Gavin had no problem with the threat. He had gotten what he needed from this interview without ever hearing an answer. Or talking with Mr. Morgan. Or having his line of questioning controlled by Mr. Morgan. Or worse yet, his investigation dictated by Mr. Morgan. After the revelations today, Mr. Morgan may not want to rock this boat.

There was little doubt in Gavin’s mind that Claudia and James Morgan were having an affair. James was also having an affair with Bethany. Did Claudia know?

34

“Val! Great news,” Zoe practically shouted. She and Val stood inside her toxicology lab at the medical examiner’s office. “I found cadmium in some of Gabrielle’s teeth.”

Val’s eyes went wide. “Which ones?” Val put her arms out to give Zoe a hug but Zoe backed away. Val remembered Zoe wasn’t a hugger and put her arms down quickly.

“It’s in her third molars, or wisdom teeth, only.”

Val quickly reviewed the development times of teeth, from first stages of calcification to root completion as cadmium could have been deposited during these intervals. “Incisors first begin to develop at three months, erupt around six with root development complete as late as eleven for the lateral incisors. The span for canines is four months to fifteen years. Premolars one and half years to fifteen years, and for the molars, the first molar is from birth to ten years, the second two and a half to fifteen, and the third or wisdom tooth is seven years to twenty-five. Though there are variations, the growth of a tooth and its root formation follows a pretty standard schedule.”

Val did the math. “Since cadmium was in no other teeth, and none was in her bones, as young as sixteen as old as twenty-two. It’s highly likely the twins and Gabrielle were being poisoned together.”

“Yes, and I have one more fact for you. Something to take into consideration. I did some more research on nightshade poisoning, particularly on the mental impairment part of the equation. One thing it’s been used for is to model conditions such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, Down syndrome, and particularly fragile X syndrome in animal studies,” Zoe said.

“Fragile X?” Val questioned.

“Fragile X syndrome is a genetic condition that causes a range of developmental problems. It’s hugely tied to autistic traits.” Zoe’s implication was clear.

Oh my God, Val started to get a really bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. The twins had been poisoned. Gabrielle was poisoned around this time as well. What about Bridget?

The drowning of the twins set this case in motion. Jack had told her at the beginning that there is always an event that sets a case in motion. Gabrielle and the twins were poisoned by the same means. Someone continued to poison Gabrielle afterward.

What did Gabrielle know? What secret was she keeping?