Free Gina Cresse - Devonie Lace 05 - A Deadly Change of Luck by Gina Cresse Page A

It rattled when I shook it.  It wasn’t empty.
    Jason returned to the kitchen to see me shaking the box.  “What’s that?”
    I opened the lids and grinned at him.  “It’s the proof I need.  What do you want to bet?”
    Jason stared down at the container in my hand.  “Pills?   What makes you think these are any different than the ones you already found?”
    I snapped the lids closed and shoved the box in my purse, grabbing my keys at the same time.  “I’ve just got a feeling.  Could you lock the doors on your way out?” I called to Jason as I rushed out the front door.
     
    Sam inspected the pillbox I’d placed in front of him on his desk.  “Where’d you find it?”
    “It had fallen off the kitchen counter between the refrigerator and the base cabinet.”
    He opened each compartment and looked inside.
    “I got to thinking about those bottles I brought you.  It makes sense now that if Lou Winnomore was murdered, the killer would get rid of any evidence he knew he’d left behind, but these must have accidentally fallen off the counter without the murderer knowing about it.  Maybe Lou had some sort of seizure and that’s when they fell,” I continued.
    Sam sniffed the opened compartments.  I expected him to toss the box into the trashcan, but he didn’t.  He closed all the lids and dropped it into a small plastic bag.  “Did you touch any of these?” he asked.
    I shook my head.
    “Come on,” he said, launching himself out of his chair and marching toward the door.
    I gathered up my purse and trotted after him.  “Where are we going?”
    “Lab.”
    “Lab?   Really?   What do you think it is?”
    He didn’t answer me.  He just continued marching faster down the hall.  I had to jog to keep up with him.
     
    Eric, one of the police lab technicians, peered over his thick glasses when Sam and I entered the room.  He was very tall, way over six feet.  The sleeves on his white lab coat were three inches too short.  He was very slim and had curly blond hair.  He reminded me of a big Q-tip swab wearing horn-rimmed glasses.  “Hey, Sam.   What’s up?” he said.
    Sam dropped the plastic bag containing the pillbox on his desk.  “I need you to check this out.”
    “Okay.  Tuesday soon enough?”
    Sam shook his head.  “Now.   I think we’ve got something here.”
    Eric frowned.  “What are you thinking?” he asked as he slipped on a fresh pair of latex gloves.
    Sam pointed at the pillbox.  “Take a whiff.”
    Eric flipped open a compartment and held it near his nose.  He eyed Sam.
    “Faint bitter almond.   You catch it?” Sam said.
    Eric nodded.  “Cyanide.   This related to those vitamins you brought me?”
    Sam nodded.  “Found these after the fact.”
    Eric removed one of the capsules with a pair of tweezers and inspected it closely.  “This is strange,” he commented.
    “What?” I asked, curious.
    “These specs.”   He opened the capsule and poured the contents out onto a glass plate, then slid it under a microscope.  He lowered his face to the eyepiece and studied the powder.  “Check this out.”
    I started for the microscope, but Sam elbowed me out of the way.  He looked through the eyepiece.  “What are those dark specs?”
    Eric shook his head.  “Can’t tell just yet.   We’ll run some tests and tell you exactly what’s in those capsules, but it’ll take a little time.”
    “Today?” Sam asked.
    “No promises.”
    Sam stood up straight and scowled at Eric.  I used the opportunity to peer into the microscope.
    “I’ll try, Sam,” Eric promised.
    I stared at the tiny specs mixed in with the white powder under the microscope.  “Some of the specs are red, and some are blue,” I commented.
    “Very good.   You know your colors,” Sam said, sarcastically.  He took me by the arm and pulled me toward the door.
    “Eric, I need an answer today.  Call me on my cell if you can’t reach me in my office.”
    Eric frowned and