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I found Carter in the office at the station.
“I knew it,” I said. “There is something amiss.”
“What? With Emma Peterson’s death?” he replied.
“Yes,” I said. “I went to see Mark Baker.”
“The accountant?”
“Yes, Emma’s accountant. I spoke with him. Something is wrong.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “He wouldn’t tell me—it’s privileged information.”
“Then how do you know something related to her death is wrong?”
“Well . . . because I feel it.”
Carter rolled his eyes.
“Look, Carter,” I continued. “Someone murdered Emma Peterson. There, I said it.”
Carter sighed. He took in a deep breath and held it for a second before speaking.
“You made the leap from death by natural causes to murder because her accountant wouldn’t break privilege to discuss her financial matters? Really, Fortune? That’s a huge stretch, even for you.”
“Well, when you put it like that, it doesn’t sound all that good.”
“Look, Fortune, I know you,” Carter said. Here, it’s possible you’re a little too close personally. . .”
“Someone murdered her, Carter,” I interrupted.
He sighed.
“Close the door for a second, Fortune,” Carter urged. “I was going to tell you about this later.”
I closed the door and sat across the desk from him.
“I thought about what you said last night,” he began. “I’ve learned to trust your instincts. So, I broke protocol . . . a little.”
I leaned forward, “What did you do?”
He looked over my shoulder toward the door to see if anyone was lurking outside. Satisfied, he sat back, “There was no sign of physical violence, no struggle of any kind, so we can rule that out.”
“Carter,” I interrupted.
He raised his palm in the air to stop me from speaking.
“But . . . I’ve learned when you get something in your head you will not quit until it’s resolved, so . . .”
“What did you do?”
“I had a blood sample drawn from Emma. The EMT who answered the call is a friend of mine, so I called in a favor. He took a blood sample from Emma’s body and took it to the lab himself. I expect a full toxicology report within the next two days, all off the record. If someone poisoned her or gave a drug to induce a heart attack, we’ll know it.”
“That’s terrific news, Carter,” I said.
“For what it’s worth, the EMT thinks this is a fool’s errand,” Carter added. “He’s seen dozens of heart attacks and believes this is a classic case of death by natural causes.”
“Well, I don’t believe it,” I insisted. “Carter, do you know a woman named Maxine? Maxine Reed?”
He thought for a moment and shook his head, “No, why do you ask?”
I sighed, “No reason.”
“If I find something—anything suspicious at all, we’ll order a full autopsy,” he promised.
I stood and raced around the desk and threw my arms around him, hugging him and giving him kisses on both cheeks and a longer, lingering one on the mouth.
“Please, Fortune, I’m at work,” he said, his face reddening just a little.
“Okay, sorry,” I replied, “thanks again.” I bounded toward the door.
“Fortune,” he called out as I reached the door. I paused and looked back.
“I don’t want you to do anything else with this until I get the results of the tox screen back,” he continued. “Do you understand?”
He gave me one of those looks—a look that let me know he was very serious.
I smiled, “Come on Carter, think about it. What could I possibly do?”
“That isn’t an answer, Fortune,” he said.
“Relax, Carter,” I said, reassuringly. “Take a pill or something. Breathe, will you? See you at four o’clock when we meet Emma’s brother and sister at her house.”