What the fuck?“Methanol poisoning?”
“Yep. Doctors are doing what they can, but it’s touch and go right now.”
“How the hell would this have happened?”
“She was an alcoholic, right? So my thoughts are, she either made her own cheap alcohol and poisoned herself, or someone sold it to her.”
Eastern ran his hand over his jaw. “We need to search her car and wherever she’s been staying. Test anything you find. We also need copies of her bank statements to see where she bought her last bottle.”
He just had to hope like hell she paid with a card and not cash. There were two liquor stores in Misty Peak, but there were also a number of stores in the surrounding towns…endless options. Not to mention, she might have arrived in town with her own stash. But that option was less likely, because he doubted anything she came with would have lasted that long.
Paxley nodded. “On it.”
She started to turn, but Eastern grabbed her arm and lowered his voice. “And Paxley…I want a copy of Denny Barclay’s coroner’s report.”
She frowned. “Denny Barclay?”
He inched closer. “Both Denny and Jamie were alcoholics, and these incidences have occurred in really close succession. I don’t believe in coincidences.”
Still frowning, she nodded. “Okay. I’ll get it.”
“This stays between us, okay? I don’t want anyone else to know—including any other deputies at the station.”
Out of all his deputies, he trusted Paxley the most. Call it gut instinct.
“You got it, Eastern. Stays between us.”
He watched as she turned and moved down the hall.
Kayden walked up to him. “Hey, how are you doing?”
“Sadie got shot tonight.”
His brother’s brows knitted together. “But she’s okay, right? You said it was a graze.”
“Yeah, she’s okay.”
“What can we do?” Tilly asked as she came to stand beside Kayden.
“Nothing. You’ve done enough. Thank you for watching Avery. I’m going to take Sadie and Avery home.” He needed both of them as close as possible right now.
Kayden nodded. “Of course. Call if you need anything.”
What he needed was answers as to what the hell was going on with this town, and for the people he loved to be safe.
Sadie breathed Avery in.Even though the sounds of the hospital were loud around her, Avery was all she could focus on. Holding her after what they’d been through today was exactly what she needed. It finally allowed that tightness in her chest to loosen, and the pieces of her that had been torn apart this afternoon began to slot back together.
She almost wanted to cry. To never let go of this sweet child, who deserved so much more in the way of a mother.
“It’s my fault.”
Sadie frowned, and she pulled back to look at Avery. “What are you talking about?”
Avery sniffed. “It’s my fault you got hurt. You made my mom take you to protect me.”
“That doesn’t make what happened to me your fault.” She shifted some hair from Avery’s face. “Avery, you didn’t ask for your mother to do that. You didn’t ask for any of this. And more than that, you didn’t deserve it.”
“But if you hadn’t come with me—”
