Page 95 of Power of the Mind

Tallus hit me with a wide, beaming smile.

“List them.”

He returned his attention to the desk, poking each paper as he rhymed them off. “Arthritis, migraine, diabetic neuropathy and then some, inflammatory bowel disease, optic nerve injury, back pain, fibromyalgia, sciatica, withdrawal… Wait. Withdrawal? Really?”

“Half the reason addicts don’t quit is because they can’t make it through withdrawal. It’s the most horrendous thing you’ve ever felt in your life. Trust me.”

Worry pinched Tallus’s brow. I’d said too much. “Sounds like you have intimate knowledge. Quitting smoking?”

“Is brutal, but that’s not what I’m talking about. Alcohol and cigarettes are not my only vices.” I shifted my weight and mumbled, “I told you I dabbled in drugs. I was a heavy user in high school and immediately after. I had to come clean before I could apply to the academy.”

“It was that bad?”

“Worse.”

Nana had put me in rehab after the devastating bar fight where I’d nearly killed a man. There, I met Dr. Kembrook, the therapist I’d had before Peterson. It was in rehab that I decided I didn’t want to turn out like my father or wind up in prison, and I started getting help.

My road to fucking recovery. La-di-fucking-da. Look how far I’d come. Maybe I’d kicked the drugs, maybe I didn’t get into fights anymore, maybe I’d learned to hold my tongue and walk away, but my temper was as touchy as the wiring on a bomb, and my social skills were nonexistent.

It was what I’d been trying to relay to Tallus the other day, but he hadn’t listened.

Tallus seemed to take a second to absorb my confession before glancing back at the pages of information sprawled on the desk. “So not only were these people vulnerable and easily manipulated, but they were also desperate.”

“Yes.”

“Desperate enough to go along with anything these quack doctors prescribed.”

“Yes.”

Tallus tilted his head to the side like he was struck with a thought. “D?”

I grunted, encouraging him to speak.

“What if… What if Hiltydidprescribe something? Can he do that as a psychologist?”

No, but Tallus was thinking. He’d joined me on the right track. I let him roll with it and watched his wheels spin, figuratively reaching out a hand and encouraging him to follow me toward discovery.

Tallus clucked his tongue as he sometimes did when he thought hard, gaze shifting back and forth as though reading an invisible script. “Amber and Allan were described by family and friends as acting weird before their deaths. Acting out of character.” He frowned, his gaze lifting to mine. “But we looked at Amber’s autopsy, and—”

“I know.”

“Nothing unusual showed up.”

“I know.”

I’d said drugs from the start, and I wasn’t ready to dismiss the possibility. Medical professionals were trained to test for medically known substances in autopsies. A preliminary toxicology scan looked for the big hitters: coke, meth, heroin, oxy, and all the prescription drugs under the rainbow. It didn’t mean there wasn’t a lesser-known substance at work. One they hadn’t tested for. One that hid in the background, unobserved.

Then, it happened.

Tallus sharply inhaled, eyes widening. He took the final leap, connecting the invisible dots. “Amber’s brother said she’d been experimenting with herbal remedies. Allan’s neighbor claimed he’d been doing the same… except the bottles in his cupboard weren’t open. Dammit, I thought… But what if…” He looked up, radiating uncertainty.

“Say it. What’s our next step?”

Tallus pondered, seeming unsure.

“Come on, Tallus. Give me instructions.”

He chuckled. “Okay. Since we can’t view the autopsies until tomorrow, we could contact some of the families and see if their loved ones were taking some sort of faux herbal drug remedy prescribed by the witch doctor duo before they died. Herbal drugs are not regulated the same as prescription drugs, nor are they properly tested, are they? Shit, D. This could be it. What if Madame Mind-Control whipped up some weird witchy concoction and ended up poisoning her patients? What if it was on purpose? What if Hypno-Hoodoo-Man was involved? I think we’re onto something.”

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