Firebreak (Josie Gray Mysteries #4)(79)

“What?”

Josie glanced at Turner, who was intently watching her client’s expressions.

“The day of the evacuation, you went to town so that Billy could end his relationship with Ferris at your house. When Ferris started throwing threats around about ending Billy’s career, Billy killed Ferris. Used your stun gun and then suffocated him to death. Staged his body on the couch.”

Brenda broke in, her face horrified. “No!”

“You came home to pick Billy up so you could leave for Austin.”

Brenda shook her head, her eyes frantic.

“Billy made a public appearance, talked to Angela, and established a time frame. Then he drove home, dumped kerosene on the front of the house, and set fire to your home. He moved the clocks forward an hour to give you time to get out of town. He drove back to the Hell-Bent to pick you up and leave for Austin.”

“No! Why are you saying this?”

“Billy confessed all of this to Hank before he drank himself to death.”

Turner’s jaw clenched so tight Josie thought she might break teeth. She stared at Brenda, who obviously hadn’t told any of this to her attorney. It was a bombshell, and Josie was surprised Turner hadn’t called a halt to the questioning.

Brenda began crying and placed her face in her hands. Turner glanced at Josie without a word. She stood, grabbed a handful of tissues out of her purse, and laid them in front of her client.

Josie had brought a bottle of water into the room with her. She opened the top and slid it across the table toward Brenda. “You had to have known something, Brenda. Your husband killed a man he supposedly cared a great deal about. He set your house on fire, then an hour later rode all the way to Austin with you. You had to know something had happened.”

Brenda finally got herself in control and blew her nose. She drank water and poured some of it on a tissue and dabbed the cold water against her swollen eyes. “I swear I didn’t know any of this. I knew something was wrong. Billy was acting strange. He hadn’t slept in days. He was a nervous wreck.” She took a ragged breath and looked from Turner to Josie, her expression filled with shame. “I thought he was having an affair with Ferris. I thought he was sneaking off at night to meet him. The night Billy got up and left me the note, the night he died?” She clenched her hands into fists in her lap, her face in anguish. “I thought he left the hotel to meet Ferris somewhere. I never dreamt he would kill himself.” She broke down into sobs again.

While Josie and Otto waited for Brenda to regain control, the head of intake officer Maria Santiago appeared at the window in the door. She motioned them out into the hallway. Turner was bent over Brenda, talking into her ear, and didn’t seem to notice as they walked out.

Maria said, “I’m sorry to interrupt you. Cowan asked me to call you out. He’d like for you to go down to his office.”

“It can’t wait?”

“He just said he has information you’ll want.”

Josie thanked Maria and opened the door to the conference room. She looked at Turner and said, “I need ten minutes.”

Turner frowned and nodded once, and Josie shut the door.

Josie and Otto walked back through the central hub and Maria buzzed them into the hallway that led to the coroner’s office. Cowan opened the door and apologized for pulling them away from the interrogation.

“I don’t know that this is relevant to your questioning, but I felt I would be remiss by not telling you right away.”

“We’ll take anything you can give us. What do you have?” Josie asked.

“I received a package today, airmail.” He held up the FedEx envelope. “It’s from the lab that processed the syringe that the fire marshal found under the Nixes’ couch.”

Josie nodded.

“If you’ll remember, I wasn’t there when they found the syringe, so I had no idea what they were shipping off.”

Josie nodded. Once the autopsy was complete, there had been no reason to consult with Cowan before sending the syringe off to the lab.

“As you know, the results from toxicology came up with nothing. When I opened the package that contained the actual syringe I realized this type needle isn’t for IV drug use. It’s a blunt-tip needle. It’s a specialized needle used for surgeries.”

Cowan motioned for Josie and Otto to approach the counter where he had a large lighted magnifier on a stand. He held two similar-looking syringes under the magnifier, and Josie and Otto both leaned in to examine the ends of the needles. The ends were slightly different, with one obviously sharper, the other rounded.

“A needle typically has a beveled tip to make the sharp ending that allows it to penetrate skin without causing a hole and excessive bleeding. This blunt tip is something a surgeon might use for sutures. It helps prevent needle-stick injuries to blood vessels, so it’s a pretty specialized needle. It’s not something somebody shooting up heroin would use.”

Josie raised her eyebrows to Cowan. “Nice work.”

He tipped his head at her. “Thank you.”

“Would it be possible to track down a syringe like this? As in, would a local vet use it, or a medical doctor at the trauma center? We could search it on the Internet by brand?” Otto asked.

“I suspect this is used by a vet, but I’m not sure. I’d try Doc Hammond first. He’ll be able to tell you if it’s associated with animals or humans.”