Page 75 of Three Steps Behind

“I confirmed they were human remains at my lab, and the cremation coin points to them being Taylor’s. Besides, her urn was empty. The glass shard also had oleander in it. And I found part of a label in the fire pit too.”

“Oleander?”

“It’s a poisonous flower.”

“How poisonous?”

“You drink it, you’ll die. If it had been placed in a perfume bottle as we suspect, it would’ve been soaked up by her skin. That would take longer. Maybe a couple months of daily use, but it would definitely kill you.” She slid the toxin report on the glass shard she’d run at the lab across the desk to Joel.

He picked it up and examined it, then straightened. “Just so I understand correctly, you’re telling me that you believe Taylor’s husband dumped her ashes into a fire along with a glass bottle that held a poisonous flower extract, which you’re guessing he used to murder her slowly until she either had a heart attack or the toxin mimicked a heart attack. Am I tracking that right?”

“I’m afraid you are,” Deck said.

“And this”—Joel held up the evidence bag with the coin in it—“you found on Nick and Taylor’s property?”

“No.” Harper shook her head. “The items were all found in a lower fire pit adjacent to their backyard, but it’s on public land, along a slope of the Rio Grande.”

Joel sat back, linking his arms across his chest, and tipped the brim of his cowboy hat up an inch. “Since it’s not on Nick’s land, finding those things doesn’t prove he’s the one who put them there. As close as they were, they weren’t found on his property. You can technically prove the remains are Taylor’s because of the cremation coin but not from the ashes themselves, correct?”

“Correct. You can’t extrapolate DNA out of cremated remains.”

“And you can prove there was oleander on the perfume bottle shard but not in the remains, am I correct?”

Harper slumped back. “Correct.”

“I’m afraid I can’t get a search warrant on those grounds. I suppose you could try to slap him with desecration of remains, but, once again, you can’t prove he did it. And he could say that’s what she wanted.”

Harper strained forward. “To have her ashes reburned?”

“Some people want a funeral pyre and then to be cast in the water. The fire pit is by the water. I’m just saying, even if you could prove he did it, he could claim a reason for it. Now, if you could prove she was poisoned, that would be a different story.”

Harper looked at Deck, her eyes radiating disappointment, then she smiled.

He cocked his brow. What was she thinking?

“Susan, Taylor’s sister-in-law, is going over tomorrow to clean out Taylor’s belongings. If she finds something that would tie directly to Taylor and could be tested for oleander, would that work?”

“Not if she touches it herself or removes it from the house. I’m sorry.” Joel tossed his pen. “It’s as frustrating as a mule kicking himself, but in a case like this, things have to be documented, handled, and tested just right or he could walk. But . . . if he, say, dumps all her things out in the trash by the curb, then it becomes public property. We can legally go through his trash and test anything we can find.”

“But the guy can’t be that dumb.” Deck reached over and took Harper’s hand.

“Just out of curiosity, what in the house could prove she was murdered?” Joel asked.

“Hair,” Harper said. “It holds DNA and would have the poison in it if it was in high enough doses to kill her.”

Joel took a deep inhale and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Let’s just pray he’s either that stupid—”

“Which is possible,” Harper chimed in.

“Or something breaks our way.”

Fifteen frustrating and disheartening minutes later, Deck walked hand in hand with Harper to the car.

“He’s going to get away with it, that . . .” she mumbled beneath her breath. “He’s got to trip up somehow. He’s smart, but not that smart.”

“I think, since we can’t do anything with Nick and a search warrant right now, you should call Susan. Tell her not to touch Taylor’s hairbrush if she sees it. Just leave it in place. Our time will come.”

Harper looked up at him with hope. The first he’d seen of it in her striking eyes, and he loved the sight of it there. Little by little her strength to fight was coming back. “You really think so?” she asked as he opened the truck door for her.