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“She was looking for you, sir,” he said. “She asked if you were going to be in today because she had something serious to speak to you about. I told her that you’d be here all day,” he added.
“What did Mr. Whatley eat today?”
The jailer shrugged. “He didn’t have much appetite. He had a piece of fried chicken and some pie that Julia brought him,” he said. “But we know she wouldn’t poison the boss. I think she’s sweet on him,” he added.
Cody grimaced. “I need what’s left of the pie. I suppose you threw out the piece of chicken?”
“No need to keep it. All that was left was the bone.”
“How about the pie?” Cody persisted, and he stared at the other man with eyes that demanded an answer.
“It’s, uh, I was about to throw it out. I put it in a bag in the kitchen...”
This was getting worse and worse. Cody barreled past him and found the pie in a gallon baggie sitting just over the trash can. He thanked God that the man hadn’t had time to hide what he was almost certain was the evidence.
He grabbed it up. “I’ll take care of this,” he said shortly.
The jailer flushed. “It’s mostly eaten,” he persisted.
“I’m not going to eat it,” Cody replied curtly. He went out of the room, nodded toward Lassiter, and made a beeline to the hospital.
HEHADTHEpie tested and asked the techs not to throw out the remainder, because if it was poisoned, he’d need to send a sample to the FBI crime lab.
That got everyone’s attention. That lab was famous.
He waited for the doctor to come out. It didn’t take long.
“How’s Mr. Whatley?” Cody asked.
“Cussing,” the doctor chuckled. “Well, I’d cuss, too, you know. He’s had his stomach pumped. I saved samples of it for our lab and the FBI lab. I should have results on the panel we did, any minute...” He was looking at his cell phone while he spoke and there was a ding. He nodded. “A very special poison, from a plant only found in South America,” the doctor said smugly.
Cody patted him on the shoulder. “I’ll remember you in my will.”
“Okay,” came the reply. “I’ll remember that you said that,” he added with a chuckle, “just about time you go hunting and cook another pot of venison stew. I hear it’s famous hereabouts.”
“That it is.” Cody grinned. “Thanks for such quick work. Will Horace be okay?”
He nodded. “We got to it in time. Nasty stuff,” he added, “and not as familiar as, say, curare, which comes from the poison arrow frog.” He shook his head. “Damn, Cody, you’d have to be a botanist to even know about the plant this poison comes from.”
“You know, I have a feeling I’m about to find that out,” Cody told him with a smile. “I’ll be in touch.”
“We’re here if you need us. I don’t mind testifying, just FYI.”
“Thanks. I’ll make the assistant DA on this case aware of that.”
ITWASLATERthat same day that the report came in about Violet Henry’s sister. There was poison still detectable in the remains, and it was derived from a rare South American plant.
CODYTHANKEDTHEdoctor who’d phoned him at Violet’s request. “We’re sending a sample of our poison up to the FBI crime lab. It would be most welcome if you could do the same with the poison you found in Candy Henry.”
“I’ll be happy to do that.”
“I’ll phone the Denver authorities for you and have them collect it. And thanks again!”
He hung up and started making more phone calls.
After he finished, he went to Lassiter’s cell and unlocked it. “Horace’s going to be in the hospital for a couple of days, under guard, so there’s no need for you to stay in here,” he told the other man.
“Thanks. I was getting a touch of claustrophobia,” Lassiter chuckled. “Thank God they were able to find something when they examined Miss Henry’s sister. There will be a paper trail. You get anything on the name the blonde gave you?”
