The Dying Breath: A Forensic Mystery

a right?” The resistance was fading. She could feel him soften as he thought about this. She looked into his eyes and could almost see his mind click and whir as he turned the words over in his mind, but she could tell he had not yet committed to the idea. “Cammie, if this came out in a trial, it could hurt the case. I could lose my job.”
    “But I promise I won’t tell a soul. I want you to show me the pictures in the file and tell me everything you found out about Leather Ed. And then we’ll go to the histology and toxicology labs and we’ll look over those files together. What if we stopped fighting and started sharing? Justin, I think we could catch him. Then we’d have more time together.”
    “Now you’re not playing fair.” He said this sternly, but his expression had resolved itself into amusement.
    “I never said I did.”
    She waited, watching his face shift as he decided. He nodded, then took a slow step back. “I propose a compromise. Tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day.”
    “Yeah. It is,” she answered, confused. “So what’s the compromise?”
    “If I do this, I want to pick up where we’re leaving off right now. You’re asking me to . . . redirect my energies. I’ll say yes if you guarantee we’ll be together tomorrow. Do we have a deal?”
    “Deal,” she said, and hugged him, feeling the muscles knot beneath his shirt. She quickly stepped back again, determined not to allow herself to get too distracted. “Okay,” she said. “Let’s get down to business. The case of Ed Staskiewicz as documented by the Silverton sheriff’s office. Show me everything you’ve got.”

Chapter Twelve

    THE HISTOLOGY LAB was a strange mix of a room—both cluttered and clean. The cupboards had glass panels, and behind them Cameryn could see an array of bottles, while every inch of the counter space seemed to hold some piece of equipment or plastic file holders lined in a neat row. A single spider plant let down vines in the corner, the pot secured in a macramé holder knotted with wooden beads. White lab coats had been draped over the backs of office chairs; Dr. Moore sat in one chair, Cameryn’s father in the other. Ben, who was perched on a tall stool, gave Cameryn a thumbs-up as she stepped inside.
    “Well, you took your sweet time,” her father said. His voice had a rumble to it, like the sound of a distant train.
    “Sorry. We were . . . talking,” Cameryn replied. She could feel her face flush as Justin moved close to her.
    Patrick raised his eyebrows. “Hello, Justin.”
    Cameryn was surprised to see him reach out his hand toward Justin. Justin took it and pumped it twice. She couldn’t help but think he looked sheepish as he said, “Hello, Mr. Mahoney.”
    “I will bow to the inevitable,” her father replied. “Please, call me Patrick. Dr. Moore brought me up to speed on the tie-in with Leather Ed. This changes things,” he said, his voice grim. “Kyle O’Neil is out of his mind. His insanity means he’s bound to make a mistake. That’s something for our side.”
    Justin was silent for a beat. He looked at Patrick as if he appreciated what he’d said, but he shook his head, saying, “He’s not that kind of crazy, Mr.—Patrick. O’Neil’s an organized killer. He’s the kind of crazy who plans his every move in cold blood.”
    “But I think he wants to get caught,” Cameryn argued. “Kyle’s leaving clues.”
    “Or just playing with us,” her father snapped. “In any event, Dr. Moore was kind enough to show me slides of the vic’s lung tissue. The cause of death in all three cases is artificial pneumonia brought on by some unknown substance. What it is, I don’t know, and how O’Neil did it is even more of a mystery. This case is as baffling as his last masterpiece using that klystron.” He scratched the back of his neck and said, “It looks like bizarre deaths may be O’Neil’s signature.”
    “I know, I thought about that, too, Dad; that’s why I brought Justin in here. Kyle wants to be unique. He’s showing off for the police. Or for me,” she added hastily. “But he’s left something for us to figure out and I want to try.” Cameryn quickly explained her idea to everyone in the room, with various responses. Dr. Moore’s face seemed as pugnacious as ever, but there was a curiosity, too, as he looked at Justin, considering. Her father frowned, while Ben seemed eager to try his hand at detective work. He nodded his head as she spoke.
    “So