Page 86 of The Hanging Dolls
He shook his head, a glint flashing in his eyes. “Mary Ellen is Lily’s maternal grandmother who has been dead for six years but according to the pharmacist, Mary has been getting refills. I guess the names are the same so it’s easier.”
“Diuretic… that’s for kidneys. Lily had kidney damage in her autopsy report.” Zoe began to stitch together the pieces into an image that revolted her.
“We thought it was due to some environmental toxin or the result of her being in captivity but the damage could be fromthis.” Aiden nodded. “We do know Mary was a helicopter parent and Lily wasn’t keeping well. What about Lucy?”
There was an edge to Scott’s voice. “I went to Carly’s place, but when she wasn’t home.”
“So you broke into her place?” Zoe was appalled.
“No.” He sighed. “I was going to but I was circling her property looking for a way in when I found this.” He showed her more pictures.
Zoe looked at a picture that was of one of the garden beds on the side of the house, her eyes narrowing as she recognized the tall, feathery stems topped with clusters of pale flowers. “She’s growing valerians,” she noted, almost to herself. “Is she into gardening?”
“No. And this is the only thing she’s growing. In small doses, the valerian root helps with anxiety and in large doses, it causes sleepiness and lethargy.”
Zoe’s heart began to race as she processed what he was saying. “Is it possible that Carly was using this for herself?”
“She’s got Xanax and a whole stash of pills in her bathroom for her anxiety,” he replied flatly.
“What about Tara?” Aiden asked.
He held the sides of his waist and shuffled his feet. “That’s what I was doing yesterday. I haven’t been able to find anything on Tara being poisoned or hurt by her father. But that’s also because he doesn’t want to talk. He’s still livid.”
“He’s going to feel like that for a long time,” she muttered. “But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t. There could be anything in that house he could have been using.”
“Think this is enough for a warrant?” His eyes were hopeful as he watched them.
“I can try. But are we sure this is the connection?” Zoe said.
“What else could it be?” He spread his arms and looked around. “Munchausen by proxy, Zoe. These kids were being hurtby their parents.” He waved his hands animatedly, leaning into her. “Our killer targets them, feeds them desserts and lots of nice things in the days leading up to their death and thengentlykills them. What do you think, Dr. Wesley?”
Aiden’s face was ashen. “In his head, he’s rescuing them by taking their lives. Maybe those toys he leaves is ceremonial. Like he’s sending them off to a better place.”
Scott’s eyes glistened with hope. “Now you see where I’m going with this.”
“The question is who would know about this.” Zoe bit her lip and began pacing. “This is intimate knowledge about three families who share no common friends or babysitters or anything like that.”
“There is one person who can help us corroborate this,” Aiden said.
“Bella. But you can’t come with me. You are still on suspension, Scott,” Zoe said.
He conceded. “Fair enough. But we are onto something.”
A sinking feeling exploded in her chest—if kids weren’t safe in their own homes with their families, then what chance did they stand in the outside world?
FORTY-NINE
Zoe leaned against the side of her car, her eyes fixed on the entrance of the high school. The afternoon sun hung low, casting long shadows across the parking lot. She tapped her foot, impatience gnawing at her, but she knew better than to rush this.
“Munchausen by proxy.” She popped a gum into her mouth. “Makes me shiver.”
Aiden stood next to her, dark circles lining his eyes. The only blemish in his otherwise steely and spotless armor. She relished to see he was human. “There are many reason for this illness. Lacking a stable identity, they find purpose through the victim’s fabricated illness. Could be a need for validation and attention. Or an anxious attachment style, where they subconsciously depend on that relationship to feel secure?—”
“How do you do this?” she snapped.
“Do what?”
“Talk about something so disturbing without feeling any emotions. This is disgusting. Parental love morphing into selfishness.”
