Page 81 of Lost Cause
Abby’s pen raced across her pad before she looked up. “Did he hope to grow them and make his own pesticide?”
“Manual labor for Victor?” She snorted. “No way. But he’d have Juan take care of it.”
Abby held her pen over her notepad. “Can all three of these plants be grown in Oregon?”
“Could be, but the first two wouldn’t survive without extra care. They’re tropical plants, which would have to be raised in a heated greenhouse here. Nicotine, of course, comes from the tobacco plant most often grown in the southern United States. You might be surprised to learn it’s also been successfully grown in Oregon for years. Since this is the easiest one, we worked together to come up with a way Juan could grow it and extract the nicotine.”
“Seems like a lot of trouble to go to for a pesticide.”Unless someone was doing it for a poison.
“I thought so too, but he said his wife was a naturalist and refused to let Juan use anything artificial. Victor was passionate about getting this garden just right for her. I suggested that instead of growing the nicotine, it would be easier to take tobacco from cigarettes. Finely ground tobacco is steeped or boiled in water to let the nicotine leach into the water. It’s then strained and used directly as a spray.”
“And this is poisonous to a person too?” Abby asked.
“Oh yes, very poisonous. Which is why the USDA eventually banned its commercial use and cautioned small gardeners against using it.”
Abby scribbled another note. “And did Juan make the pesticide? Did it work?”
“Yes, they had glorious flowers that spring and summer. But then Estelle disappeared, and Victor lost interest in everything outside of locating her.”
“But you continued to visit him?” Abby asked.
“I told you. The loss of a spouse brought us together.”
Sam poked her head into the room. “Can I have a word with you two?”
Her expression didn’t give anything away, but she wouldn’t interrupt them if she hadn’t located something. Abby must’ve thought so, too, as she lurched to her feet and marched out the door.
“Stay here.” Burke went to the doorway, but by the time he got there, Sam and Abby had moved down the hallway, likely making sure they were out of the doctor’s earshot.
“What is it?” he asked, trying not to sound demanding. “What did you find?”
“The lichen in question is on the doctor’s boots.”
A flash of excitement sparked in Abby’s eyes. “Can you tell if it’s fresh?”
Sam nodded. “Once detached from their host, lichens dry out, can’t photosynthesize properly, and may die within days to weeks.The sample I located is still viable, so it can’t be very old. But we still can’t be certain of the location she picked it up or even if it’s from Victor’s property.”
“But you said it wasn’t common in this area, right?” Abby asked. “And odds are great if we’re already looking at her as a possible suspect, and she has it on her boots, shedidpick it up at the mansion.”
Sam frowned. “Yes, odds are good, but scientifically, I can’t say it attached to her boots in that location.”
Abby fired a look at Burke. “We have to make her think we know she picked it up there and find out why she was recently walking Victor’s property.”
“Let’s question her again.” Burke headed for the office.
Abby kept up with him. “Sounds like you think Victor might’ve used the nicotine to poison Estelle.”
He glanced at her. “Don’t you?”
“It’s a possibility, yes, but Victor is displaying a tremendous amount of grief over her disappearance, and the average person can’t fake something like that.”
She had a point, but… “People can kill other people and still grieve their loss.”
Abby tipped her head and thought. “And he could’ve found out about her affair and pregnancy, a reason many people commit murder.”
“We’ll table this for now and see what we can find out from the doctor first.” Burke gestured for Abby to enter the room before him.
Neither of them sat, but peered down at Dr. Shore. She cringed in her chair.
