Betrayed (Rosato & DiNunzio, #2)(68)

Detective Boone didn’t reply, but met her eye and ceased his note-taking.

“It gets dark early, this time of year. If they know generally what time he leaves the restaurant, they could plan for it and run him over. It would look like a hit-and-run, but it could really be murder.” Judy leaned forward, encouraged by his interest. “What do you think?”

“That’s a possibility,” Detective Boone answered, after a moment.

“It certainly is. Between what I know and what you know, if we work together, we can figure this thing out.”

Detective Boone lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t get the wrong idea here. I’m listening to you, but I am not working with you.”

“Okay, I understand.” Judy dialed back her enthusiasm.

“The other possibility is that Father Keegan’s death was an accident and Iris Juarez died of natural causes. You call this circumstantial, but I think it’s speculation, and either way, none of it is supported by any evidence or facts.” Detective Boone picked up his notepad and abruptly rose to his feet. “Excuse me for five minutes.”

“Sure,” Judy answered, surprised. “Where are you going?”

“Be right back,” Detective Boone answered, heading for the door. He opened it, letting in noise and chatter from the waiting room, then closed it behind him.

Judy sat back in her chair, feeling her heart begin to thump. The more she thought about it, the more her theory made sense, though she had no idea how to go about proving it. She felt driven to find out what had really happened to Father Keegan, not only to bring his killers to justice, but to help her redeem herself for his death. She felt her throat tighten with emotion but swallowed hard to keep it at bay.

Judy reflexively pulled out her phone to check her text and email, on lawyer autopilot. There were no new texts from Frank and she read through her incoming email, but there was nothing important from any of her clients or from opposing counsel, like Rick Kelin. She’d have to catch up with their other cases at some point, but she couldn’t begin to think about that now. She scrolled to the phone function to call her mother and check on Aunt Barb. The call went to voicemail after one ring, but she didn’t leave a message.

Suddenly, the door to the office opened, letting in a burst of crowd noise as Detective Boone entered the room carrying a sheaf of papers, but his demeanor had changed. His expression had snapped back into its official mask, his blue-eyed gaze had cooled and his thin lips formed an unsmiling, if professional, line. “You want facts? I have facts.”

“What?” Judy asked, intrigued.

“Iris Juarez died of natural causes. She had a heart attack. This is the pathologist’s report.” Detective Boone set down the sheaf of papers on the conference table. “I spoke with him and he emailed me a copy of his findings.”

Judy felt dumbfounded as she slid the papers over. Her eyes shot to the top line, which had a blank for Cause of Death and stated MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION. “Oh no.”

“In law enforcement, we consider this good news. A natural death is better than murder, correct?” Detective Boone walked around the table, returned to his chair, and sat down, crossing his legs.

“I can’t believe this.” Judy skimmed the report, which seemed like a thorough autopsy report, typical in every way.

“I think this should put your theory to rest, on Father Keegan as well.”

“I don’t get it,” Judy said, stumped. She flipped through the report until she reached the section for Internal Examination of Organs, and the description of Iris’s heart read that its arteries showed evidence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, A.S.C.V.D.

“He said that there’s a real problem in the undocumented community because they don’t get the medical care they need to control heart disease and hypertension.”

“Did they find any drugs in her system?” Judy flipped to the back of the report, where the toxicological screens were usually attached as an appendix, but there wasn’t one.

“The tox screen takes two to three weeks to come in and it will show if there was alcohol or drugs in her system.”

“What about legal drugs?”

“The basic covers only illegal drugs, not legal ones.”

Judy looked up. “Can we test her now for legal drugs? Do they keep the blood? How does that work?”

“An expanded takes longer, and it doesn’t happen unless a detective or the pathologist believes it’s in order. He didn’t request it.”

“Would you request it?”

“No.” Detective Boone shook his head. “Iris Juarez died a natural death. She wasn’t the victim of a homicide. You’re a lawyer, you know that police departments are subject to budget constraints. If I authorize expenditures on Juarez, then I won’t have it in a case where I have evidence of a suspicious death.”

“How much does it cost?”

“Basic is $120, expanded is $160.”

“Listen, if it’s just a question of cost, I’ll pay for it myself. I’d like to request the coroner to do a screen of her blood for legal or prescription drugs, an expanded. How do I do that?”

“You have to get in touch with the coroner’s office tomorrow. They may or may not do it.” Detective Boone shook his head. “But what is it exactly you’re hoping to find?”