A Corpse for Yew

by Joyce; Jim Lavene

  “I don’t think so!” Steve moved a little closer to the thief. Peggy raised her club.

  “Okay. Okay.” The man lay back on the ground. “If you’re gonna rob me, take what you want and get out. I’ve got work to do.”

  “Work?” Peggy demanded. “Undoing years of preserved history! People have died here. You could at least show some respect.”

  “Respect?” His laughter cackled in the silence. “These people don’t know if you respect them anymore or not, lady. My wallet respects them enough for both of us.”

  “I don’t think you can reason with him,” Steve told her. “Did you call the police?”

  “Yes. They should be here soon.”

  The light skimmed another article that didn’t look old or dirty. It was a woman’s pocketbook. “Watch him.” Peggy put on another pair of plastic gloves. She leaned down and grabbed the purse, holding it up to the light so she could look at it.

  It was a burgundy Louis Vuitton bag. Very fashionable and expensive. Definitely leather, and still shiny and new. She opened it carefully and began sorting through the contents without removing them. There was a spray flask of White Diamonds perfume. Obviously an older woman’s bag. Her heart beat a little faster. Could this belong to Lois?

  “What is it?” Steve swatted at a mosquito.

  “I think it might be something important.” She didn’t want to speculate until she knew for sure.

  As soon as her gloved hands located the wallet, she opened it and gasped. “This is Lois’s pocketbook. It’s not full of mud, so it had to have been on the shore. Her car keys are in here. She must’ve lost it when she fell into the lake.”

  “Which may or may not have anything to do with her death,” Steve said.

  “Yes. Although it seems odd that it wasn’t found right away. If she’d dropped it before she fell in the mud—”

  “—it would’ve been found during the initial search of the area,” Steve concluded. “It couldn’t have happened that way.”

  “Which means we need to know where this man found the pocketbook.” Peggy inched closer to the man on the ground. “I really am with the police department. Where did you find this pocketbook?”

  “Like I’m going to tell you.”

  “Why not? You’re already caught here. You don’t have anything to lose, and you might help our investigation.”

  He turned his muddy face toward her, the shadows making it look like a mask. “What’s in it for me? Are we cutting a deal here or what? If I have valuable information, I expect to be rewarded for it.”

  “What do you want?” She thought about how much money she had in her purse. “I think I have twenty dollars. Steve, how much do you have?”

  “I don’t think that’s what he means, Peggy.” Steve shifted closer to the man.

  “No, that’s not what I mean, Peggy,” the thief mimicked. “I mean, I’ve already been in prison for this once. I don’t want to go back again.”

  “Then why were you doing it again?” she demanded.

  “Because it’s easy money.” He shrugged. “If you’re with the police, you can cut me a deal for the information. Then I’ll take whatever you and Stevie have in your wallets, too.”

  Before Peggy could agree to any deal, the sound of sirens pierced the night. Blue lights flashed from the parking lot, making the play of light and dark on the dry lake and trees even more bizarre.

  “You better go up and explain,” Steve said. “I don’t want them to get the wrong idea.”

  Peggy stared at the contents of the purse again. She hated to leave it without knowing everything that was inside. But Steve was right. The police probably wouldn’t look favorably on coming down there and finding them with a man on the ground between them while they held a gun and a club.

  She walked up the hill with only one backward glance to be sure Steve was all right. Police officers were gathered in a large group pointing at the lighted area. They challenged her as soon as they spotted her. Peggy put up her hands as a defensive response. “I’m with the ME’s office. I have ID.”

  “Take it out slowly so we can see it.” The officer in charge looked at it with his flashlight. “I think we’re here to rescue you, Dr. Lee. Is everything all right?”

  Peggy relaxed. She knew him. He’d worked with John several times. “Sergeant Fletcher! Good to see you. How’s your wife doing?”

  “She’s fine. The boys are still keeping her busy. What are you doing out here?”

  Peggy explained that she was involved in the Mullis case and was there to collect yew samples. “We saw the man stealing the bones when we came up,” she explained. “They’ve had a lot of trouble out here with people stealing bones and artifacts from the old Whitley Village now that the lake is dry.”

  “That’s right.” He glanced around in the darkness. “That used to be out here, didn’t it? They say weird stuff goes on out here at night. I had officers refuse to work out here during the investigation. Funny how it can show itself after all these years.”

  “My . . . colleague . . .”—she wasn’t going to say boyfriend again—“is down there with the thief. We caught him red-handed. Not just with the historic artifacts and bones, either. I think he might have something from the Mullis investigation.”

  “Is it something Forensics might be interested in?” Fletcher asked.

  “I’ll be glad to take a look at it and save you some trouble,” she offered. “I have some gloves and evidence bags with me.”

  “That would be a big help.” He grinned. “If it’s something you think is important, that’s fine. Just be sure to sign off on the evidence. I don’t want the captain to think we lost something.”

  Sergeant Fletcher and his officers went down to the lake to retrieve their prisoner. Peggy was right behind them, eager to get a better look at the purse.

  PEGGY HAD STEVE SPREAD A piece of material on the ground beside a small holly bush. It would do for an evidence cloth. She could transfer everything into one of her plastic bags when she was done searching through the purse.

  Steve knelt next to her on the hard, dry ground. He held the flashlight so she could see as the police were dismantling the thief’s lighting system.

  Carefully she removed and wrote down everything she found. There were bits of clutter in the purse: a few sticks of gum, a single pearl earring, and some breath mints. There was even a dried violet preserved in a small piece of plastic. They were things Peggy thought would be found in any woman’s purse. There was some loose change in the satin-lined bottom, but otherwise there was no money. She wondered if the thief had already stripped that.

  She found a gold-colored ring box, opened it, and was disappointed to find it empty. The spot inside where the ring had been was the right size for the carnelian ring. Maybe this was a sign that the ring was part of Lois’s death. It seemed obvious to her on seeing the box that Jonathon might have been right and Lois had the ring with her.

  She had to talk with Harold and see if they could wangle an interview with the man who’d been arrested there. Sergeant Fletcher had already taken the thief, Snook Holt, away. She needed to know where he’d found the purse and how it had been overlooked in the search of the area. It might mean nothing, but . . .

  “What are you thinking?” Steve asked.

  “I’m thinking this might be important.” She looked up at him and realized what he’d done. “I can’t believe you did that. You talk about me risking my life! I’ve never done anything like that! You could’ve been killed.”

  “I wasn’t. It’s okay. I know how to handle a gun.”

  “And how is that?” she demanded. “Why does a mild-mannered veterinarian even own a gun? I understand the dart gun, but why did you bring the pistol?”

  “I have to travel a lot of dark, deserted roads. I thought the pistol would be a way to stay safe. I never know who or what I’m going to encounter.”

  “You looked like a TV cop out there just now,” she complained. “You scared me.”


  “I’m sorry. I didn’t think. I reacted.” He shook his head. “I just thought about keeping you safe.”

  “I guess it doesn’t matter. Just don’t ever do it again. You didn’t get shot this time. Let’s go home. I think that’s enough excitement for one night.”

  “What about your samples? Don’t you need them for tomorrow?”

  She swore under her breath, a Southern lady’s prerogative. He was right. She hated it, but he was right. “Yes. I have to get them before I leave.”

  “Let me help you,” he offered.

  “I have to fill all these bags.” She put the purse and its contents, including the list of everything she’d found, into an evidence bag and sealed it before handing it to an officer who’d see it was placed in the right hands. “I don’t know if this will affect the outcome of what happened to the chief’s aunt. We’ll see.”

  Steve followed her as she started into the woods, pushing aside brambles from long-dead wild roses. “You don’t have to do this,” she assured him. “You’ve already done enough for one night.”

  “But it will be easier if I hold the flashlight for you, won’t it?”

  She admitted it would be, and thanked him for offering. She was ready to get done with the process and go home, where she could have a chance to think about everything that had happened.

  She carefully marked each bag of yew cuttings with a tag that matched the one on the bush from which she took the cutting. She had ten bags filled a little faster than she’d expected. There was a pale, thin moon above them that had a colored ring around it. “Usually that ring means rain,” she said. “I hope it’s right.” The breezes sighed around them like lost spirits looking for peace. She shivered. No wonder people got spooked out here at night.

  The process went along smoothly. After only about an hour they were packed up and headed home. This time, a police guard was left at the site.

  It was nearly midnight when they reached her house. Queens Road was quiet. Most of the old houses around hers were sleeping. Peggy didn’t get out right away, though she knew she should. She glanced at Steve. He was staring back at her. She looked away quickly, gathered her purse and sample bags, then reached for the door handle.

  “I know you don’t want to talk about this.” His voice was deep and sincere. “If you’re that uncomfortable with the idea of getting engaged, we don’t have to. I just thought it might make things easier. Your parents aren’t going back home this time. We need a long-term solution.”

  “I don’t know what to say right now,” she confessed. “I need time on my own to think about this.”

  “I know. I’d hoped it would be an easier decision for you. I guess I’ll say good night.”

  Steve stayed where he was as she said good night and walked up to the house. He pulled out of the drive after she was inside. She closed and locked the kitchen door and reset the alarm. Shakespeare got up from his spot in the pantry and shook himself awake before he trotted over to her, to let her know how happy he was that she was home.

  “I’m glad to see you, too.” She scratched the place behind his ear, then put the kettle on the stove for tea. “I think it’s going to be a long night.”

  PEGGY SPENT MOST OF THE night alternating between looking at her plant experiments and rocking in her chair. It was hard to think about Steve without thinking about John.

  John had been a wonderful man whom she’d loved with all her heart. She had never thought about spending time with someone else, not even after he was dead. She’d thought she would just go on alone. That seemed fair, considering the incredible life they’d had together.

  Then Steve came along, and he seemed so perfect. In all honesty, he was perfect for her life the way it was right now. She loved him, and hated to imagine her life without him.

  By the time daylight was beginning to seep around the edges of her backyard, she was completely confused and miserable. She was obviously shallow and self-absorbed. She didn’t deserve Steve. She hadn’t even known his sister was killed when he was a child! What was this world coming to?

  Peggy heard the kitchen door upstairs open, and Paul’s cheerful voice calling her name. She went up the basement stairs with Shakespeare at her heels. It would be good to talk with another human after a long night of conversations with the dog and her plants.

  Paul was already on his way toward the stairs to the second floor. Peggy called his name, and he laughed. “I thought I might be able to surprise you again. That last time was funny. The look on your face was priceless.”

  “Good morning to you, too.” Maybe she wasn’t in the mood for human companionship after all. “What are you talking about?”

  “Come on, Mom. I have cinnamon rolls in the kitchen. I’ll make you some tea. I think we need to talk.”

  Peggy went along with him. His arm was around her shoulder, and short of throwing it off, she had no choice. The long night was catching up with her. She wasn’t sure if she was fit company for anyone.

  “I know about Steve,” Paul said as he put water in the kettle after they’d reached the kitchen.

  She sat down hard in one of the chairs. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  “I know you and Steve are doing it.”

  The only thing worse than this conversation had to be the one she’d had with her son when he’d seen two dogs mating in the Weldons’ yard. She put her hands over her eyes and tried to sound polite. “I think I may be too old to ‘do it,’ as you so colorfully describe it.”

  “It’s okay. I wish you’d trusted me enough to tell me before you told Mai. I feel kind of weird knowing my mother and my fiancée were talking about sex. But I’ll get over it.”

  “Mai guessed. I didn’t tell her.”

  “Which makes me feel even worse.” He took off his uniform jacket and hung it on the back of a chair. “What kind of cop am I if I don’t see the clues?”

  Peggy couldn’t help noticing that Paul always sat in the same chair he’d occupied while growing up. It made her smile. “A good one. You just don’t always see what’s close to you. Like me with Steve.”

  Paul answered the shrill voice of the tea kettle and poured hot water into their cups. “Is something wrong?”

  Peggy had started to tell him when her parents came through the kitchen door. Both of them were still in their robes and slippers. Her mother’s hair was in curlers, and her father’s hair stood straight up on his head.

  “There you are!” Lilla stormed into the house. “I’ve been trying to call you since last night! Did you watch the news? They caught the bone thief out at the lake. He probably killed Lois.”

  Yawning, Peggy explained that she had been at the scene. “I know all about it. I can’t believe you were trying to call me all night to tell me that.”

  “And where were you? I suppose your boyfriend is upstairs somewhere, waiting to try to sneak down and pretend he didn’t spend the night.” Lilla looked triumphant.

  “That may be going too far,” Ranson warned.

  Peggy got to her feet. Enough was enough. “He didn’t spend the night, Mom. Steve and I are having problems. But we have been sleeping together.”

  “I’ll take some coffee, unless you have something stronger,” Ranson said to Paul as he sat down.

  Peggy looked at her family. “So you all knew all the time?”

  Lilla took a chair and shrugged. “Not all the time. But we’re not dense, Margaret. We’ve lived on a farm our whole lives. Everyone knows when it’s mating season in the barn.”

  “So what happened with you and Dr. Steve?” Ranson took a cinnamon roll from the box. “Did he dump you for some floozy?”

  “Paul will shoot him if that’s what happened.” Lilla calmly took Peggy’s cup of tea as Paul brought it to the table. “I wish you’d drink regular tea, Margaret. This herbal stuff isn’t very good.”

  Peggy sat back down and put her head in her hands. “It might be worse than that, Mom.” She told them what had happened. She gu
essed it didn’t matter anymore. They might as well know all of it. When she’d finished, she looked up at them.

  Ranson glanced at Lilla. “I don’t know. That doesn’t seem so bad to me. The boy wants to do what’s right.”

  Lilla glared at him, then turned to her daughter. “You were absolutely right to send him packing last night. A woman has to teach a man how far he can go and what’s expected of him.”

  “What are you talking about?” Peggy couldn’t believe her ears. “I thought you didn’t want me to get remarried.”

  “These are modern times, Margaret.” Her mother patted her curlers and frowned. “The days of prolonged mourning are over. You’ve been widowed what, two or three years? Give it another good while to plan the wedding, and you’ll be fine. I can’t imagine anyone who could fault you. Except maybe Cousin Milbern. But who cares about him?”

  “I wasn’t planning on marrying Steve,” Peggy said. What had she let herself in for? “We talked about getting engaged.”

  “Margaret Anne! You aren’t exactly a spring rose, you know. Steve is a fine-looking man. A professional, too. I like veterinarians.”

  Ranson nodded. “I had many doctors who looked after our animals at one time or another. It’s a good profession.”

  It was too much for Peggy to take in all at once. She excused herself, telling them she had to take a shower and get ready for work. Her parents nodded and ate the cinnamon rolls. Paul followed her from the kitchen.

  “I’m sorry it worked out like this,” he told her. “It makes me feel less guilty being happy with Mai knowing you’re not knocking around in this big house by yourself.”

  “Thanks.” She hugged him. “I’m sorry we couldn’t talk about this before it came out.”

  “I’m fine.” He kissed her cheek. “I just want you to know that I understand, and I don’t have any strange feelings about you being with Steve instead of Dad. I know you loved Dad. And I think he’d like knowing you were with someone like Steve.”

  Peggy kissed him. “Thanks, Paul. It means a lot to me.”

  “So what are you going to do?”