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CHAPTER TWENTY
THAT AFTERNOON, CAITLIN SAT ON
the edge of the paper-lined bed at her orthopedic clinic, pushing her foot into her
physical therapist’s palm for her weekly appointment. “Okay, now flex,†the therapist, a tall, strapping
Russian whose name was Igor, said, watching her face as she moved her ankle around.
“It feels pretty good,†Caitlin said.
“Good.†Igor kept rolling her foot in different directions, his hands cool and careful.
In the corner, a local news station played, muted but with closed captions. A breaking-news alert
rolled across the bottom of the screen.
LOCAL BOY KILLED WITH CYANIDE
.
She flinched. Igor looked at her sharply. “Did that hurt?â€
“No.†She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. Igor gently let go of her foot. “Um, could you turn
that up?†she asked. Igor looked confused for a second, then grabbed the remote from a nearby table
and handed it to Caitlin. The sound came on instantly.
“Let’s talk a little more about cyanide,†the reporter was saying, her voice strangely chipper.
“And for that, I’d like to introduce Dr. John Newlin, forensics expert. Dr. Newlin?â€
The doctor cleared his throat. “Cyanide poisoning is a classic method of both murder and suicide,
mostly because the drug acts so quickly and looks like a cardiac event. The poison impedes the
victim’s ability to use oxygen, making the victim feel as though he is suffocating.â€
“And cyanide isn’t a common substance, right?†the reporter interrupted. “In the Hotchkiss case,
how could a murderer have gotten hold of it?â€
“Well,†said the doctor, “there are several professions that would allow access to cyanide in one
form or another: chemists, photographers, pest control, mineral refining, dyeing, printing . . . The
investigators are likely looking at people who have connections to those industries.â€
Caitlin stiffened. She assumed cyanide would be hard to come by, but it sounded like there were a
million ways to get it. What if she or the other girls had it in their garage or basement, without even
knowing it? What then?
“What about the chem lab at school?†the reporter asked.
John Newlin paused. “A chemistry professor
would
know how to obtain potassium cyanideâ€"old
