After Cari turned in her article, she drove back to her apartment to unwind before meeting Genevieve later. She wanted to try to get Marjorie on the phone again. She pulled up her number again and hit send.
“Hello?” Marjorie spoke in a tired voice.
“Marjorie. I’m sorry to bother you again.”
“No, you’re not. You’re just trying to get a scoop. I don’t know anything!” She cried.
Cari spoke quickly. “Please don’t hang up. Please. I’m not in it for a scoop. It was awful what happened to Stephen. I’m trying to help.”
“You can’t help. Don’t you see? I tried to go see Dr. Delamont this morning. I looked up his office number and walked over to the gym to see him, but the whole thing was cordoned off with crime scene tape. He was murdered!” Her voice trembled.
“Marjorie, please, please calm down.” Cari heard someone else talking to her in the background.
“It’s okay, Tiff. I’m fine.” She said away from the phone, though Cari still heard it. “Sorry, Ms. Turnlyle. That was my roommate. She heard me getting upset and was worried.”
“I heard about Dr. Delamont, but why were you going to see him?”
“Stephen mentioned him to me once. He was the one that Stephen went to for the nutritional program, but it wasn’t really nutrition. Just a second.”
Cari heard Marjorie walking and then a door closing and then some more walking.
“Stephen told me that he wasn’t supposed to talk about it but this Dr. Delamont gave him some sort of special protein powder once a month. I didn’t like it. It sounded like steroids to me, you know? But Stephen promised me that it wasn’t. He said that it wasn’t illegal; it just wasn’t widely known. Dr. Delamont only gave it to a few of the athletes. It isn’t a banned substance. But…”
“But you’re worried that it somehow contributed to his death.”
Marjorie choked back a sob. “Yes, but you can’t write about this! It would kill his parents. Stephen has always been a rule follower, a good kid, you know? He would never try to cheat or anything. He trusted this Delamont guy, but I don’t. And now he’s dead and I don’t know what to think!”
“Don’t worry, Marjorie, I would never publish something you weren’t comfortable with. I’m here to help, not hurt. Why don’t we meet somewhere? Maybe for coffee tomorrow or something?”
“I can’t meet. Don’t you see? Someone killed Delamont because of this powder. I’m certain of it. The police had this whole group of athletes at the gym yesterday. They were interviewing them in the big media room when I walked past, trying to find Delamont’s office. One of them called me today! I don’t want to get involved.” She ended the call.
Cari gripped her phone tighter in frustration. She couldn’t gain traction on this if she couldn’t get anyone to talk to her. She knew there was a story here and she was determined to get to the bottom of it. Cari sighed. She still had an hour before meeting with Genevieve. She decided to take a shower. Maybe it would help her organize her thoughts. Marjorie had sounded really scared. The phone call from the other athlete had really spooked her.
Before she could get in the shower, her phone buzzed with another incoming call. It was her editor. She wondered what would drive him to call her on a Saturday evening. Her article had been completely fact-based; she didn’t make any conjectures about Ithaca’s death, calling it a tragedy and nothing more. She ran her thumb across the screen to take the call.
“Turnlyle speaking.”
“Cari, what is this I hear about you trying to interview the track coach today?”
“Sir? I do cover the sports section.”
“He called my office today to complain that both you and Cardian were harassing him and his assistant coaches.”
“I spoke to him once in regards to the death at the track meet yesterday, sir. I was hoping to get a quote about the athlete, but he refused and directed me to the media relations person.”
“Well, he got the impression that you were trying to dig up dirt on his athletes as well as that doctor who died. Delacrow? Dela-something.”
“Mr. Ollaman, I promise you, I was not calling about Dr. Delamont. That’s Lionel’s story. I can’t speak for what he did today.”
Ollaman growled at her. “I can’t have my reporters gallivanting around harassing the entire community every time something exciting happens. We need the community on our side or no one will talk to us. Did you call the media representative?”
“Again, sir. I did not overstep my bounds. When he told me no, I moved on. I didn’t call the media relations person because I didn’t need a generalized no comment statement from the university. I was hoping to write a nice article about the student who died, but the death of the sports medicine doctor seems to be overshadowing things.”
“Well, she called me too. She said that my reporters needed to learn to use the proper channels when it came to speaking with people at her university. She had several calls from coaches complaining. Who else did you call?”
“I didn’t call any other coaches, sir. I went to track practice to try to track down some of Ithaca’s friends or his girlfriend, but I did not try to interview another coach.”
“I do not want to hear about you trying to scoop Cardian. He’s been with the Beagle longer than you’ve been alive. He might be a little rough around the edges, but he gets the story written. Stay in your lane, Turnlyle.” He ended the call.
Cari looked at the ceiling in frustration. She didn’t want to get on the wrong side of her boss. She wondered what made Cardian call the track coach too. Surely, he hadn’t already realized that the two deaths were connected. He probably called all of the head coaches to see what their interactions with Delamont had been like. She nodded her head; Cardian didn’t know anything. She picked up her notebook and made a note to look into some of the other athletic programs. Marjorie had mentioned there were several athletes that the police had interviewed that morning. There must be some other students that had worked closely with Delamont. She checked her watch. She still had time to shower before meeting Genevieve.
* * * * * * * * * *
Genevieve arrived at O’Zook’s a few minutes early. She wanted to get a seat in the back where she could see the door and the rest of the restaurant. It was really more of a bar than a restaurant, especially after eight o’clock. It looked like a bit of a dive from the outside, with one of the Os not being fully lit anymore and the apostrophe hanging a little crooked. The inside was kept clean and you couldn’t find better chips and queso anywhere in the state. And their margaritas weren’t too bad either, she thought. She considered ordering one for both Cari and herself and then wondered if she should bypass the alcohol since she was meeting Cari as part of the investigation. Still, Alex wasn’t with her, so it wasn’t an official interview. She signaled to the waitress that she was ready to place an order.
Cari walked in right as the waitress was bringing the drinks to the back booth. She was wearing a long beige cardigan over a lime green top, skinny jeans, and leather boots. It had been a few years since they had graduated from college, but Cari didn’t look a day older or a pound heavier. Genevieve glanced down at her SUNY college sweatshirt, old jeans, and sneakers feeling a little underdressed. Too late to worry about it now! She waved Cari over to the booth.
Cari took her bag off of her shoulder and slid across from Genevieve. “Thanks for agreeing to meet me. I know it’s kind of against policy.”
Genevieve frowned. “I thought you were here to offer me information, not the other way around.”
Cari flashed a smile. “Of course. I didn’t mean to imply otherwise. It’s so great to see you, Gen!”
Just then, Genevieve saw the waitress approaching with her chips and queso order. She flicked her head at Cari to indicate that she needed to zip it for a minute.
“Can I get you anything else? Did you need to see a menu?” The waitress asked.
“Actually, I would take a water and if I could get a cheeseburger all the way, that would be great.” The waitress wrote her order down and waited for Genevieve to respond too.
Genevieve’s eyes betrayed her surprise. “I didn’t realize we were getting dinner here too. I guess I could go for a water too, thanks.”
“Sorry. I know it’s late, but I didn’t have a chance to eat. I’ve been running all over the place all day and sometimes you can just go for a burger, you know?” She cringed inwardly, realizing she sounded just like all the students she’d been speaking with all day. “I’m starving.”
Genevieve waited for the waitress to walk away before speaking again. “You mentioned in your text that you had some interesting information on Hartfeld?”
Cari took a breath. “Yes, I take it you’ve spoken to him already too?”
“Yes, he was our victim’s emergency contact. No next of kin was listed.”
“Right. I read that Delamont’s parents died a few years ago. Anyway, I found Hartfeld when I was searching for background info on Delamont. They were high school friends, apparently.”
“And what or should I say, who led you to Delamont in the first place?” Genevieve questioned her.
Cari sealed her lips. “Come on now. I said that I’d share information, not give away my sources here, Gen. Should I continue?” She paused, waiting for Genevieve to concede. “Okay then. I found an article from a few years back when Delamont was hired. Turns out he’s from here and moved back at the encouragement of his longtime friend, Dr. Bryan Hartfeld.
“Hartfeld is a bit of a shifty character, in my opinion. Again, I didn’t want to reveal my source or my real reasons for speaking with him, so I spun him some yarn about doing an article on hometown kids returning to the nest. He was more than happy to tell me all about himself when he thought he was going to be in the newspaper.
“But his mood kept switching from proud scientist to angry old man. One minute, he’d be droning on about his hamsters, the next he’d be shaking his finger in my face in outrage.”
“What would make him so angry?”
Before Cari could answer, the waitress returned with their food and two waters. Cari thanked her and then immediately tore into her cheeseburger before answering the question. Genevieve snacked on a few chips while waiting for Cari to speak again.
“He started to tell me about some of his research with the hamsters. He showed me how some of them could run faster because he had found a way to supplement their nutrition through an additive he developed in his lab. I said it sounded like hamster steroids and he did not like that. It was like he came unhinged. It happened again when I asked if it had been tested in people.”
Genevieve thought for a moment. “I don’t see how this ties into Delamont at all, though.”
“Here’s the thing. I can’t tell you how I got tipped off to looking at Delamont, but you know that I cover the sports section. I was looking into the death of the student athlete at the track meet yesterday and my research led me to Delamont. The deaths are related somehow and I think it has to do with this guy’s research.” She took another large bite.
“It’s a lot of conjecture, though, Cari. It’s circumstantial. The ME told us that the kid’s death was from natural causes. Coincidences do happen, despite what you read in crime novels.”
Cari’s shoulders slumped. “Surely, you aren’t going to dismiss my theory so easily?”
“What do you want me to do? Accuse the mad scientist of poisoning hamsters?” She tilted her head at Cari. “I agree, Dr. Hartfeld is not normal, but being abnormal doesn’t make you guilty of something.”
“I thought we could work together on this, Gen. You’re not even trying to meet me halfway.”
“Cari, you haven’t given me any reason, any evidence that ties these two deaths together. I know you don’t want to compromise your sources, but if all you have is that our victim has a friend that does research on hamsters, then I think you have nothing.” She looked at her friend sympathetically. Genevieve could see that Cari was struggling to maintain her composure, but there was something else.
“You’re holding something back. I can’t work with you on this if I don’t have all the facts. What are you not telling me?” Genevieve asked.
Cari took a breath. “There’s…” She looked away for a moment before meeting Genevieve’s eyes again. “There’s nothing else. I have to go.” She pulled some cash from her purse and laid it on the table before walking away.
Genevieve sighed. She couldn’t share details of an open investigation with a reporter. She was intrigued by Cari’s meeting with Dr. Hartfeld, though. Something about the man didn’t sit right with her, but she wasn’t sure if it was his goofy mannerisms or that he’d lied to them about how recently he’d spoken with Delamont.
She had promised Alex that she would update him with whatever Cari shared with her. She didn’t want to talk about it anymore in the restaurant though, so she signaled the waitress for the bill. Cari had barely touched the margarita. Genevieve felt bad about how things had ended with her. She was still new to being a detective and didn’t want to compromise her job by possibly leaking details of her case to the media. She and Cari had been good friends in high school, but could she still trust her now? When the waitress returned, Genevieve double checked the charges and then added some of her own cash to what Cari had left. Then she slid out of the booth and towards the exit. It was time to give Alex a call.
* * * * * * * * * *
Cari slammed the door to her Toyota Camry and thrust her key into the ignition. She felt like a fool for thinking that Genevieve would want to work together on the investigation. She had come this close to revealing what Marjorie had told her about the powder. To be fair, Ben had told her about it too, but he hadn’t known that it came from Delamont. Marjorie had shared that with her and Marjorie was scared. Cari didn’t want to jeopardize the young woman’s trust and lose her as a source altogether. How could she get Genevieve to believe that the deaths were connected without talking about the powder?
She started the car and pointed it in the direction of her apartment. Even though she felt too keyed up to sleep, she didn’t know where else to go right now. She was running out of leads to chase and needed to regroup.
* * * * * * * * * *
“Runimoss. Go.”
“Alex. You know it’s me.” Genevieve rolled her eyes as she buckled her seatbelt. She had gotten a good deal on the 2017 Ford Expedition. It was kind of a large vehicle for a single woman, but she liked being able to see around people in front of her. Plus, it was the same make and model as her car in high school, so she was used to how it handled.
“How did it go with your reporter friend?”
“It was kind of a bust. I think she wanted to tell me more, but was hesitant to compromise her source. She thinks the deaths of the student athlete and Delamont are connected.”
“Why?”
Genevieve could hear the doubt in her partner’s voice. “She met with Dr. Hartfeld today—”
“The scientist guy? How did she find out about him?”
“She wouldn’t say, except that when she started looking into the athlete’s death, she stumbled onto Delamont, which led her to his friend, Hartfeld.”
“How did she find out about Delamont? I know his death isn’t a secret, but still.”
“Again, she wouldn’t say, but her meeting with Hartfeld was a little weird. She said that he would go from really angry to really chill in just a moment depending on what questions she asked.”
“The guy’s a weirdo, so what?”
“That was what I said, but she thinks his research with hamsters ties into this somehow.”
“Hamsters?! Hamsters? Are you for real, Gen?”
Genevieve fought the impulse to laugh with her desire to defend Cari. “I don’t really understand it either, Alex. There’s something else that she wasn’t telling me; maybe that ties it together more.”
“Well, I got the financial records for both Hartfeld and Whitham while you were at the bar.” He paused and she could hear him flipping through some papers. “Hartfeld has almost zero living expenses. I think his parents possibly still own that house. He doesn’t pay rent or a mortgage. He’s got basic bills that he pays on time every month. It looks like he might use some of his salary to pay for some of his lab stuff, which seems weird, but I’m not really familiar with that arena. Maybe people do it all the time.
“Anyway, Whitham’s a completely different story. Guy has a huge mortgage that he can barely cover. He bought a Jag recently that is way out of his budget too. He’s racking up credit card debt left and right.”
“Money trouble is obviously a common motive, but I don’t see how it fits here. What does Whitham gain by Delamont’s death? Whitham was the boss, not the other way around.”
“True. It’s still worth looking into. The murder doesn’t look pre-meditated, more of a heat of the moment kind of thing. And money trouble can cause stress.”
“Both of them are hiding something. We need to dig a little deeper into their backgrounds.”
“Well, we’ve already agreed that we found Hartfeld to be suspicious. We know he lied about when he last spoke with Delamont. I’m still not sure that this is enough to bring him into the station. What do you think?”
“I know earlier today I wanted to bring him in, but now I kind of want to see if we can meet him at his lab. Maybe we can find out some more about whatever is bothering Cari with these hamsters.”
“It’s too late to call him now. We’ll have to catch him in the morning. I’ll get it set up. 8:30 tomorrow?”
“Works for me. I’ll meet you at the station so we can ride there together.” She ended the call.