Trouble in Big Timber by B.J. Daniels

Author:B.J. Daniels
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-03-08T21:03:20+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

“Tell me you found something,” Hitch repeated into the phone. If there was a drug in Humphrey Collinwood’s system, one that would have made him a walking zombie—

“We ran the entire spectrum of possible drugs,” the lab tech said. “I’m sorry. We found nothing.”

Nothing? Her mind whirled as she got up to pace her hotel room. She’d been so sure that in order to shoot her husband in the face the way she had, Rachel would have had to subdue him somehow. Otherwise, the reaction of a man who was beating his wife wouldn’t have been to just stand there while she pulled a gun. Had he charged her and Rachel got lucky, getting a shot off before he reached her? The marks on his back showed that he’d fallen backward, landing on the broken pottery and glass on the floor.

“Thanks for trying,” Hitch said into the phone, hating that she’d wasted the lab’s time and her own.

“Wait a minute. Lori’s here. She wants to talk to you.” She handed over the phone.

“Hitch, I heard about the lab tests you asked to be done. Bradley and I both looked on her computer for anything that might need to be red flagged.”

“I’m guessing she was too smart to look up How to Kill Your Husband and Make It Look Like Domestic Abuse.”

“No, but something came up that you might find interesting. Mrs. Collinwood did research a common drug used on horses called ketamine.”

Hitch sat up, feeling her pulse take off. Bingo. Hitch almost let out a whoop, before she caught herself. “But you didn’t find it in the drug tests you ran.”

“That’s because it leaves the system quickly. It works as an anesthesia and is often used on horses. The drug would have been readily available on the ranch. Mrs. Collinwood would have had access to it.” Hitch thanked her and quickly got off the phone.

She knew a little about the drug, but quickly looked up the symptoms, especially for large doses. The words leaped out at her.

Blocks sensory perception.

Distortion of environment.

Diminished reflexes.

Muscle rigidity.

Available in a clear liquid or powder form.

“I think I know how she did it,” Hitch said to the empty room, unable to hold back her excitement. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to convict Rachel Collinwood of murder. It was just another piece of a larger puzzle.

Her excitement waned. She had enough to confirm her suspicions—including that odd bruise on Rachel’s face. But she didn’t have enough for a conviction. Had there been a drug in Humphrey’s bloodstream, she could have wrapped up this case. There had to be a way to prove deliberate homicide because all her instincts told her that Rachel Collinwood was lying. She couldn’t bear the thought that she hadn’t done a good enough job and the woman might get away with murder.

At a sudden pounding at her hotel room door, Hitch quickly opened it. Her mind was already wondering, what now?

“Are you going to let Rachel get away with murdering my son?” Bart Collinwood demanded as he pushed his way into her room.

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