Chapter 6 - THE PILLS IN THE TEA
Daniel arrived home to three police vehicles and yellow evidence markers.
He did not go inside until Cole allowed it.
The bottle sat on the bathroom counter inside a clear evidence bag.
No label.
Twenty-three white tablets.
"Where exactly was it?"
"Inside the vent," Cole said.
Daniel stared at her.
"Someone hid it."
"Yes."
"Why Ethan's bathroom?"
Cole did not answer.
They both knew the obvious reason.
If police ever found it, the location created doubt.
Maybe Daniel had hidden it.
Maybe Evelyn had.
Maybe even Ethan had picked something up.
Confusion was useful to people who planned ahead.
A forensic tech entered the hallway holding another evidence bag.
Inside was a small plastic dropper bottle.
"Kitchen cabinet," he said. "Behind the vitamins."
Cole frowned.
"What's in it?"
"Lab will tell us."
Daniel looked toward the coffee maker.
Every morning, Olivia made his first cup.
Every afternoon, she made Evelyn tea when Evelyn visited.
A memory hit him.
Two months earlier, Ethan had asked why Grandma always got sleepy after "Mommy's special tea."
Daniel had laughed.
Now he wanted to break something.
Instead, he walked outside.
Luke was waiting near the curb.
Daniel stopped.
"Why are you here?"
"Cole called me to confirm some messages."
Daniel looked away.
Luke spoke softly.
"I know you hate me."
"That's not the most important thing today."
"I should've come to you."
Daniel turned.
"Yes."
"I thought I was helping an abused woman leave safely."
"You were helping my wife build a case against me."
"I know."
Luke pulled out his phone.
"There's something I didn't understand until last night."
He opened an old message thread.
OLIVIA: Can you disable location history on Daniel's car app?
LUKE: Why?
OLIVIA: Surprise trip. Don't ruin it.
The date was June 14.
The day of Daniel's crash.
Daniel looked up.
"Did you do it?"
Luke swallowed.
"Yes."
"How?"
"You gave me admin access when we installed the fleet software. I turned off the logging for six hours."
Daniel's hands curled into fists.
"So nobody could see where I went."
"I didn't know."
"Where did I go?"
Luke stared at the ground.
"That's the problem."
"What?"
"The vehicle stopped transmitting at 6:02 p.m."
Daniel waited.
Luke held up another screen.
"But your toll pass didn't."
Three toll charges.
One was forty miles away from the route Daniel remembered taking.
The final charge happened twenty minutes before the crash.
At an exit beside a private storage facility.
Daniel frowned.
"I've never been there."
Luke looked at him.
May you like
"Somebody using your car had."
