AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Kenton noddedsympathetically as he pulled out his phone.
“When I heard youwere assigned to this case, I figured you might feel that way,” he said. “So Itook multiple photos to at least get you started. I’m also happy to fill you inon what we know so far.”
“Please do,”Jessie replied.
Kenton held up hisphone to show them pictures as he spoke.
"The victimis Tabitha Reynolds," he said, displaying a photo of a naked woman with atowel wrapped loosely around her, lying on a bathroom floor. Her body was rigidand contorted and her right hand was extended out, clutching her bathmat, aboutfour inches from a phone just beyond her reach. Her platinum blonde hair wasstill wet, and her brown eyes were open. "She was thirty-seven years old,divorced with a child who was out of town with her father at the time of death.She'd been living here for about a year."
Jessie couldalmost physically feel the pain and panicked horror that Reynolds must haveexperienced in her last moments. The woman’s eyes were frozen in anguish, as ifher last thought had been that she’d never see her child again. Jessie lookedaway, trying to regain her composure. She needed to be clear-headed to getjustice for Tabitha Reynolds.
“Was she trying tomake a call?” Ryan asked.
“We think so, butthat the poison got to her before she could.”
“Tell us aboutthat,” Jessie requested, her voice quiet.
“We believe thiscanister was used to dispense it,” Kenton told them, flipping to another photoand pointing to an unmarked, silver, metal cylinder on the counter. “Ourinitial examination suggests that it both has a timer and is motion-activated.”
“What was thepoison?” Ryan wondered.
“The coronerwasn’t willing to commit definitively when I left him. He may know more now.”
“Okay, what canyou tell us about Reynolds?” Ryan asked. “We understand she’s in the fashionindustry.”
“According to thefriend who found her, Marnie Krebs, that’s an understatement,” Kentonexplained. “She used to be a stay-at-home mom, but after her divorce sheapparently threw herself into her passion, which was fashion. In less than twoyears, she’s established herself as a major player in the industry. I’m hardlyan expert, but supposedly her reviews of the latest lines, which can apparentlybe quite cutting at times, are highly anticipated and extremely influential.”
“You said a friendfound her?” Jessie asked. “Where is she?”
“In thatambulance,” Kenton said, pointing back toward the scene. “Because she wasexposed to the poison, they decided to isolate and treat her immediately."
"Is sheshowing any symptoms of infection?" Jessie asked.
"Not so far,but apparently they can sometimes take a while to manifest, depending on thepoison used," Kenton said. "I told the coroner, Dr. Roone, thatyou're here, and he said he'd be out to update you soon."
Jessie recognizedthe name. Dr. Michael Roone had been the coroner on their most recent case aswell, involving multiple wealthy women strangled to death in their own homes.
“Until we canspeak with Roone, can we at least talk to this friend, Marnie?”
"Sure,"Kenton said. "The EMTs are planning to take her to the hospital, but Ibelieve they're still evaluating her. Let's head over."
They made theirway past the lookie-loos and the police tape until they got to the ambulance.As they walked, Kenton filled them in.
"She wasapparently coming over for a girls' night because Reynolds' daughter was withher father. I've called him, by the way. He and the girl, Samantha, were ontheir way to Yosemite to go camping. He says he picked her up from the loftaround noon. Marnie arrived at six, but there was no answer at the door. Shecalled Reynolds and said she could hear the phone ringing inside. She wasconcerned, so she checked the door, which was unlocked. She followed the soundof the ringing phone and found her in the bathroom."
They stopped atthe ambulance, where Kenton introduced them to the EMTs, then cut to the chase.
“Are DetectiveHernandez and Ms. Hunt able to speak to the witness?”
“Yes, but pleasekeep it quick,” said a petite, stern looking woman wearing a respirator as shepulled open the back doors of the ambulance. “We’re just about ready totransport her.”
Jessie glancedinside and was stunned by what she saw.
CHAPTER THREE
Marnie Krebslooked like she was about to head into outer space.
She was wearing afull-body, protective hazmat suit, complete with a respirator of her own.Because of that, it was hard to get a clear view of the woman. Based on thehints of wrinkling in her eyes, Jessie estimated that she was in hermid-thirties. Those eyes, blue but puffy and tinged with red from crying, werewide with fear.
