Page 45 of Trust No One

“You’ve been talking to Ken Watson about my case.” Subtlety wasn’t in me now.

Silence. He was calculating, scrambling a defense. Being two months from retirement, he wasn’t worried about the job—just his pension. “He’s represented a few of our guys in court. Saved them from a bad outcome. He called in a favor.”

Ken had earned loyalty the old-fashioned way. Saving asses. “Ken isn’t associated with the case. And I don’t have the tox screens yet.”

“A technician should’ve called you this morning.”

“No one called.” I leaned back, eyes on a cheap print of the Virginia mountains, inherited with the office. I’d kept it because it filled the space. “Not yet. Why don’t you fill me in, since you’ve already briefed Ken?”

“Ken doesn’t have the final report.”

“But you do?”

“Just got it.”

“And?”

“I’m at home. I don’t have the results in front of me.”

“But you can give me an overview.”

A sigh leaked over the laughter of others in the background. The squeak of a chair and then the sense he was moving to a more private spot. “Maria Hale Cooper Durant’s system had toxic levels of hydrogen cyanide.”

I leaned forward. Cyanide. “She was poisoned.”

“Yes. We found traces of the same substance on the two wineglasses your team collected from the Durant house.”

“Both glasses? Her husband showed no symptoms.”

“He probably didn’t ingest much—if at all. Bigger guy. More body fat. Her glass was empty. She’s smaller, very lean.”

“Maria Durant collapsed at the sink. She could’ve dumped her glass out.”

“You might be right. You’ll have to ask her when she wakes up.”

“Any other test details I need to be aware of?”

“That’s the big one. DNA found on and in her body is still being tested.”

“Okay. Send me the final report as soon as you can.”

“Sure.”

“Unless you hear from me, Ken isn’t to be consulted. He knows Maria and Gabe Durant.” I already considered the marriage done.

“Right.” The way he dragged out the word suggested the fact had landed hard. “You’re my point of contact.”

“Thanks, Doc.”

I ended the call, grabbed my hat, and informed the agents I was headed back to the hospital.

When I arrived on Maria’s floor, I stopped at the nurses’ station and asked for Dr. Webber to call me.

In Maria’s room, I pushed back the curtain and found Raine sitting at her side. She was reading her phone and chatting to Maria as if they were getting coffee. When she saw me, she locked her phone and rose.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you,” I said. “Thought you were meeting with the contractor.”

“I did. He’s adding up the enormous numbers.” She shook her head. “It doesn’t feel like such a big priority. What brings you here? Everything all right?”