Arsenic in the Azaleas

by Dale Mayer

  He refused to take the flowers. Instead he crossed his arms, and his demeanor did not change in the least as he stared at her. “And why would I want anything to do with you? Since you moved into the neighborhood, it’s gone to hell.”

  She tamped down her temper. “I hardly had anything to do with that, as I just arrived,” she pointed out quietly. “And Nan hasn’t been here either for the last few weeks.”

  “Still, all the police cars coming and going—this used to be a nice neighborhood.”

  With her hand still out, holding the flowers toward him, she felt foolish. But she still needed information. “Well, at least you could tell me your name, so I can recognize you in the future.”

  In a hesitant voice he said, “I’m Richard de Genaro.”

  “And you live here alone?” she prompted.

  The wattage of his glare beefed up. “Not that it’s any of your business, but my wife lives here with me.”

  “Oh, lovely. What’s her name?” She wanted to back up and run away from the ire that he turned on her.

  “Her name is Sicily,” he said grudgingly.

  She shoved the flowers against his hands and said, “Good. You can give these to Sicily.” Figuring she had pushed her luck as far she could, she said, “It was nice to meet you, Richard.” And she walked down the steps.

  She could feel his eyes boring into her back as she walked to her front door. Inside, she slowly closed the door and leaned against it. “Mugs, if you think that was easy, it was not. Next time I have to visit him, I’m taking you. Surely everybody loves dogs.”

  She walked over to her notepad and wrote down Richard and Sicily de Genaro and their address. That was a hard mouthful. On the other hand, that should also make it easier to find more information about them online because their names were so unique, although each could have multiple spellings. But his attitude had been surly, and he certainly looked like he was quite happy to murder anybody who crossed him. She added Ella and Josh and Cindy to her sheet.

  She tucked her little notepad and pencil into her pocket and grabbed the second bunch of flowers, knowing that the surly man would probably be watching her as she walked to the second house on the left. There were six houses in the cul-de-sac, and she planned to hit all of the ones whose owners she had yet to meet.

  At the second door, she could hear dogs barking like crazy inside. A young woman opened the door, looking harried and upset. Two small Maltese looking dogs ran around everyone in a frenzy of barking. The woman held a young child with a reddened scrunched—up face in her arm, which explained why the mother looked like she was having a bad day.

  Doreen bent to say hi to the dogs. In a gentle voice, she introduced herself. “I’m the new neighbor. Doreen. Nan is my grandmother, and I moved into her house. I just wanted to stop by and say hi.”

  The young mother smiled nervously. She glanced outside, looked over at Nan’s house and back again to her. “Nice to meet you. It’s been so crazy here since you moved in.”

  Doreen placed her hand over her chest. “Oh, my goodness, has it ever. Who knew I’d move into my house and find a body in the backyard?”

  The woman shook her head. In a gossipy manner, she leaned forward and said, “Do you know who it is?”

  Doreen shook her head. “The police aren’t talking. I imagine they’ve been around to talk to you already, but, outside of collecting as much evidence as they needed, I haven’t gotten any information from them.”

  Disappointment settled on the young woman’s face. “Same with me,” she said. “I tried to ask them some questions when they came here, but they were pretty closemouthed about the whole issue.”

  Doreen laughed. “Which just means that everybody in the neighborhood knows already.”

  The young mother smiled. “Especially Ella Goldman. I’m Brenda, by the way. And this little one here, who’s got a bit of a cold and is feeling pretty rough, is Cara. She’ll feel better when her daddy gets home from running errands.”

  Much happier with this meeting, Doreen held out the flowers, letting Cara grab them. “These are from Nan’s garden. I thought maybe you would appreciate some fresh—cut flowers.”

  Brenda smiled at the flowers, then back at Doreen. “Normally I’d invite you in, but she’s having such a rough morning.”

  “Oh, dear, don’t worry about it,” Doreen said. “I’m just making the effort to introduce myself to everybody.”

  “You haven’t seen my son, Travis, today, have you? I can’t keep track of that boy.”

  Doreen shook her head, frowning.

  “He said he met you Thursday. He was up a tree.”

  “Oh, yes, I did. But I haven’t seen him yet today.”

  “He’ll show up for meals. Is that Cindy in your side yard?” she asked, peering around the corner. “I thought I just saw her over on your place earlier.” Then she laughed. “I thought I saw Richard, your other neighbor, in your yard a few days ago too. Although he might have been after the dog’s ball again. You never see the dog, but Richard often throws the ball over his fence.” She shrugged. “No clue what Cindy was doing back there, although Nan used to always share her perennials when it was time to divide them in the fall. She might have been looking to see what perennials Nan had…”

  Doreen turned to check but didn’t see anybody. “Really? Cindy? Richard?” She couldn’t image why they’d be in Nan’s yard. Still, there wasn’t any problem with them being there, particularly if Brenda was right about their reasons.

  “Ella lives in that far house, but she was looking along your back fence line. Not sure why she’d be there,” Brenda said, pointing. “But it has been interesting around here, right?”

  “It was pretty rough for my first three days here,” Doreen admitted, peering into her side yard but couldn’t see any sign of Ella. “I don’t want people to get the wrong idea about me.”

  “Oh, my goodness, no. Although we’re certainly very curious about what’s going on.”

  As Doreen turned to go, she fostered a bright smile. “As am I.” With a little wave at the sick girl, Doreen stepped down the stairs and called out, “Bye now. It was nice meeting you.”

  Brenda lifted the little girl’s hand and waved. She called to the dogs, “Salt and Pepper, get back here. Come on inside.”

  Back at her house, Doreen sat and wrote down Brenda, Travis, and Cara. She hadn’t gotten their last name, had no idea who the husband was, or what he did for a living. She frowned at that. How would she get a second excuse to find out more information? Public records most likely?

  Still, she had gotten something, so, if Mack wanted to help, he could probably give her all that information too.

  Determined to get this done, she grabbed her third bouquet and walked to the third house on the left. She knocked and waited. Not a sound inside, not a sound outside. The yard was pristine. Either the owners certainly spent a lot of time keeping their garden immaculate or they hired a company to do it. Doreen was impressed regardless.

  When she rang the doorbell again, and there was still no answer so she walked back down the steps. Taking a chance, she crossed the cul-de-sac and went to the house at the far side. No point in going home with these flowers if she didn’t need to.

  It was Ella’s house and a good way to see if she was home or skulking around in the back of Doreen’s yard. Ella, she was lovely but chatty. As soon as she opened the door, she was off and running.

  “Oh, my goodness, I’m delighted you stopped by. It’s my day off,” the woman gushed. “Nan was such sweetheart. I used to help her with her gardening all the time. I was over there a little bit ago, checking to see how bad it had gotten.”

  “Nan is a sweetheart,” Doreen corrected, wondering if Brenda had been wrong about the identity of the person in the backyard. And did it even matter? “She’s quite happy and healthy, living at the retirement home not too far from here.”

  “Oh, good. I should probably walk over and visit with her one day,” Ella said.
“She was always so full of stories and had such a great sense of humor. And, of course, she set up those betting pools.” She shook her head and laughed. “My husband told me, after I lost ten dollars to her one day, to never sign up for one of them again.” She held the door open wider. “Do you want to come in and have a nice cup of tea?”

  Doreen hesitated and was tempted, but she wasn’t exactly sure how that would fit in with her plans. Then she had no choice, as Ella grabbed her arm and tugged her forward.

  “Don’t be shy. This whole neighborhood is one big family.”

  And that gave Doreen an opportunity she hadn’t expected. “I’ve been trying to meet a few of them. What can you tell me about the people here?”

  Obviously that was the right question. Soon she was seated at the kitchen table, and Ella was bustling about, turning on the teakettle, making a pot of fresh tea. In the meantime, she talked. And talked. And talked.

  Apparently Mr. de Genaro used to be in politics. He thought he was above everybody now, even though he was retired. But honestly, according to Ella, he’d been forced out of politics, with a little bit of a shady background in his history. His wife was a sweetheart though. How she ever got stuck with that old prude, Ella didn’t know.

  And then of course, there was Brenda and her baby. And she had a womanizing husband, Ned. Nasty old guy. Fifteen years her senior and she was his second wife. But Brenda was just a lovely little sweetheart.

  The people on the far end were rich snobs. But they were okay when you got to know them. “In the meantime, don’t expect them to be friendly,” Ella cautioned her.

  “So far, I haven’t found too many people to be all that friendly,” Doreen admitted. “Then again, the events after I arrived wouldn’t exactly make anybody overjoyed.”

  Ella sat down, excitement lighting up her features. “Maybe. This place was boring until you showed up.” She laughed.

  “Unfortunately I found a finger on my first day here, just a few days ago,” Doreen said. “I was supposed to be here earlier because Nan moved out three weeks ago.”

  Ella shook her head. “True. She was busy setting up her new life. So she wasn’t here very much. This community needs somebody like Nan. And I must admit, the last year she hasn’t been her usual self. She wasn’t doing anywhere near the same amount of betting pools and didn’t look as lively.” Ella leaned back, her gaze studying Doreen, and added, “Honestly you injected some excitement to this place. And loads of fun.”

  Doreen silently questioned Ella’s definition of fun.

  Chapter 25

  By the time Doreen finally freed herself from her chatty neighbor, Ella, and returned home, hours had passed, but Doreen definitely knew a lot more about the community. Still not anything pertinent to the case though. Unsettled and full of questions, she decided to walk to Nan’s and ask her some more questions—especially about her betting activities. It was very convenient to have her grandmother just a few blocks away. Doreen had to admit to looking forward to the walk.

  She put Mugs on a leash, admonished Goliath to get into no trouble while inside alone, then asked Thaddeus, “Do you want to go for a walk?”

  Mugs started barking.

  Thaddeus called out, “Walk. Walk.” His head bobbed up and down and side to side. He jumped onto Mugs’s back as she opened the door and locked it behind them.

  Halfway to the retirement home, she realized she should probably call before visiting. Maybe Nan had company or had gone out shopping. Doreen quickly grabbed her phone from her purse and called her grandmother. “If you’re not busy, I’m coming for tea.”

  Nan laughed. “Oh, I do like having you close by. I see more of you now than I think I’ve seen you in your entire lifetime.”

  Doreen winced. As a reminder of how little time she had spent with her grandmother overall, it was potent.

  When she reached Nan’s place, Doreen saw Nan carrying the teapot outside for them already. Nan straightened and waved. Doreen and her lively duo walked over and she took a seat at the little table. Mugs lay down at her feet. Thaddeus hopped onto the table and right up Nan’s arm. He crooned and rubbed against her cheek.

  Stroking his feathers, Nan beamed at her. “This is just lovely. After all the commotion this morning, this is exactly what I needed.”

  “What commotion?”

  Nan shook her head. “Oh, I don’t want to bother you.”

  “What commotion, Nan? I haven’t heard anything about it yet.” Doreen glanced around. “I thought I saw a cop car in the parking lot, but that could be for any number of reasons here.”

  “A man went for a walk and didn’t come back,” Nan said with relish.

  “Oh, dear.” Despite herself, Doreen winced. The last thing she wanted was the reminder of dead bodies. Her garden still looked like crap, compliments of the last officers who had come to her house. She glanced around. “Is he forgetful? Maybe he just got lost?”

  “Around here, anything’s possible.” Nan patted her hand. “You’re a sweetheart, but don’t worry about him. He probably won’t be back.”

  Doreen looked sharply at Nan. “What did you say?”

  Nan looked confused for a moment, then added, “I’m sure he’ll be back.”

  Slightly unsettled because Doreen was darn sure that wasn’t what Nan had said originally and not knowing why she had said it, Doreen sat back slightly and waited for her grandmother to talk. Perhaps her original wording was a simple mistake. She couldn’t know that the old man wouldn’t be home anymore.

  Could she?

  Still worried, Doreen asked carefully, “I presume a search party is out looking for him?”

  “Oh, yes. The police are looking for him, and his family is looking too, I should imagine.” And she gave Doreen the sweetest, blankest look ever.

  Doreen frowned, a shudder rippling inside. Had Nan declined mentally all of a sudden, or was she just preoccupied? And how to tell? “What is his name? Was the man a resident?”

  “Oh, no. Robert was a workman here. Nicest man. Always came in to talk to me. Had such lovely stories about the different places he worked in.”

  An ugly suspicion arose. “Did he mention your house, or ask you anything about what might be in your house?”

  Nan looked at her in surprise. “Well, of course we talked about my house. It’s not in the heritage zone of Kelowna, but my house has all kinds of unique things about it. Plus I’d lived there for so long.”

  Nan gave Doreen that breathtaking smile of innocence again that both made Doreen feel better and worse.

  “Did he ever work on your deck or in the attic?”

  Nan shrugged. “Not that I remember.”

  Doreen waited, but Nan added nothing further. So Doreen asked again, “But he worked on your deck?”

  Nan paused, deep in thought. “He might have built the deck originally, but I don’t remember for sure. Why?”

  Doreen stared at the grass. Mugs slept at her feet while Thaddeus paced across the table, once again looking for scraps of things to eat. “No reason.”

  “We talked lots over the years. He’s a very nice man.”

  Doreen nodded. “I’m sorry that he’s missing.”

  Nan said in a very cheerful voice, “I’m sure he’ll show up, or at least his body will in a few days.”

  “You think he’s dead?” Doreen asked in a strangled voice.

  “He’s not here. He’s not at home, and he didn’t go to work.” Nan shrugged. “Sounds like he might be dead.”

  Glumly Doreen had to admit her grandmother was right. That was often the case. “Well, if he’s an older man, then that’s possible,” she said.

  “Oh, dear. No, he’s not old. Not even forty yet, I don’t think.”

  Knowing she couldn’t handle more of this conversation, Doreen determinedly shifted it to her discussion about the neighbors. “I went around to introduce myself to the neighbors today. Met three more people.”

  Nan beamed. “Aren’t they lovely?” />
  “Some of them appear to be, yes. Some are talkative. Some are secretive. And some never seem to be home.”

  “That’s people though. No matter where you go, you get a mix of them all.” She picked up her tea and gave her granddaughter a sweet smile once again. “You’ll fit right in.”

  “Finding a body didn’t make for an easy introduction to the community,” she admitted.

  “Nonsense. The place is dull and boring. It added some excitement to the area.”

  “You sure you have no idea who killed him?”

  Nan’s gaze twinkled at Doreen over the teacup. “No, not at all.” She leaned forward. “Do you?”

  “No, of course not. I just got into the house. Nan, he was killed several days ago, if not weeks ago. He was killed while you were in the process of moving here, if not before.”

  “That’s so sad.” She sipped her tea again and put it back on the saucer. “I was very busy in the days and weeks before this move, and if I wasn’t packing up things to bring with me here, I was in my front room watching the telly. Anything could’ve gone on in the backyard. I wouldn’t have known about that.”

  “Or did you just not want to tell anybody about it?” Doreen leaned forward. “You do know that it’s illegal to withhold any information from the police about a case? And it’s also illegal to bury a body, even if you didn’t kill the person?”

  Nan’s gaze widened. “Of course I didn’t know that. Why would I know that? It’s not like I have anything to do with dead bodies. Besides, sweetie, you were living at the house when the body was found.” She shook her finger at Doreen. “Make sure you’re not involved.”

  The conversation was making less and less sense and seemed to be sliding more and more off to the side of ridiculous. Doreen worried about her grandmother. “Have you made any friends here?” She was trying to be objective and to change the subject.