Poison Me

by Checketts, Cami

  “No, Jake. The police most definitely are not working on it,” Ruby said. “You didn’t hear them that night. They kept saying, ‘Old people just die. Lucky woman went in her sleep.’” She stabbed a cherry tomato with her fork, then jabbed it around the table at each of them in turn. “She wasn’t a lucky woman. None of you saw it. Well, Ellie saw it, but she isn’t any help.”

  “Hey,” Ellie protested.

  “It was horrible,” Ruby said, shaking the tomato. “Horrible. She told me someone did it to her. A woman. Anne clearly said, ‘She poisoned me.’”

  Chanel felt bad for Ruby but wished she’d let the subject drop. She’d talked to the building managers the morning after Anne passed. No one was going to investigate the death of an old woman. No one but Ruby even seemed concerned.

  Silence cloaked their corner of the restaurant for several uncomfortable seconds. Then Ruby’s fork clattered to the table, and she folded her arms across her chest. “I’m going to find out who killed her.”

  Ellie rolled her eyes, but she seemed to be enjoying her salad and for once kept her retort to herself. Chanel glanced at Jake. He raised one shoulder, his lips pursed.

  Ruby straightened in her chair and grabbed Ellie’s arm.

  “Ouch!” Ellie shook her off. “Enough about this killer business. Let me eat in peace or I won’t invite you next time your grandson takes us to lunch.”

  “Do you think Jennalou could’ve done it?”

  “No.” Ellie scowled and shoved a beet into her mouth. “Jennalou’s lucky to keep her baby wipes and her Clorox wipes straight.”

  “Stop being a smart aleck and listen,” Ruby begged. “I think Jennalou killed Anne. She was outside Anne’s room that night and Anne said, ‘She poisoned me.’ I bet it was Jennalou.”

  Jake took his grandma’s hand between his large palms. “You have no proof.”

  “No, but we’ll get it. Won’t we, Ellie?”

  “We have to find proof?” Ellie’s eyes lit up.

  Ruby’s lips shifted to the side. “But we’ll probably have to wear some black clothing.”

  “Don’t leave me out of this one,” Marissa interjected.

  Ellie grinned and rubbed her small hands together. “Do we get to break the law as well?”

  Ruby’s teeth flashed around the table. “Definitely, my friend.”

  Chanel sighed inwardly, wondering just what kind of trouble the ladies would get themselves in.

  Chapter Five

  Ellie and Ruby crouched behind an enormous potted plant, staring at Jennalou’s apartment door.

  “Marissa’s going to kill us for leaving her out,” Ruby said.

  “What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” Ellie replied. “Besides, it’s hard enough to keep you quiet.”

  “You’re the loud mouth.” Ruby tried to think of an excuse to give if Marissa found out they’d played spy games without her.

  “I can’t do this much longer.” Ellie groaned. “My butt’s on fire.”

  Ruby laughed. “I feel great. You need to stop cheating on squats in aerobics class.”

  “When you stop cheating at cards, I’ll think about it.”

  “Oh,” Ruby gasped. “I never—”

  Jennalou’s door swung open and Ruby’s tongue froze. The two friends waited in tortured silence. Jennalou stalked past them and headed down the hall toward the dining room.

  Straightening, Ellie wagged a finger at Ruby. “Let’s do this quick. I don’t want to miss dinner. We get chocolate pound cake for dessert.”

  Ruby grimaced. She hadn’t craved her favorite cake or any dessert since Anne died. They walked past Jennalou’s apartment towards the outside door, planning to sneak in through the patio entrance. The exterior door swung open just as Ruby reached for it. Michael Trapper plowed into her.

  “Oh!” Ruby cried out, grabbing onto something to steady herself. To her chagrin, she clutched Michael’s arm.

  The cocky man wrapped both arms around her waist and lifted her off the floor until her toes dangled an inch from the carpet. She looked into his handsome face, enjoying the warmth of his body and the musky scent of his cologne.

  “I can stand on my own two feet,” she snapped, every inch of her skin tingling from his touch.

  His blue eyes glimmered. “Sure, but then my hands would be lonely.”

  Ellie bounced next to them, cackling. “You tell her, Michael.”

  He glanced quickly at Ruby’s friend. “Oh, Ellie. I didn’t see you there.”

  Ruby twisted to escape his clasp, though she’d give up dessert for life to stay there. Michael grinned and finally set her on her feet. She backed up a step, dizzy from the interchange. “Good heavens.” She straightened her blouse and glared at him. “Maybe next time you should slow down instead of plowing into unsuspecting females.”

  “If I slowed down I’d miss all the excitement of running into you,” he said lightly, though the twinkle in his eyes was gone.

  Ellie folded her arms. “I swear, Rubes, you don’t know how to have any fun.” She winked at Michael. “Next time, I’ll make sure I’m in front. You can lift me off the ground anytime you want.”

  He smiled at Ellie.

  Ruby sighed, knowing Ellie was trying to cajole her into revealing her feelings for Michael. Ellie could flirt and embarrass Ruby all she wanted, but she would never reveal how much she wanted Michael. “Please excuse us, Mr. Trapper, we’re busy,” she said firmly.

  The smile slid off his face, and a muscle worked furiously in his firm jaw. “Wouldn’t want to waste any of your time, Ruby,” he said, then turned and walked away.

  Ellie’s fingernails dug into the tender skin of Ruby’s forearm. “Would you stop it? When are you going to quit being such a wench bucket to that very available, very handsome man?”

  When I stop loving him, Ruby thought. “Never,” she said to her friend through gritted teeth. “Forget about Michael. We’ve got more important business tonight.” Pushing Ellie’s hand away, she directed her out the back door and around to Jennalou’s porch.

  “I’ll forget about Michael, but I doubt you will.” Ellie’s head swung from left to right as if checking for bystanders. “What would you do if Jennalou’s apartment was on the second or third floor?”

  “Just be glad it isn’t and show some gratitude for the breeze tonight,” Ruby said, happy Ellie was so easily distracted from their Michael encounter. The problem was Ellie was right—Ruby could never forget Michael or any of her wonderful memories with him.

  “What has the breeze got to do with it?” Ellie asked.

  Ruby pointed. The back door had been left ajar. “She was enjoying the fresh air. We won’t have to break in through a window.” After she opened the screen door, they tiptoed into the apartment, which reeked of Clorox and vinegar.

  “Can’t mixing Clorox with other cleaners kill you?” Ellie asked.

  “I think it can only hurt you if you mix it with ammonia,” Ruby said.

  “Dang. I was hoping something would knock Jennalou for a loop.” Ellie laughed, poking at an obviously fake daisy-and-grass arrangement on the table. “Classy.” She rolled her eyes. “So, what are we looking for?”

  “I don’t know. Some kind of poison. I think it would be liquid because her breath smelled horrible.” Ruby shuddered. “But anything suspicious you find is fine.”

  Ellie sorted through the living area, while Ruby entered Jennalou’s spotless bedroom. She opened drawers and rummaged through the desk, but discovered nothing besides a garbage can stuffed with used disinfectant wipes. Jennalou’s mail was composed of bills and advertisements, not surprising considering how ornery the woman was and her apparent hatred of children indicating she claimed none of her own.

  “Any luck?” Ellie poked her head in the doorway.

  “Nothing, you?”

  “Bor-ing,” Ellie drawled, tossing her head. “I thought a psychotic woman would have more interesting secrets.” She lifted one shoulder. “Let’s go eat. I
’m starved, and we aren’t going to find anything in here.”

  “You’re right,” Ruby said, and they headed for the back door.

  The front door swung open. Ruby and Ellie whirled to face the intruder. Ruby’s stomach lurched, but her feet refused to budge. Jennalou stepped into the room and stared at them.

  “Ahhh!” Ellie screeched louder than a coyote. “Don’t murder us too!”

  “Why you—!” Jennalou thundered toward them.

  “Run,” Ellie yelled. She tugged at Ruby’s arm, her own legs already in motion.

  Needing no further prompting, Ruby followed the still-screaming Ellie out the back door.

  They ran through the rear gardens and into the thick trees until their feet ached and their thumping heartbeats demanded a halt. The two friends wilted against the trunk of a poplar tree and waited. Besides the birds twittering, the only noise was the women’s heavy breathing.

  Several minutes later, Ruby whispered, “I don’t think she followed us.”

  Ellie nodded. “Probably went straight to the managers.”

  “Do you think she’ll call the cops?” Ruby asked, barely able to hear her own voice over the thudding of her heart.

  “Nah. I heard her telling your cousin Richard one day that she hates cops.” Ellie snorted. “Probably afraid they’ll lock her up.”

  Ruby clutched her hands together, fear churning her empty stomach. “Will the managers call the cops?”

  Ellie shrugged. “Who knows? But that’s a problem we can deal with later.”

  Ruby pushed away from the tree. “Guess we don’t get dinner.”

  “Now that’s a problem we have to deal with now.” Ellie bit her lip as if it could provide some nourishment. “Let’s go to town. My keys are in the car. You can go steal some money from Jake and buy me dinner for making me run like a crazy woman. Exertion like that could do me in.”

  Ruby laughed. “You should’ve seen yourself.” She raised her hands and mocked Ellie’s run. “‘Don’t kill us too! Help, help!’”

  Ellie chuckled. “You didn’t look much better.”

  They used the keypad to open Ellie’s garage and drove slowly into town. Laughing through a hamburger at Big J’s and lingering over their shakes, neither would admit they were avoiding going back to the Palace to face whatever fate Jennalou had prepared for them.

  When Ruby and Ellie sneaked into the building later that night, they took the elevator to the third floor. The doors slid open to reveal Jennalou hunkering there.

  “What were you two doing in my apartment?” she demanded.

  Ruby jumped.

  Ellie swore. “You psycho. Don’t scare people like that.” She grabbed Ruby’s hand and they brushed past Jennalou with noses held high.

  Jennalou raced in front of them, cutting off their escape. “You didn’t answer my question.”

  Ruby clenched her box of leftover French fries.

  Ellie glared at Jennalou. “We didn’t answer your question because we don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Jennalou put her hands on her hips. “Why were you in my room?”

  “We weren’t.” Ellie turned to Ruby with childlike innocence, her green eyes wide. “Ruby, do you know what she’s spitting about?”

  Ruby shook her head, clamping her lips to hide a laugh. Ellie was a fabulous actress.

  “You say someone was in your room?” Ellie asked Jennalou.

  Jennalou moved closer, towering over Ellie. She poked her in the chest. “Don’t play games with me, you little twerp.”

  “Oh, Ruby,” Ellie gasped, putting her hand to her mouth. “We’ve always known she was a psycho, but now she’s seeing things. We’d better get a hold of the authorities. It would never to do to let her run wild.”

  Jennalou stomped her foot. “I am not a psycho. I know what I saw.” Her voice lowered to a growl. “The only question is—what should I do about it?’

  Ellie smiled. “I’d suggest you do nothing.”

  “Uh-huh,” Jennalou said. “I’m sure you would.”

  “It’s your word against ours.” Ellie folded her arms across her surgery-assisted bosom. “How many complaints have you filed with the managers?” She paused and tilted her head. “How many times have they warned you to stop complaining? Really, Jenna, whom do you think they’re going to believe?” With a smug smile, Ellie linked her arm through Ruby’s, and they sauntered down the hall.

  Jennalou sputtered behind them. The only words they could distinguish before Ruby’s door slammed shut were “Don’t call me Jenna!”

  “Psycho,” Ellie said.

  She and Ruby collapsed on the couch in a fit of laughter.

  ***

  The next morning, the commons area bustled with activity and noise. Residents called out greetings to Chanel, while Dr. Schovil chased her around the tables, telling her how beautiful she was. Distracted by a resident curious about today’s bus ride into town, she found herself cornered by the old man. She escaped with one hug and one squeeze of Dr. Schovil’s fingers, inches below her waist, before hurrying to check on her favorite group. The first thing she noticed when she approached their table was Marissa’s frown. “Good morning, ladies. Who’s winning?”

  “I am,” Marissa muttered.

  Chanel glanced at Ruby. The older woman lifted her shoulders and gave a sad smile, her dark eyes filled with a warning.

  “Is everything going okay?” Chanel asked.

  “We’re doing fine,” Ellie said.

  Marissa huffed.

  “I meant Ruby and I are doing fine.” Ellie swirled her finger from herself to Ruby. “Marissa—” she jabbed a French-manicured finger at her friend “—that immature little beauty is mad because we went to dinner without her last night.”

  “Oh,” Marissa gasped. “Now I’m immature.”

  Chanel raised an eyebrow. “Why would you leave Marissa out?”

  Ruby studied her cards, the olive skin on her forehead wrinkling.

  Ellie’s glare focused in on her. “None of your busyness, Miss Busybody.”

  Chanel should’ve heeded Ruby’s warning and sneaked away. She stepped back, planting her heel on top of a large foot. “Oh, I’m sorry.” Whirling, she found herself face to face with Jake. She stuttered off balance and he wrapped his arms around her.

  “Ouch,” he said with a smirk.

  Heat flushed her face. “Sorry.”

  Jake leaned closer. “It’s just a toe.”

  The pressure of his arms around her quarantined her tongue.

  “At least Jakey’s having a good day,” Ellie said from behind them.

  Jake released Chanel with a wink and turned to the table. “How’s everyone doing this morning?”

  “Fine.” Ruby brushed a dark gray hair off her cheek with a sigh of frustration.

  “Liar,” Marissa muttered, slamming a card onto the pile. “Try to leave me out every chance they get. Some friends.”

  “Oh, grow up.” Ellie looked at Jake. “Marissa is being ridiculous. Will you please tell her she’s not twelve anymore? Would you explain that some of us have a life that doesn’t have to include her in every activity?”

  Ruby rubbed her temples with her fingertips, staring straight ahead.

  “I’m twelve? I need to grow up?” Marissa pointed her forefinger at her chest. “You’re the… the liar.”

  “Oh, I’m a liar now?” Ellie leaned across the table and gave Marissa’s shoulder a little shove.

  “Ouch!” Marissa swiped several cards from the table and threw them at Ellie. They fluttered to the ground. “Don’t you get physical with me, Ellie Armsworth. I kicked your pants back in ’65, and I can do it again.”

  Jake glanced at Chanel.

  “They’re a bit testy,” she whispered, barely moving her lips.

  “I heard that,” Ellie said. “Don’t think because you’re being cutesy with Jake you can make snide comments, little girl.”

  Jake stepped closer to Chanel. “Don’t wor
ry about Aunt Ellie. She gets mean sometimes.”

  “I think I’m figuring her out,” Chanel said.

  Ellie narrowed her eyes, her lips forming a pout, but for once she said nothing. Marissa sat with fists clenched but didn’t advance on her friend. Chanel heaved a sigh of relief.

  “So,” Jake whispered in her ear. “Are you going to help me iron this mess out?”

  Chanel’s earlobe tingled from the nearness of his lips. She tried to compose herself as she faced him. “I’ve got to take a bus full of elderly people into town for grocery shopping and a library run.”

  Jake glanced at the three glowering women before his gaze connected with Chanel’s again. “Lucky you.” He grinned and gave her hand a squeeze, then sat at the table. “Okay, girls. I’ve got half an hour before my first appointment. Let’s hear it.” He pointed at Ellie. “Without any cheap shots. What was the fight about this time?”

  Ellie and Marissa were talking over each other as Chanel walked away smiling. She was sure Jake could work out whatever the ladies’ problem was, but she didn’t know when she would recover from his touch.

  Chapter Six

  Ruby raced through the dense foliage. She tripped over a bit of undergrowth, steadied herself against a birch tree, and raced on.

  Tears of frustration blurred her path, and she brushed them away. Ellie and Marissa would rather fight each other than solve Anne’s murder. Jake was sympathetic, but she could see the pity in his eyes. No one really cared. They’d all forgotten Anne.

  A broad-shouldered frame appeared in front of Ruby. Michael reached out and gripped her forearms, grinning at her like she was the winning lottery ticket. “Ruby.”

  She leaned against him, gasping for air. His arms came around her. “Are you okay?” he whispered.

  Ruby didn’t dare speak for fear the moment would end. But then realization drenched her like a spring rainstorm. She couldn’t allow herself to languish in his arms. He might think she’d forgiven him. He might find out the awful truth of her life, the real reason they could never be together.

  She pulled away, turning from his gaze. “I’m fine. Excuse me.” She tried to walk around him, but he sidestepped into her path. Narrowing her eyes, Ruby said, “Get out of my way, Mr. Trapper.”