Page 60 of Ruthless Riches
15
Nate
My black coffeesteamed in the harsh chill of the prison visiting room as I sat and waited on a low plastic chair. This bleak-looking place, with its gray walls and squeaky linoleum floor, was only a few degrees warmer than outside, where it was currently sleeting.
A barrel-chested guard looked over at me. “He’ll be out soon,” he said. He dipped his chin toward my coffee. “You should finish that. You aren’t actually supposed to have it in here.”
I nodded and tipped the Styrofoam cup backward, draining the last of the bitter liquid. The guard took the cup from me so he could toss it. At the same time, a cage buzzer rumbled in the hall outside.
I glanced over at the archway that led out into the hall. Edward Paxton Jr. was heading down the gray linoleum corridor, led by another beefy guard.
Although Edward was dressed in the same khaki uniform that all the inmates at this facility wore, it somehow looked different on him. He wore it with a sense of gravitas that made it seem as if he were wearing a Valentino suit instead. No doubt he strutted around the prison yard like he was above all of the other inmates, too.
Some things just never changed.
He smiled thinly when he saw me waiting for him at the table on the other side of the room. “I was surprised to hear that you were asking to see me,” he said, cocking his head slightly to one side as he sat down. “Did you come here to gloat?”
“No. I actually need your help with something.”
His upper lip curled in a contemptuous sneer. “Why would I help you with anything? I’m in here for the rest of my life because of you.”
“It’s just a few questions,” I said stiffly. “I’m guessing you’re pretty starved for company these days, so I’m sure you won’t mind. Or would you rather go back to your cell and sit alone in there?”
His jaw clenched. Then he let out a short sigh. “Fine,” he said. “What do you want to know?”
“I want to talk to you about something Alexis told me a while ago.”
“All right. What is it?” he asked. His eyes were glimmering with a hint of curiosity now.
“When you were keeping her in the hospital, you told her a bunch of things. One of them was that you had a box of laced chocolates delivered to her college dorm just before she started the semester.”
“Yes. I was trying to drive her off the island,” he said with a slight nod. “I hoped the effects of the chocolates would be enough to scare her away. Unfortunately, it didn’t work, and now...” He paused and threw up his hands. “Now I’m here.”
“What exactly were the chocolates laced with?” I asked. “Alexis couldn’t remember the name when we talked about it.”
“Scopolamine. Otherwise known as Devil’s Breath.”
“What does it do?”
Edward lifted one shoulder in a light shrug. “It depends on dosage and individual metabolism,” he said. “It’s usually used to treat nausea. Sometimes it’s also given to patients before surgery to decrease saliva.”
“But that’s not why you gave it to Alexis, is it?”
A faint smile curved up his lips. “No, of course not. There’s a reason scopolamine has the Devil’s Breath nickname. It can cause a whole range of nasty symptoms, including hallucinations, night terrors, paranoia, amnesia, disorientation, sleep paralysis, and psychosis.” He paused and tapped his chin with his index finger. “I recall Alexis mentioning sleepwalking and vivid nightmares when we discussed it. I think those were the main symptoms she experienced.”
“Yeah, that’s right.” I leaned forward and lowered my voice. “I need to know something else. Did you send laced chocolates to Sascha too?”
“Of course I did. I wanted both of those girls off the island. Not just Alexis.” Edward paused to let out an irritated sniff. “You know, I really thought Sascha would crack, given her history.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
He raised a brow. “You must know her well enough by now to know what I’m talking about. The girl is an emotional wreck.”
“She’s an emotional person, sure,” I said slowly. “But you made it sound like she has a history of something beyond that.”
Edward tipped his head back and chuckled darkly. “Oh, wow. You really don’t know her at all, do you?”
My chest tightened. “I guess not.”
