Page 14 of By the Time You Read This

“Yes, you sound like you’re lecturing us from six feet down in your own grave,” Raisa said, skipping to catch up with him. “But you’re not wrong.”

When they stopped in at the front desk, they found out that Raisa had been listed as Isabel’s emergency contact. Isabel had apparently given the facility the wrong number, which was why Raisa hadn’t heard from them yet.

The man at the desk suggested it was a typo on Isabel’s part, but Raisa didn’t think so. Isabel had wanted Raisa to find out about her death in the scripted manner she’d intended, not by a phone call from an administration official.

They flashed their badges, which got them a meeting with the facility’s superintendent really quickly.

Aileen Baker was a no-nonsense woman with a face that carried a lifetime of experience in facilities such as the one they were in. She’d relaxed noticeably after Raisa had assured her she wasn’t there to file a lawsuit over Isabel’s death.

“I’m not sure there’s much I can tell you beyond what we already did,” Aileen said, looking between them.

“There was no way for anyone to get access to her cell last night?” Raisa asked.

Aileen had started shaking her head before the question was even out. “No, we’ve done a thorough review of the security footage. No one but the guard went near her cell, and even then he didn’t get close enough to do anything to her.”

“And the guard who found her ...” Raisa let the question hang as delicately as possible. Superintendents usually got defensive in the face of criticism against their staff.

“She had been dead for hours,” Aileen said. “We’ll have to wait for more from the coroner’s report, obviously, but you didn’t need to be a medical examiner to tell Ms. Parker probably passed away not long after roll call.”

“Do we know what guard last saw her alive?” Raisa asked.

“Yes, and the police talked to him this morning. I haven’t heard anything, so I’m guessing they were satisfied with his answers,” Aileen said. Her expression turned considering. “You don’t think this was natural causes.”

“We’re just exploring all options,” Kilkenny cut in diplomatically. “Did anything out of the ordinary happen in the days preceding her death?”

“No. Don’t get me wrong, she wasn’t the model inmate.” She glanced at Raisa with an apologetic expression, but Raisa just shook her head. She didn’t care if Aileen spoke ill of this particular dead person. “She liked to insert herself into the middle of all the power struggles going on around here. But she didn’t really cause all that much trouble. The last incident that occurred involving Ms. Parker happened over six weeks ago.”

“Incident?”

“She got into a fight with another inmate,” Aileen said, her mouth tugging down. “Her hand was slashed, badly enough that she had to visit the infirmary.”

“Her hand was slashed?” Kilkenny asked. “With what?”

“A shiv, Agent Kilkenny,” Aileen said, her tone adding inyou idiot. “I would have thought you’d be familiar with them.”

Kilkenny gave her a tight smile. “I’m not wondering why an inmate had a knife, that’s your job. I wanted to know if the weapon was big enough to cause actual damage beyond a cut hand.”

Aileen seemed to finally understand Kilkenny’s train of thought. “I would have to check the reports again. But I do remember thinking it could have been used to cause some serious injuries and Ms. Parker got lucky.”

So it was possible that had been the original attempt to kill Isabel. What a clean way to take her out: make it look like she took a shiv to an important organ during a yard brawl. Raisa wouldn’t have doubted that kind of death for a second, whereas a heretofore unknown medical condition raised at least a few—admittedly weak—alarm bells.

“Who was the inmate?” Raisa asked. She didn’t think Aileen would tell her, not without a warrant, but she had to try.

“I’m sorry,” Aileen said, the brick wall coming down as expected. “Unless this is part of an official investigation, I don’t feel comfortable giving you that information.”

They were always going to have to bring in the locals. This just made Raisa wonder if they should have made that their first step. “You do see how we might be suspicious about an attack six weeks before Isabel died under mysterious circumstances—”

“They weren’t mysterious,” Aileen cut in, any softness completely gone from her voice. “Now, I am sorry for your loss, Ms. Susanto.”

“Agent,” Raisa corrected, and Aileen’s mouth pinched in. They weren’t exactly doing a great job of making friends here.

“Well, you’re not one right now. Right now, you’re here as the next of kin,” Aileen said, and stood. “The autopsy will provide all of us with more information to move forward with, but until then, I’m afraid I have other appointments.”

Raisa and Kilkenny stood as well. “Would we be able to review the tapes in the hours preceding—”

“We’ll be conducting the investigation,” Aileen said. “Along with the local police. I’m sure they’ll keep you informed.”

She’d had to try. “Okay. Well, then, I’d like to collect Isabel’s possessions. Are they still in her cell?”

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