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Tragic though it had been, there was nothing in the official documents to suggest foul play in the young widow’s death, despite what the woman’s father might suspect.
So why had Les continued to talk with him?
Only one way to find out.
Bracing herself for what could be a difficult start to the work week, she punched in the man’s number.
He answered on the second ring, his greeting muted against what sounded like a TV blaring in the background, but as soon as she introduced herself, the extraneous noise ceased.
“Thank you for calling, Detective Tucker. I was afraid you people would forget about me now that Detective Kavanaugh is gone. He was a good man.”
“Yes, he was. A legend in the department.” Bri clenched her fingers around the phone and plunged in. “My boss asked me to follow up with you regarding your concerns about the fire at your daughter’s house. Before I called, I did review Detective Kavanaugh’s file and the coroner’s report. The findings appear to be straightforward.” And hard to dispute. It wasn’t difficult to understand how a grieving widow undergoing counselingcould mix up her insulin or inject too much, especially if she was taking sleeping pills.
“That’s the problem. It’s too straightforward. The pieces all seem to fit together, but they don’t.” A touch of agitation crept into his voice. “My daughter was super careful with her medication, Detective. Almost to the point of paranoia. She would never have made a mistake like that. And I’ve studied the reports too. She was in the wrong room. She stopped sleeping in the master bedroom after her husband died.”
Curious, but not conclusive.
“Isn’t it possible she could have decided to sleep there that night for some reason?”
“Even if that was true, it wasn’t very warm the evening of the fire. Why would a woman who was always cold open the window?”
Bri straightened up.
Another unexplained open window?
She leaned forward, speed reading the report again as she spoke. “I can’t answer that question, Mr. Wallace, but from what I can tell, Detective Kavanaugh did a thorough investigation. He was known for leaving no stone unturned. If he didn’t find cause for suspicion, I’m not certain it can be found.”
“But I think he did have suspicions. Especially after I talked to him about my daughter. Why else would he promise to keep this on his radar in case any new information came along?”
Because he was trying to be kind to a distraught father?
Or had Les actually believed there was more to the story than the evidence was telling?
Had he felt as troubled about Michelle’s death as she felt about his? A death that also involved an open window?
Strange coincidence.
Or was it?
“Detective Tucker?”
James Wallace’s query pulled her back to the conversation.Despite the tickle of unease in her gut, raising this man’s hopes without more to go on would be unfair. For now, it would be kinder to stick to facts.
“Yes, I’m here. The case is considered closed, Mr. Wallace, so unless new evidence appears, there isn’t anything left to investigate.”
A few moments of silence ticked by.
“Look, Detective—I’m sure you’re busy, but Michelle was ... she was all I had.” His words grew ragged, and he cleared his throat. “Before you check me off your to-do list, could you spare an hour to talk with me in person? I’d like to tell you more about my girl. That may help you understand why this whole thing smells to me, and why Detective Kavanaugh was receptive to my concerns.”
Bri squeezed her cell, closed her eyes, and tried to muster up the fortitude to politely decline. Much as Mr. Wallace’s grief might pull at her heartstrings, without proof, his suspicions would amount to nothing. If an investigator with decades of experience hadn’t been able to find any evidence to support the man’s concerns, how could she hope to do any better? And it wasn’t as if she had a spare minute to—
“Please, Detective.”
At the desperation in his entreaty, Bri massaged her forehead. She’d always been a sucker for people in distress. People who needed a sympathetic ear. Who felt alone and helpless.
Easy to understand, in light of her history.
If nothing else positive had come from that trauma, it had at least given her a heightened sense of empathy that translated to a caring heart.
