Poisoned Blue (Jamie Stanley Crime Scene Investigation Series Book 1) Read Free Page B

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
    “You were … busy.”
    “What does it
say?” She dropped the poles on the floor and walked over to Carl’s desk.
    “Arsenic
trioxide poisoning. They aren’t certain on the time of death, but it was
sometime Saturday morning.”
    “So, it was in
the drink?”
    “No. The glass
showed no signs of poisoning.”
    “What?” Jamie
leaned over his shoulder to read the information for herself. “But arsenic trioxide
is most fatal when consumed through food or drink. We didn’t find any other
glasses.”
    “And there was
nothing in her stomach.”
    “But, that
doesn’t make sense.”
    Danny laughed.
“I don’t think this is going to be a straight forward case.”
    “There’s one other
thing,” Carl said, “she was pregnant … with twins.”
    Jamie gasped.
“Why didn’t her husband say anything about that?”
    “I don’t know.
I guess we’ll have to pay him another visit.”
    Jamie stifled
a yawn.
    “Why don’t you
and Carl go home? It’s way past time. I can lock up,” Danny said.
    Jamie glanced
at her watch. Damn , she thought, Alex was due to arrive at my house
half an hour ago. “Thanks Danny,” she said, grabbing her handbag and coat.
“I’ve got to run.”
    Luckily the
station was only a five minute walk away from her house. When she’d been
looking for a place to rent she’d chosen the house specifically for that
reason. She wanted to be more eco-friendly and had decided that, while in the UK, she wasn’t going to own a car.
    She flipped
open her mobile. “Alex,” she said, “I’m so sorry. I lost track of time.”
    “Typical,” he
joked, “putting work before your own family. And, I came here especially to
visit you.”
    “I know, I
know, I’m a terrible sister.”
    Alex laughed.
    “You’ll be
able to see me when I walk round this corner. Talk soon.” She hung up.
    As she rounded
the corner, she saw Alex and waved. A suitcase lay on the floor by his feet.
She wondered how long he was planning on staying, the suitcase took up most of
the doorstep.
    “I know it
looks like a lot of stuff,” he said, “but I couldn’t decide what to bring so I
brought everything.”
    She put her
arms around his neck and squeezed him tight. It had only been about a week
since she’d last seen him, but she missed him. She missed all her family. That
was the one thing that bothered her about taking the job, she’d barely ever get
to see them.
    “I missed you
too,” Alex said, taking a step back, “but it’s fricking freezing out here.”
    “It’s the
middle of May, hardly freezing.” She rolled her eyes.
    “It’s the UK,” Alex said sarcastically.
    “It’s not that
different to Canada.” Jamie laughed.
    “A few degrees
Celsius makes a lot of difference.”
    Jamie shook
her head. “You’re such a wimp.”
    “Just open the
door.”
    She wiggled
the key in the lock and pushed the door open. It swung back, and Alex hurried
inside, his suitcase bumping against the backs of his legs in his hurry.
    “What have you
got in that suitcase? It looks like it weighs a ton.”
    “It does,”
Alex said. He heaved the suitcase onto the small two-seater sofa and clicked
the three locks open.
    Jamie watched
as he opened the lid and peeled back a couple of layers of clothing. She’d
always known that Alex liked his clothes and was slightly indecisive when it
came to packing, but this was taking it to a new extreme.
    Underneath his ACDC t-shirt was something shiny. The silver paper glistened in the few
rays of sunlight which had fought its way through the curtains which she’d
forgotten to pull back that morning.
    “Here,” he
said, “this one’s from Mum and Dad.” He passed her a small box wrapped in matt
blue paper.
    “What? Why?”
Jamie took a step back.
    “It’s your
birthday,” he said. He frowned. “You hadn’t forgotten, had you?
    “Everything’s
been a bit busy recently.”
    “You forgot
your own birthday. Well, it’s just as well I