Chapter 6 - THE FIRST SEARCHDetective Ellis did not search Linda’s home simply because I was angry.
She interviewed her first.
Linda arrived at the hospital with a lawyer.
That told me Michael had warned her.
Or she was smart.
Both.
Through counsel, she admitted giving Emma an herbal drink three weeks earlier.
She denied ever giving prescription medication.
“What was in the drink?” Detective Ellis asked.
“Lemon balm. Chamomile. Honey.”
“Where did it come from?”
“I make it.”
“From what products?”
“My kitchen.”
“Any bottled tincture?”
Linda hesitated.
“An herbal concentrate.”
“Where purchased?”
“Health-food store.”
“Brand?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Do you still have it?”
“Maybe.”
When officers later obtained consent limited to collecting the identified product and medication information, Linda produced an amber glass bottle.
Label:
Herbal calming extract.
Commercial product.
Legal.
Testing eventually showed no prescription sedative.
For twenty-four hours, I doubted everything.
Maybe Michael had overreacted.
Maybe Emma had somehow taken someone else’s medication.
Maybe today’s hospital result had nothing to do with Linda.
Then Detective Ellis asked for Linda’s medication list.
Linda refused without legal process.
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Her attorney had every right to make investigators do their work properly.
I still wanted to scream.
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