“You’re saying that someone is deliberately killing people with laced pills?”

“Yes, we think so.”

“Why would they do that? Dead addicts are bad for business.”

“We aren’t sure how or why, but we’ve attributed five recent sudden deaths to possible fentanyl poisoning in people who sought Oxy illegally.”

While he struggled to process this information, she pressed on. “Was there an autopsy performed on Cory?”

He shook his head. “We didn’t see the point. We knew what killed him.”

Sam was afraid he would say that. “Would you allow us to search Cory’s room and phone to try to determine if his death is related to our case?”

“How would you know if it is?”

“That would depend on the evidence. In several instances, we’ve found pills in small white envelopes that came from the same batch. You also should know that if those pills are still in your home, they present a danger to everyone who lives here.”

That seemed to get his attention as he sat up straighter. “You can search the pool house. That was the only place they’d be.”

“And his phone?”

“I’ll get it for you.”

While he was gone, Sam glanced at Gonzo, who was looking somewhat paler than usual. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just, you know, hard to hear this stuff and to realize it could’ve been me who was given laced pills. Any time you procure illegally, it’s a crapshoot.”

“We’re all very thankful it wasn’t you.”

“I feel so bad for him and his wife. They did everything they could to save their son, and it wasn’t enough. I think about Alex and what I’d ever do…”

“You’ll be so vigilant. Extra vigilant because of your own history.”

“But will that be enough?”

Before Sam could reply, Mr. White returned with an iPhone that he handed over to her along with a slip of paper containing the code to open it. “Will we get it back?”

“As soon as possible. Are we authorized to bring in Crime Scene detectives?”

He nodded.

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

“If it turns out that Cory was murdered… As strange as it sounds, that might provide some comfort to my wife and the rest of our family. To know it wasn’t his fault. I’m not sure if that makes sense.”

“It does,” Gonzo said. “It makes sense.”

“Let’s see if we can get you some answers,” Sam said.

With the CSU pushed to the limit, Haggarty said the soonest they could get to the White home would be the following morning. Sam asked Mr. White to keep the pool house off-limits to everyone in the household until the detectives could do the search.

On the way back to HQ, Sam received a text from Haggerty. White packet of pills sitting right on Diaz’s desk, same S20 marking. HazMat on the way.

Thanks for the update. No need to exhume him now.

You were gonna?

If I couldn’t find the pills.

Damn. On to the Whites’ house in the AM.