“Unfortunately. And this case, because of the unusual circumstances, was not one that came under the scrutiny of the Southern District during their investigation of Maggie Greenwald. But I managed to get my hands on it and I can’t figure out a few things I came across.”

Dr. Lockard pulled the page close to him and lifted his chin to see through his bifocals.

“Victoria Ford’s urine and blood were discovered at the crime scene. The urine was found in the unflushed toilet; the blood was on the carpeting. DNA analysis confirmed that both the urine and the blood belonged to her. But the forensic report has me confused.”

“How so?” Dr. Lockard asked.

“The report shows that the urine contained a high level of ammonia, and that the blood had a series of chemicals in it.”

“Chemicals?”

Dr. Lockard began to read the report.

“Yeah,” Walt said. “Listed in trace amounts in the blood were styrene, chloroform, glyphosate, and triclosan. What are they, and are they usually found in blood samples?”

Dr. Lockard shook his head as he continued to read. “No. Those things are not naturally found in blood.”

“How about the ammonia in the urine? Is that normal?”

“No.”

“So where did it come from? And what are the chemicals in the blood?”

Dr. Lockard ran his tongue over the corners of his lips. The Wizard, Walt thought, had been conjured.

Dr. Lockard blinked a few times. “The ammonia is easy. Urea breaks down into ammonia after twenty-four hours. So the urine collected from the toilet was more than twenty-four hours old.”

Walt considered the timeline. Cameron Young’s body was in the early stages of rigor mortis, and had been hanging for much less than twenty-four hours.

“What about the chemicals in the blood?” Walt asked.

“Let’s see. Styrene is a chemical used to make rubber and plastic products. Chloroform is a solvent and general anesthetic. Glyphosate is, I believe, a pesticide. And triclosan is an antibacterial and antifungal agent.”

“If the blood at the crime scene belonged to Victoria Ford,” Walt said, “and we can forensically prove it did, why would she have all those chemicals in her system?”

“She didn’t,” Dr. Lockard said.

He stood up and walked to the kitchen nook to grab his laptop. He returned to the island, opened the computer, and began tapping on the keyboard. Walt looked at the monitor just as Dr. Lockard finished typing into the search engine. Walt saw the query:

Chemicals found in tampons

Dr. Lockard nodded, pointing at the monitor. “The styrene came from the plastic applicator of a tampon. The chloroform is an anesthetic because, you know, women push babies out of their bodies but corporations don’t believe they’re tough enough to handle a tampon. Glyphosate is a pesticide used in cotton crops that, sadly, finds its way into cotton tampons. And finally, the triclosan is used as a preservative to prevent contamination.”