One more thing, Connelly said, walking behind his desk. He opened his top desk drawer and pulled out two things that Avery had missed probably more than any of the people in this building.
Her gun and her badge. She smiled as she reached out to them.
I already filed the paperwork for you, Connelly said. Theyre yours. In terms of pay and the duration of your stay, Im handling that paperwork, too.
Avery honestly didnt care about the pay or how long she was expected to stay onboard for the case. When her fingers fell on the badge and then picked up the Glock, she felt something slide into place inside her heart.
As sad as it seemed, the badge and the gun felt familiar.
They felt like home.
***The crime scene was six days old and, therefore, was vacant when she and Finley got there. They ducked under the yellow tape and she watched as Finley unlocked Alfred Lawnbrooks apartment door with a key he took from a small envelope that hed kept in the breast pocket of his shirt.
You got a fear of spiders? Finley asked as they stepped inside.
A bit, she said. But that goes no farther than right here, deal?
Finley nodded with a grim smile. I only ask because while there were arachnologists and exterminators that came in and took care of them, there were a few stragglers. Just common ones, though. Nothing fancy.
He led her through he apartment. It was very basic; the layout and appliances told her that Lawnbrook had either been a divorcé or a bachelor. But there were ones that had no business here, right? she asked.
Absolutely, Finley said. At least three species. One was local to India, I think. Ive got the detailed notes saved on my phone if you want them. The spider expert that came out and looked the place over said that there were at least two species at the crime scene when the body was found that would have had to have been ordered from a dealer. And that it would likely have been hard to get.
Any huge ones that you know of? Avery asked.
I think they said the biggest one was about the size of a golf ball. And if you ask me, thats big enough.
They entered the bedroom and Avery did her best not to start scanning the walls and floor for rogue spiders. She did a quick sweep of the room and found it expertly cleaned out. The closet door was standing open, allowing Finley to reach inside and flick the light on. He did so very quickly and then stepped back just as fast.
Lawnbrook was slumped over in the back left corner, Finley said. Weve got the pictures back at A1 and Im sure OMalley would love to go over them with you. That asshole is fascinated with this case.
Avery stepped into the closet doorway. Other than a few stray threads of cobweb in the corner, there was nothing to be seen.
She then left the bedroom and started looking the place over for any signs of a break-in. Finley followed behind her, keeping his distance and letting her work. She looked for anything knocked out of place, even something as small as a picture in the living room, but found nothing. She scanned the books sitting on the small bookshelf beside the entertainment center for anything linking Lawnbrook to spiders but found nothing.
Do we have any kind of link at all between Lawnbrook and an interest in spiders? Avery asked.
No. Nothing.
Has anyone spoken with the family?
Yes. And I think OMalley ran backup on that. From what I understand, they painted Lawnbrook as something of a scaredy-cat. Hated roller coasters, scary movies, things like that. So the chance that he had a thing for spiders seemed to be thrown out the window.
So if the spiders werent here because of Lawnbrook, why were they here? Avery wondered. And what sort of a person would bring them here? And why?
The days upon days of keeping her mind sharp with Sudoku and crosswords had paid off. Once the questions started rolling through her head, she couldnt get them to stop. And it felt good.
Do you know if Lawnbrook is still with the coroner? she asked.
Yeah, hes still there. The spider experts have been studying him. There were eggs found in his nose and lower intestine during the autopsy.
Avery couldnt suppress the shudder she felt at this revelation. Feel like taking a ride over there?
Ill take you anywhere youd like to go, so long as it gets me away from this place. I know theyre all gone, but
But it feels like theyre crawling on you, Avery said with a shaky grin. I know. Lets get going.
***Even the hectic pace of traveling from one stop to the next to find answers felt amazing to her. It wasnt just her moving, but her life. She could feel the sensation of things in motion, of people and places buzzing by her as Finley drove her to the coroners office.
She had hoped there might be an arachnologist there when they arrived, but was disappointed. She did find that the woman who performed the autopsy was there. And that was the next best thing. After being ushered through to the back and to the examination rooms, Avery and Finley met with Cho Yin. Yin was a petite, beautiful Asian woman who seemed more than pleased to discuss the case. Like OMalley, she also seemed to find the case morbidly fascinating.
They met in Yins office, a very tidy room with an ancient-looking filing cabinet in the back corner. Avery introduced herself and wasted no time getting right to the point. She already felt like she was behind because of coming on so late and didnt have the convenience of niceties.
I suppose my first question is about the bites, Avery said. From what I understand, there were only two.
Yin shook her head and looked surprised. Thats not correct at all. Some bad reporting on the part of the media, I think. There were three bites from spiders that could have been lethal. But there were other bites as well, mostly from non-venomous spiders. There were twenty-two in all.
Oh my god, Avery said. And would that be enough to kill someone?
Yes, especially one of the bites from the venomous spiders. There were two bites from a brown recluse, as backed up by the entomologist that was on hand during the exam. The third venomous bite came from a funnel web spider. And from what I understand, thats the rare one. The family from which that spider came isnt native to the States.
Where does it come from, then? Avery asked.
I dont know. Youd have to speak with the arachnologist. And you know, I must say that I cant be absolutely certain the venom from the bites killed the victim. It was something that the spider expert and I disagreed on, actually.
Why is that? What do you think killed him?
Well, Mr. Lawnbrooks cortisol levels were much higher than they should have been. Essentially, he was basically terrified at the moment of his death but the levels I saw were off of the charts. The heart showed massive signs of stress and trauma. I am quite certain Mr. Lawnbrook suffered a heart attack during his time in the closet. He was that frightened.
Is the body still here? Avery asked.
It is. I have to warn you, thoughits a pretty grisly sight.
Ill be okay, Avery said.
She had nearly said Im sure Ive seen worse but then she tried to imagine what someone with twenty-two spider bites three of which were deadly might look like. The imagery from what Finley had told her about eggs being found in the nostrils and intestine did not sit well with her either. Still, she felt she needed to see the body for any other signs or clues.