Blake nods. “Nice guy. Said he’d been Dick’s doctor for years and he was the picture of health until about six months ago. There’s a visit summary in there, a couple of sheets back.”

I start digging to find it, impressed with how neat the file is. I’ve reviewed some medical records that needed a handwriting analyst and translator to know what the hell was being said.

Not Dr. Yu. His handwriting is almost mechanically precise, and most of the file is computer forms. Finding the sheet I need, I review the data, seeing Yu’s notes and the lab results from that appointment while I listen to Blake.

“So Horne said he’d been taking care of himself, even going for walks with their new puppy and taking vitamins, but he felt tired?” I summarize.

“Yeah, that mean anything to you with what you see there?” Blake asks.

I scan the labs again. “Dr. Yu didn’t check for heavy metals then. There would’ve been no reason to when a middle-age man complains of tiredness. That’s like a ‘join the club’ thing. But he checked his blood levels—no anemia—and his thyroid, which was fine. Testosterone level was within normal ranges. I’m not a doctor, but it looks like there were no findings that would specifically cause exhaustion. Dr. Yu recommended that Horne . . . continue walking and vitamins regimen, decrease red meat, and add leafy, green vegetables to daily diet, and prescribed eight hours of sleep each night,” I quote from the file. “And he recommended a follow-up in three months. Did Horne go for that?” I flip back, pausing after two sheets. “Here it is . . . hmm.”

I read through Dr. Yu’s report from that visit, going over everything as closely as I can.

“What?” Blake asks.

“Horne wasn’t only complaining of tiredness. He also said he was getting heartburn all the time, especially in the morning, and had started drinking mint tea instead of coffee because even decaf upset his stomach. But that didn’t work either, so his wife was making him green smoothies for breakfast. Look.” I point to a line in Dr. Yu’s notes and read aloud, “‘patient jokes that the smoothies are the equivalent of drinking a cow’s cud, but if they’re good for him, he’ll do it.’”

Something niggles in the back of my mind, but I can’t put my finger on what bothers me about that line.

“It looks like they did repeat blood work, but Dr. Yu told him to keep up the healthier diet and sleep. I bet that was when the heavy metals had started really affecting him. Early poisoning symptoms would’ve been tiredness, nausea, foggy headedness, tingling in hands and feet, and blood pressure changes. But . . .”