board.
"Apparent?" Nigel asked.
"He fell. Hit his head and landed in the bathtub with the water running. Without an autopsy there's no way to know if he died from the fall or the water."
"So why wasn't there an autopsy?"
Harrison shrugged. "Happened in a remote part of Colorado. Way up in the mountains. Doubt they've got the manpower to deal with something like that. Easier to rule it an accident. And at least on the surface, it certainly looks like it was."
"You've got the police report?" Gabe asked.
"It's right here." Madison left the white board and reached for a file, handing it to Gabe. "The only one of the four we have an autopsy report for is Robert Barnes."
The insistent ringing of a cell phone broke the conversation, and everybody scrambled to find their phone. "Mine," Madison said, flipping it open, moving to the far side of the room so that she could hear.
Gabe turned back to the group. "Robert Barnes was the man who died in the fire." He scanned the file, trying to remember the details. "A warehouse, right?"
Harrison nodded. "His own. The autopsy said he died of smoke inhalation."
"Was there an arson investigation?" Payton had moved to stand by the window.
"Yeah." Harrison answered. "For insurance purposes. There was talk of arson, but nothing conclusive. The most likely person to have torched the place was Barnes, and since he died in the fire—"
"They were quick to close the case." Gabe finished for him. "Who was the beneficiary?"
"The bulk of his estate went to charity." Harrison searched his computer screen. "With the odd bequest to staff and friends."
"I take it there was no family?" Gabe asked.
"A couple of ex-wives. No children." Harrison shrugged. "Certainly no one with motive to kill the guy, if that's what you're getting at."
"In order to have a conspiracy," Nigel's voice had turned cynical, "you have to have something to go on. And other than their business connections, I don't see a bloody thing."
"How about proof of murder?" Madison closed her cell phone with a decided snap, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "That was Tracy Braxton. She got the tox screen back, and guess what she found?"
"I assume you're going to tell us?" Gabe snapped, impatience making him speak more harshly than he'd intended.
Her mouth tightened into an angry line, and he wished his words back. Harrison reached over to touch her arm and she relaxed. "She found traces of potassium chloride."
"Son of a bitch," Payton swore. "Instant heart attack. Any idea where it came from?"
"That's the best part." Madison was smiling again. "Tracy examined the body and found an injection site. His right hip. The original M.E. missed it."
"I'd say it's a pretty sure bet that Smith didn't inject himself," Nigel said. "The question, of course, is who did?"
"And why." Payton had moved closer, taking a seat next to Harrison, his interest obviously piqued.
"Whatever the answer, it looks like Cullen was right," Harrison said, already working on the implications.
"Hang on a minute." Gabe held up a hand. "Not to ruin anyone's fun here. But one death doesn't make it a conspiracy. For all we know someone totally unrelated to the accord could have had it in for Smith. A guy like that is bound to have enemies."
"Except that there was another heart attack." Nigel' s eyes were narrowed in thought, his expression grim. "If it turns out that Aston had potassium chloride in his system, then we've got the makings of something bigger."
"That's a big if, " Payton said. "And even if it were to prove true, there's still the other four. None of them had heart attacks."
"He wouldn't want to use the same method every time." Madison's brows were drawn together in a frown as she studied the board. "By using different methods, the odds are better that the crimes would go undetected."
"So if Aston's heart attack was deliberate, wouldn't that blow your theory?" Gabe asked, trying to contain his cynicism.
"Not necessarily. If he killed five people
"Apparent?" Nigel asked.
"He fell. Hit his head and landed in the bathtub with the water running. Without an autopsy there's no way to know if he died from the fall or the water."
"So why wasn't there an autopsy?"
Harrison shrugged. "Happened in a remote part of Colorado. Way up in the mountains. Doubt they've got the manpower to deal with something like that. Easier to rule it an accident. And at least on the surface, it certainly looks like it was."
"You've got the police report?" Gabe asked.
"It's right here." Madison left the white board and reached for a file, handing it to Gabe. "The only one of the four we have an autopsy report for is Robert Barnes."
The insistent ringing of a cell phone broke the conversation, and everybody scrambled to find their phone. "Mine," Madison said, flipping it open, moving to the far side of the room so that she could hear.
Gabe turned back to the group. "Robert Barnes was the man who died in the fire." He scanned the file, trying to remember the details. "A warehouse, right?"
Harrison nodded. "His own. The autopsy said he died of smoke inhalation."
"Was there an arson investigation?" Payton had moved to stand by the window.
"Yeah." Harrison answered. "For insurance purposes. There was talk of arson, but nothing conclusive. The most likely person to have torched the place was Barnes, and since he died in the fire—"
"They were quick to close the case." Gabe finished for him. "Who was the beneficiary?"
"The bulk of his estate went to charity." Harrison searched his computer screen. "With the odd bequest to staff and friends."
"I take it there was no family?" Gabe asked.
"A couple of ex-wives. No children." Harrison shrugged. "Certainly no one with motive to kill the guy, if that's what you're getting at."
"In order to have a conspiracy," Nigel's voice had turned cynical, "you have to have something to go on. And other than their business connections, I don't see a bloody thing."
"How about proof of murder?" Madison closed her cell phone with a decided snap, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "That was Tracy Braxton. She got the tox screen back, and guess what she found?"
"I assume you're going to tell us?" Gabe snapped, impatience making him speak more harshly than he'd intended.
Her mouth tightened into an angry line, and he wished his words back. Harrison reached over to touch her arm and she relaxed. "She found traces of potassium chloride."
"Son of a bitch," Payton swore. "Instant heart attack. Any idea where it came from?"
"That's the best part." Madison was smiling again. "Tracy examined the body and found an injection site. His right hip. The original M.E. missed it."
"I'd say it's a pretty sure bet that Smith didn't inject himself," Nigel said. "The question, of course, is who did?"
"And why." Payton had moved closer, taking a seat next to Harrison, his interest obviously piqued.
"Whatever the answer, it looks like Cullen was right," Harrison said, already working on the implications.
"Hang on a minute." Gabe held up a hand. "Not to ruin anyone's fun here. But one death doesn't make it a conspiracy. For all we know someone totally unrelated to the accord could have had it in for Smith. A guy like that is bound to have enemies."
"Except that there was another heart attack." Nigel' s eyes were narrowed in thought, his expression grim. "If it turns out that Aston had potassium chloride in his system, then we've got the makings of something bigger."
"That's a big if, " Payton said. "And even if it were to prove true, there's still the other four. None of them had heart attacks."
"He wouldn't want to use the same method every time." Madison's brows were drawn together in a frown as she studied the board. "By using different methods, the odds are better that the crimes would go undetected."
"So if Aston's heart attack was deliberate, wouldn't that blow your theory?" Gabe asked, trying to contain his cynicism.
"Not necessarily. If he killed five people
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