“I wouldn’t know, Sheriff. That said, I think there was usually a bottle around. I imagine you’ve heard about her drinking. I guess the doctors told her it was killing her. But she didn’t seem to care.”

“Perfume,” said Sue. “Do you know if Mrs. Wudbine was partial to a specific fragrance?”

“Perfume, I wouldn’t know about that, either. She did have a certain smell about her. It was sort of musky. I always attributed it to the roses, but now that I think of it, the scent wasn’t rose-like. ”

44

Elliott Wudbine rushed into the greenhouse. “Where is she, where is Brenda?” He directed his question to Richard Grubbs, taking no note of Ray and Sue.

“In an ambulance. They left five minutes ago.”

“How is she?” Again, his question was directed to Grubbs.

“She wasn’t breathing when I found her. I don’t think they could do anything.”

Wudbine’s focus shifted to Ray. “What are you doing here?” he demanded, his tone hostile.

“There have been some developments in your father’s case. I have a warrant to search this building and part of Gull House.”

Sue slipped out of the building to retrieve the warrant.

“Well, you will have to talk to my wife about that. She takes care of the legal affairs. And at the moment she is indisposed. I know she won’t be happy having you poking around.”

“You won’t have to bother her, sir,” responded Ray, stalling briefly. Moments later Sue returned to the greenhouse with the folder. Ray passed Wudbine the search warrant. “As soon as you’ve read this, we can get started.”

Wudbine held the document, one hand on each side, pushing it away from his body, squinting as he struggled to bring the print into focus. He remained silent, slowly scanning the words. Then he looked at Ray. “What’s this about arsenic? My father was stabbed for Christ’s sake, and you’re looking for arsenic. How will the poor man ever find justice with your ship-of-fools approach to the investigation?”

“Did you read the warrant, sir?” probed Ray.

“I need my reading glasses, but I’ve got the gist of it. I don’t understand about the arsenic.”

“Some of the tissue from your father’s body showed high levels of arsenic. It appears that he had ingested a significant quantity of that element. We are wondering if there was an earlier attempt on his life. As you can see in the document, our search is limited.”

“That’s the silliest goddamn thing I’ve ever heard. I’m going to find Jill. We’re going to get this shithead, so-called judge on the phone and have your sorry ass ordered off our property.” Elliott spun on his heels and bolted for the door.

“Mr. Conviviality,” declared Sue.

Ray turned to Richard Grubbs. “Is there anything else you can tell us?”

“I don’t think so. You know where to find me.”

“Let’s get this done,” said Ray as soon as Grubbs was out of earshot, “just in case…well…the ship starts taking water.”

“You do want to treat this like a possible crime scene, don’t you? Until we know otherwise, this is a case of unexplained death.”

“Absolutely. It’s your scene, and we will secure it until you’re finished. I’ll disappear for a few minutes. I want to call Dr. Dyskin, tell him where he’ll find the body, and ask him to order a forensic autopsy.”

“Is Hanna at the hospital today?”

“Yes.”

“You should give her a call, too. Brenda’s departure is….”

Ray cut her off, “Just too convenient.”

“Right. See if you can get the curmudgeonly Dr. Dyskin to consult with Hanna.”

Ray looked over at her. “I thought you had softened a bit on him since he’s given up cigars.”

“I have. But given Brenda’s history of heart trouble, if Dyskin will listen, Hanna can probably give him some useful counsel.”

“Are you done with the camera work?” asked Ray returning to the greenhouse a few minutes later.

“Yes. Let’s get the search done before we have any more interruptions. Here are some rubber gloves. First, I want to call your attention to this smock.” She carefully lifted the light gray, cotton garment from a hook and held it in Ray’s direction.

“What am I suppose to do with it?”

“Your nose, Ray. Smell it.”

Sue watched his tentative moves. “Ray, not little sniffs. Put your nose into the material and inhale.”

“Okay.”

She pulled a small glass bottle from her pocket and removed its top. “Okay, take a whiff of this.” She passed the bottle under his nose. “What do you think?”

“Very close. What’s the difference?”

“The bottle has patchouli oil. It’s quite unique. If one were in the know about aromas and scents, I don’t think they would confuse it with anything else.”

“Agreed,” said Ray. “So Tom Lea has helped us make a connection between the shadowy woman at the picnic shelter and Brenda Wudbine.”

“Yes.”

“What does arsenic look like?” he asked, impatient to get the search completed.

“Arsenic, the mineral, is described as a silver-gray crystal. It will be a powder or in granules. Until it was banned in most consumer applications about a dozen years ago, arsenic was commonly found in insecticides, herbicides, and on flypaper. Our most likely suspect will be pesticides that contain arsenic, probably as a main ingredient.”

Ray pointed to a tall, metal shelving unit along a wall at the far end of the building.

“Yup,” Sue responded. “That’s a good starting point.”

Twenty minutes of careful label reading had yielded four cartons of insecticide—cardboard cylinders with pry-off metal lids. Three had a tape seal across the top; the fourth had been opened. Ray found a screwdriver in a near-by drawer and removed the lid. They peered in at the grayish powder of the half empty container.

“So what have we proved?” asked Sue.

“That the means for poisoning Malcolm was present and easily accessible. The autopsy suggested that the poisoning was of short duration, probably talking place over a few days. Did you listen to Pepper Markley’s interview from yesterday?”

“Yes, before I started to work on the affidavit. There were things I didn’t understand. Why didn’t they just teach the cook to do the cappuccino?”

“Remember Pepper said Jill was…and these are her words…trying to rehabilitate Brenda. So the question is why?”

“I see where you are going. Was this something Jill did occasionally, or was it part of a larger scheme. Did Brenda start poisoning her husband, or was Jill pulling the strings. And if this is the scenario, why did Brenda, or Brenda with Jill’s assistance, stop?” asked Sue.

“I don’t know how well Brenda was functioning. But Jill is a very bright woman. If she was behind the poisoning, she wanted to make sure Brenda would take the rap. In fact, it would have ended like this, with Brenda dead. But someone got spooked. Pulled back before the poisoning was correctly diagnosed.”

“The problem is,” started Sue, “all we have so far is the arsenic in Malcolm’s hair, the report of his illness, and a partially depleted container with a compound containing arsenic found in the greenhouse.” She gave Ray a mocking smile. “A substance you can probably find in most of the garages, sheds, and barns in this county. Do you want to take our evidence to the prosecutor or should I?”

“Maybe you will find some prints on the container. While we’re here, let’s give the rest of the place a quick look,” said Ray.

He reopened the drawer where he found the screwdriver and looked over the contents. Then he moved over to the next drawer. He surveyed the neatly arranged contents: spools of wire with bright coverings, green tape, florist scissors, pruners, craft knives, and three box cutters next to two containers of extra blades. His eyes swept over the contents a second time. In a back corner of the drawer, partially hidden under rolls of tape, was a rosewood handle with two brass rivets. He pushed the tape aside. The handle was attached to a triangular black leather sheath. With a gloved hand, Ray carefully removed the object and set it on the bench. Sue came to his side. He released the snap on the leather strap that secured the blade and carefully pulled a weapon from its scabbard.