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“I had to sit next to him in the cafeteria once and I made the mistake of asking how his day was going. Before I met you, it was the worst twelve minutes of my life.”
Nox frowned as he blinked back at Nelson. “I’m not sure how I should take that.”
“Every couple has their ups and downs,” Nelson began carefully. “And our downs include corpses and curses and basements full of snakes.”
“Fair enough,” Nox said. “But the parts that have just been us have been cool, right?”
Nelson nodded. “We’re fine.” A relieved laugh huffed from Nox. It didn’t last, though. Edwards waved for them to come in and Nelson stopped Nox when he raised his hand to wave back. “Say as little as possible. He will take everything you say the wrong way and personally,” he warned out of the side of his mouth. “Let’s try to get in and get out as fast as we can.”
“Got it.”
Edwards was already wary when they filed in and presented themselves. “Agent Nelson, Professor MacIlwraith,” he said with a tight nod for each of them.
“Dr. Edwards,” Nelson replied simply.
“Dr. Edwards,” Nox echoed.
There was a brief pause before Edwards raised his stack of clipboards and regarded Julian’s body. A sheet was pulled up to Julian’s collarbone, but Nelson could see the outline of the staples running down his sternum. Both Julian and Colin had died while under medical supervision and had been transferred over for immediate examination, remaining in cold storage. Disinfectant fumes dominated the room instead of the usual smells one associated with a corpse. Nelson was struck by how much more peaceful and neater their deaths were than Ma MacCrory’s. He wondered if that had been intentional and would ask Nox later.
“Examination of the internal organs of both victims revealed marked general blood congestion,” Edwards began. “I also found pronounced cerebral and pulmonary edema indicating the ingestion of a toxin, consistent with the chemical-toxicological results. 3,5-dimethoxyphenol, a marker for the ingestion of taxus, was present in the gastric content.”
“They were both poisoned,” Nelson summarized carefully for Nox.
“I see,” Nox replied and nodded for Edwards to continue.
He switched the clipboards and turned toward ol’ Colin. “An examination of MacCrory’s stomach contents revealed various vegetables consistent with the stew that was served the evening prior, oatmeal from breakfast, coffee, and what appeared to be pulverized, waxy green needles from a plant or tree,” Edwards read.
Nox smiled wryly. “I knew it was yew,” he whispered dramatically to Nelson.
Edwards cleared his throat at them. “You mean the tree, I assume,” he said and Nelson nodded, gesturing for him to disregard Nox. Edwards humphed at his notes. “It was indeed yew in both victims’ stomachs and toxicology results indicate high levels of Taxines A and B.”
“As we suspected,” Nox murmured to himself, but Edwards drew back.
“Am I wasting your time, professor?” he asked and Nox shook his head.
“Not at all. My apologies, please go on,” he insisted and waited until Edwards turned his back to mouth a silent “Are you serious?” at Nelson.
Told you.
Nelson shook his head at Nox and maintained a neutral expression when Edwards turned back to them. “Both were poisoned while consuming their breakfasts. The kitchen and the common areas had all been cleaned but everything was sampled and tested and so far, we haven’t found any traces of yew in the trash. We’re fairly confident only Sherwood and MacCrory were poisoned, after their breakfasts were prepared and left the kitchen.”
“I see…” Nox circled ol’ Colin. “Someone tampered with their meals between the kitchen and their cells or tables or they added it themselves. May I see the rest of this?” he asked Edwards as he waved at the tattoos on Colin’s shoulders and chest.
“As long as you don’t touch,” Edwards said in a suspicious tone as he drew the sheet down to ol’ Colin’s waist. “What do you think that is? Maori1?” he guessed, earning a laugh from Nox.
He probably hadn’t meant it to sound condescending and Nox didn’t notice Edwards’s offended blush when he raised a finger, warming up for one of his mini-lectures. “I can see why you might assume that with the swirls but the Maori use tattoos to honor a person’s rank and family heritage. This is more in keeping with the MacCrorys’ Celtic ancestry and what one might achieve in the kitchen of a trailer if they imagined themselves to be the reincarnation of a Pictish warrior and a druid.”
“I guess it’s a good thing you’re here, then,” Edwards replied tartly, returning to his clipboards. “I don’t understand why they’d bother with yew. There are far simpler ways to poison someone and it’s not something you see a lot of these days,” Edwards murmured at the results.
Nox’s eyes swept upwards as his head tilted to a confused angle. “I believe that was the point.”
“What was the point?” Edwards asked, narrowing his eyes at Nox. “And what was that? Are you saying I’m wrong? There are lots of easier ways and you almost never see yew poisoning.”
A thoughtful hum slipped from Nox as he tapped the pads of his index fingers together, then slowly aimed them at the exam tables. “And yet, you’ve had three cases in less than a week if we count Colin MacCrory’s wife,” he whispered.
“That just makes it even stranger.”
“Yes,” Nox stated, looking bewildered and mildly frustrated. “I think that was the point,” he said slowly.
