Page 19 of Cold as Hell

“We probably should discuss the case.”

He exhales a long, dramatic sigh. “Of course.”

“But I’ll stay in the sled.”

“And won’t complain about it?”

“Asking a lot, aren’t you?” I look up at him and shake my head. “Fine. I’ll stay in the sled and not complain about it.”

I’m settled in at home. Max has returned Storm, who’s stretched out at my feet, forgoing her bed for the cooler hardwood floor. She’s panting softly, which means the boys must have been running around with her.

I can say she’s just tired because she’s such a big dog. That’s part of it. She’s good at endurance, thanks to hikes that can last all day, but running around takes its toll, and it’s doing so more and more as she ages. She’s only four. For another breed, that’d be young adulthood. For a Newfoundland, it’s middle age.

I try not to think of that. Middle age isn’t old… says the person approaching the middle of the average adult life span. Storm is healthy and happy. I just have to keep an eye on herexertion levels. Both of us need the occasional reminder that we aren’t pups anymore.

“I have the results of the toxicology screening,” April says, by way of greeting as she enters our chalet. “And I am not satisfied with them.”

“They misbehaved?” I say.

She takes off her boots, marches in, and stands by the fireplace.

“Can you sit, please, April? I know you’re upset, but if you stand, then having me sit feels awkward.”

She lowers herself to a chair. “Eric wanted you to know he is speaking to Kendra about your list of names from the Roc and obtaining her own recollections. He will be here shortly. As for the toxicology screening, I am displeased by the results. They are unsatisfactory, and the blame lies with the tests. We need ones specific to this purpose.”

“Then we’ll get those. Which doesn’t help right now. I wasn’t properly prepared for this. I haven’t been reminding residents of safety precautions at the bar, and I didn’t think to get specific tests for drugs used in sexual assault.”

“Wedidn’t do these things, Casey. Not you specifically. I did not obtain the correct tests. Isabel was not cautious enough at the bar. We all forgot to remind residents—and staff—of the dangers.”

I stretch out my legs on the recliner. “I’m just glad Kendra wasn’t hurt. This was our wake-up call to fix things. We’ll give the warnings, and we’ll lock down opportunities. We also need those coasters that test for dosed drinks.”

I pull over a pillow from the chair beside me and use it under my feet. “Of course, all that presumes Kendra was dosed, which the tests didn’t prove.”

“I never said that.”

I arch my brows.

April shakes her head, as if I’m suffering from a terminal case of baby brain. “I said they were unsatisfactory. I have two types of screening—blood and urine. The urine test showed alcohol, which we know. Also trace amounts of THC, but that is as much Kendra’s business as the alcohol.”

Kendra did ask for edibles the last time we went south. We already get medical marijuana for Yolanda’s tremors. Recreational marijuana is legal in Canada, but we haven’t decided whether to stock it. While we got some for Kendra, that wouldn’t explain her blacking out, especially since trace amounts suggest it’d been days since she took any.

“And the blood test?” I ask.

“It showed evidence of a benzodiazepine.”

“That makes sense. Benzos are one of the most common types of drug used in sexual assault.”

“Yes, but this is an advanced test, from Émilie’s company. It can narrow that down further and the specific drug it detected is temazepam.”

I frown. “I’m not familiar with that. Mostly, I know the drugs by their common names. Rohypnol, GHB, and generic benzos. But temazepam is a benzo, and if it was in Kendra’s bloodstream, that’s the smoking gun. So what’s the problem?”

“There is no one in this town taking temazepam, which means Émilie’s test is faulty. All prescriptions come through me. No one is permitted to bring their own. Unless your entry searches have become lax…”

“They haven’t. We’ve found people bringing in recreational drugs, and they’re confiscated.” I reach for the table and take my papers. “Hold on. Someone gave me a list of drugs usedin sexual assault, from work they’d done down south. It’s very thorough.”

I hand Lynn’s list to my sister.

“Very thorough indeed,” she murmurs. “Impressive. And here is temazepam.”

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