Fatal Encryption by Debra Purdy Kong

Author:Debra Purdy Kong
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Debra Purdy Kong
Published: 2016-06-07T00:00:00+00:00

NINETEEN

Rosemary Divac opened the door. She was wearing the same black pants and sweater she had had on at the funeral this morning. Her short hair was still slicked down against her scalp. The dark circles under her eyes had deepened to plum, making her look haggard and fragile. Alex sympathized. He’d looked the same way after Gran’s death, and then Andy’s. The loss of family and friends made grief and self-reproach inseparable. He’d lost count of the times he’d wondered what he could have done to extend Gran’s life or save Andy from a killer.

Once again, the smell of cat pee invaded his lungs. A white Persian lounged on the sofa and two tabbies occupied the square, overstuffed chairs. Rosemary had put the slip covers back on. Sleepy pairs of green eyes gazed at him a few seconds, then slowly closed. He’d interrupted yet another siesta. Rosemary shooshed a tabby off one of the chairs, which prompted a resentful meow.

“Remove the slip cover if you want,” she said as she sat on the sofa.

“No, it’s okay.” Alex didn’t care about cat fur on his jeans. “I don’t want to waste your time, so I’ll come straight to the point.” He watched the white Persian nestle in her lap. “You said you had a theory about how the Valium wound up in Carl’s body?”

“I think someone gave it to him knowing the harm it could do.” Rosemary stroked the Persian. “Because of his allergies, Carl would have looked twice at any pill someone gave him. Even from someone he knew.”

“Then it could have been slipped in his drink?”

“Or his food. Once Valium’s in the system, reaction can take from five minutes to an hour.”

“I saw Carl in the Quesnels’ dining room. He’d said his stomach was bad, so maybe he’d eaten something earlier.”

A tiny, white kitten darted up to Alex. Alex moved his foot and the bitty creature sprinted off. “How much Valium was in Carl’s system?”

“Just a little, but combined with the alcohol and toxic food, he wouldn’t have been thinking or even seeing straight. His reflexes would have been impaired.”

The kitten arched its back and tiptoed sideways toward Alex’s foot. “Max might have had Valium on him. He and Carl had a huge argument at the party. I never did find out what it was about.”

Rosemary said, “Carl despised Max’s drug addiction. They fought about it at one of the Quesnels’ barbecues this summer.” Her expression hardened. “I’ve been wondering if that rhubarb was given to him on purpose, and the rest of you got sick to hide the fact that somebody wanted to hurt him.”

Alex shifted in his chair. “It would have been a huge risk. Rhubarb leaves can be fatal.”

“Celeste studied botany at university.” Rosemary’s sombre expression focused on the big Persian. “Anyone who’s studied plants knows which ones are poisonous and how much it’d take to kill someone.”

Alex didn’t want to believe her, even though Celeste had told him she and Graydon were once science students.

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