The Curse Of Eden
Chapter 22- Lethal interactions

"Detective Woods check this out." Assistant doctor Miles Hemingway from forensics wasted no time as he cut to the chase upon entering Adam's office.

Adam was just hanging up the phone with the hospital as Ken stood beside him awaiting the news. Thankfully, Ella's surgery was successful. The bullet didn't hit any major organs and they were only waiting for her to wake up for further prognosis of the case.

"What's up?" Adam turned to the young scientist.

"Initial on-scene autopsy reported that Mrs. Jilles died from a heart attack." Miles started.

"Wait" Ken paused him, "It wasn't a heart attack that killed her?"

"Well, no she did die from a heart attack but it's what's caused that heart attack." Miles elaborated as he opened the folder he had in his hands. Adam and Ken shared 'I knew something was up' look. It didn't add up that Mrs. Jilles would die immediately after her suspicious visitor's departure. "Mrs. Jilles had a bad heart and she was actually treated with Amiodarone, an anti-arrhythmia drug."

"She overdosed?" Adam asked.

"No, not really. Tox screen Also showed Digoxin in her bloodstream. It's used for several heart problems like heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and such." "You're losing me here champ." Ken clicked his fingers for Max to get to the point.

Miles stood closer beside Adam and Ken as he started pointing out the data on the papers he had.

"Normally, when a doctor prescribes Digoxin and Amiodarone together, he makes sure to give the proper doses so as not to cause a bad drug-drug interaction. Amiodarone removes Digoxin from its place and if the Digoxin doses aren't lessened, Amiodarone will cause Digoxin toxicity and if not treated immediately, it kills just like the case with Mrs. Jilles."

"Aren't the side effects and toxicity symptoms something Mrs. Jilles would know about since she works as a nurse?" Ken asked the overly quite Adam.

"Unless she couldn't get help." Miles shrugged his shoulders.

"Side effects would've varied from dizziness, blurred vision, and fatigue. And with her old age, she probably didn't have the strength enough to call for help."

"And that bastard just stood there and watched." Ken remarked in disgust.

"I don't think her masked visitor did it." Adam spoke up.

"I agree." Miles aided.

"Administration of the Digoxin would've been made a couple of times in the past couple of days. Given to her in her drink or something."

"Her guest, according to Ella, was seen only that one time and he didn't stay long." Adam spoke.

"We need to go check that house."

"Okay, my work here is done. I'll leave you detectives do your thing, doc Newman is probably looking for me." Miles gave out a small laugh at his own humor as he turned to leave.

"Oh, how's your wife Miles by the way?" Adam asked making Miles turn back around to look at him.

"Oh, she's great actually. Got everything ready for the baby." Miles smiled at the thought of finally being a father. He and Sarah have been wanting a child for quite some time but were never blessed until eight and a half months ago. "Send her my greetings Hemingway, and don't forget to invite us to the hospital when she's due." Ken narrowed his eyes which made Mike laugh sheepishly.

"You won't forget would you?"

"What? That you actually forgot to invite us to the gender reveal?" Ken challenged as he pointed towards him and Adam.

"Ah, broke my heart." Adam played along dramatically with his partner.

"You guys were out of town!" Miles defended.

"So?"

"Your point?"

Adam and Ken replied in unison.

"Erm...oh look! Dear me, it's already getting so late. Doctor Newman in calling. Yes, coming doc!"

Miles almost ran out of the office with a flushed face as the two, supposedly grown men chuckled behind him.

"Okay, we've got work to do." Adam turned serious." Can you go check with Alex and Avery where they got with their search for Kingsley? They've been asking around the neighborhood since the morning. I'll go and get Collette and Dr. Ruby to come to Mrs. Jilles house with us. Maybe they'll see something."

§ § §

Collette heaved a deep sigh as she watched the protesters on the television everywhere.

She had just woken up from her quick nap and fixed herself some food to eat while watching the news.

She couldn't blame the supporters since she, herself, had her doubts at the beginning. E saved her and her mother like he saved all those other families and she owed that to him.

Yet still, nothing justifies for murder and a person who got a taste of blood will replace it hard to stop. She feared that E will end up killing innocent people later on and it will be all her fault if she didn't stop him.

The ringing of Collette's phone caught her attention away from the TV screen and Adam's name shone brightly on the screen.

"Hey Adam."

"Hey pumpkin. Erm...I need to come to the station." Adam answered, hesitancy evident in his voice.

"Sure. I'd everything okay?"

"It's fine yes, yes but it would be better if we speak when you get here."

Collette's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Okay, I'm on my way."

It didn't take her time to get ready, slipping quickly into her favorite orange dress.

She grabbed her keys and attempted to leave the house but an envelope at her doorstep stopped her midway.

There was no one in sight that might have placed it there and no names were written on the sand-colored envelope.

Collette picked it up, taking it with her to her car to open. The envelope felt very thin and the single piece of paper that Collette found inside explained why.

She thought opening the envelope with help answer the existence of it but the contents only increased her confusion about the situation.

Inside resided a single piece of paper with a note written in cut out letters, glaring angrily at Collette.

'It wasn't me. Find the nurse.'

"What the....?" Collette voiced out.

She didn't have time to dwell much in the note as she started the car to make her way to HQ but the white paper that laid next to hear on the passenger seat wouldn't stop nagging at her brain. "Hey Adam. What's going on?"

Adam greeted his wife with a gentle smile once she walked into his office.

"Hey. Come here." He ushered her to the small sofa by the wall.

"Uhmm...I actually have some bad news for you Collette." Adam sighed.

"What happened?"

"You remember Mrs. Jilles right?"

Collette nodded with a unibrow.

"She was found dead in her house earlier today."

Collette gasped. "D-dead? How? Was she killed?"

Adam sighed again. "At first we thought it was just because of her weak heart. But lab results said differently. Apparently, someone has been tampering with her medications and gave her a lethal dose of Digoxin unprescribed." Something pinged at the back of Collette's mind and she fetched out the mysterious note she found at her doorstep.

"This was at our doorstep. I didn't understand what it meant."

Adam took the piece of paper from her as the machines started running wildly in his head. He looked up at his wife in alarm.

"That's the same way E writes his letters to his victim's families."

"Why would he send me something like this? Why would he plead innocence?"

"Because he was there." Adam concluded. "I had my doubts but this gave me all the certainty that I need."

He was immediately up on his feet as adrenaline went kayaking in his bloodstream.

"A witness saw someone suspicious visit her right before she died. But the reports showed that the Digoxin was administered over the course of several days which rules the visitor out of the suspect list but doesn't change the fact that it was E and someone actually saw him!"

"And where's that witness now?" Collette asked in shared excitement.

Adam's spirit deflated as he sighed heavily. "She got shot. It was a messy day."

"Wait...didn't you think about who might want her dead? If E didn't do it, and he even sent a note to make sure we know that, then who would want to kill a witness?"

Adam fell silent as he looked at Collette. His mind was fazed and her words made him look through a hole he wasn't aware of.

He looked back at the paper he took from Collette.

"The nurse. What nurse?"