Chapter 33

33

I was with Silas, in Eddy and Rosalyn's backyard.

"A dead body can last three to four weeks in a refrigerator," Silas said.

"And then?" I asked.

"Refrigeration slows down the decomposition process, but it doesn't stop it. Eddy had a lot of bloating, and he'd gone red, which tells me he'd been in there for a couple of weeks, at minimum. If he was in there longer, his teeth and nails would have started fallin' out, and he'd start to liquefy."

"Gross," I said.

"Yeah, I know, sorry."

Today Silas was wearing a button-up, rayon shirt with surfboards all over it. The first four buttons were undone. He'd paired the shirt with black board shorts and flip flops.

"Where are you in your autopsy?" I asked.

"I've just started. What did you want to talk to me about?"

"This is going to sound a little far-fetched at first but stick with me. I believe I'm on the right track. And while I still don't know how Eddy's murder is connected to Cordelia's, I hope knowing how he died will provide me with answers."

"First, I don't believe anything you've ever said to me has sounded farfetched. It's much the opposite. No matter how unique your theories are, they're almost always correct."

"And second?"

"If you believe you know how Eddy died, it will be my personal mission to help you prove it."

I threw my arms around him. "And this is why we're such good friends."

"Not good friends … great friends."

We made our way to Rosalyn and Eddy's shed and stepped inside. I walked over to the shelf, turned on my phone's flashlight, and pointed at the shelf, saying, "I was in here yesterday, and I noticed the entire shed is full of dust except for this square shape right here."

"Whatcha thinking?"

"I'm thinking there was something on this shelf, and it was removed in recent weeks. The questions running through my mind are: what was here, and why was something removed and not put back?"

"Have you come up with any answers?"

I raised a finger. "Why yes, I believe I have. It's my opinion that rat poison was on this shelf. I spoke with the previous owner of the house, and she confirmed they had a rat problem at one time, and her husband had bought a tin of Reeds Rat Killer. I asked Hunter to look it up, and she confirmed thallium was the main ingredient in the rat poison."

"This is all exciting news, but I have to ask, what makes you think Eddy was poisoned?"

"I have an interesting story to tell you."

"As always. But can you tell it outside of here? I'm not a fan of dark, dirty spaces."

I wasn't either.

We headed outside, and as we walked toward my car, I filled him in. I told him about the notes I'd found, the Christie novel, the relevance of it, and how I believed it was connected to Eddy's murder.

When I finished, he said, "Fascinating, just one question."

"Shoot."

"Even if Cordelia knew about the rat poison in the shed, we don't know whether Rosalyn knew it was there or how it could be used to kill someone."

"Right, I think one of two things happened here. Cordelia poisoned Eddy, and maybe Rosalyn found out what she'd done and killed her."

"Or?"

"Rosalyn killed Eddy. It makes more sense, given he was found in their investment rental, a home I doubt Cordelia would have been able to access. In her notes, Cordelia said something about helping the person she was spying on. I'm thinking she told Rosalyn about the rat poison. It's possible she even explained how to use it."

"I'll get back to the lab and run a blood test on Eddy, see what I can find out."

I nodded, and as we said our goodbyes, my phone rang.

I answered with, "Hey, Whitlock, what's up?"

"Foley would like you to come to the police department. You available?"

"I sure am. What's going on?"

"We found Rosalyn Westwood, and she's refusing to talk to anyone but you."