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“Devotion,” Tessa chimed in, her voice raw. “He expected complete devotion from his friends and family.”
Paul opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Leeza pointed at him and warned, “Don’t you dare jump in to defend him. He’s gone. You don’t have to be his lapdog anymore.”
He clamped his mouth shut.
Sasha turned back to Bethany. “Did you bring Rex around to your point of view?”
She shook her head. “No. He died before I worked up the nerve to talk to him.”
She seemed to be telling the truth—but she was holding something back. Sasha tilted her head and studied her closely. Bethany lifted her chin and met Sasha’s eyes with a defiant gaze.
CHAPTER22
Leo and Bodhi headed to the club chairs in front of the fireplace. As Leo took a seat, he realized he was sitting in the very chair where Rex Stoddard had been sitting hours earlier, waiting to accost Leo about switching accommodations. It felt like that encounter had happened a lifetime ago.
He settled into the deep leather chair, then leaned forward. “Did you help Grady’s spirit transition into his next form?”
Bodhi entertained the inartful question with a smile. “I hope so. I have no idea whether Grady practiced any religion, let alone Buddhism. But it seemed worth the time to chant some traditional texts over his body. If he was a Buddhist, assuming he hadn’t attained enlightenment, he’ll be reborn in one of several forms.”
“And his karma decides what he’s reincarnated as, right?”
He nodded. “That’s the gist of it. Every thought and intentional action—positive or negative—creates karma. The better a person’s karma, the better their next life. A good death is thought to give, for lack of a better word, a boost to the dying person’s karma. I’m not sure what Grady’s last thoughts were, but I suspect he was filled with regret. I hope by praying over him, I put a thumb on the scale in the positive column.”
As Leo considered the details of this system, Bodhi watched his face.
Then Bodhi asked, “Was your father a practicing Buddhist?”
Surprised by the question, Leo blinked. “I don’t know. Aside from the long list of felonies he committed, I know very little about the man who fathered me. If he was a Buddhist, I’m guessing his next form was a cockroach. Or maybe a rat.”
“There are far worse forms than rodents and insects.”
“Really? Like what?” Leo asked, his curiosity piqued.
“Hungry ghosts for one. Hell beings for another.”
“Those definitely sound unpleasant.”
“They are,” Bodhi confirmed. “From what I’ve gathered about Rex’s life and his karmic account, he’s probably in a similar situation.”
Leo considered this idea for a beat. Then he said, “I’m glad you sat with Grady for a while.”
“So am I. I also bagged up the rest of the glassware and the dishes. But I’m confident the candied lemon peels delivered the cyanide.”
“And you’re still sure Grady was poisoned?”
“I’m as certain as I can be without running an assay. In addition to everything else, there are signs of corrosion on his tongue and lips, which is yet another hallmark of cyanide consumption. So I’d be comfortable signing my name to the cause of death even absent a test.”
Leo nodded. That was saying something—especially coming from Bodhi, who was famously careful, thorough, and deliberate.
“Okay. Grady was poisoned by the lemon twist. Did you notice anything unusual about the candied lemon peels?”
“I did. The jar they were in has a different label than the orange peels—they aren’t the same brand. And there was no tamper-proof packaging on the jar. When Bethany twisted the cap off, she didn’t have to remove any plastic or a seal. But there was a printed seal on the jar with the manufacturer name for the orange twists.”
“So, the lemon peels were doctored after they were purchased?”
“Looks that way,” Bodhi agreed. “By the way, Bethany needs to wash her hands thoroughly if she hasn’t already. I don’t think she touched any of the cyanide because she used the tongs to remove the lemon curl. And, honestly, she’d be dead by now if she’d been in contact with the poison. But, still, we should have her wash her hands.”
He began to rise from his seat, but Leo frowned. “Hang on a second.”
