Chapter 6 - The Poison in the Veins
By 2:00 a.m., Room 412 was filled with detectives from the City Police Homicide Bureau. Detective Marcus Vance, a tall man with tired eyes and a dark coat, leaned against the window frame while a forensics technician carefully bagged the syringe and shattered vial recovered from beneath Emma’s bed.
"Mrs. Brooks," Detective Vance said, his voice deep and measured. "We’ve taken your husband into custody downstairs. He’s claiming you attacked him during a nervous breakdown, but the nurse’s testimony and the physical evidence paint a very different picture."
"He poisoned her," I said, my hand firmly holding Emma’s small, warm fingers. Her eyes had drifted shut again after her brief moment of consciousness, but the rhythmic beep of her monitor felt like a promise now, not a countdown. "Look at his company records. Look at the financial accounts."
Nurse Amy stepped into the room, holding a freshly printed lab report. Her expression was solemn. "Detective. Mrs. Brooks. The expedited toxicology panel came back from the central state laboratory."
Detective Vance straightened up. "What did you find?"
"It’s Thallium," Amy said softly, handing Vance the paper. "A tasteless, odorless heavy metal historically used in rat poisons and industrial manufacturing. It accumulates slowly in bodily tissues, causing multi-organ inflammation, respiratory distress, and hair loss if administered over time. It’s rarely caught on standard ER drug screens because medical facilities don't test for heavy metals unless specifically requested."
A cold, sickening chill rushed through my body. "He was slipping it into her food..."
"His company, Vance Logistics & Chemical, handles specialized metal refining additives," Detective Vance noted, making a quick entry in his notebook. "He had unrestricted access to raw warehouse stock. That explains how he obtained it without leaving a purchase trail."
"The dose she received was nearly fatal," Amy added, looking at me with deep compassion. "But because you caught him tonight before he could administer that second concentrated dose in the syringe, her body is already beginning to metabol2e and clear the poison. The doctor has started her on Prussian blue—a chelation therapy that binds to the Thallium and carries it out of her system."
I pressed Emma's hand to my cheek, silent tears spilling down my face. "She's going to live?"
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"She has a long road of recovery ahead," Amy smiled faintly, "but yes, Mrs. Brooks. Emma is going to make it."
Detective Vance snapped his notebook shut. "I have enough here for attempted first-degree murder, child endangerment, and forgery. But I need you to come down to the station tomorrow morning to give a full formal statement, Mrs. Brooks. We're going to pull every record Trevor Brooks ever touched."
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