Adam Cole looked up as Chief of Police Dean Malenko approached him just as he reached the interrogation room.
Malenko handed him a sealed file. "Coroner's preliminary report on Swagger and Colter." He met Cole's eyes. "I had her seal it. She's the only other person who knows what's in it." He then turned and walked away.
Cole's blue eyes twinkled in amusement as he broke open the seal and pulled out the report. He absently grunted as he read, then put the report back into the file. "Great. Just great," he muttered.
He opened the door and walked into the interrogation room. The red-haired man sitting at the table silently watched as Cole activated the camera to record the interrogation. As Cole sat down, he identified himself and gave the date, time, and place of the interrogation. Then he had identified the other man.
"Officer Heath Slater, do you know why you're here?" he asked.
Slater shook his head. "Nobody told me. But I heard a couple of cops talking about two prisoners who were found dead this morning."
Cole sighed. Cops were as bad to gossip as anyone else. "Did they mention the prisoners' names?" When Slater shook his head, he continued, "Zeb Colter and Jack Swagger."
"You're shitting me!" Slater exclaimed. When Cole raised his eyebrows, he swallowed hard. "Sorry. But…both of them?"
"Yeah, both of them," Cole nodded. "And, according to the security tapes, you were the last ones to see them. When you delivered their dinner."
Slater nodded. "Dinner's delivered between 6 and 6:30. Last night was roast beef, potatoes, peas, rolls, slice of apple pie and water."
"That's all?" Cole asked.
Slater nodded, then shrugged. "Well, except for the cold medicine."
"Oh?"
"Couple of the prisoners had been complaining about sore throats and coughing…not able to sleep because of it," Slater explained. "Doc okayed giving them some nighttime cold medicine to relieve the symptoms and help them sleep. Pharmacist added it to the trays for those prisoners."
Cole's eyes flickered to the file on the table, and he hummed under his breath. "Who was the pharmacist?"
"Io Shirai." Slater hesitated, then curiously asked, "So…what happened to them?"
Cole looked across the table. "They died."
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Cole wasn't surprised to find Malenko waiting for him when he left the interrogation area. The two moved to a quiet corner where they wouldn't be overheard.
"You and your department can't investigate this," Cole began. "I've got a team of investigators coming from my office for that. But I am relying on you for logistical support." He studied the other man for a few seconds. "You've got a hell of a reputation for being honest so I'm trusting you." He silently added, 'Up to a point, that is.'
"Coroner says both Swagger and Colter were killed by strychnine poisoning," Cole explained. "Ingested probably with food or drink. If it had been with their food, the taste would have been really off; and they probably would've stopped eating. However, both of them had complained of cold symptoms and not sleeping well because of them. The doctor okayed a nighttime cold liquid. Officer Slater confirmed the pharmacist provided it to be delivered with their dinner meals. They would take it when lights out occurred. The bitter taste of strychnine would be covered by the taste of the cold medicine."
"Who's the pharmacist?" Malenko angrily asked.
"Io Shirai." Cole glanced around then back to Malenko. "I need to know if she's on duty today. If not, then her address and a couple of officers to accompany me. I need to ask her some questions."
"You've got it," Malenko promised.
When the Chief of Police walked away, Cole took out his phone and sent a quick text. 'Contact me as soon as you arrive.'
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Cena knocked on the front door of the club, Nexus. He waited patiently for nearly a minute before knocking louder. When nearly another minute had gone by, he started to reach for his phone when he heard the door being unlocked. By the time the door was opened, he had his badge in his hand.
"Sorry! I was stacking bottles when you knocked." A smiling red-haired man opened the door and waved him inside. He glanced at Cena's identification. "Nice to meet you, Detective Cena."
"You're not Mr. Owens," Cena said as he replaced his badge.
"Sami Zayn. Co-owner of Nexus. Kevin's at the bar." He turned and led Cena through the entryway. "Kevin! Detective Cena is here!"
Cena glanced at the bar to see a large scowling man glance up then return his attention to a notebook that he slammed shut and put on a shelf behind the bar.
"Detective Cena, this is my partner, Kevin Owens." Sami sat down on a barstool and motioned for Cena to also sit.
"What's this about?" Kevin demanded in an abrupt tone of voice.
"I'm investigating a murder," Cena explained as he sat down.
"What's that got to do with us?" Kevin demanded.
"Kevin, give the man a chance to explain," Sami gently urged.
Kevin threw his partner an aggravated look.
"Two potential suspects have provided alibis for the murder," Cena explained. "But one of them said he met his alibi witness here. I'm hoping you can corroborate that so I can take him off the suspect list." He ignored Kevin's snort of disbelief and put a photo onto the bar. "Do you know or remember seeing this woman in your club?"
"Summer!" Sami grinned. "She's a regular."
"Drinks Mai Tais," Kevin snarked.
"She's not your suspect, is she?" Sami asked.
Cena shook his head and put another photo onto the bar. "Ever see her with this man?"
Kevin snorted. "Yeah." He glared at Sami. "I still say he's a stalker."
"C'mon, you don't know that," Sami good-naturedly protested.
"Why do you think he's a stalker?" Cena asked.
Kevin shrugged, looking irritated at having provided Cena with a piece of information. "Comes in. Orders a beer, maybe two throughout the evening. Keeps watching people."
"Summer told me that he's just really shy," Sami explained. "She called him Bo." He grinned. "She'd get him onto the dance floor and try to teach him some moves."
"She's a good dancer," Kevin reluctantly admitted. "But him…a total disaster."
"Can you remember the last time you saw them here?"
Sami hesitated then shook his head. "Not for sure, no."
"Told you. We get a lot of people in here," Kevin added.
Cena put the photos back into his jacket pocket, then stood. "Thank you for your assistance. I appreciate your time."
Kevin grunted and leaned against the bar, obviously waiting for Cena to leave.
Sami walked Cena to the front door and unlocked it. "I hope we were able to help."
Cena nodded. "Thanks again." As he stepped onto the sidewalk, he heard the door being locked behind him. He hoped Sami was the bartender during club hours because the bar sales would be low if Owens was doing the job.
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Io Shirai lived in a rented one-story house in a quiet residential area. An area where lawns were mowed and neatly trimmed, and houses maintained in good condition. A quiet neighborhood where people got up in the morning and went to work while dropping their kids off at school.
Except Io Shirai had arranged at the end of her shift the previous day to take a vacation day. In the middle of the week.
There was a car parked in the driveway that turned out to be registered to Shirai. But no one answered the door.
"Keep knocking," Cole ordered one of the officers. He turned to the second officer and pointed towards the back of the house. "Go that way. Look in all the windows to see if you can see anyone. I'll go this way. We'll meet in the back."
Cole carefully looked through all the windows until he came to a bedroom window. That's when he saw Shirai lying on the floor. He grabbed his radio and called to the officers who'd accompanied him. "Suspect lying on bedroom floor. Start breaking down the door." By the time, he's arrived at the front door, it had been half-way kicked open by the officer he'd left there. He and the other officer kicked together, and the door swung open.
"Clear the house," Cole ordered as he made his way to the bedroom. As he heard shouts of 'clear', he entered the bedroom.
Beside Shirai's body lay a gun that Cole judged to be a .38. Blood pooled beneath her head. Cursing under his breath, he felt for a pulse that he realistically knew was non-existent.
"House is clear, sir."
Cole looked up from where he was kneeling next to Shirai's body. "Call the coroner."
"What about forensics?" the officer asked.
"I'll call that in." Cole knew it would take time for the State Police Forensics Department to respond, but he couldn't allow the locals to be involved. He made that call and requested some State Pollice officers to canvass the neighborhood. It would have to do until his team arrived. He was assured assistance would arrive within an hour. Then he placed another call.
"Malenko."
"Shirai's dead," Cole spoke. "Looks like a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. I've called the State Police Forensics to investigate. They'll make the official determination." He waited as Malenko cursed.
Finally, Malenko sighed. "Understood." He abruptly hung up.
Cole put his phone back into his pocket and walked to the hallway.
"Coroner's on the way," one of the officers reported.
"Secure the scene," Cole ordered.
"Should we canvass the neighborhood?"
"I have a team on the way for that," Cole replied. He stepped back into the bedroom and looked around the room. He spotted a sheet of paper lying on the small table next to the bed, anchored by a small cell phone.
He ended his call and walked to the table. He could easily read the words.
'I do this for Him. He is everywhere.'
Cole frowned. 'He? Him?' He glanced over his shoulder at the dead body. 'Was she talking about God?'
Shaking his head, Cole walked back into the hallway. "What the fucking hell is going on here?" he asked himself.