sound of his voice. She didn’t care for an apology. She’d wished it had been a nightmare and the man she loved was back. But he wasn’t, his eyes told her he wasn’t sorry. She looked at him and saw a man she didn’t know. A man who wanted to control her, not love her. Part of her wanted to pack a bag and leave, but this was her house. She’d grown up in it. It was also his. His behavior and control cried out she wasn’t as safe with him as she’d once thought. She needed to figure out how to get him out without losing everything her parents had worked for. Until she could figure out a plan, she decided to play along with his rehearsed apology.
She lowered the gun and took the rose.
“Come near me again, like last night, and I will use the gun.”
Basia said no more and walked into her bathroom and slammed the door shut. He may think he’s won, she thought, but it was exactly what she wanted him to think.
Chapter Eight
Riley arrived at the precinct but Basia wasn’t there. He knew he couldn’t hold her in his arms or sneak a kiss by the coffeepot, but he’d hoped she’d be there. Riley shrugged his thoughts and chuckled within. Flashbacks of her, naked in his bed, crossed his mind before he heard Kennedy’s voice.
“Morning, Briggs”
Riley turned with the coffeepot in his hand and nodded to Kennedy. He raised the pot to motion to Kennedy if he wanted a cup. Kennedy nodded. Riley missed the street action. The cold cases of missing persons had made him the office coffee maker. This wasn’t how he wanted to spend his days. At least the case he’d reopened the day before intrigued him. There appeared to be further digging involved and that he was thankful for. He needed to know more about the O’Donnell brothers; more so, the man he shot and what happened to his girlfriend.
Kennedy interrupted Riley about mid-morning. “More coffee, Briggs?”
“Perfect timing, Kennedy; let’s grab a coffee near that rundown brownstone?”
Riley raised an eyebrow.
“You still stuck on that brownstone?”
Riley ignored Kennedy’s question. He wasn’t stuck on anything, he trusted his gut. His gut had led him to more leads.
“Beth’s place of employment, and the last place she’d been seen, is a little diner around the corner from the brownstone. The report states she went home sick early that day.”
Riley grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair.
“Lots of people leave their jobs early when they’re sick,” Kennedy added. Riley shook his head. This idiot really needs to get out of this office more.
“I’ll fill you in later. I think I might know what made her sick, but first I want to verify a few things at the diner.”
He passed by Kennedy, who now appeared intrigued. Riley had done some research on poisons. He’d remembered Adam’s book title and researched symptoms associated with poisons. Riley wondered if Adam Crawford was doing more than collecting rent and writing about the perfect poison. The recent deaths at the brownstone were reported as natural causes, but their symptoms could have been related to being poisoned. The mention of Beth being sick made him wonder if she’d had the same symptoms as the other dead tenants, but without a body it couldn’t be determined.
The diner was about as rundown as the brownstone.
“Definitely wouldn’t eat in here. It’s probably why Beth went home sick,” Kennedy announced after they entered the diner, and then added, “Do you think the coffee is safe?”
Riley gave him a pissed-off look. “Just take a seat and drink it.”
A waitress passed and Riley ordered two coffees. She returned with the coffeepot in one hand and two mugs in the other. Riley flashed the picture of Beth. “Do you know this woman?”
“I just started here last week. She doesn’t look familiar.”
“Is the owner or manager here? Or someone who’s worked here longer than you?” Riley questioned. The young girl looked alarmed. Riley apologized and flashed his badge.
“I’m sorry. I’m Detective Briggs and this is Detective Kennedy. We’re following up on a missing person’s report of this woman. She worked here.”
The young waitress looked relieved but uninterested. “The owner isn’t here right now. You’d have to check with him. But he hasn’t been here long. He just bought the place.”
“When did this happen?” Riley asked.
“Two weeks ago, I think.”
“All new hires? Or is there anyone here that worked for the old owner?” Kennedy added in.
Riley was impressed Kennedy began to pick up on the little things. Riley told him the day before that the little things always mattered and could take you to new leads. He felt like he’d been Kennedy’s teacher the past couple of days.
“We’re all new hires. Lucky for me, I heard the girls that were with the previous owner had been here a very long time.”
The waitress excused herself when she heard a customer call out for a refill.
“Interesting.” Riley looked at Kennedy. He wondered why someone would buy this shit hole and not keep waitresses that worked here so long and knew the customers.
“Let’s come back tomorrow and talk to the new owner. I want to run a report to find out who the old owner was and where to find him or her.”
“Do you think she’s dead?” Kennedy asked after they got in the car.
“Beth?” Riley asked and Kennedy nodded.
“I think she’s been dead since that night. It would be better if we had a body, then we could check her blood for poison. If she had it in her blood...”
“What poison?” Kennedy stopped him mid-sentence.
“I thought Beth might have been sick that day from insecticide poisoning. Since Adam seems to have a supply and a pump. In my research, I found a poison that can make it look like someone had a heart attack or respiratory failure. The other two deaths were reported with those symptoms. This thallium poison is colorless, odorless, and can be easily put in a drink, food, or maybe even a syringe with your choice of drug. It makes you sick, like the flu, and then cause
s respiratory failure and heart failure.”
“Wouldn’t they have found that in an autopsy?”
Kennedy’s cockiness was quickly knocked down a notch with Riley’s answer.
“It’s usually not found in the first run of blood tests; another reason for it being the perfect poison.”
“Think they could trace it after this long?”
“Not sure. They seem to be able to trace anything these days. As long as you know what you’re looking for.”
“Wait a minute, isn’t that Adam’s book title; something about the perfect poison.”
Riley laughed, as the light bulb seemed to shine above Kennedy’s head. “Yes, Kennedy; the reason I researched it.”
“Clever. Where are we headed now?”
Kennedy’s grin told Riley the young detective was beginning to get excited to work a case.
“I put in a call to a friend at the medical examiner’s office and asked if we could stop by. I want confirmation about this poison, and its effects, from an expert in the field. We need to find out if it was the murder weapon, and if these murders are connected. Something doesn’t sit right with me.”
Kennedy followed Riley inside the city morgue as he called out to a woman.
“Lynette?”
Kennedy shivered. “Always so cold in here?”
Riley laughed at the remark, “Haven’t you been in a morgue before?”
Kennedy nodded. “Not usually a place of choice. Deskman, remember?”
Riley then explained to him that the area must be kept at a temperature near forty degrees Fahrenheit. He led Kennedy past the refrigerated section that consists of individual drawers. “The drawers are where they keep the bodies,” Riley laughed.
“Smartass,” Kennedy nudged Riley with his shoulder. The two were still laughing when Lynette walked out of the autopsy room. Kennedy peeked through the doors at the stainless steel operating table and the body on it. His eyes travelled to the scale hanging above the table.
“Are those body parts in the scale?”
Riley cleared his throat and smiled at Lynette. “Sorry, he doesn’t get out much.”
“Riley Briggs, you never called me.” The beautiful brunette in scrubs and a white lab coat questioned Riley.
“Hi, Lynette, I got shot,” Riley answered her with such few words and no emotion.
“I heard. I figured New York’s confirmed bachelor hadn’t run off and gotten married,” she laughed and quickly changed the subject. She didn’t seem affected by his not calling her. He’d always made it quite clear of his confirmed bachelor—no strings attached status. Lynette had agreed that night he took her home, and when he woke the next morning, she’d already left. Riley introduced Kennedy.
“It’s nice to meet you, Detective Kennedy.”
Lynette cured Kennedy’s curiosity.
“Yes, in answer to your question earlier. Those are body parts in the scales.”
She laughed and then explained they’re used to weigh body parts as part of their investigation.
Kennedy raised an eyebrow. “And the saw?”
“The Striker saw is used for ripping bone.”
Kennedy shivered and everyone laughed. Lynnette winked at Riley. “Think I’ve given him enough information, or should I keep going?”
“No, thanks, I’ve heard enough,” Kennedy answered without hesitation.
She put on her glasses and sat at her desk. “You mentioned you wanted to know more about poisoning from insecticides.” She opened a file on her computer and began to read.
“Pyrethrin is one of two liquid esters derived from pyrethrum that are used as insecticides. Pyrethrum is related to kerosene. These are usually derived from chrysanthemum flowers.”
“My wife loves those flowers,” Kennedy spoke up, and Riley gave him the look to shut up. Kennedy shrugged. Lynette continued to explain what that meant.
“The fact that they are derived from plants causes some people to think, and a point played by companies using this toxin in their products, that they are safe. Lots of plants are toxic, some in small quantities, others in large. Just because it comes from something lush and ornamental does not mean it can’t be lethal. Like oleander, azalea, mistletoe, and foxglove; those are just a few of the pretty, yet highly toxic, plants.”
“So what you are telling me is that a large dose could kill someone?”
Briggs needed a simple yes or no. He wasn’t as interested in its origin or how pretty it could appear.
“Permethrin is a synthetic Pyrethrin. In other words, it is a man-made poison that is a copy of two poisons found in plants. Yes, Riley, a lethal dose could kill someone.”
Lynette removed her glasses and turned to look up at Riley.
“And these are commonly found in the home in insecticides?” He wanted to know how easily accessible the poison could be.
“An increasing number of insects have developed high levels of resistance to pyrethroids, such as cockroaches, head lice, and tobacco budworms. Many of these species are resistant to more than one pyrethroid. Because insects reproduce, and adapt, far more quickly than do vertebrates; they are far better able to evolve defenses against the toxins we throw at them, resulting in an ever-expanding range of poisons developed and thrown into our environment.”
“What’s pyrethroid?”
“While pyrethroids may be amongst the least toxic of insecticides, they are an excitatory nerve poison, acting upon the sodium ion channels in nerve cell membranes. Poisoning from pyrethrins is often mild and only symptomatic treatment is required. Severe poisonings may present with numbness of lips and tongue with nausea and vomiting, sneezing, and diarrhea, followed by: headache, restlessness, tinnitus, incoordination, convulsions, and eventually death due to respiratory paralysis. So yeah, it could kill you with a large enough dose.”
“Large enough dose fit in a syringe?” Riley asked.
Lynette nodded. “Liquid Pyrethrin is used for fogging and spraying. It can be used alone in a fogger, mister, or pump sprayer, so it could also be put into a syringe.
“Pump sprayer?”
Riley, remembered the pump sprayer in the basement at the brownstone.
“Didn’t Adam have one of those in his basement?”
Kennedy nodded. “They’d probably been spraying that shit for years. I’d put money on it. That place must be infested with cockroaches.”
For certain, Riley figured Adam didn’t like his tenants, their complaints, and definitely the drugs. Riley remembered Adam was the one who called in all the domestic disputes. Maybe he was trying to evict them. Maybe he’d found a way. Then Riley remembered Adam’s book The Perfect Poison was the reason he’d begun this research.
Lynette printed some information and then handed it toRiley.
“Permethrin or extract Pyrethrin is used; it is also an ingredient in other products and given a unique name. Here’s a list of some of the names you may see included on such products.”
“Wouldn’t I just look for cans that would say rat poison or kills cockroaches?”
Riley’s expertise was drugs not poisons. She laughed.
“It’s not that easy anymore. Rat poisons have been banned since the seventies. In order to have access, know what poison to use, and how much to use to kill someone; I’d suggest you look for suspects in the field of chemistry or forensics.”
Riley thanked Lynette for her time and help. From what he’d researched earlier, thallium seemed to come up in a few places as the perfect poison. With Adam as a possible suspect, he’d wanted to know more about insecticide poison. He figured that may be more in Adam’s reach than thallium. A body would definitely help determine if and what poison.
Lynette flirted with him again, as she had when he first arrived. “You know you can always call for a second night. No strings attached.”
He smiled and left without a comment.
“A ladies man? Many torn hearts?” Kennedy chuckled as they walked back to the car.
�
�Confirmed bachelor. Always honest about that.” Riley’s tone screamed he had a big ego.
“You and I are so different. I love my wife, my kids, and my desk job,” Kennedy announced proudly.
Riley laughed through his comeback. “We most definitely are. But I like your way of thinking, Kennedy. I think we can piece this all together and solve this case. I still believe they’re connected.”
Chapter Nine
Riley sat down on the same barstool he did two nights before. He’d found this bar while recovering from his gunshot wound. He didn’t want to go to the usual haunt filled with cops. During his recovery, he didn’t feel like a cop. He just wanted to be alone in a place where no one knew him, or more so, knew what happened. The doctor and his lieutenant were right. He didn’t want to talk about Steve Mason. He just wanted to forget about the shooting that took his partner’s life. A few drinks, in his mind, were the best remedy to help him forget. He’d been luckier than his partner that night. His partner had been his shield. The bullet went through his partner and hit him.
Riley played the night over and over in his head. If he’d went first, instead of Steve, then he’d be dead and Steve would be at this bar playing the night over in his head. They’d met at the academy and lucked out as partners and then were invited to the elite drug operations task force. Riley had known him for ten years. Riley picked up his scotch and downed it. It had been a long day. The case of Beth and the brownstone had reignited his investigative mind, but at the same time it brought back that night. He set the empty glass down on the bar and motioned the bartender for a refill when he heard her voice.
“Make that two”