Dying for Tea Time

by Linda Gordon Hengerer

  Alex got it. When you can’t talk, wait until you can. She’d hear from Chelsea when Chelsea was ready.

  Her phone signaled a text. Love you and BevAnne.

  We love you too.

  ~*~

  Alex and BevAnne talked about what to do next. BevAnne and Alex each had a key to Jean’s safe deposit box, but Alex said Nana Jean kept a copy of her will in the small safe in her closet.

  First step: they needed a death certificate.

  Second step: they needed to go to the funeral home.

  Alex dreaded the small and large tasks that needed doing.

  Beach Tea Shop needed a sign saying…what? Alex couldn’t think about it. She called Brittany Madison, their afternoon and Saturday hostess. She was in school so Alex left a voice mail for her to call. Brittany took care of social media and the website. Alex would have her take care of that, and making a sign to put on the door.

  Word was already spreading. BevAnne’s and Alex’s phones were ringing, friends calling with condolences and offers of help.

  BevAnne asked one of her and Jean’s friends to come over and help let people know. Another friend was drafted to help with arrangements for visitors. Yet another friend volunteered to clean the house, knowing there would be people in and out for the next few days at a minimum.

  The day dragged on.

  A knock at the door, murmured voices. A man’s voice, raised, insisting on seeing Alex. Betty Rogers, saying No, offering to take a message to Alex. A sharp exclamation.

  Knox Finch.

  Alex was still wearing the clothes from yesterday, still hadn’t showered, was still pulling herself together. She didn’t want to see or talk about business, but this man forced himself into the house.

  Betty apologized, glaring at Knox. “He pushed right past me,” she said.

  “I’m really sorry to hear about Jean,” he said. “She was a nice lady. I hate to bring this up right now, but she had given me a verbal agreement to sell the building to me. I have paperwork you can sign, and I’ll get out of your way.” He looked around. “You need to do some cleaning, don’t you? I’ll just leave it here.” He set an envelope down on the counter.

  BevAnne looked at Alex, and they looked at Betty. Betty nodded, a fast up and down. She grabbed Knox’s arm and marched him back through the house and out the front door, locking him out. Betty came back to the kitchen to BevAnne and Alex.

  “That man!” she said. “I cannot believe he barged in like that.”

  “He’s crazy,” Alex said. “If he wants us to sell, he’s going about it all wrong.” She picked at a sandwich in front of her.

  Her phone rang, with a number she didn’t recognize. Friends of her grandmother’s had been calling all morning. “This is Alex,” she said. Expecting a condolence call, she didn’t immediately register the words she heard.

  “I’ll be outside if you want to sign the papers. I left them on the counter,” Knox Finch said.

  Alex hung up. Standing, she saw the envelope on the counter. She opened it up and pulled out the paperwork. It looked like a fill-in-the-blank contract from an office supply store, not an individual contract drawn up by an attorney. Amateur hour.

  Alex was used to contracts, having helped Nana Jean with the business the past few years.

  “He’s kidding, right?” Alex asked. “This is what he’s using for a big development like the one he’s talking about?”

  BevAnne looked at it. “I don’t know, dear. Jean didn’t say anything about a verbal agreement to me, and she didn’t mention a contract either.”

  “We talked this weekend, and she left it up to us. We haven’t talked yet. At this point, I’m inclined to say No just because he’s so boorish.” She sighed. “I guess we’ll talk in person.”

  ~*~

  Alex heard from Chelsea and Dani. They had coordinated their travel and would arrive the next day. Alex set up an appointment at the funeral home in the afternoon after her sisters arrived.

  A knock at the door. The murmur of voices. Not Knox Finch again?

  No.

  Betty brought back a man Alex didn’t recognize. “This is Detective Riordan. He’s here about Jean,” Betty said. She went back to the living room where a few friends were.

  Alex offered her hand, and the detective held the tip of her fingers. “I’m Alexandra Powell. This is BevAnne Wexler.”

  The detective did the same finger-tip shake with BevAnne. “I’m sorry for your loss. The doctor in the emergency room notified us.”

  “He said they would need to do an autopsy,” Alex said. “Has it been done already?”

  “I’m not sure. He said you thought it might have been a heart attack?” Detective Riordan said. He was unkempt, looking like he’d slept in his clothes. Buttons on his too-small shirt strained across his too-large belly, and what Alex hoped was cigarette ash flecked his tie. A tie pin would have kept the tie over the buttons, but it canted diagonally across his shirt and disappeared under his jacket.

  If he looked like this, how could he be a good detective? Wasn’t attention to detail something a detective should excel at? If he didn’t care about his appearance, he’d look better than this.

  Alex didn’t know what to make of this man. Maybe he’d been sent because the autopsy showed a heart attack, and the A team wasn’t needed to make that notification.

  “Yes. My grandmother was tired last night, but she seemed fine. We thought a heart attack was what killed her.” Alex and BevAnne looked at each other. “Was it something else?”

  “The doctor had a blood sample tested for belladonna.” The detective looked at them as if he expected them to understand what he said. “Mrs. Powell tested positive for atropine and scopolamine.”

  Alex and BevAnne looked mystified. “She was given some drugs when the EMTs were here,” Alex said.

  Detective Riordan said, “She was poisoned.”

  Chapter 4

  “I don’t understand,” Alex said. “How could she be poisoned?”

  “You told the doctor she’d had tea last night, isn’t that right?” Detective Riordan said. He consulted a notebook from his jacket pocket.

  “No, I think we told the EMTs. The doctor told us Nana Jean died after we got there.” Alex’s voice shook. Poison? From tea?

  “Oh?” He checked the notebook again. “Oh, yes. The doctor said he got that information from the paperwork. He saw her pupils were dilated and she was having difficulty speaking. He suspected belladonna and tested for it.” The detective looked at them. “Where’s the tea you gave her?”

  Alex bristled at his tone. “I didn’t give her anything. We ate dinner, and afterwards I had coffee and she had tea. The tea was a gift from someone.”

  Detective Riordan licked the end of his pencil and positioned it over his notebook. “I’ll need the name of that person.”

  “Knox Finch,” Alex said. “He stopped by Beach Tea Shop yesterday and gave it to her. She mentioned to him she’d take it home, and she did.”

  He didn’t write the name down. “Knox Finch gave her the tea.”

  “Yes.” Alex didn’t understand why there seemed to be a problem.

  “Why would he do that?” the detective asked.

  “I have no idea,” Alex said.

  “He gave tea to a woman who works at a tea shop?”

  “Yes.”

  “Didn’t that strike you as strange? What did he say when he gave it to her?” Detective Riordan let his skepticism show.

  “Yes. He said a little birdie told him she liked that tea, so he bought it for her,” Alex said.

  “He said he bought it?”

  “He said he got it for her. If he didn’t buy it, how else would he get it?” Alex asked. She didn’t appreciate Detective Riordan’s questions. He might have been trying to be Columbo, but he wasn’t pulling it off.

  “I was told you provided the tea for her,” he said.

  Alex was confused. “I didn’t sell it to him. We have plenty of hibiscus t
ea at the tea shop and it wasn’t the brand we stock. We do sell it, but I don’t think we’ve sold the hibiscus tea lately. I can check the records and let you know.”

  “No need,” he said. “We’re searching it now, and we’ll check the records for you.” His phone buzzed and he looked at it. “I believe the search warrant for this house came through. I’ll have to ask you not to touch anything.”

  “What are you searching the house for?” Alex was upset by her grandmother’s death, and the thought of strangers pawing through everything right now was overwhelming.

  “Tea and poison. There are a few other things listed. It will be here shortly,” he said.

  “You can stay with me,” BevAnne said. “Pack a bag. We’ll let Chelsea and Dani know to come to my house.”

  “You can’t take anything out of the house.”

  “I promise I’m not hiding poison in my underwear,” Alex said. She wanted to say more, but was afraid anything she said would create more trouble.

  She heard pounding on the front door, voices, and then Betty brought back several sheriffs’ deputies. She looked as confused as Alex felt.

  One of the deputies handed a paper to Detective Riordan, who looked it over and gave it to Alex. “Search warrant.” He walked out of the kitchen with one deputy, leaving one in the kitchen to start collecting tea and anything else on the search warrant he found.

  BevAnne said, “I’m calling an attorney.”

  Detective Riordan overheard BevAnne when he came back into the kitchen. “Why would you do that,” he asked.

  “Why wouldn’t I,” BevAnne retorted. “I want to cover our bases.”

  She took her phone out of her pocket and scrolled through her contacts. Finding the name she wanted, she placed a call.

  “Hi, this is BevAnne Wexler,” she said. “Is Taylor Ryan available?” She listened, then said, “Yes, I’ll hold.”

  “Hello, Taylor. This is BevAnne Wexler. We met a few months ago at the Garden Club meeting. I think I need an attorney. I don’t remember what type of law you practice, but I thought you might be able to recommend someone. Jean Powell died and there’s a detective with a search warrant here at her home.”

  She listened to the woman on the phone, and said, “We’ll be here. Do you have the address? Good. They’re here now. Thank you.”

  She ended the call and said, “Taylor Ryan and a colleague are coming. She said just to wait here for her.”

  “Thank you,” Alex said. “I don’t understand what’s going on.” She sank down into the nearest chair and put her head down on her arms. “I’m so tired.”

  “I know, sweetie,” BevAnne said. “I’ll ask Betty and the other ladies to leave. I don’t think we need an audience for this, do you?”

  “No,” Alex said. Her voice was muffled by her arms. “Thank you. Do you want Betty to stay? I can’t deal with all of this, but I don’t want you to deal with it either. Do you think Betty would mind?”

  “Taylor Ryan will be here soon,” BevAnne said. “She’ll take care of things. I’ll ask Betty to stick around until Taylor gets here and have the other ladies leave now.”

  “Okay.” Alex felt drugged by tiredness and emotion. She wanted a nap but knew she wouldn’t sleep. How could this be happening? Nana Jean poisoned? Why? Who would do that?

  Detective Riordan said, “Interesting you have a lawyer on speed dial. Who does that?” He smirked at BevAnne, not expecting an answer.

  “Someone who meets a lot of people. Someone with good social skills. Someone who does a lot of charity work. Someone in real estate.” BevAnne rattled off a list of people who might have an attorney’s number on their phone.

  Detective Riordan’s face turned an unbecoming shade of red. “I need to search your pocketbook. And both of your phones.” He looked pleased at having power over BevAnne and Alex.

  A knock at the front door interrupted his search. Betty brought back two women, said her goodbyes, and left.

  “I’m Taylor Ryan and this is Wendy Mason. I’d like to see the search warrant, please.” Her no-nonsense tone and business-like manner were a balm to Alex. Someone was here who would handle the unthinkable for her and BevAnne.

  Detective Riordan thrust the search warrant at her and let go, watching it drift to the floor. Taylor Ryan waited until it settled at her feet, and nodded to her colleague. The younger woman bent down to pick it up and hand it to Taylor.

  “Thank you, Wendy.” Taylor reviewed the search warrant. “Detective Riordan, this looks to be in order. You may continue.”

  BevAnne and Alex froze, knowing he didn’t need Taylor Ryan’s permission to continue. Would he make a big deal about it?

  He smiled. He let it go.

  BevAnne and Alex relaxed. Detective Riordan grabbed BevAnne’s pocketbook and made a face when it slipped through his fingers. The thud when it hit the ground made a statement. She packed for most circumstances she might encounter; Boy Scouts had nothing on BevAnne when it came to being prepared.

  Taylor said, “Be careful, Detective. The sheriff’s department will be receiving a bill for any damages.”

  He turned away from her to hide his burning face. Spotting the contract on the counter, he whooped. “What do we have here, ladies? Trying to do a quick sale before the body is cold? Looks like motive to me.”

  “Someone offered to buy Beach Tea Shop from my grandmother. He dropped this off earlier today. He’s the one with motive, not us,” Alex said. She glared at Detective Riordan. “Question him. Search his records and his house.”

  “Who is this mysterious buyer?” Detective Riordan asked.

  “Knox Finch,” Alex said. She was curious about the odd expression that crossed the detective’s face.

  “A word, BevAnne. And you as well, Alex,” Taylor said. “Wendy, stay here and keep an eye on Detective Riordan for me. Let’s make sure everything stays on the up and up, shall we?”

  The three women walked to the living room where they could talk with some privacy. “First things first. I think you each need a lawyer. I can’t represent both of you, but I can represent one of you if you’d like. I can recommend another attorney, or another firm. I don’t like what’s going on with Detective Riordan. He seems determined to find poison or evidence of a motive.” Taylor looked at BevAnne and Alex.

  “Alex should hire you. I’ll take a recommendation,” BevAnne said. “I agree with you about Detective Riordan. I don’t know why, but he came here expecting a killer.”

  “That works for me,” Alex said. “My sisters are coming back tomorrow. Do they need attorneys also?”

  “Were they here when your grandmother died?” Taylor asked.

  “No, they were already home. Chelsea lives in Los Angeles and Dani lives in New York City.”

  “Okay, they should be fine for now. I’ll get some names for you if that changes. Tell me about Knox Finch.” Taylor nodded at Alex. “You’re my client. I’ll have to ask BevAnne to leave us for a moment, but I’ll talk to her separately.”

  BevAnne said, “I’ll go to the kitchen and help Wendy.” She left.

  “Knox Finch came to my grandmother last week and told her he’d like to buy Beach Tea Shop,” Alex said. “She told him she’d talk to the three of us – my sisters and me – and let him know. She mentioned wanting to retire and have us take over the business, but Chelsea and Dani live out of state. She wasn’t sure if they want to move back to Citrus Beach.” Alex swallowed.

  “We were going to have a conference call tomorrow to discuss it. They didn’t say it was out of the question, so I guess it’s an option.”

  “Take your time,” Taylor said. “I know this is hard. Do you want a bottle of water?”

  “No, I’ll keep going. Knox Finch dropped off this bogus contract this morning. He said Nana Jean gave him verbal acceptance of his offer. He’s lying.”

  “How do you know?” Taylor asked.

  “She wouldn’t have accepted without letting me or BevAnne know, for one. Mainly becaus
e she left it up to us to decide if we wanted to continue Beach Tea Shop. She could sell the building and move the business. It happened before after a hurricane.” Alex thought for a minute.

  “He acts weird. He winked at me when he gave the hibiscus tea to Nana Jean, and told her a little birdie told him she liked it. Like I was the little birdie, but I’d never met him before and I haven’t sold that tea lately. Plus, who buys tea for someone who owns a tea shop?”

  Taylor laughed. “He does seem clueless. He’s used another attorney in our firm for some real estate deals, but I tend to agree with you. I think he’s trying to force you to sell and I’d guess he thinks you might want to, given your grandmother’s death.”

  Detective Riordan came into the living room. “What’s so funny about poison? That’s how women kill, isn’t it? Not enough guts to do it face to face?” He smirked at Taylor. “Looks like your client’s going to need you after all. We found the poisoned tea, right where she said it was. You might want to tell her to stop talking.”

  “Are you arresting her?” Taylor asked.

  “Yes. Alexandra Powell, you’re under arrest for the murder of Jean Powell.” He took a card out of his pocket and read her the Miranda warning, then pulled handcuffs out and motioned to Alex. “Turn around. You know how this is done.”

  Alex looked at Taylor with horror. He was arresting her? What kind of craziness was happening? Last night her grandmother was alive. Now her grandmother was gone and she was being arrested for killing her?

  “Don’t say a word to anyone,” Taylor said. “I’ll take care of everything.”

  ~*~

  Alex didn’t say a word. She was taken to the sheriff’s department for questioning, not arrested and booked.

  Six hours later, by whatever miracle Taylor worked, she was staying at BevAnne’s house. She knew Taylor had managed to expedite the fingerprint evidence on the bag of hibiscus tea. She knew her fingerprints weren’t on it; she’d never had reason to touch the bag. Nana Jean’s fingerprints were on it, and Knox Finch’s, but not Alex’s. Without Alex’s fingerprints on the bag of poisoned tea, Detective Riordan was forced to let Alex go.