Her Frozen Cry (Detective Amanda Steele)

THIRTY-FOUR

At eight thirty, the clinic doors were unlocked, and the sign said they were open, but the parking lot and waiting room were empty. No one was at the front desk either. It was shockingly quiet, unlike the first time they were there.

Amanda pressed the bell on the counter and called out, “Hello?”

No one responded, and Amanda looked at Trent. “Where the heck is everyone?” An anxious feeling was spreading over her skin. Had something happened to Bethany Wagner and/or her husband? “Hello?” she repeated.

There was some thumping, and Amanda glanced at Trent again as if to visually confirm he’d heard it too. She ignored the protocol of waiting at the desk and went behind it, heading to the source of the noise. Trent moved with her. It led them to the room where the drugs were stored.

Bethany Wagner and a man who Amanda assumed was Isaac, Bethany’s husband, were rummaging in the medicine locker.

“Stop what you’re doing. Right now,” Amanda barked.

The Wagners stopped.

“Step away from the locker.” Amanda danced her gaze over the couple. “Disappointed that I haven’t heard from you, Bethany.”

Bethany licked her lips. “I was going to…”

Amanda made eye contact with the man. “You’re Isaac Wagner, I presume?”

“I am.”

“Detectives Steele and Stenson,” she said more for Isaac’s benefit. “Can you tell us what you’re doing?” The scene playing out in front of her and Trent wasn’t looking good. The couple had drugs spread out on a table and wore this expression that screamed they were guilty as hell of something.

Bethany’s shoulders sank. “I should have called you. I apologize that I didn’t.”

“I’m not looking for apologies, Bethany. I want to know what you two are up to right now and what happened to the missing pentobarbital.” Amanda wouldn’t be leaving until she had the answer to both questions.

“I’m… We’re—”

Isaac put his hand on Bethany’s shoulder. “We’ve done nothing wrong.”

“I’ll decide that,” Amanda pushed out.

“We’re just here trying to review the inventory logs,” Bethany said.

The front door opened and thumped shut.

“I need to go and…” Bethany jabbed a finger toward the hallway.

“Stay here.” Amanda motioned for Trent to see who had arrived, and he left the room. “Go on,” she said to Isaac and Bethany, not caring which one of them wanted to pick up the storytelling.

“Nothing much more to say,” Isaac said, his voice somber.

Trent returned and informed them it was the front-desk clerk who had arrived.

“I have a feeling your initial assumption that some pentobarbital is missing was correct?” Amanda was quaking. They were here trying to cover up the missing inventory, it seemed. There could only be one reason for that—they were trying to protect someone. Tony?

“It was,” Bethany admitted and rushed to add, “and I realize how my not calling might make things look.”

“How is that?” Amanda countered, playing stupid.

“Like I’m trying to cover something up.”

“I hate to say it, but the thought crossed my mind.” Amanda didn’t see a point in lying. “Do you have any idea what happened to the missing inventory?”

Bethany glanced at Isaac, and it was so subtle it could have been easy to miss.

“Bethany,” Amanda prompted her.

The woman hugged herself and rubbed her arms.

Amanda could hardly believe she was heading down this path, but she had to keep an open mind. “You didn’t care much for Alicia. That’s what you told us.” She gestured toward Trent. Back to Bethany. “Did you kill her?”

“What? No, absolutely not.”

“Maybe you wanted to hurt your dad for moving on so quickly, for not giving your mother another chance.” Trent paused, then elaborated. “It would also free him up to resume things with your mother, since the obstacle—Alicia—would be out of the way.”

“Did I hate the woman? Sure, fine,” Bethany seethed. “But I didn’t kill her. I wouldn’t kill her and hurt Dad that way—no matter how mad I am at him.”

“Do you know what happened to the missing pentobarbital?” Trent pushed out, obviously having lost all patience.

The Wagners looked at each other, their eyes scanning the other’s face like two people who were privy to a secret and wanted to protect it at all costs.

“We need to tell them, Beth,” Isaac eventually said.

Amanda feared taking her next breath in case it somehow discouraged either Wagner from speaking.

“I didn’t kill Alicia, and I can tell you that Dad wouldn’t have either. He loved her. I could see that, as much as I hate to admit it.” The woman’s face was paling in increments, and her body sagged.

Amanda braced herself for the news that was coming, sensing there would be nothing good about it. “What is it, Bethany?” she gently pressed.

“I can’t do it,” Bethany blurted out and paced to a corner of the room and started to cry.

Amanda turned her attention to Isaac. “Tell us what we need to know.”

Isaac’s body became rigid. “It was an insanely busy day, and I was the only certified vet here. I had surgeries lined up, had one cocker spaniel under, in fact, when this labradoodle came in suffering greatly… in organ failure. I was pulled from the operating room, where I left the cocker spaniel under the care of one of our veterinary assistants.”