Read Online Rausch & Donlon - Can Be Murder 01 - Headaches Can Be Murder by Marilyn Rausch, Mary Donlon - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Marilyn Rausch, Mary Donlon
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separate, and he had no idea how he got where he was or where he was going with either one. Serendipity propelled him forward. His favorite Maurice Sendak words came to mind, “Let the wild rumpus start.”
Chapter Eight
Brain Freeze
Duluth & Two Harbors, Minnesota
By the time they left the ME’s offices a few hours later, it was dark and the snow was coming down in fat flakes. It looked like a snow globe outside the windshield of the Highlander.
As Jo pulled out of the parking lot, a loud, insistent ringing emanated from her pocket. She pulled the SUV to the side and fished out her cell phone. “Agent Schwann here.” Pause. “Yes, we’re just leaving the ME’s office now. They found her?” Her eyes widened. “Really? Where?” Pause. “Any withdrawals from the bank account?” She frowned. “Thanks. I’ll get back to you.” She flipped the phone shut and shoved it back into the recesses of her coat.
John looked at her, waiting for her to fill him in. Jo said, “They’ve located the lead inspector who conducted the FDA audits. Her body was found in a hotel on the north side of Minneapolis. She died of an apparent drug overdose.”
John felt sadness, as he always did when he heard about someone desperate enough to take their own life. What a waste. “What did they say about the money?”
Jo responded, “The money’s still there. All two hundred grand of it. Oh, and she had just booked a Caribbean cruise, leaving tomorrow. Does it make sense to you that a person sitting on that kind of money and planning that kind of trip would suddenly take her own life?”
“Maybe she felt guilty.”
Jo’s green eyes were dark. “Or maybe someone decided she was a liability.”
John said, “Well, that certainly puts a kink in the whole ‘apparent suicide’ theory, now doesn’t?”
“And heats up our investigation to a whole new level.” Jo rubbed her temple. John thought she looked tired. “Damn it. We really needed to talk to that FDA inspector. All the deposits into her account were made in cash, so we can’t trace them directly to NeuroDynamics.”
“Can’t you talk to some of the FDA inspectors who worked with her?”
Jo tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “My co-workers in Minneapolis are following up from their end. All they’ve learned so far is that the lead agent worked alone most of the time and didn’t share much information with the rest of her team.”
Jo pulled back onto the road. She just missed being t-boned by a beat-up blue Honda sailing through a stop sign. The driver, a teenage boy wearing a hoodie, flipped her off and drove away. “Damn it! Who taught that kid how to drive on slippery roads?”
John raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure if he knew you carried a gun, he’d have thought twice about giving you the bird.”
Jo turned her head to him briefly and gave him a half-smile. “Well, I probably stank at driving in the snow when I was his age, too.” She resumed her white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. Visibility was only a few feet in front of the hood of the SUV.
John brought the subject back to the case. “So, you’re going to focus primarily on NeuroDynamics?”
“It’s the strongest link we have. After hearing you and Sid talk, I’m convinced this is much more than just a case of human error. My gut tells me we’ve just scraped the surface of what’s going on in this case. You have to admit, a dead FDA agent with a fat bank account and a microchip in the wrong place doesn’t look good.”
John nodded. “It seems to me, this is turning out to be a case of medical fraud—selling people on the idea of some miracle cure for migraines, depression, or whatever ails you. You still think this is about mind control?”
“Yes, I do. I know we haven’t come close to proving it yet, but I keep thinking about that note they found in Calhoun’s hand. He referenced being forced to murder someone. I still say we’re looking at
Chapter Eight
Brain Freeze
Duluth & Two Harbors, Minnesota
By the time they left the ME’s offices a few hours later, it was dark and the snow was coming down in fat flakes. It looked like a snow globe outside the windshield of the Highlander.
As Jo pulled out of the parking lot, a loud, insistent ringing emanated from her pocket. She pulled the SUV to the side and fished out her cell phone. “Agent Schwann here.” Pause. “Yes, we’re just leaving the ME’s office now. They found her?” Her eyes widened. “Really? Where?” Pause. “Any withdrawals from the bank account?” She frowned. “Thanks. I’ll get back to you.” She flipped the phone shut and shoved it back into the recesses of her coat.
John looked at her, waiting for her to fill him in. Jo said, “They’ve located the lead inspector who conducted the FDA audits. Her body was found in a hotel on the north side of Minneapolis. She died of an apparent drug overdose.”
John felt sadness, as he always did when he heard about someone desperate enough to take their own life. What a waste. “What did they say about the money?”
Jo responded, “The money’s still there. All two hundred grand of it. Oh, and she had just booked a Caribbean cruise, leaving tomorrow. Does it make sense to you that a person sitting on that kind of money and planning that kind of trip would suddenly take her own life?”
“Maybe she felt guilty.”
Jo’s green eyes were dark. “Or maybe someone decided she was a liability.”
John said, “Well, that certainly puts a kink in the whole ‘apparent suicide’ theory, now doesn’t?”
“And heats up our investigation to a whole new level.” Jo rubbed her temple. John thought she looked tired. “Damn it. We really needed to talk to that FDA inspector. All the deposits into her account were made in cash, so we can’t trace them directly to NeuroDynamics.”
“Can’t you talk to some of the FDA inspectors who worked with her?”
Jo tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “My co-workers in Minneapolis are following up from their end. All they’ve learned so far is that the lead agent worked alone most of the time and didn’t share much information with the rest of her team.”
Jo pulled back onto the road. She just missed being t-boned by a beat-up blue Honda sailing through a stop sign. The driver, a teenage boy wearing a hoodie, flipped her off and drove away. “Damn it! Who taught that kid how to drive on slippery roads?”
John raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure if he knew you carried a gun, he’d have thought twice about giving you the bird.”
Jo turned her head to him briefly and gave him a half-smile. “Well, I probably stank at driving in the snow when I was his age, too.” She resumed her white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. Visibility was only a few feet in front of the hood of the SUV.
John brought the subject back to the case. “So, you’re going to focus primarily on NeuroDynamics?”
“It’s the strongest link we have. After hearing you and Sid talk, I’m convinced this is much more than just a case of human error. My gut tells me we’ve just scraped the surface of what’s going on in this case. You have to admit, a dead FDA agent with a fat bank account and a microchip in the wrong place doesn’t look good.”
John nodded. “It seems to me, this is turning out to be a case of medical fraud—selling people on the idea of some miracle cure for migraines, depression, or whatever ails you. You still think this is about mind control?”
“Yes, I do. I know we haven’t come close to proving it yet, but I keep thinking about that note they found in Calhoun’s hand. He referenced being forced to murder someone. I still say we’re looking at
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