A frustrating grimace tugged my face. The forensic guys hadn’t paid any attention to the thermos. At that point in time, nobody was thinking Liam had been poisoned. Everyone was too preoccupied with the obvious.
We went back over to the club and caught up with Bill Warren in his office. I asked him about the thermos.
"Yes, we picked up a few of Liam’s belongings that were left behind. We put them in a box, and I believe they’re in the storage area. I wasn't sure what to do with them. I know he's got a sister, but I have not spoken to her.”
"I need to see all of his personal belongings that you have. I also need to speak with anyone who handled the thermos.”
Mr. Warren picked up the phone and dialed an extension. “Lindsey, I need Mr. Liam’s personal effects. Could you get them from storage and bring them here?”
She responded, and Warren smiled. He hung up the phone and said to us, “She’ll be right here.”
Lindsey showed up a few minutes later, carrying a cardboard box. She stepped inside the office and set it down on Warren's desk. "Is there anything else you need?"
"I need to know who touched the thermos," I said.
Lindsey said, "Well, I picked it up from the tennis court and put it in the box. I don't think anyone else has touched it since then. I can't say who touched it before I got to it.”
"I need to get a set of elimination prints from you."
"I'm not going to end up in a database, am I?"
I nodded.
She frowned. "You can't compel my fingerprints, can you?”
"Not without a court order," I said.
Lindsey smiled. "I don't mean to be difficult, but you need to get a court order. I value my privacy."
Mr. Warren glared at her. "Lindsey, just cooperate with the deputies. We do want to find out who killed Liam, don't we?"
"I'm within my rights to refuse."
"You like your job here, don't you?"
Lindsey glared at him. "Are you threatening my job?”
Florida is an employment-at-will state. Bill could fire her for any reason or no reason as long as the termination is not discriminatory.
"There's no need for that," I said. "But it would help our investigation.”
“Sorry, I’m not doing it.”
I didn’t push the issue. I figured we could circle back around at some point if need be. “We may have more questions for you later.”
Lindsey frowned, then excused herself.
"I'm sorry about that," Warren said.
"That's okay. We’ll work around it.”
“I like her, and she’s good at her job, but I will not have a criminal in my employ.”
“I’ll keep you posted as this develops.”
I pulled on a pair of nitrile gloves and rummaged through the box. It was hard to miss the stainless steel thermos.
I thanked Mr. Warren for his cooperation. I grabbed the box and carried it back to the van. We drove back to the station and logged everything as evidence. The lab could test the thermos for residue.
