Chapter 7
A Pharmacist's Locked Drawer
Owen's locked drawer contained enough bad judgment to resemble guilt.
He had hidden Arthur's bottle, copied the stock sheet and telephoned the supplier before the police knew a substitution had occurred. Asha confiscated everything and reminded him twice that cooperation after discovery was not the same as cooperation.
June studied the emergency-kit signatures. Beatrice received it. Ravi inspected it. Thomas borrowed it for a council broadcast on first aid. Mabel stored it in the Garden Club cupboard. Arthur alone was not supposed to touch it.
"The strip could have disappeared any time in three weeks," Asha said.
"But the substitute capsules entered his bottle after Friday evening," June replied. "Arthur collected the prescription himself."
Owen tapped the pharmacy camera screen. Arthur left with the sealed paper bag at 5:47. At 6:03, he attended a council reception. Beatrice, Thomas and Ravi were visible in the photographs.
At 6:18, Arthur placed his bag beneath a chair to make a speech.
At 6:19, Elsie's wide shot caught a gloved hand reaching behind the chair.
The body was outside the frame.
"Can you enlarge it?" June asked.
Elsie shook her head. "Not without the original card. Beatrice collected everyone's media for the council archive."
Asha called the council office. The card had been logged, then signed out the morning Arthur died.
The signature read ARTHUR BELL.
He had been in the potting room at the recorded time.