The Oracle (Fargo Adventures 11)

Sam cleared his throat loudly. “Did I mention you’re on speaker and Nasha and her uncle are sitting in the backseat?”

“That’s why I’m calling,” Wendy said. “I believe her.”

“Why do I detect there’s more to this than Nasha’s hurt feelings?”

“Because everything she took when she first got here had to do with food or little things that she found and claimed. And all of it went straight into her backpack. Hiding forty boxes of nails—I’m not sure she could’ve carried them by herself. As many as Yaro found, they probably weighed as much as she did.”

“Weren’t they in boxes?”

“Yes. But they were all hidden inside a large burlap sack, which would make the load a bit heavy for a girl her size. And then there’s the bottle of pills.”

“I didn’t steal those,” Nasha said. “I found them.”

“What kind of pills?” Sam asked Wendy.

“Some morphine derivative. Amo … Avo … I don’t recall.”

A feeling of dread worked its way into Sam’s gut. Praying that he was wrong, he checked his mirror and pulled to the side of the road. “Wendy, I need to see that bottle. It’s important.”

“I’ll get it and call right back.”

The moment she disconnected, Sam looked over at Remi. “Call Lazlo.”

Nasha’s uncle leaned forward. “What’s this about Nasha taking things?”

“I only took things no one wanted.”

“Voice mail,” Remi said. She left a message for him to call immediately, then texted the same.

A minute later, Sam’s phone lit up with the video call. Wendy’s face filled the screen. “Here it is, Mr. Fargo.” She held the bottle in front of the camera, the black letters on the label clear and crisp.

Sam’s gut twisted at the sight and Remi caught her breath. “Apomorphine,” Sam said. “That’s not a pain pill. It’s an emetic to induce vomiting.” He shifted around in his seat. “Nasha, where’d you find them?”

She crossed her arms, tucking her chin to her chest, refusing to meet his gaze.

Her uncle placed his hand on her shoulder. “My sweet Nasha. If you know something, you need to tell them.”

She looked at Sam, then Remi, her eyes shimmering with tears. “I didn’t steal anything.”

“I know you didn’t,” Sam said.

Remi, her voice soft, asked, “Where did you find the pills?”

Tears streaked her cheeks as she looked at her uncle. “Do I have to tell?”

“If you know the answer,” he said.

Nasha brushed her eyes with the back of her hand and looked at Sam. “I found them on the floor in the office bathroom.”

That was the last thing Sam wanted to hear. “You’re sure this is the same bottle that you found?”

She glanced at the phone screen, where Wendy held the small container. “Yes.”

“Thank you, Nasha. You’ve been a big help.”

“A wing girl?”

“More than you know.”