“Stay focused and pull the threads.”

“Thank you for always knowing what I need to hear.”

“I got you, boo.”

Sam gave her a quick hug. “You’re the best.”

“Go kick some ass and take some names.”

“I’m on it.”

Energized by the pep talk from Lindsey, Sam exited the morgue and headed for the pit, determined to make some serious headway before her shift ended. “Everyone—conference room in five.”

She went into her office to stash her coat and fire up her computer to review the full report on Mary Alice’s autopsy. Other than the morphine, no other abnormalities were found during the exam. Just like Spencer.

In her email, she also found the report for Morgan Newell’s autopsy that Lindsey had sent. Newell had morphine in her brain plus signs of liver damage, which Byron noted could be the result of a prolonged addiction.

She printed all the reports as well as the photos from the Newell and Diaz obituaries and brought them with her when she joined her team in the conference room. While they watched her from the table, she pulled a fresh murder board toward the head of the table and pinned up the photos of Spencer, Mary Alice, Morgan and Angelo.

Chapter Sixteen

“I now believe we have at least four victims.” Sam pointed to each one as she introduced them to her detectives. “Three were found with morphine in their brains postmortem, which can only get there through opioids. In the case of Morgan Newell, Dr. Tomlinson also noted liver damage that could be the result of prolonged addiction. The family of Angelo Diaz declined the autopsy, but according to the report on the 911 call, his mother could give no known reason for his sudden death. As a result, I’m operating under the assumption that he may be a fourth victim. I believe these cases may be connected to one dealer. We need to find that person as quickly as possible. Our job has been made more difficult by the warning the department is issuing this morning, making the public aware that someone is selling laced pills to unsuspecting opioid addicts.” She glanced at her sergeant. “Gonzo, did you hear back from the dealer you contacted yesterday?”

“Not yet, and that’s not uncommon. If they don’t have what you’re looking for, they don’t call back.”

Sam absorbed that info with a growing sense of frustration and panic. Once the alert went out, this case would become a thousand times more difficult than it already was. “Cruz and I will visit the Newell and Diaz families this morning. I want the rest of you working on the leads that came from the dump of Spencer’s phone. Green, check with Archie to see where we are with Mary Alice Albright’s phone, and let’s keep working on the info from Spencer’s. We’ll see if we can get the phones of Newell and Diaz and get them processed as quickly as possible.”