Purrfectly Deadly

Chapter 6

After Odelia had dropped off Max and Dooley, she decided to go and have a little chat with her dad. Her uncle had already messaged her the coroner’s preliminary report: John Paul George had been killed by a vial of GHB that was poisoned. That, in conjunction with a preexisting heart condition, had caused his ticker to throw in the towel. Uncle Alec and Chase thought Jasper Pruce was the obvious suspect, but she decided to follow a different lead.

If a vial of Liquid G had killed Johnny, she was going to find out where that vial had come from, and who had tampered with it. Only one vial had been spiked with venom, and it was the only one that had carried a pink seal with a tiny unicorn. Johnny’s seal. So the killer must have known about this.

There were no puncture marks found on the seal, so the venom hadn’t been injected into the vial. Which meant it had been added before being sealed. And who else could have done that other than Johnny’s dealer?

She parked her Ford pickup in front of the doctor’s office and went inside. As usual, her grandmother was at the reception desk, a few patients patiently waiting until Odelia’s dad, who was the town doctor, was ready.

“I need to speak to Dad,” she told Gran. “It’s urgent.”

Gran, a wizened old lady, seemed annoyed Odelia had interrupted her game of online Scrabble. “What’s this about?”

“There’s been a murder,” she told her. “John Paul George was found murdered in his pool this morning.” She didn’t mention she’d found him there, as she didn’t want to make the old lady worry too much.

“The singer?” asked Gran. “Ooh, I liked him. He was a regular hottie.”

Odelia’s mind flashed back to the spreading man they’d dragged from the pool, and decided to skip this little bit of information too. No need to spoil Gran’s memory of the eighties heartthrob. “Yeah, he was, wasn’t he?”

“And you’re telling me he was murdered? That’s just awful! Who could have done such a horrible thing?”

“Well, that’s what I’m trying to find out.”

“And you think your dad knows who did it, huh?”

“I doubt it, but he might lead me in the right direction.” She didn’t want to put all of her cards on the table, as Gran was an inveterate gossip.

“Is that nice Detective Chase Kingsley on the case again?”

“Yes, he is.”

For some reason Gran had taken a shine to Chase.

“That man is so hot, I can’t believe no one has bagged him yet,” she said, shooting her a meaningful look.

“Why don’t you give it a shot?”

“I wouldn’t want to steal your thunder, honey,” said Gran. “I know that man has got the hots for you. So why haven’t you made a move on him yet?”

She rolled her eyes. She was so not having this conversation right now. “I’m sure that Detective Kingsley doesn’t even like me, Gran, much less wants to pursue me.”

“Pursue you? What is this? A Jane Austin novel? I may be old, honey, but I’m not that old. Nowadays girls can pursue boys, you know. Trust me, if I’d waited for your grandfather to ‘pursue me’ I’d still be waiting. No, you go and get that man before someone else snaps him up.” She gave her a wink. “Or before I snap him up, if you know what I mean.”

“Yes, I know what you mean, Gran. It’s pretty obvious.” And distasteful. “Look, both Detective Kingsley and I are professionals, and we like to keep our relationship on a strictly professional level. We work together occasionally and getting… involved would only make things complicated.”

Even though Chase still resented a reporter butting in on his investigation, they’d actually cracked a case together a couple of weeks ago, and even this morning, when she’d saved him from that cockatoo, there had been a sense of kinship between them. Strictly professional kinship, that was.

Gran shook her head. “Youth is definitely wasted on the young, take it from me. If I were you—”

“Well, you’re not. Now if you could just tell Dad I’m here…”

“I’m giving you dibs on that hottie, but I’m not going to be able to hold back much longer, you hear?” asked Gran while she picked up the phone. “And I’m only giving you first shot because you’re family.”

“Thanks, Gran. That’s very generous of you.”

“And don’t you give me that professional relationship bull, either. I know you’ve got the hots for that guy. I’ve seen the way you look at him. I may be old but there’s nothing wrong with my eyesight.”

“Just… give me Dad,” she said through gritted teeth, and snatched the phone from her grandmother’s hands. “Yes, hi, Dad. I need to ask you something real quick. Can I come in?”

And as she went in, Gran gave her a wink. “When you see him, say hi to Chase from me, will you? Just to make sure he knows I’m still in the running, in case you drop out of the race.”

“Sure, Gran. I’ll tell him my grandmother is lusting after him.”

“And tell him to keep up the workouts. I like my buns nice and tight.”

She entered her dad’s office and nodded a greeting to Mrs. Baumgartner. The old lady was in all the time, more out of habit than because something was ailing her. Her father quickly took her into the next examination room. “Make it quick, honey,” he said, taking off his glasses and polishing them. “Mrs. Baumgartner was just about to show me her bunion.”

In a few words she told him what had happened to Johnny.

He shook his head. “I warned him about this. Overdose, huh?”

“No, it looks like he was poisoned. At least according to the coroner.”

Her dad’s eyes widened. “Murder? That’s terrible. He was such a great guy. Very down to earth and with a great sense of humor, too.”

“So you knew him?”

“Well, he had his regular physician, a concierge doctor working out of Southampton, but I sometimes covered for him when he was on vacation. I know his boyfriend a lot better, of course. Jasper used to be my patient for years, before he started to go to Johnny’s physician. Great kid, Jasper.”

“Uncle Alec actually thinks Jasper might have done it. His fingerprints were on the vial of GHB that Johnny took. The one containing the venom.”

“Impossible,” said her dad, shaking his head decidedly. “Jasper wouldn’t hurt a fly. Besides, he loved that man dearly. They were a lovely couple.”

It cemented her decision to look beyond Jasper and try to find who else might have had access to the vial and might have doctored it. “Dad, this is important. Do you have any idea who Johnny’s supplier of GHB was?”

Dad gave her a look of surprise. “How on earth would I know that? I’m a doctor, not a drug dealer, honey.”

“No, but you’re…” She hesitated, gesturing at the medicine cabinet in a corner of the room. “Plugged in.”

He laughed. “I see. You think we’re all in the same business, huh?”

“Well… I just thought you might have heard something.”

He thought for a moment. “There have been a lot of rumors swirling around about that health food store that opened at the mall a couple of months ago. People talk, you know, and I’ve been told by several of my patients that the owner of that store supplies his customers with more than just herbs and vitamins, if you catch my drift. In fact I think I saw his van pull up at Johnny’s place just when I was leaving last month. Coincidence?”

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Thanks, Dad. You’re the best.”

“So sad about Johnny,” he said as they walked back into his office. “He was a very sweet man. You find out who did this, all right?”

“I will, Dad,” she said.

“Oh, and be careful,” he said. “This drug thing is a nasty business.”

That was true enough. It had already claimed the life of one man and had landed another man in jail, possibly innocent. A very nasty business indeed.