“Please let her know we’re here for her,” Henry said before turning to Nate. “I finished the initial interview with Sylvan Dean. He was very helpful and concerned for Lucy. I wrote up the report. It contains all my thoughts, but I can tell you I don’t think he did it.”
“Have you talked to Lucy?” Michael asked. Henry’s CIA training made him an excellent interrogator.
Henry snorted while Nell full out laughed.
Then they both seemed to realize Michael wasn’t joking, and Henry cleared his throat. “Uhm, no. I don’t have to talk to Lucy to know she’s not capable of this kind of premeditated action. She could protect herself, but she couldn’t coldly plan a murder.”
Nell smiled up at her husband. “It was nice to watch Henry work. He’s very good at getting people to talk.”
She had that glowy look he’d wanted to see on Lucy’s face. She bounced her baby slightly. Poppy Flanders was six months old, and apparently her parents took her everywhere. Including interrogations.
“Nell, what do you know about cyanide?”
Nell’s eyes widened. “Is that what was used on that poor man? And by poor I mean it’s sad when anyone dies, but his corporation is a blight on the planet. I haven’t personally looked into Foster Incorporated, but I know they’ve been cited for environmental concerns in several countries.”
“Caleb believes it was very likely cyanide,” Nate assured her.
Nell held her baby closer. “That’s a terrible way to go, though at least it’s quick.”
“You know about cyanide?” Nate pointed Henry’s way. “I would expect him to know, not you.”
Henry’s hands came up. “I never used poison. Only guns and knives. And my hands. One time a spatula and five toothpicks.”
Nell’s glowy smile was back. “He was clever at using whatever was around him. When you think about it, he was very earth friendly. But he doesn’t do that anymore. And of course I know. I’m starting a new series of mysteries. It’s about a former spy who falls in love with a romance author, and they travel the world solving the mysterious deaths of the people who are murdered around them.”
“Okay, that sounds weird,” Nate said with a frown. “Why would people be murdered around them?”
Henry shrugged. “Murder, She Wrote ran for twelve seasons. Every person Angela Lansbury ran into dropped dead, and not once did anyone accuse her of being a serial killer.”
“Henry thinks Jessica Fletcher committed all the murders herself.” Nell sent her husband the stink eye. “It’s a very misogynistic view.”
Henry held his hands up. “I’m just saying it was a lot of murder around one seemingly harmless woman. And also, it would have been a great twist. They could have had a final episode that revealed how she did all the killings and covered them up by proving someone else did it.”
Nell shrugged. “Yes, it would have been a surprise. Anyway, in answer to Michael’s question, I’ve recently learned a lot about cyanide. The first victim in the new series is poisoned by his business partner with cyanide.”
This was unconventional research, but research all the same. Nell actually knew a lot of odd facts that she’d picked up over years of writing her novels. “Where would you get cyanide? Can you buy it?”
“Of course. It’s used in many different and terrible ways,” Nell began.
“And some helpful ways,” Henry countered. “It can absolutely be found in nature.”
“And it can be used to strip the earth of its resources.” The baby in Nell’s arms shifted as though the words disturbed her. “It’s primarily used in gold and silver mining. They manufacture cyanide and then use a process that separates the precious metal from the rock around it. But it’s also used by poachers. They poison watering holes to kill elephants for their tusks.”
“It’s also used in medical equipment.” Henry resettled the blanket around his daughter’s feet.
“It can be found in pest control,” Nell continued. “Though we know who the real pests are. It’s been used to control the coyote populations. In New Zealand cyanide became a popular way to attempt to get rid of possums. They’re not native to the country. They can spread tuberculosis in bovine herds.”
“Oh, fun fact, potassium ferrocyanide is used in sculpting to bring about a blue cast to bronze sculptures,” Henry offered. “It’s also used in jewelry making. Photography, specifically in sepia toning. See, lots of practical uses.”
“So it’s pretty common?” Michael asked. So far he didn’t see a way Lucy could have gotten her hands on cyanide. She didn’t make jewelry. Her only photos were on her phone, and she wasn’t an artist. The only artists she knew were painters.
Nell shook her head. “I wouldn’t say common, and even if it has practical purposes, it’s not easily obtained. It’s not like arsenic, which can be used in rat poison. You can buy that fairly easily, but it’s far less lethal. Arsenic poisoning takes place over time where cyanide kills quickly. This was ingested and not inhaled?”
“We believe it was placed in a glass of Scotch,” Nate supplied.
“It would be easier to get the compound than the gas,” Nell mused. “You can make cyanide, you know.”
He didn’t like the sound of that. “How would you make cyanide?”
“Make isn’t the word to use. More like you can obtain it organically. Like Henry said, it can be found in nature. It occurs naturally in some fruits and seeds. Peaches, apples, apricots. There’s naturally occurring cyanide in their pits or seeds. Also cassava,” Nell continued.
“Almonds,” Henry added. “I mean if you want to risk your own life you could potentially acquire a small amount by crushing enough seeds of a plant that contains cyanide. The liquid left would potentially be poisonous depending on the plant and how it was raised. There are a lot of factors at play.”
“So if someone crushed enough apple seeds, they might be able to get enough to poison a single drink?” Michael hated the way his gut knotted. All he could remember was the basket of apples on River’s bar.
I’m experimenting. It takes a lot of apples to make the perfect pie, you know.
Lucy had said she was experimenting. Had she lied about what she’d been trying to make?
What the fuck was wrong with him? She was Lucy. She was the sweetest woman he’d ever known. She was the kind of person who took care of the people around her.
She wasn’t Jessie.
And still the suspicion played through him. It curled around him until it was a scream he couldn’t ignore.
“I suppose so,” Nell allowed.
“If you like I can share our notes with you. We did some pretty extensive research. Nell likes to keep things believable. Well, for fiction.” Henry looked down at his daughter. “But we need to get up to our room. Our Poppy is starting to root around, and she can be a bear when she’s hungry.”
“I would appreciate anything you can give me,” Nate replied before turning to Michael. “I’m heading down to see how Caleb is faring in the kitchen. We need to get that body cold as soon as we can. Do you want to come with me? Or you can go up to the room we’re going to use. Like I said, it’s Cole’s suite and it’s got several bedrooms. You can pick one if you like.”