When the door closed behind us, I breathed a lengthy sigh of relief. While most of the panic was my doing, I was still only too happy not to be in the possibly contaminated space.

We made our way toward the elevators, and I knew what Dai would say before she said it.

"She's definitely not the one."

"I have to agree." Unless Shannon was absurdly stupid, she couldn't be the poisoner. I'd had trouble being in the same apartment where the arsenic might have come in contact with other items or suffused the air. So committing the crime and then continue to live unfazed in the same small quarters seemed farfetched. Add in the possibility of the poison having spread around the place and leaving yourself exposed to it day after day? It would drive anyone insane. While she might be a gold-digger, we'd noticed she'd been fond of Laura in her own way. Only someone truly heartless or overflowing with hate could have watched as Laura withered away and not felt anything. Nothing we'd seen so far showed either, as far as Shannon was concerned. She didn't seem to be the type who'd be able to keep any ill feelings hidden for long.

"We need to get this box to Aiden."

I'd momentarily forgotten about the thing, and I wasn't all that happy to be reminded of it. "You think it's evidence?"

"Possibly. I want her to take samples and test the interior of the box. There might be some residue. The lethal potency of the dye on the ballgown has been bothering me. If there's a residue, then we can link the dress to Laura. Shannon has verified that Laura wore it. The dress itself is proof of the poison. With those three things, we can relate the facts to each other. Then we can see if that's enough for the justice to open an investigation."

"And if it's not?" I was sure I already knew the answer but had to ask.

"We keep pursuing this ourselves." Dai frowned. "Even if the police become involved, they might not act fast enough. The more information we can gather before those on our list try to leave the country, the better the chances the murderer won't get away."

Returning to our car, I put the possibly-poison-filled box into the trunk attached to the outside of the Ford in the back. It would keep the container safe from curious canine prodding while I drove us to Baylor Hospital. After giving Prince some water and kibble, and rolling the rear windows partially down, Dai and I headed for the cafeteria. Prince would guard the Ford and its cargo until our return.

Through the use of a courtesy phone, I was patched through to Dr. Campbell's work area and let her know where we might be found. Settling Dai at a corner table, I then bought us lunch. It was bland and unimaginative fare, but healthy. By setting the plates and silverware in the usual configuration and spacing, Dai would know where everything was to eat her meal without having to hunt for them.

Ten minutes later, the doctor appeared with her own tray of food and joined us. I noticed several nurses and other people in lab coats raise their eyebrows or show other expressions of surprise at seeing her there, and their number increased as she settled at our table. It would appear Aiden getting a meal and then using the common eating area was an unusual occurrence, and that she would sit with others even more so. It was a little sad to realize, but not entirely surprising. In many ways, Dai was the same.

"Thanks for calling me. How did it go at Laura's apartment?"

"We brought back a gift—the dress box. Jacques will bring it to you after we're done here." Dai took a bite of her salad.

Aiden nodded. "I'll get it tested right away. If our suspicions are correct, there'll be evidence there of the additional poison added to the dress, which would indicate a definite intent to murder the deceased." Dr. Campbell dug into her Salisbury steak as if in a hurry to get started.

"Did you get a chance to visit the clinic?"

Dai's query slowed Aiden to a halt. She stared at her plate for a long moment.

"I did." Her voice was low. "It was disturbing."

Neither of us pressed her. I could see she was struggling with what she'd found there. Dai must have sensed that as well.

"I arrived before they opened and there was already a line of people waiting to come inside." She took a swallow of her iced tea, still grappling with the words. "Everyone tried their best, but they were overwhelmed. They had files on all the patients, though most were incomplete. No time to truly study the people, to consider the cause of their troubles for any amount of time. They just tried to get through as many as possible. It was easy to see why poisoning never occurred to the doctor who saw her." Her large hands curled into fists. "It frightens me to think of how many others they might have saved if only they'd been able to take the time to examine them more thoroughly."

As money became more scarce, the problem would only get worse; more people would have no choice but to go to the clinics rather than personal doctors. There was nothing I could think of to say.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Aiden Campbell."

Her fists tightened further at the sound of the gravelly voice. "Dr. Stewart."

The newcomer wore a three-piece suit and a pristine doctor's coat. Washed-out gray eyes twinkled as he looked down, looming over her.

"Decided to scurry out of your lab and mingle with actual people, did you?"

I shot to my feet before I realized what I was doing. This Neanderthal was being more than rude. "What did you just say?"

The man glanced up. From the quickly hidden shock on his face, I was pretty certain he wasn't used to anyone reacting negatively from anything he said or did. "Pardon me."

He rushed past me as if that had been his intention all along. I stared hard at his back, making sure he wasn't tempted to return. He spoke brusquely to a gaggle of nurses, who hurriedly dispersed out of his way.

"Who was that?" Dai asked in a quiet voice. "And is he always that bad-mannered?"

Aiden sighed. "That's Dr. Henry Stewart, the hospital's chief of staff." She shoved the food around her plate. "He's that way with everyone. Well, almost everyone."

It made me angry. More than it should have, truth be told. "Let me guess: If they're wealthy or on the board, he's goodness personified; otherwise, he's a well-dressed bully?"

Aiden nodded slowly, as if amazed that I'd been able to put that together from just a few words. Sadly, I'd met the type before. Gary, my tormentor at Buckners Orphan Home, and this Henry Stewart would have gotten along famously.

"Does he trouble you often?" The question came out more briskly than I intended.

"No. Only if we accidentally cross paths or he needs something at the lab, which is rare." Her ice-blue eyes looked up into mine. "But I appreciate your concern."

My stomach churned at that look, though I didn't understand why. So I just nodded and sat back down to finish my lunch.

I noticed from the corner of my eye that Dai wore the smallest of smiles, as if she knew something I didn't. I wasn't sure that was a good thing.

"You said they cremated the body, correct?"

Dai nodded. "Yes, that's right."

"I thought of something last night." Aiden took a sip of iced tea, a momentary delay as if checking her idea for any holes one last time before presenting it to us. "Arsenic is considered a heavy metal. Even though it's a volatile poison, some of it would have turned to arsenates in the bones. As arsenates are non-volatile, cremation wouldn't necessarily destroy them. It's possible that running tests on the ashes could prove it was present in her system."

Dai's face lit up with the possibility. "If we could do that, it would show an undeniable link to everything else we've gathered so far. It would give weight to the assertion that Laura was murdered."

"That's all well and good, but it presents us with a different problem." I suddenly found myself pinned by their full attention. "How in the world are we going to get a sample of the ashes to test them?"

This new conundrum put a damper on the rest of the meal.