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?“You think it might convince him that the pipe at the murder scene was planted?” Mark hoped.
?“It couldn’t hurt,” I told him. “And the police have their own code breakers who might be able to find out what is on that flash drive faster than we can.”
?“I resent that,” Sylvia complained as she collected the pages from the laser printer. “I have a little algorithm of my own built into a program that should make short work of it.”
?She handed the papers to me and pointed at a page, as Mark peeked over my shoulder, which wasn’t easy since I had several inches on him.
?“You were right, traces of Flunitrazepam in combination with a bit of GHB,” Sylvia said.
?I exhaled heavily. “Damn! Mark, you were lucky they didn’t give you a higher dose.”
?“Oh yeah, combining those two could’ve suppressed your breathing.” Sylvia grimaced. “Do you have a heart condition?”
?Mark shook his head. “No, my heart’s fine. So’s my blood pressure.”
?“Good thing,” Sylvia muttered.
?“Could that have been part of the plan?” I deduced. “I mean, if Mark died, then all the loose ends would be tied up.”
?“And all the evidence pointing directly at you as the mastermind,” Mark concurred.
?“What do you mean?” I felt my eyebrows rise.
?“Think about it,” Mark went on. “The incriminating email supposedly from me? Randall and Candy were dead by that time. If I died as well—”
?I found that my hand went to my mouth as the realization sunk in. After a moment, I found my voice. “I didn’t like her, but I find it hard to believe Candy would give you a fatal drug overdose.”
?“It does tie it up in one pretty little bow for the police,” Mark stressed.
?“Not quite,” Sylvia interrupted. “They would run a tox screen in the post-mortem. This drug combination would have definitely raised red flags.”
?“You’re right, Sylvia,” I agreed. ”I think they needed you alive.”
?“Okay, I’ve got the backup of the file from that flash drive,” Sylvia surmised. “I am going to run my program, and I have to actually get back to my job.”
?“Of course.” I slipped the pipe into a plastic bag and handed it to Mark. “Sylvia, you’ll call me if you get something?”
?“First thing,” Sylvia assured and pointed at the papers in Mark’s hand. “If you are going to the police, you really want to bring those with you.”
?Sylvia looked from Mark to me and back again. “I just have one question. Why would anyone want to frame you two?”
?I smiled. “Elementary.”
?Mark smiled as well. “To get away with murder, of course.”
25. Plot Twist
Mark Watkins
?We came out of the underground lab, peeled off and returned our badges, and walked out the front of the hospital.
?Sheryl folded the pages of my toxicology report and put them into her handbag, while I carried the evidence-ridden pipe in a shiny new plastic bag.
?“This could change everything,” I told her. “Maybe get DeStadler on our side.”
?“I don’t know,” Sheryl said. “He seems like a hard nut to crack. But this is evidence!”
?“He seems to only like evidence when it points to you or me. Especially if it points at me.”
