Page 74 of Unraveling an Enigma
My gaze turns from the mirrored wall when the elevator dings open. A smile curves on my lips when I spot Brandon talking to a security officer at the reception desk in the lobby of my apartment.
“Brandon,” I greet him, scooting past the elderly lady waiting for the elevator.
Brandon’s head tilts as he smiles a greeting before turning his attention back to the security officer. I can’t hear any of the words Brandon is speaking, but his stern stature alludes to his anger. His bad mood bounces off him in invisible waves. My strides halt halfway between the elevator and their small gathering. I don’t want to intrude on a private conversation.
A short time later, Brandon walks over to me. A frown sets on his mouth as he briskly shakes his head. “Did you know no one can gain access to your apartment floor without it first being approved by Isaac?”
My brows furl. “No, I wasn’t aware of that.”But that does sound like something Isaac would do.
“Not even an FBI agent,” Brandon continues before his gaze shifts to glare at the security officer he was just talking to.
Brandon’s current mood is very off-putting. He is usually the cheerful, friendly one who doesn’t let anything get him down.
My hand shoots out to clasp his. “Are you okay, Brandon?”
He sucks in a sharp breath. His eyes dart between mine before he nods. “Sorry, Izzy. It’s been a really shit weekend.”
I nod in agreement. “I’m sorry for bailing on you at Parkerville. I just wasn’t—”
“Don’t apologize, Izzy. You have nothing to be sorry for,” he interrupts, his tone lower and more sincere than previously.
He clasps my hand within his and strides to a bank of chairs on the far side of the lobby. The security officer Brandon was talking to earlier watches our every move.
Brandon plops into a chair before gesturing for me to sit in the spare seat next to him. He scrubs his hand over the top of his head as his fretful eyes lift from the ground to me. His unnerving composure has my knees shaking.
“What’s going on?” I ask, my voice a rattling bag of nerves.
He runs his hand down his face before his eyes lock with mine. “Carlyle Shroud’s death came back as a homicide.”
I swallow bitterly, my eyes widening. “B-but… he was… hanging.”
“No.” Brandon shakes his head. “He was already deceased before then.”
His hand stretches across to grasp mine. “They found poison in the food scraps in the kitchen. It looks like whoever killed him did it slowly in hopes it wouldn’t be noticed by the authorities.”
My stomach lurches as my chest grows heavy.
“It gets worse,” Brandon warns.
My eyes snap to his. Blood roars through my body before clustering in my ears, making a loud, ringing noise that is nearly deafening.
“Megan Shroud is in Ravenshoe. She has been for the past week.”
“What? How?” I interrupt.
“I don’t know. I had her on every database there was. She must not have used public transportation or hired a car. She is paying cash for a hotel on the outskirts of town.”
“Does Isaac know?” I ask as my heart thrashes in my chest.
Brandon shakes his head. “Not yet, but he soon will.”
I eye him curiously, seeking more information.
“The hospital Nick’s fiancée is staying at requested a police presence this afternoon. I hacked the hospital’s mainframe and discovered Jenni’s blood workup from when she gave birth showed she had a high dosage of a drug called Misoprostol in her system. It is an illegal abortion drug only sold on the black market.”
Oh, God. I think I’m going to be sick.
“Do you think it was Megan?”
