Page 98 of Power of the Mind

He mumbled a noise that sounded like “yes.”

“I spoke with Ezra’s mother, and she shared that her son had spent a lot of time at a place called Bellwood, an addiction treatment center in central Toronto, because of his dependency on oxy. She claims his addiction started when he got tangled with the wrong crowd back in high school.”

“Eat,” Diem commanded with a snarl, tapping his fork against my plate.

“I am.”

“No, you’re yapping, and it’s getting cold. Eat.”

I stuffed rice and a huge bite of a carne asada burrito into my mouth, chewing and swallowing before continuing. “Ezra’s mother said he died of an accidental overdose, definitely not suicide, but here’s the kicker. It wasn’t oxy that killed him.”

I allowed that information to sink in as I mixed some beans with my rice and scooped a heaping spoonful into my mouth.

Diem stopped eating, a forkful of tamale halfway to his mouth as he waited for me to explain.

I leaned over and stole the bite off his fork, grinning as I chewed. With my mouth full, I said, “Gonna ask?”

Diem narrowed his eyes, shifting his gaze from me to the empty fork. “That was mine.”

“It was delicious.”

“You have sauce on your chin.”

“Wanna lick it off?”

He hesitated, growled, “no,” and resumed eating. “Talk, for fuck’s sake.”

I dramatically licked my lips—for Diem’s benefit—and wiped at my chin with a napkin before concluding, “Ezra died of diphenhydramine poisoning.”

Diem frowned. “Antihistamine?”

“Yes. He OD’d on antihistamines. It was explained to Ezra’s mother that it’s rare for a person to die of an antihistamine overdose, but the doctor believed Ezra’s other addictions might have compromised and weakened his system. Antihistamines can cause serious heart rhythm disturbances. Had Ezra not been an addict, he might have survived.”

Diem removed the notepad from my hand and studied it while I made headway with my food, eating three mini fish tacos and over half my carne asada burrito before he spoke.

“Amber had antihistamines in her system too.”

“I remembered that, but your guy said they weren’t what killed her.”

“No.” Diem set the paper aside. “But the coroner would have been under the assumption she killed herself.”

“You think it’s a factor?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you think we have a possible connection?”

“I don’t know.” His frustration bled through in his tone. “Tell me about the other one.”

I grabbed the notepad back and flipped the page. “Peggy Andrews. Fifty-four. She was one of our unknowns. Peggy has a long list of medical problems, so buckle up. It’s a bumpy ride. I spoke with her son, and he shared that his mother was an uncontrolled type one diabetic who suffered from obesity, high blood pressure, and poor circulation. She’d had two strokes in the year and a half before her death. She had diabetic retinopathy, neuropathy in her feet, and was ten seconds away from needing dialysis due to advanced kidney disease.”

Diem offered me a bowl of chips and guac. I helped myself to a handful, loading them with dip and eating two before continuing. “When I asked Peggy’s son why she took a magic carpet ride to Kooksterville and visited Dr. Hilty, he explained that his mother had always struggled to control her diabetes. She ate to excess and never met a dessert she could turn down. At the same time, she was a symptom treater, not a symptom preventer. So it took her sugars to swing too high or too low before she would act, hence the long list of health problems. Peggy was hoping Dr. Hilty could hypnotize her and subconsciously alter her brain so she could create new, healthier habits and correct her lax discipline.”

I turned down more chips when Diem held them out and set my nearly empty plate aside, wiping my fingers on a napkin.

Diem helped himself to another tamale.

“Here’s the interesting stuff. According to her son, Peggy died from complications due to diabetes. Specifically, her body gave up the fight. Too many things were wrong on the inside, and it was game over. Her death did not come as a surprise to the family. It was not a suicide or an overdose.

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