Chapter Twenty-Five

John ended up spending the night at the station as he wanted to be the first with the autopsy reports. After figuring out that Walter must have been poisoned, John had called the ME back and told her to do the absolute most extensive exam possible.

He awoke early and immediately called the food preparation service that the jail used to check on if anyone had delivered last night. The owner said no, none of his guys were out and that he had never employed anyone by the name of Tom Jackson. John however, did request that him and all the employees come down to the station for a line up, just to be sure.

John knew it wasn't likely anything would come from it, but he had to try.

It was nearing 8am when the autopsy results finally arrived. John quickly opened them up and scanned down to the cause of death, which read death by poisoning.

In her notes she stated that had she not been told what to look for the poison probably would have gone undetected as it was an unusual one that was hard to trace. Having a gut feeling that Spencer was behind this, John all but stormed into Bo's office and slammed the door.

Throwing the results down on his desk, John fixed Bo with a serious look. "We have to bring Paige in for questioning Bo."

Bo looked over the report and then pushed it away. "Do we know how he was poisoned?"

Annoyed that Bo was drawing this out, John raked his fingers roughly through his hair. "Someone impersonated a meal service employee and delivered him the food. Who else knew we had him? There was us and the other officers, Natalie, Roxy and Rex – who found out about this?"

Bo let out the breath he had been holding, and his shoulders sagged. "Paige was in here when I made the call for the warrant."

"She overheard?"

Bo nodded. Hating what he was about to do, Bo sighed. "Go send an officer to bring her in."

"What is going on? Why am I here?" Paige yelled angrily as the officer escorted her into the station. Seeing Bo, she broke free from the officers grasp and went over to him. "Bo, what is this about?"

Bo looked at her blankly then turned his attention back to his officer. "Please escort Ms. Miller into the interrogation room."

Ignoring her protests, the officer did so and John made his way over. "Do you want to be in there?"

Bo nodded. "I have to hear this."

Understanding his need, John didn't argue and began to head toward the interrogation room when he saw Natalie enter the station. "We are questioning Paige," he said, knowing that she would also want to be there.

Nodding, Natalie set down her purse and joined John and her uncle as they walked toward the room. The second they opened the door, they were faced with an angry Paige.

"What the hell is going on here?"

"Why don't you tell us," John said as he took a seat on one of the chairs. Both Natalie and Bo did the same. Left standing, Paige looked at them confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Just sit down Paige," Bo snapped.

Surprised at his tone, she did so and faced the three of them. "Well?"

"How about you start by telling us how you managed to get your medical license back after you killed my father."

All the color drained out of Paige's face and she took a shaky breath. "What are you talking about?" Her voice wavering.

But John wasn't falling for it. "You heard me. A settlement was reached with the stipulation that the doctor would lose their license. How is it you are back practicing medicine in Llanview?"

Knowing she had been found out, Paige looked down at the table. "I was expelled under the name Paige Truman, I re-filled under Paige Miller. No one ever checked. But that case has been settled, you have no right to question me about it."

"Oh that's not why you're here," John's voice was dangerously cold. "You're here because we believe you were part of the black market deals Walter Balsom and Spencer had going."

"What? No. I had nothing to do with that."

"Then why be part of the cover up to kill him?" John snapped.

"He made me do it," Paige said with a shaky voice. "I was off-duty that night, and had been out for drinks with friends. Spencer called me in and told me it was an emergency. I refused because I knew I was drunk, but he threatened to kill me if I didn't."

"So instead of going to the police, you went and operated on my father?"

"You don't understand." She cried. "Spencer is a very powerful man; no one could have protected me from him, not even the police. Bo, you have to help me, if he finds out what I have told you, he will kill me."

"You haven't told us anything yet." Bo remarked dryly.

"I will tell you everything, just as long as you protect me from him."

"If what you tell us is useful enough then we might be able to arrange something. What about the black market sales?" Bo asked.

"I didn't find out about them until later. When Spencer and I started at the hospital, he and Walter became friends. As far as I knew, that was where it ended. The night of your fathers shooting, Spencer called me and told me to get into surgery now. As I said, he threatened me, so I did it. Spencer obviously knew I would screw up, and he was right. It wasn't until later that night that he told me what was going on."

"And that was?"

Paige took another shaky breath. "That he and Walter were selling things over the black market. He didn't go into specifics, but I wasn't stupid. He told me that some nurse had told Thomas McBain about the sales and Natalie, and that he was on to them. Spencer said they had to take care of it before it got worse."

"Wait, you knew about Natalie?" Bo asked angrily.

Paige once again looked away. "I found out that night that she had been kidnapped from the Buchanan's."

"And yet you did nothing?"

"Spencer told me what horrible people they were, and after what Asa did to his mother I understood why he didn't want his niece growing up there."

"Niece?" Bo all but shouted. Turning to Natalie his eyes narrowed, "What the hell is she talking about?"

Ignoring her uncle, Natalie turned to Paige. "And you didn't stop to think maybe he was wrong? That maybe his mother was the instigator in the whole thing?"

"I hardly call being raped instigating Natalie," Paige remarked dryly.

"Asa raped his mother?" A confused Bo interjected.

Knowing she had no choice but to tell Bo the story, Natalie sighed. "No. Spencer's mother worked for Asa in Texas and they slept together once. Wanting to make some quick money, she had him charged with rape, but then told him that if he paid her a hundred thousand dollars she would drop the charges."

"But Pa wouldn't hear of it would he?"

Natalie shook her head. "The charges were dropped, but he made her life a living hell. She ended up in prison for drug possession."

"Where is she now?"

"She killed herself in prison."

Suddenly the niece comment clicked into place. "Pa is Spencer's father…."

"It looks that way… Grandpa only figured it out when I pointed out how old Spencer was."

Completely shocked, Bo leaned back in his chair and just absorbed everything he had learned. Luckily, Paige spoke up. "That's how it happened?"

Natalie nodded. "Yeah, the only thing Asa was at fault for was getting revenge. He never raped her."

"Oh god, Natalie if I had known I would have done something."

Knowing they needed to get back to basics, John stepped in. "So Spencer knew Natalie was a Buchanan?"

"Yes. He was really attached to her at one point. Saw them as the two lucky ones who were able to get away from the Buchanan's. He used to buy her things, and bring her to our house before Rex was born."

"So which one of them shot my father?"

Paige shrugged. "I honestly don't know. Neither of them were on duty that night, which is why Spencer called me. I made a habit of coming in off-shift and it wouldn't draw any attention to him."

"Why in the hell didn't you come to us before now and tell us this?" Bo asked.

Once again Paige looked away. "Spencer has been blackmailing us to keep quiet."

"Us?"

"David was involved in the black market sales. He used to be the go between so that Spencer and Walter were kept out of it. He was only thirteen at the time, and Spencer was his legal guardian."

"Whoa, back up. If Spencer's mother died in prison how is David his younger brother?"

"Spencer was raised by his grandmother up until he was 10, then he went into Foster care once she died. David was one of his foster brothers, and when Spencer graduated medical school he took David out of foster care and brought him to live with us. Ever since he found us here, Spencer has been threatening to expose our parts in everything and have us arrested."

"Wouldn't he be exposing himself in the process?"

"No, Spencer has stuff on David and I, but we have nothing on him. It would be our word against his."

Suddenly Bo just erupted. "We have been dating for over a year and you never thought to tell me this? Never thought to ask me for help?"

Paige sighed. "Bo I'm sorry," she tried to put a hand on his arm, but he just shrugged it off. "I was scared."

"Tell us right now why the hell we shouldn't lock you up for your part in all this?"

"I'll agree to testify against him, and give you some more information that will help you get him."

"What information?" John asked warily.

"Margaret Cochran is alive."