Page 39 of Scent of Peril

“No.” Wayne shook his head and munched another fry. “There’s no evidence they were drugged against their will. Especially in Ella’s case, as she was at home when she overdosed. But it could be that their one and only attempt to get high resulted in the overdose that led to their deaths. Fentanyl is a hundred times stronger than heroin or meth. The reason thesedrug dealers are mixing fentanyl with other drugs to primarily to get people hooked so they buy more and more.” Wayne shook his head and sighed. “My theory at this point is that Ella and Ethan must have tried some pot laced with fentanyl. If the drug dealer was high himself, he may not have realized the impact fentanyl could have on someone who was a first-time user.”

“So you think this was an accidental overdose, then,” Logan said grimly. “Because a drug dealer would know that dead drug addicts don’t continue to buy product.”

“Exactly,” Wayne agreed.

“No way. I just can’t see Ethan doing that.” She couldn’t say the same about Ella. During the time her friend had been seeing Logan, their friendship had been a bit strained. She’d always thought it was strange that Ella had died at home in her own bed. “He would never touch drugs after the way he lost his sister.”

“Eight years is a long time. Ethan may have changed his mind on that front.” Wayne finished his burger, then tucked his notebook back in his breast pocket. “Thanks for meeting with me to go over these things. I appreciate your insight.”

To Jess’s mind, this had been more of an interrogation than a conversation. She and Logan had clearly been in the hot seat, forced to prove their innocence. Her appetite had faded as they’d talked.

Drugs and death.

And murder?

Wayne pulled cash from his pocket and dropped it on the table. Then he rose to his feet. His movement startled Teddy, making him scramble out from beneath the table.

“Thanks for lunch,” Logan said as the cop turned away.

“Yes, thank you.” She turned to Teddy. “Lie down. We’ll be leaving soon.”

“What do you make of that?” Logan gestured toward Wayne’s retreating figure. “He acted as if we were keeping secrets from him or something.”

“I know. Especially since he could have gotten those names of our respective classmates from the police reports that were submitted back when Ella died.” She forced herself to finish her meal since she had no idea when they’d get a chance to eat again. “I know they interviewed everyone who was close to Ella.”

“Tell me about it,” Logan muttered. “I was their prime suspect for a long time. In fact, Ethan accused me of helping Ella get the drugs.”

She winced and nodded. “I know.”

“There’s something fishy about his death,” Logan continued. “I find it hard to believe he just up and decided to try drugs. Especially something like fentanyl.”

She leaned forward, propping her elbows on the table. “Do you think Ethan was digging into something drug related and was killed to shut him up?”

“It sounds kinda crazy when you say it out loud.” He finished his burger and pushed his empty plate away. “But yeah, I do.”

She thought about that for a long moment. “Wouldn’t Ethan go to the police if he suspected drugs were being made or sold here in Cody?”

“Maybe he was looking for proof before going to the cops.” Logan frowned. “What was Ethan doing for work these days?”

“He works, or rather,workedfor the general store. I saw him there a couple of weeks ago.” She abruptly stood. Teddy also scrambled to his feet as if ready to go. “Stay, Teddy.” Then to Logan, she added, “I need to use the restroom. When I’m finished, we should head over to the general store.”

“Why would we do that?” Logan frowned. “I doubt we’ll learn anything, as the police likely already questioned Ethan’s coworkers. Besides that, we’re supposed to be staying off-grid.”

He was right on both counts. Yet hearing about Ethan’s death bothered her. She totally agreed there was something off about his alleged drug overdose. “I don’t care. We’re here and the store is only a few blocks away. We can make a quick stop there before returning to the hotel.”

Logan stood. “I need to take a quick break, too, so take Teddy with you. I’ll meet you at the front door.”

“Sounds good. Come, Teddy.” She led the way to the restrooms, where they went their separate ways. She and Teddy waited near the front door for Logan. She eyed the street, hoping the gunman wasn’t lurking nearby.

There was no sign of Wayne or any other cops patrolling the streets. The Cody police department was small, and she knew full well there were only four cops on duty during the daytime. Two officers covered the night shift and weekends. The group of officers rotated between the day and night shifts, alternating every third weekend. They had some help from the state police who patrolled the highways. This wasn’t exactly a high crime area, which made her realize the four officers on duty were likely still dealing with Ethan’s death.

She wished she’d thought to ask Wayne where Ethan’s body was found.

At work? At home? Someplace else?

It made her wonder if their small police presence was the reason Benton had chosen this location for their illegal drug trade. It seemed counterintuitive, as small towns were far more aware of outsiders. It would be easier to get lost in the crowd of a big city.

But at times like this, one major crime scene could suck up the police resources, leaving the rest of the city vulnerable. Accidental or murder? It was troubling that Ethan had died so young.

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