Page 17 of Six for Gold (The Magpie Rhyme #6)

R omeo insisted on researching the woman first.

Chad gave him a look that said he knew why but didn’t protest dragging her picture from the email Chad had sent to the laptop and into the search bar first.

The results were immediate, and Chad clicked on the top one.

Tragic Murder Suicide.

Chad scrolled down to the picture of the woman Chad had on his phone, except in the article it was complete and had a caption beneath.

The woman, Alexandra Taylor, stood beaming for the camera in an expressive looking dress. Her husband, Jimmy Taylor stood beside her, in a three-piece suit, also smiling, and in his arms, he held their son, Issac Taylor, clutching a plush toy, dressed just as formally as his parents.

Alexandra had jumped with her son in her arms from a bridge to a road below, killing them both instantly.

“Anything?” Romeo asked, watching Chad intently.

Chad began shaking his head, then stopped.

Romeo perked up. “What is it?”

“That day when me and James were driving back to the prison with Vincent in the car...” Chad leaned closer to the screen, scrolling back up the article. “The road was blocked. There had been an accident, but I didn’t know what it was. When James got back into the car, he was shaken, said that a mother and child had been killed.”

“This mother and child?”

“The location and date match,” Chad slumped back in his chair, shaking his head. “But... I don’t know who she is or why I cropped her from a family picture and put it on my phone. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Romeo said, pulling out the chair next to Chad. He sat down, resting his hand on Chad’s thigh.

“Ready for the next picture?”

Chad swallowed. “You don’t need to worry. I’m not going to freak out again.”

“I’m not worried,” Romeo replied, “not worried at all.”

“Four letters. Starts with an L, ends in an R with an I and an A in the middle.”

“Lair? You want to go to my lair?”

Chad nudged him. “Idiot.”

“I do the crossword clues, not you.” Romeo took charge of the laptop, dragging the other picture into the search bar.

Again, the articles popped up.

Thomas Clegg.

Forty-three.

Romeo side eyed Chad. Apart from an initial hitch in his breathing, he didn’t react.

The complete picture showed Thomas with his brother Joseph. Thomas had shaggy brown hair, but Joseph had none whatsoever. They both beamed in the picture, both wore matching blue football shirts, and both had a can of lager in their hands.

Thomas had jumped from the top floor of St John’s parking ramp.

“They both killed themselves,” Romeo exhaled. “In Alexandra’s case, she killed her son too.”

“Why are they on my phone?” Chad whispered.

“I don’t know. They both ... jumped from a height.”

“I didn’t... I wasn’t...” Chad pushed back in his chair and got to his feet. He began pacing up and down the kitchen.

“Wasn’t what?”

“After ... tips. I don’t know. I wasn’t planning this, Romeo, I swear. I didn’t plan to kill myself.”

“Okay, lets...” Romeo brought up both articles so he could read them side by side. “Thomas had a history with depression. It wasn’t his first suicide attempt. And Alexandra was suffering from postpartum depression, had been since the birth of her son. They were both taking medication.”

Chad paused. His eyes lingered on the drawer with the box of used temazepam.

“Does it say what type?”

“No,” Romeo followed Chad’s gaze. “But I’m unconvinced those capsules are what you think they are. There are no directions for use on the box, and I couldn’t find a prescription receipt in the car. You can’t remember where you got them from or visiting a doctor who prescribed them.”

“We need to find out what medication they’d been taking, whether it’s the same.”

Romeo looked back at the articles.

“It just says medication for depression and sleep disorders. A standard autopsy was performed on Thomas. He had a high level of alcohol in his blood. His death was recorded as suicide. It wasn’t the first time he had attempted to end his life. The previous time, his brother had managed to talk him down from a church rooftop.”

“What about Alexandra?”

“Alexandra’s husband had a second autopsy carried out. Although he fully accepted she suffered from postpartum depression and had been acting erratic around the time of her death, he rejected the straightforward findings of ‘suicide’ from the initial coroner, and privately paid for another to investigate the death of his wife and his son.”

“Does it say the ruling of the second autopsy?”

Romeo shook his head. “What would a second autopsy find that the first couldn’t?”

“It’s more thorough privately done—they do tests the standard autopsy won’t.”

“Like what?”

“Like ... like....”

Chad’s eyes widened. “I need to make a call.”

“What?”

“I ... I need to find out the results of that second autopsy.”

He snatched his phone off the kitchen table, scrolling through until he found the name he’d been looking for.

“Who are you calling?”

Chad held his finger up in a wait gesture, then spoke into the phone. “Hey, Dave, it’s Chad. I need your help with something.”

Romeo heard the murmur of Dave agreeing to assist in any way he could.

“I need you to find me the coroner’s report for Alexandra Taylor. I know, I know,” Chad said, slapping a hand to his face. “You’re not supposed to, I know it’s against protocol and you could lose your job if you’re found out, but please, as one last favor to me.”

Chad slumped when Dave agreed and allowed a small smile for Romeo.

“Specifically, I need you to tell me what was in her hair.”

Romeo stared at Chad, then mouthed to him, ‘her hair’, Chad nodded, undeterred.

He sat down, bouncing his leg on the floor as he waited. Romeo pressed his hand down on his leg to stop the impatient fidget.

“Two unexplained substances,” Romeo heard Dave say.

Chad held his breath, springing to his feet again. He paced the kitchen, one hand clutched the back of his neck.

He stopped. “Thank you, Dave.”

Dave said something back, but Chad cut him off, ending the call. He exhaled a long breath at the ceiling.

Romeo held out his hands. “Well?”

“When I was in the hospital, after I ... did what I did. They didn’t know whether I was going to recover or not. There were tests, blood and urine, but they were clean. No drugs. No alcohol. But Ally, always suspicious and protective, went one step further. She had my hair tested.”

“Your hair?”

Chad nodded. “She wanted to know whether I had been under the influence of something when I did what I did. Drugs don’t last long in your blood or urine, but they can be found in your hair days and weeks after consumption. They found two substance traces in my hair. The same two that were picked up in the second, more thorough, autopsy on Alexandra.”

“And what were they?”

“Zolpidem and lysergicaciddiethylamide, more commonly known asLSD.”

Romeo gaped, doing his best to recover his voice. “I don’t understand?”

“Zolpidem is used for insomnia, it slows down the brain, and LSD stimulates the brain.” Chad bit his lip. “Two opposing drugs.”

“Did you—”

“No,” Chad interrupted. “I didn’t take them. I’m certain of that. But they got in my system somehow. They last mere hours in the urine and blood, but for up to ninety days in hair.”

“So, in the last ninety days someone has slipped you these substances?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

Chad recoiled. “Because I didn’t know.”

“I meant since you’ve been back. You had these tests at the hospital, knew you had shit in your system but didn’t say anything.”

“Up until a few days ago I strongly believed you hated me, and would continue to hate me until I died, most likely at your hand, besides...” He sighed. “It didn’t mean anything. These drugs, they’re in my hair, but they’re long out of my system. They would have had no effect on me or the decision I made that day. It didn’t seem relevant but now ... now there are two of us.”

Chad tapped his phone, frowning in concentration. He pressed it to his ear.

“Josh, I need you to come over. Bring Ally. I’ll explain when you get here.”

He ended the call and slid his phone back into his pocket.

“The capsules?” Romeo asked. He glared at the box. “Whoever gave them to you, could also have given some to Alexandra?”

Chad retrieved them from the drawer. “I’ll ask Josh to send them for testing.”

“Those substances no longer would’ve had an effect on you or Alexandra, you said so yourself.”

“But it’s a hell of a coincidence, don’t you think? You need to tell me everything that happened in the weeks before our vacation. Where I went, who I spoke to, my behavior,” he frowned, “whether there were any instances where you tried to call me and that I didn’t answer or didn’t explain where I had been. We need to work out where I got those capsules from.” His eyes tracked back and forth as he thought. “We’ll never know if Thomas had a trace of these drugs in his system, too, but maybe there are others.”

“Others?”

“Suicides with a thorough autopsy that may’ve picked up on these substances.”

“Why did you call Josh?”

“Because,” Chad shot Romeo a smile, “the best way to distract a detective is by giving him another case.”

****

I n the weeks before their vacation, Chad had been withdrawn, quiet.

He’d been back and forth to the station with meetings with his DI, the chief of police, and god knows who else Chad had to be shamed in front of. They demanded his badge, and his handcuffs, and left Chad with a stark warning to watch his back.

He’d told Romeo Lucinda Hasting’s son, Andrew, had pinned him to a wall and yelled in his face about murdering his mother.

Romeo had only just contained himself.

Andrew immediately went on the list only for a dejected Chad to demand he was taken off. Romeo reluctantly honored his wish.

Chad always answered any calls from Romeo and always replied to his texts.

Nothing screamed at Romeo that something had been wrong, other than the obvious—Vincent Whitehall had won against them and taken the detective from Chad in the process.

But someone had got close enough to slip Chad something, or, more likely, someone had convinced Chad to try the tampered with sleeping tablets to cure his insomnia.

Josh and Ally were in the living room with Chad. Romeo kept the bedroom door ajar, hoping to hear their conversation, but they spoke in low voices.

Romeo lay on the bed upstairs with the laptop open beside him. He had two tabs open, one on LSD and one on Zolpidem.

The voices downstairs became more heated. Romeo slipped off the bed, carefully choosing where to place his feet to avoid the creakiest of floorboards, he pushed open the door and stepped into the hallway. He sat down out of sight, frowning as he picked out Josh’s voice filled with more heat than usual.

The stairs whined.

Romeo stiffened, only to snort softly when Mercutio appeared at the top of them.

“Hey,” Romeo whispered.

Mercutio rushed over, vibrating with excitement. Romeo scratched him under the chin as he got comfortable in Romeo’s lap.

Voices spilled into the hallway downstairs—Chad and Josh, arguing.

“Listen to me,” Josh said sharply.

Romeo held onto Mercutio’s collar so he couldn’t rush downstairs and interrupt.

“I know it frustrates you that you can’t remember what happened that day,” Josh continued, “but what exactly are you suggesting? That someone slipped you and Alexandra a dose of something in the last few months and you happened to go on to attempt suicide, her succeeding and you not.”

“It’s a pattern.”

“It’s a coincidence.” Josh argued. “Frank could’ve slipped you—”

“It wasn’t Frank.”

“How can you be so sure? Maybe that was what he was doing while you were at the cottage, maybe that’s why he vanished when you were in the hospital, he thought he was about to be found out.”

“I know he didn’t—”

“He left you!”

Romeo bit his tongue. Allowing Josh, hell, anyone, to raise their voice like that at Chad needed swift retribution. The slash across Romeo’s palm twinged as he curled his hand into a fist. Josh was a big guy—he wouldn’t go down easy.

Mercutio licked his chin, rousing him from his darkening thoughts.

“At your lowest,” Josh continued, “he left you, and you still defend him.”

“I’m not defending him.” Chad snapped back. “What about Alexandra?”

Josh growled in frustration. “What about her?”

“She had the same—”

“You have no idea what she was taking and when she was taking it.”

“You’re right, but her husband—”

Josh made a pained noise. “Please tell me you haven’t.”

“Haven’t what?”

“Contacted her grieving husband.”

“I haven’t ... yet.”

“Please, Chad,” Josh pleaded. “You’ve got to let this go.”

“I can’t.”

“Can you not see there’s too many missing pieces for me to even consider what you’re suggesting—”

“Then help me find them.”

“Those drugs were out of your system. They would not have led to suicidal intentions.”

“They shouldn’t have been there, though.”

“No,” Josh sighed. “They shouldn’t have been. But Alexandra, you know nothing about her or about her circumstances. She could’ve been using it to self-medicate and you can’t go harassing her husband. It’s a coincidence.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Chad...”

“What about these?” Chad said.

Romeo frowned. He closed his eyes in the hope it would somehow enhance his hearing.

“What are they?”

“They’re capsules to help with insomnia, or so the box claims. There’s no direction for use, no signature from the pharmacist, no receipt of the prescription, and yet I had them with me. I took them. Four of them. What if the same person gave them to Alexandra?”

“Shit...”

Romeo’s eyes snapped open at the other voice. He’d forgotten Ally was downstairs too.

“I gave them to you, Chad.”

A heavy silence fell over the three downstairs.

“What?”

Josh asked, not Chad.

“You hadn’t been sleeping well. I suggested you call my doctor, and you did but he couldn’t make you an appointment until after your vacation. I had plenty of temazepam, so I gave you some. You were reluctant to take it from me, but I threatened to come on holiday with you if you didn’t and you gave in. I watched you put the box in your car.”

“Jesus, Ally,” Josh hissed. “You can’t go around giving out your meds.”

“I was trying to help.”

“Wait,” Josh said, “Is that why...”

“Why what?” Chad asked.

Josh’s voice took on an angry edge. “The tests. You demanded so many tests to be done on Chad when he was in the coma. You wanted to know whether he’d taken anything. You wanted to know whether you were the one to put him in there.”

“I looked up the side effects. I thought ... I thought I might’ve been responsible,” Ally sniffed, “But he hadn’t taken any. They weren’t in his system. Not even his hair, so I know they weren’t the reason.”

“The packet has four capsules missing.” Chad murmured.

“Yeah. That sounds about right.”

“I didn’t take them.”

“No,” Ally replied. “You didn’t.”

“Fine,” Chad’s voice shook, “But there was still LSD and—”

“Stop.” Josh snapped. “You were going through a lot, maybe the thought of coming back Bardhum was too much, and you ... did what you did to escape everything that’s happened. You tried to kill yourself and it’s not because of what was detected in your hair. You made that decision that day. You did.”

“No.”

“Chad...”

“I promised.”

“Promised what?” Ally asked.

“I promised I wouldn’t kill myself, not ... not like that, never like that.”

“Promised who?”

Romeo’s heart skipped.

“Myself.” Chad answered. “I promised myself.”

“Well, you lied.” Josh replied.

“Josh,” Ally said in warning.

“Well, he did. He lied to you, he lied to me, he lied to himself, and the thing is, I’m not even upset with him about it because I understand. I couldn’t last ten steps in your shoes, let alone a mile, Chad. You’ve gone to hell and back several times, but this... You’ve got to let it go.”

“I can’t.”

“You’ve got to. You’ve got to start looking to the future, not searching for the unanswerable in the past. Some asshole, at some point, spiked you, and thankfully nothing sinister came of it, but it didn’t lead to you jumping from that bridge.”

“You need to look for the link between me and Alexandra. We both jumped. We both had these substances—”

“I can’t do this anymore.”

The front door opened.

Romeo heard someone leave.

“Josh,” Chad said, going after him.

“Merc!” Josh bellowed from outside.

Romeo released Mercutio’s collar. “Go on.”

Mercutio bounded away, thundering down the stairs. He yipped as he rushed outside.

Romeo sighed, leaning his head back on the wall.

He straightened when he heard the bottom step creak, then the next.

Someone was coming upstairs.

Romeo glanced at the door to the bedroom, but if he moved, they’d hear, hell, if they got high enough up the stairs, they’d see.

“What are you doing?”

Chad’s voice cracked like a whip.

“I...” Ally whispered. “I thought I heard something ... or someone.”

“There’s no one up there.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m pretty sure, Ally.”

“Huh...”

Romeo expected Ally to retreat, to apologize perhaps, but there was silence.

A long stretch of stifling silence.

Romeo imagined they were staring each other down. He stayed completely still, even holding his breath in case Ally was close enough to hear him.

Josh broke the moment by honking the horn.

Ally sighed, finally backing down. “He still blames himself.”

“I told him he shouldn’t.”

“He thinks if he’d had offered to come here instead of asking you to his place, you never would’ve jumped.”

“I’m certain that me ... falling had nothing to do with Josh.”

“Falling? Not jumping?”

“Ally, I know you think I’m looking for answers where there are none to be had, but I feel it, I feel it in my gut. This isn’t black and white.”

“I’ll talk to him,” she whispered.

Romeo slumped when she left, thumping his head to the wall behind him.

Chad didn’t just shut the door, he locked it too.

“That didn’t go the way I hoped,” Chad said up the stairs.

Romeo went to join him by the front door. “Okay?”

“Yeah. You?”

“I think I’m going to reward myself with a glass of brandy.”

Chad narrowed his eyes. “Reward yourself?”

“For not marching downstairs and killing Josh for shouting at you. That required a lot of willpower.”

Chad snorted softly. “Thank you.”

“What for?”

“For not marching downstairs and strangling him.”

“You’re welcome.”