24
“I’M SORRY, LOU. GO OVER THAT AGAIN.”
“It’s not new. The increase in drug-related deaths in recent years has prompted research into testing for pharmaceuticals in carrion-feeding insects. I don’t have to tell you that bodies aren’t always found right away, so investigators may not have the specimens they need for tox analysis. You know, blood, urine, or organ tissues.”
“So you test for drugs in maggots?”
“You can, but we’ve had better luck with the puparial casings. Probably because of the longer feeding time compared to the larvae. We’ve also played with beetle exuviae and frass . . .”
“Which is?”
“Cast-off beetle skins and fecal matter. We’re finding the highest drug levels in the fly puparia, though. That probably reflects feeding preference. While beetles prefer dried integument, flies go for soft tissues. That’s where drug concentrations are likely to be greatest.”
“What’s been found?”
“The list is pretty long. Cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, amitriptyline, nortriptyline. Most recently we’ve been working with 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine.”
“Street name?”
“Ecstasy is the most common one.”
“And you’re finding these substances in puparial casings?”
“We’ve isolated both the parent drugs and their metabolites.”
“How?”
“The extraction method is similar to that used on regular pathology samples, except that you have to break down the tough chitin/protein matrix in the insect puparia and exuviae so the toxins can be released. You do that by crushing the casings, then using either a strong acid or base treatment. After that, and a pH adjustment, you just use routine drug-screening techniques. We do a base extraction followed by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. The ion breakdown indicates what’s in your sample and how much.”
I swallowed.
“And you’re telling me you found flunitrazepam in the puparial casings I sent?”
“The ones associated with the upper body contained flunitrazepam and two of its metabolites, desmethylflunitrazepam and 7-aminoflunitrazepam. The concentration of the parent drug was much greater than the metabolites.”
“Which is consistent with acute rather than chronic exposure.”
“Exactamundo.”
I thanked Lou and hung up.
For a moment I just sat there. The shock of discovery had curdled my stomach and I felt I might throw up. Or maybe it was the Moon Pie.
Flunitrazepam.
The word had finally roused the stored memory.
Flunitrazepam.
Rohypnol.
That was the wake-up call my brain had been sounding.
With trembling hands I dialed the Lord Cartaret Motel. No answer. I redialed and left my number on Ryan’s pager.
Then I waited, my sympathetic nervous system broadcasting a low-level alert, telling me to fear. Fear what?
Rohypnol.
When the phone rang I lunged for it.
A student.
I cleared the line and waited some more, feeling a dark, cold dread.
Rohypnol. The date rape drug.
Glaciers formed. Ocean levels rose and fell. Somewhere a star spun planets from dust.
Eleven minutes later Ryan called.
“I think I’ve found another link.”
“What?”
Slow down. Don’t let the shock interfere with your thinking.
“The Murtry Island and St-Jovite murders.”
I told him about my conversation with Lou West.
“One of the women on Murtry had massive amounts of Rohypnol in her tissue.”
