“Did you call just to threaten me, Parker?”

“What? No. One of Emery Adams’s coworkers called. She has some information that might pertain to the case. I need you to go talk to her.”

“What’s her name?”

I took down the information he gave me on the coworker and asked Cook to look a little more into the nurse’s background. The one from the children’s home. Specifically, look for a history of mental illness or a history of physical ailments. Both could be a sign of Munchhausen’s. If she was killing those kids and taking the glory for trying to save them, that would be a form of Munchhausen syndrome by proxy. Either way, it’s hard to detect and even harder to prove.

“We could have an Angel of Death on our hands,” I said.

“Whatever works. We just have to stop her.”

I hurried downstairs, made out with my husband for about three minutes, then went in search of one of Emery’s coworkers named Cathy Neville. It was actually on the way to the children’s home, so that worked out well.

The Presbyterian Hospital sat down the road from our offices. It didn’t take long to find Cathy. She was on break outside the lab, sitting on the edge of a chair in the waiting area, punching buttons on her phone.

“That’s her,” another tech said.

She rose the minute I walked up to her. “Are you with the DA’s office?”

“Of a sort. I’m working Emery’s case.”

She nodded and stuffed the last chip in her mouth before trashing the bag. “Sorry to drag you down here. I told them I could just talk to someone over the phone. Can you tell me how the case is going? I mean, do they have the guy?”

“There’s been an arrest but, no, they don’t have the guy.”

She cast me a confused expression and then continued. “Well, I just wanted to let the cops know that I think Ms. Adams was in trouble.” She rolled her eyes. “Obviously. But, I mean, I think she was in trouble before she disappeared.”

“How so?” We walked down the hall toward the lab where she worked.

“I didn’t say anything to anyone. I didn’t want to insinuate anything, but I found her in the lab the other night after we’d closed. She was crying.”

“Was anyone in there with her?”

“No. I’d forgotten my phone. I do that. So I had to have Estelle let me in.”

“Estelle?”

“Custodian. Sweetest lady ever.”

“Did Estelle let Ms. Adams in?”

“Oh no. She’s the administrator. She has keys to the whole place.”

“Right. Did she say what happened?”

“No, Estelle didn’t even know Ms. Adams was in there.”

“I mean, did Ms. Adams say what happened?”

She shook her head. “No. She apologized, grabbed her bag, and hurried out. But I know how she feels. Sometimes you just have to cry and there’s nowhere private in this whole place. I couldn’t blame her for coming here after hours like that.”

“I agree. Did you notice anything else? For example, was Ms. Adams disheveled in any way like she’d been attacked?”

“I don’t know. I really never knew her that well. But now that you mention it, I think someone might have hurt her.”

“What makes you say that?”

“She had blood on her skirt. Not a lot. Just like a drop that she’d tried to wipe off.”

“Okay,” I said while turning in a circle and scanning the area for cameras. “Why didn’t you tell the police this before?”

“Oh, I’ve been on vacation. Just got back. I had no idea what happened to Ms. Adams until I walked in the door today. And then I knew I had to tell someone.”

“I appreciate that. Thank you.” I shook her hand. “Can I call you if I have any questions?”

She brightened. “Sure. I will help in any way I can.”

“Here’s my card if you think of anything else.”

“You’re a private investigator?”

“I am.”

“That’s so cool. I would love to be a PI.”

Her credibility was dwindling by the second. She was a helper. One of those who went out of her way to assist others for the attention even when it’s not wanted. Still, her information could be crucial to the case.

I called Parker on the way out. “I need the camera footage for the evening of the nineteenth.”

“Any particular area?”

“Every area. There was blood on Emery’s skirt that night, and she was found locked in the lab crying. You need to get that skirt. If she was attacked, it could be on the camera footage.”