“Murdered?” Marla asked, not tracking.
“Poisoned,” Chief Goodhue replied.
“Poisoned? Are you sure?”
“Not a hundred percent. We’re waiting for the autopsy and toxicology report to come back, but it looks like that. Most likely from arsenic. Skin jaundiced as well as the sclera of the eyes; signs of foam at the mouth, although mostly dried up, meaning she’d been dead for some time. I’ll spare you the rest of the unpleasant details, but there were no other signs of physical attack.
“Her assistant, a guy named Tanner Oliver, found her midday yesterday. She didn’t come in to work. She ran Essy, a public relations firm in St. Paul. The official name is Springboard Concepts, a mouthful. So that’s been abbreviated to SC and spelled out as Essy. According to Oliver, it was a rare day when she didn’t beat everyone else to work. He got worried when she didn’t show up by eleven. She had a client meeting scheduled for noon.”
“I’m sorry to hear of her death, but what does it have to do with me?” she asked.
He straightened in his seat before replying. “You may have been one of the last people to see her alive. I heard you were in charge of handing out water to the players.”
She jerked forward. “Omigod! You don’t think I had something to do with poisoning her?”
He shook his head. “No. At least not until we know more. But no one on her team seems to have seen her since the last game was over. She apparently just disappeared.”
Marla made herself stop and go through Saturday’s events in her head. “I only spoke with her when I arrived. That was maybe all of a minute. Unlike the rest of the team, she didn’t approach me the rest of the time for water or any other reasons. She was too busy directing traffic on the court.”
He eyed her. “Were you expressing your opinion of her in that last comment?”
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I only met her that morning.”
“But you didn’t like her?”
“Not really, but not enough to poison her! Just enough to stay out of her way as much as I could.”
He sat back, relaxed his shoulders. “I thought that was about what you’d say, but I wanted you to confirm it for me.”
“Does that mean I’m not a suspect?”
“You’re not completely off the hook until we confirm what the poison was and how it was administered, although we suspect it could have been in one of her water bottles. We still haven’t even established the time of death. From what little I know about poisons, some are fast-acting, and some take a while to act. If it was poison, though, we know it was enough of a dose to take her out pretty fast.”
“Have you called in the state people?” she asked. He’d chosen to use the state and the St. Paul authorities to a certain degree with the Elliot murder but mainly for technical support. He’d turned to her and Rex to do the investigating.
“Remains to be seen,” he replied. He paused, not eyeing her.
Surely he wouldn’t ask Rex and her for help again? Especially so soon after the Elliot case. Yes, they’d identified that killer. And in just a few days. But they’d also come face to face with death when they confronted the killer, a situation she wanted to avoid in the future at all costs. She’d never been so scared.
“The state people are already working on the poison angle. But I’m still short-staffed, and the few officers I have are either preparing the initial case reports or wrapping up the details from the Elliot case. If we can completely clear you as a suspect, I’d like your help again since you observed her interactions that last day she was known to be alive.”
“Are you serious? Rex and I got lucky with the Elliot case. I have absolutely no investigative training nor has Rex ever been a homicide investigator. Surely the St. Paul or Minneapolis police can deal with this murder?”
His gaze went everywhere in the room except to look at her directly. Before replying, he let out a drawn-out breath. “Yes, they could. But I would prefer this case not get the higher profile it would receive if it were handled by the larger departments.”
“But they have the resources. And their people are experienced,” she replied, not following his line of thought.
“True. But put yourself in my shoes. Our small town that’s never had a homicide has now been confronted with two within weeks of each other. Horrible for the victims, of course, but also an embarrassment for Maple Knolls. What does this say about the safety of our little community to outsiders, to potential home buyers?”
What did it say about him as chief of police? That’s what he was really thinking, although he hadn’t put it in words.
But wouldn’t he protect his reputation more if he handed it off to a group that had the resources? And if they couldn’t solve the murder or if it took forever to solve it, wouldn’t he be able to hide behind them? Keeping the case on his home turf might give him more control, but he’d be leaving himself wide open to criticism if she and Rex couldn’t produce. Not to mention the pressure she and Rex would be facing.
Rex. “Have you spoken to Rex yet?” she asked, hoping her one-time partner would turn him down in no uncertain terms.
“Rex? Yes, I have.”
“And?” She didn’t care for his evasiveness.
“Rex is on board, provided we meet two conditions. We have to clear you from suspicion. That accomplished, which I have no doubt we’ll do, then you have to agree to join him as his partner. And I’ll add a third. We’ll reimburse you for your time. Not the big bucks you’re used to in the entertainment world, but it’s a step toward acknowledging the professional job you’ll be expected to do.”
So much for Rex getting them out of this.
“Besides me, do you have any suspects yet?” she asked.
“From the initial case reports my officers have put together, it would appear anyone on that pickleball team might have killed her. Five people. That’s a lot for you to concentrate on, but that’s another reason why I want you involved. You witnessed them in action.”
“You think one of the people on the team killed her?”
He shrugged. “Maybe. It’s a place to start. If none of them seems likely after we’ve questioned them, perhaps one or more of them can suggest a likely suspect.”
“How do we clear me? I know I didn’t poison her. I didn’t even serve her. But how do I prove that?”
“We ask Rex for help again.”
“Rex? He wasn’t there. I don’t know if he knew her or not.”
“Let’s assume he didn’t. And since he wasn’t there, he can be objective about your part in this.”
Interesting thought. Was she ready to work with Rex again so soon? More to the point, could she work with Rex if he was investigating her?
“I thought the only reason Rex agreed to investigate the Elliot murder with me was that he owed you for something that happened in the past. Why is he willing to sign on again this time?”
“I can’t believe you have to ask,” the chief replied. “You and Rex may have started out as adversaries, but by the time the two of you faced the killer’s gun, you’d become a team. You each respected the other. All Rex had to hear is that you might, might, mind you, be a suspect in this case, and he was ready to volunteer his services to prove your innocence.”
That caught her attention. She and Rex had signed off on the Elliot case on good terms, but she hadn’t seem much of him since then. But according to Goodhue, Rex would consider pairing up again.
“Do I have your permission to tell him to proceed?” Goodhue asked.
“What does he think about my being a suspect?” Learning the answer to that question suddenly became very important.
“Told me I was a fool to think you could ever poison anyone.”
Rex really said that? “Wait, then how can he objectively investigate me if he already thinks I’m innocent?”
“That opinion is just for you and me to know. Rex’s training as a police officer will kick in. He’ll be fair. So fair, you’ll probably wind up hating him before he concludes what your role was in all this. Be prepared. He won’t appear sympathetic because he can’t be. Don’t hold it against him or fight him because of it.”
Former police officer Rex Alcorn was about to investigate her. The idea was so far from the way this day had begun. What if Rex wasn’t convinced of her innocence? That was crazy. She was innocent. That was the bedrock of whatever happened from here on. Goodhue didn’t have any choice but to consider her as a suspect, whether Rex was involved or not.
“Okay. Give him the go-ahead. Do I need to go to your office so it’s official?”
He studied her. “That won’t be necessary.”
“I’m not crazy to have found myself in this position, but having Rex investigate me seems to be the best alternative.”
Rex was at her door within an hour of her giving Goodhue the go-ahead. Though it had only been days since they were last together, seeing him again so soon now was a surprising pleasure. Tiny drops of moisture from a recent shower dotted his short, graying brown hair, and he smelled yummy, like sandalwood, whether it was cologne, aftershave or soap. His gray-blue eyes were even bluer than she remembered thanks to the blue chambray shirt he wore.
“Thought you came to Minnesota to get away from the dramatics,” he said, settling onto the sofa before being told to make himself at home.
“And how are you, too?” she replied. “I had no idea pickleball could draw me into another murder.”
“Your way of telling me you’re innocent?”
“If you want to take it as such. Or you can ask me outright if I killed the woman. The answer would be the same. A resounding no.”
“I’ll get around to that in a bit. First, let’s start with how you wound up handing out water at the game. You never said you were into pickleball.”
“I wasn’t, and from here on, I’m definitely not.” She related how Scottie Richards had begged her to sub for her so she could go see her idol.
“Where was Kitty in all this? Pickleball sounds more like her,” he asked.
“Haven’t you heard? Kitty is now a pie-baking judge.” She filled him in on Kitty’s latest love interest.
He chuckled. “I continue to be amazed at the lengths she’ll go to when it comes to her social life.”
She started to tell him how she’d tried and failed to demonstrate making a pie for Kitty as prep for her new task but cut herself off before she revealed her problems with videocasting. “I never should’ve let Scottie talk me into taking her place until I made her tell me everything that was involved. At the time, it seemed like a no-brainer until I got to wondering about it later.”
“Wondering about what?” he asked. So far, he was letting her take her own time reliving the experience.
“Providing water sounded easy enough, especially since everyone brought their own water container to start with, but was there a special brand I should purchase? How many games did they play? Had I committed myself to a full day of work?”
“Give me a little more detail about the water,” he said.
“What more is there to know about bottled water? Spring water. I was told to bring two large bottles. I took three for good measure, forty-eight ounces each.”
“How did you serve it?”
“I didn’t. Apparently whatever they’d brought in their own bottles was enough for them.”
“You didn’t open any of your bottles?”
“No.”
His interest in the water continued. “Was that typical? No one needed additional water even though you were there with plenty more?”
“I couldn’t say whether that was typical, since it was my first time, although Scottie said something about my being there was only for backup.”
“Where did they drink their water?” he asked.
She tried to recall. “It appeared that except when they were actually playing, everyone on the team had their own bottle in hand. I’m not sure, but I think their bottles were set off to the side of the court along with their equipment bags when they were playing.”
He considered her words a few beats before his next question. “I’ve never played the game or seen it played, but it would seem you’d need quite a big water bottle to get through the day.”
“You’re right. They were huge. I’m guessing thirty ounces at least.”
“All you provided, or were prepared to provide, was water, right? No snacks?”
“I just brought the water. They each brought their own snacks, I assume because they each preferred different foods. I saw someone with a slice of watermelon. Someone else had a granola bar.”
He reached in his pants pocket and pulled out a paper. “These are the players on the team.” He read off the names. “Did I mention anyone you didn’t talk to?”
“No. There were six players on the team. At least that’s all who showed up Saturday. They may have substitutes.”
“And to be clear, you didn’t serve Eloise Wallace?”
“No, I did not.”
He rose and paced around the room. She recognized this mannerism from their prior investigation. Something was on his mind, but it either hadn’t fully shaped or he was deciding how to tell her.
“Rex? What are you thinking?”
He returned to his seat and faced her. “Until we know for sure which poison killed her, we can’t make any definitive assumptions. If she was poisoned at the game, it didn’t take effect immediately. But the fact that no one seems to know what happened to her or where she went right after the third match suggests it could’ve have started to kick in then.”
“Any idea when the results will come in?”
He shook his head. “Hopefully yet today.”
“Then I’m still under suspicion?” She knew the answer but wanted him to confirm it.
“Yeah. Once I receive confirmation that none of them got any water or anything else from you, you should be off the hook. While we wait, I’d like to talk to Kitty and Scottie Richards.”
“Them? Why? They weren’t there.”
“I’ve gotta do this by the book, Marla. Check out your story.”
“Not the team?”
He put the list of team names away. “Not yet. When do you expect Kitty home?”
“It’s hard to say these days, when she’s off with Hub Sherman. Want me to call her?”
“I will,” he replied.
Kitty answered immediately. The call lasted all of two minutes. “She’s on her way home and agreed to meet me in ten minutes at my condo,” he told Marla once he hung up.
“In other words, you don’t want me to overhear what you ask her.”
“Like I said, by the book. You have to remain here on the sidelines for now.”
“What if …?”
He held up a hand. “Just be patient. Okay? This shouldn’t take long.”
Rex would be fair. She had no doubt about that. For now, that was all she could ask.