She held up her hands and stared at the backs of them. The swelling was gone. A few welts were still visible under the paste. It was remarkable how, less than twenty-four hours later, Maggie looked almost back to normal.
“You’re sure you’re feeling okay?”
“I feel good,” she said as she took the glass of juice from him. Her eyes caught sight of his welts, and she reached up and touched the back of his hand. “Looks like you got stung, too.”
Her fingertips meant to caress, but Creed felt only the unexpected electrical charge. He shrugged and pretended the stings and her touch were no big deal. He asked, “No pain?”
She shook her head. “I guess I’m a little bit achy. It feels like I have a hangover. But otherwise… I feel amazingly good.”
“Dr. Avelyn gave you something for the pain and to help you sleep when she gave you the antivenin.”
“Dr. Avelyn?”
“Avelyn Parker.”
“You have a doctor who makes house calls?”
“She’s not an MD. She’s a veterinarian.”
She smiled, then nodded as if she should have guessed. And she didn’t seem bothered by the fact.
“This type of scorpion doesn’t inject enough venom to be lethal, but you had about eighteen stings. Actually, this particular type of scorpion doesn’t usually sting unless disturbed or threatened. You did kind of disturb them.”
“All I can remember is that I couldn’t breathe.”
“You had an allergic reaction. The symptoms come on quick and furious.” He reached out to touch her arm but stopped short, remembering the impact of her simple caress. Instead, he pointed to where the swelling had gone down on her shoulder and only a red mark showed through the paste. “Without the antivenin you could have died.”
“It was meant to be a trap or another torture chamber, wasn’t it? Just like the fire ants.”
“Most likely. The forensic team said there was a screen over the top to prevent the scorpions from escaping. The hole was lined with burlap to keep it moist. Someone had dumped rotted wood with enough termites to keep the scorpions fat and happy.”
“But Mrs. Bagley didn’t die down there.”
“No. I expect the coroner will be getting those details to you and Sheriff Holt when he knows the cause of her death. There is something else.”
He sat down in the recliner beside her, close enough that his knee brushed the blanket. He stayed at the edge of the chair, set aside his now-empty glass, and leaned forward, elbows on his knees, chin on his fists.
“Your rental car’s been impounded by the forensic team.”
“What? Why?”
“Jason got your belongings from the trunk. He’ll bring them when he comes to work today.”
“I’m not worried about that. Why did they take the car?”
“Someone left a burlap sack under the driver’s seat. Jason found it when he tried to drive your car back yesterday. There were three coral snakes in the sack.”
She shot a hand up and ran fingers through her hair as she shook her head. “Seriously, what is it with these people? Fire ants, scorpions, snakes?”
“Coral snakes have the most virulent venom of all the poisonous snakes in the States. One bite can kill a dog in a matter of ten to twenty minutes.”
Her hand came down to her lap and her eyes widened. “Is Jason okay?”
“Yeah, he’s okay. A bit shook-up. Corals are shy, not aggressive. They like to hide, but if they feel trapped, they’ll strike.”
“Like the scorpions.”
He scooted closer. Drew her eyes to meet his. “Normally I don’t need to know everything from law enforcement except what’ll help me and my dogs do our job. But this is one time I think you need to tell me what’s going on.”
“I told you. We fished Trevor Bagley out of the Potomac. We think someone tortured him.”
“With fire ants. I got that. But why?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out.”
“But you have your suspicions.”
Her eyes left his and without a word they confirmed what he had said.
“Look, Maggie, the scorpions have been there for whatever crazy reason. Scare tactic, torture… maybe somebody’s screwed-up idea of a joke. But the snakes… The snakes were put in your car on purpose.”
He waited to see that fact sink in. She looked tired. Her skin was still rash-red in places, and strands of hair stuck to the paste on her neck. He noticed that her eyes were slow to track, almost as if her mind was playing catch-up. It was probably the residual effect of the drugs that Dr. Avelyn had given her yesterday.
“When?” she said. “When could they have put them in the car? The sheriff and his deputy—”
“Already checked on that. Holt said they left for about twenty to thirty minutes to meet the forensic team and then lead them to the place so they wouldn’t get lost. That’s not a long time span. Which means someone not only knew you were at the Bagleys’ place, but they were there somewhere — watching.”
“So you think they meant to scare me?”
“No, I think they meant to kill you.”
47
“DEA’s descended on the Bagley place,” Sheriff Holt was telling O’Dell. “Why the hell would you do that?”
He had left over a dozen voice and text messages for her. By the time she returned his calls, he sounded exhausted and furious.
“I didn’t do anything. I only woke up a few hours ago,” she tried to explain.
“I apologize, Agent O’Dell. I don’t know what I was thinking. I haven’t even asked how you’re doing. Are you okay?”
“Sore and a bit achy. My head hurts.”
“So if you didn’t tell them, how’d the bastards even know?”
“Your forensic team? Maybe someone from the café?”
“Believe me when I say nobody in these parts calls the feds.”
Fortunately, in his anger he was treating her like one of his team. He had forgotten that O’Dell was a fed.
“They’ll be able to help with some lab tests that we wouldn’t be able to do.” She tried to keep positive.
“That’s great, but they’re not even letting us continue on the investigation.”
“What do you mean?”
“They were already there when we arrived this morning at eight. They ordered us off the property. We’re not allowed to return.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Do I sound like I’m kidding?”
“Let me see if I can find out what’s happening.”
“In the meantime, what the hell do we do?”
“Did they ask for the evidence the forensic team recovered?”
“Not yet, but I’m told they barged in on our coroner. Shoved some badges in his face, then loaded up and hauled out Mrs. Bagley’s body.”
O’Dell couldn’t say she was surprised. She’d had a gut feeling from the moment they pulled Trevor Bagley’s bloated corpse out of the river that this was a much bigger case. She just didn’t realize how big.
“What other evidence did your team find?” she asked.
“After they recovered the body, they spent a bit of time in one of the sheds behind the house. No more bodies, but it’ll make your skin crawl.”
She stayed quiet and waited. As angry as he was, she could tell this was something that was hard to digest.
“Looks like they kept some kids in there.”
Her stomach twisted in knots. “Did the feds ask for the evidence?”
“Didn’t ask and we didn’t tell. I don’t think they know how much we found. Maybe they don’t even know about the kids. Seems they’re more concerned about us busting up their drug case.”
“Did the forensic team find any drugs?”
“Not even a little.”
They discussed what to do with the evidence the team had collected, then promised they’d be in touch. It wouldn’t be the first time that O’Dell found herself on the side of the local law enforcement rather than her colleagues on the federal side. What was adding one more clash with her boss?