Chapter 6
The Wrong Medicine
Arthur had swallowed the correct drug at the wrong speed.
Dr. Farley laid two capsules on a steel tray. The prescribed extended-release capsule was blue and white. The one recovered from Arthur's bottle looked identical, but dissolved almost at once.
"A dangerous dose for his heart," she said. "Not certain death. Dangerous enough."
The bottle label carried Price Pharmacy's name. Its electronic record showed Owen had dispensed it Friday at 5:42 p.m.
Owen did not deny the timestamp. He denied the capsules.
"Our stock has a laser mark beneath the blue band. Those don't."
Asha turned one under the lamp. No mark.
"Then why did you remove Arthur's bottle from the scene?"
Owen looked at Mabel through the glass. "Because I saw my label and panicked."
"You contaminated a suspicious death to protect your business."
"To protect six employees and my mother."
June disliked the answer because she understood it.
The batch code led to Owen's wholesaler. It also appeared in the pharmacy log. Ten capsules had arrived in a council emergency-medication kit, delivered for public events at Wren House.
Beatrice had signed for the kit.
Before June could call Asha, Owen reached for his coat.
"Where are you going?"
"To show you something I should have shown the police."
At the pharmacy, he unlocked his office drawer. Inside lay Arthur's original bottle and a council stock sheet.
One emergency strip was missing.