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She looked at him sidelong, wishing she could tell him the discoveries she’d made that day, but it wasn’t appropriate. “It’s okay. You don’t know how badly I want to confide in you, but it might mess things up in a court of law.”
“You know you can trust me. I’d never betray your confidence.”
“As much as I hate to admit it, I know. But right now, it might be better for your own sake if you didn’t know.”
“Oh, God. That doesn’t sound very good.”
“No. It’s terrible. Both for Lily and for people in her circle. Look, I’m in a time crunch. Take care. It will all come out in the open soon.”
He tipped an imaginary hat in her direction. “Bye, Laura. I sure do miss that smile.”
“Aw, I’m a pushover for you, Chua. But I’m in love with the coroner.”
“You make a mighty fine couple,” Dan said, looking at her wistfully.
“As do you and Pam.”
With a surprised look on his face, he grabbed her arm, moving around her. “Pam! I’m late meeting her uptown for lunch.”
“Tell her hi from Laura!”
She looked at the text message for the suite number and found the right place. When she opened the door, a blast of hot air came out at her, and the receptionist looked up apologetically when Laura gasped.
“We’re having HVAC problems today. May I help you?”
“Yes, I’m here to pick up a medical release form for Lily Porter.”
“Right here,” she replied. “If I can see your photo ID, I’ll notarize it, and you’ll be all set.” She checked Laura’s signature against her driver’s license. “You shouldn’t have any trouble. If you do, ask them to call me.”
After the receptionist folded the form and inserted it in an envelope, Laura took it, thanked her, and left for Target.
The store was practically empty, and there was only one customer in front of her at the pharmacy. Then, as luck would have it, the pharmacist was Jessica Rider, the sister of Laura’s client who suspected her husband was having an affair. After Laura had sent photographs of her husband kissing her sister, the client had closed the case.
When Laura approached the counter, Jessica smiled a beatific smile.
“Can I help you?”
Laura removed the form from the envelope and handed it to her. “Hi. I’m investigating Lily Porter’s death, and her parents said she got her medication from this pharmacy. I’d like to see her records.”
The pharmacist read the letter. “Would you mind showing me your ID?”
Laura handed over a laminated license to practice private investigation issued by the state of New York. If Jessica recognized her, she didn’t show it. Maybe her sister had never confronted her.
“Come around back,” the pharmacist said, nodding to a doorway.
Laura did as she was told, and Jessica closed the door once they were in a small anteroom.
“I’ll look up her records, if you can wait a moment.” She turned her back and worked on a keyboard. Soon, Lily Porter’s prescription drug history popped up on the screen. “If you have the time, I’ll print it out for you.”
“I can wait. Thanks.”
“Here you go. She didn’t take anything regularly.”
Laura took the printout and read down a short list of Latin names. “What’slevonorgestrel?”
“Oh, that’s the morning-after pill.” Jessica looked over Laura’s shoulder at the sheet. “It looks like she had an open prescription for it. A lot of docs will do that so the patient doesn’t have to request it every time she needs it.”
A wave of something akin to disgust passed over Laura, and she quickly rearranged her expression into a neutral face to stay professional. Edith Porter had just said she was grateful for Laura not judging Lily, and here she was doing just that.
