As the forensics team processed the scene, Barker's phone rang. It was Dr. Daphne Reynolds from the coroner's office. He swiped right and placed it by his ear.
"Talk to me Reynolds."
"Sheriff, we've finished the autopsy on Nigel," The coroner said. "And we found something interesting. He had a high amount of sedatives in his system."
Barker's grip on the phone tightened, he massaged the bridge of his nose. "Sedatives? That means he was incapacitated before the crash."
"Exactly. And I think we're looking at a homicide, not an accident. The results shows xylazine."
"What's that?"
Barker heard paper rustle in the background.
"It's a sedative to put animals to sleep, deer, elk, horses?"
Horses?
Barker's mind raced with the implications. Someone had intentionally drugged Nigel and staged the car accident.
