Prelude to Poison

by Morgan W. Silver

  After looking around the bedroom, I moved to what turned out to be Victor’s office. I imagined the police had already been here, but it wouldn’t hurt to look around, especially since he had been worried about something before he died. I checked his desk and found nothing but useless papers that told me nothing about any potential secrets. But as I was rummaging through a few files on his desk, I found a DVD of Screams in the Night. I swallowed. Coincidences didn’t exist in murder cases.

  “This would imply that she hired Nick and wanted them to prove that the Pembroke was haunted,” Detective Black said.

  “It would. Perhaps she had hoped that they wouldn’t find out about the poison, but she couldn’t exactly be sure when he would die or show symptoms. Or who he would be with. It was always a huge risk. Perhaps that’s why she wanted as many people as possible to think the Pembroke was haunted.” I still wasn’t sure about it. We needed more than just this. I took a picture of the DVD on the desk.

  I looked around a bit longer, but found nothing and made my way down to the kitchen.

  Nick looked relieved when he spotted me. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Yes, I am.” I climbed back onto the counter while Nick held out his hand. I grabbed it and pushed my way through the window. “You know what, this whole breaking in thing is way more fun when fictional people do it.”

  “Are you kidding? You’re doing great,” he said.

  “Oh, oh.” I shrieked and fell forward as Nick tried to catch me. One thud later, and we were both lying on the patio, me on top of Nick.

  Nick chuckled. “This is an interesting development.”

  I felt my cheeks get warm again and smiled.

  He looped his arms around me and rolled around so that I was now on the ground, and he was on top of me. He had his arm under my head, and grinned at me. “You look very beautiful,” he whispered before he kissed me. His lips were soft and warm. I kissed him back, holding him tight as I enjoyed the fluttering feeling in the pit of my stomach.

  When he broke away, I immediately missed the warmth and intimacy of the kiss.

  “I’ve wanted to do that ever since I first saw you,” he said.

  “You did?”

  “Oh, yeah.” He kissed me again, more briefly this time. Then he got to his feet and helped me up. “Did you find anything?”

  I told him about the film.

  “Damn, I can’t believe it. So she’s the killer?”

  “I don’t know that yet. It looks that way, though I still feel like I don’t have all the pieces of the puzzle yet. Also, the DVD alone is suspicious, but circumstantial. Even if it might be enough to have Alistair ask some questions, we need more.”

  Nick took a step aside and pointed at a wooden shed in the corner of the garden. “We haven’t checked there yet.”

  “Do you really think she’d keep anything important in there?” I asked.

  “Why not? It’s not the first place you’d think to look, is it?”

  “True. Let’s go.” Nick was turning out to be a good partner, and not just because of his kissing skills.

  The shed wasn’t locked, so we could go right in. I used my torch to provide light in the organised shed. There were a few cabinets and a table with pots and garden tools. At the back of one of the cabinets, I found a basket with Amanita mushrooms.

  “Wow,” I said as I stared at the basket.

  “What? Those are just mushrooms that grow in the woods,” Nick said.

  “No, these are what killed Victor, and she has a basket of it right in her shed. That’s just—I mean—” my voice trailed off.

  “So she is the killer then? Do we go to the police?”

  “No,” I said firmly. “I’m going to solve this case, and once I have a confession, I’ll call Alistair.”

  “You really are hell-bent on solving this case, huh?”

  “Yes, I am.” And on showing up Alistair.

  “So what’s next then?” Nick asked.

  I took a picture of the basket and returned it to where we’d found it. “I’m going to have to find a way to get her to confess. Perhaps get her to attack me.”

  “Whoa, what?”

  “That’s how it happens in books. The main character confronts the killer, and the killer who sees her as an annoying meddler decides to kill her and get her out of the way, and just then the police show up and have all the proof they need.”

  “Except you just said you didn’t want the police involved and also, this isn’t a story.”

  “How do you know?” I said.

  “Okay, look, how about this: we invite this Patricia to a neutral, public place and discuss the mushrooms. See what she says?”

  “I need to rattle her cage, make her angry. Also, if I make her feel like I’ll be watching her, that I’ll keep on looking for clues, then she’ll feel cornered and snap. Hopefully.”

  “Do you hear yourself? We don’t want her to snap, she might hurt you.”

  “Yeah, but we still don’t have enough evidence to go to the police with and our only option right now is to get her to confess,” I said.

  “Okay, let’s sleep on it, then. We don’t want to make any rash decisions. Come, let’s get out of here, I’ll walk you home.”

  We still had very little to go on. I knew exactly what stupid Alistair would say. He’d babble about how it was all circumstantial, and that was after he’d bite my head off for snooping around. And then there was Mr Field, who had been spying on his cheating wife. Did he know who the killer was? Had he seen something? Should I talk to him about it?

  “You’re frowning,” Nick said, bringing me back to reality. He grabbed my hand as we continued on our way to the bookshop.

  It had been a while since I last held someone’s hand and it was nice. Somehow this had turned into the weirdest date ever, but also a very cool one. I squeezed his hand and decided to enjoy the moment while it lasted. I could always worry about murder and mayhem later.

  “I had fun tonight,” Nick said as we were nearly at the bookshop.

  “Me too.”

  “I’ve never been part of a break in before,” he said.

  “I hope it was all you’ve ever wanted and more.”

  He chuckled. “It was certainly thrilling, and I particularly enjoyed the kissing part.”

  “Yes, me too.”

  He stopped and pulled me in closer. He kissed my cheek and then my lips. I was apprehensive about doing this sort of thing in public, especially in a village that thrived on gossip, but as soon as his lips touched mine, those worries washed away. The kiss was over too soon.

  “I’ll see you around,” he said.

  “See you.” I smiled.

  It was getting dark now, and the sky had streaks of pink, as if someone had taken a brush to it. For a brief moment I felt happiness, but then Christina passed Nick and waved when we made eye contact. She had a big bag with her. “Listen,” she said as she reached me. “I heard all about your troubles with the law today, and I’ve come to report for friend duty.”

  Inwardly, I groaned.

  “I hope you don’t hate Alistair too much, but if you do, don’t take it out on me. You’re about the only friend I’ve got here. Also, I brought snacks.” She held out her bag to me, which contained a bag of Skittles, Snickers, marshmallows, and M&Ms.

  I groaned even more on the inside. Why did she have to be so nice and cool? And why did Alistair have to be such a poopy face?

  “Come on in,” I said.

  Chapter 17

  Christina had kicked off her heels and pulled up her legs while observing my living room. The fact that Alistair’s girlfriend was now on my sofa didn’t unsettle me as much as it probably should. It helped that I had met her before I knew who she was dating. And I liked her. Which sucked, because if I had any sense of self-preservation, I would cut ties with both of them. That was difficult in a village like this.

  My former English teacher Mrs Wilks got divorced from her husband, and he had a new
girlfriend in two weeks. They moved in next door—it was the only affordable house for them at that time—and it started a lovely passive-aggressive war where Mrs Wilks placed trails of sugar cubes to her ex’s house, put rubber snakes in the back garden, or borrowed the newspaper and then returned it with the coupons cut out. Once she even put wet cement in the boot of his car. Not sure how she did it, but she became a legend.

  I made us both tea and then returned to the living room.

  “Do you live alone?” Christina asked.

  “I do, yes. Though I’m considering getting a bunny.”

  “Bunnies are cute,” she said with enthusiasm. “You should do that. You can teach them tricks you know, just like with dogs.”

  “You can?” I asked.

  “Yes, you should look it up. It’s very cute.” She shifted in her seat and took a gentle sip of the tea.

  “So you officially moved in with Alistair, huh?” I tried to keep the pain out of my voice, not sure if I was succeeding.

  “I figured I had to give it a real shot. You know, things weren’t going that well with me and Alistair. I think we were on the brink of splitting up. He had a difficult time in London. He doesn’t like talking about it, and he’s been pushing me away. He had to fight a murder suspect that he was about to arrest. His partner got seriously injured and nearly died.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah, Alistair ended up shoving the suspect, and he fell through a rotten banister and died.” She made a face. “It was an awful ordeal, and it bothered him a lot.”

  “I can imagine,” I said softly. “Is his partner okay?”

  “He is now, yes, but it was touch and go. “He didn’t want to stay after that. I think he was fed up with the city, and he wanted to go back to somewhere more innocent. Ironic that his first case is a murder case, but that just goes to show that nowhere is safe. Still, he seems happy here. Or at least, not unhappy. And at first I was upset with him for wanting to move back here. I felt like he was running away, but you made me realise I should give it—and him—a fair chance. He’s worth fighting for, even if he has been pushing me away lately. I can’t remember the last time we did anything fun.” The corners of her mouth turned downwards.

  “I’m sure you’ve done the right thing,” I said, but my thoughts were with Alistair. I had no idea that this was the reason he’d come home. It was probably also the reason he had kept to himself ever since he got here. He hadn’t even told anyone about Christina. He was also so serious all the time. Except when we were running for Pandora. He had a nice smile. His troubles still didn’t give him an excuse to treat me the way he did, but I was beginning to understand it more.

  I also realised that I was that connection to a simpler time, a safer time. Perhaps his attraction to me had been because of his desire to return to something safe and innocent. After all, we’d both changed, and there was so little we knew about each other. If we did get to know each other, maybe we’d find out that we made good friends and nothing more. Maybe he’d realise how important Christina is.

  “He probably associated you with his time in London, and if it ended that traumatically for him, then that could be the reason he’s pushing you away. By being here you show that you care about him and that you are willing to adapt your lifestyle with him. It’s actually really romantic. Give him some time to make peace with the past and see you for who you are,” I said.

  She blinked at me. “Wow, you’re wise.”

  “I have my moments.”

  “You know, the people in this village regard you with a lot of respect, not just because you write,” she said.

  I sat up straighter. “Really?”

  She smiled. “Yeah, it’s very sweet. It’s like you are all a family.”

  “That doesn’t mean that you can’t be a part of that, or Alistair. In fact, it sounds like he needs that family now more than ever.”

  “I think so too.” She squeezed my arm. “You’re very sweet.”

  “So are you.”

  She laughed. “Well, enough about my love life. Are you seeing anyone?”

  “No. Well, I did have a date tonight.”

  “Tell me all about it.”

  And I did, but I did leave out the part about breaking into Patricia’s home. She would tell Alistair, and he would not take it well. The parts about the kissing I definitely did not skip, and Christina was as excited about it as I was.

  “But what are you going to do when he goes back home?”

  “I don’t know. That’s the one thing we haven’t discussed yet. I doubt he’ll stay here, and I can’t go with him because my home is here. Just the thought of leaving this village is—just no.”

  She shrugged. “Long distance can work if you both want it to, but yeah, at some point you’ll have to live somewhere together. Anyway, try not to worry about that. He’s still here, and you should focus on having fun with him.”

  “Good advice.” Hard to follow. My mind liked to worry, especially at three AM.

  “The only thing that I need to do now is find a job. I quit working as a beautician in London.”

  “You were a beautician? Cool.”

  Christina blushed. “I liked it, but I wonder what I could find here.”

  I bit my lip. Don’t do it. Don’t do it. “You can work at my bookshop.”

  You did it.

  “Really? You’re looking for people?”

  “Susan and Eddie work for me, Brian sometimes steps in as well. But now Susan is mourning Victor, and I could use the help. You don’t have to, of course.”

  “No,” she said quickly. “I’d love that. I promise I won’t let you down, boss.” She giggled and then hugged me, nearly spilling my tea. “I’m so glad I met you.”

  I patted her on the back. “Me too.”

  THAT NEXT MORNING I woke up with a pain in my neck. I had fallen asleep at my desk, looking at the blueprints of the hotel and going over all the things I had uncovered in the last day. I had written all the clues on post-its and tried to see the big picture, but at some point I’d fallen asleep. The pain in my neck was enough to make me grumpy, but in addition to that, I also felt like I was letting my friends down. I had promised to solve the murder, but so far I had only managed to commit crimes myself.

  After a warm shower and a quick breakfast, I went downstairs so I could sulk in public. Hopefully Eddie and Bailey could provide distractions. Today would also be the first day that Christina started work. I still wasn’t sure if I was happy with that, especially if it meant that Alistair might frequent the shop. But I needed help, and she needed a job.

  I got downstairs just in time for Eddie to open up the doors. Christina had already arrived and was waiting patiently outside. Brian was at the counter and Bailey had pranced my way to greet me. I scratched him behind his ears and then approached the counter.

  “Hi,” Christina said warmly, and she hugged Eddie, who immediately froze.

  “What’s happening?”

  “I’m so excited to get started. Hi, Maggie.” She hugged me as well.

  “Good, welcome aboard. You can put your handbag and jacket behind that curtain. That’s Eddie and this is Brian. Guys, this is Christina. She really needs a job and without Susan I figured we could use her help.”

  She had taken off her jacket and approached Brian. “Hi, Brian. I’m so glad to be here. This is going to be fun.” She hugged him as well and then disappeared behind the curtain to dump her stuff.

  Brian took out his inhaler.

  “What are you thinking?” Eddie hissed. “That’s Alistair’s girlfriend.”

  “I know that, but she’s very nice, and she needs a job.”

  “What about what you need?” he asked.

  “I’m fine. You’re fine. Brian, are you fine?”

  Brian was about to open his mouth.

  “See, he’s fine too.”

  Christina emerged from behind the curtain. “What’s on the other side of that other curtain?”

 
“My aunt’s shop. She’s indisposed right now,” I said. The police still hadn’t called me to pick her up, and if they didn’t phone soon, I’d go over there and demand that she be released. I would bring Bailey and get him to bark until they all went mad and had no choice but to let her go.

  “Oh, right. Alistair told me about that.” She made a face. “Sorry about that. I’m sure it will sort itself out. Alistair felt really bad about it, I could tell.”

  Eddie narrowed his eyes at me as he observed my reaction carefully.

  “Well, then we’re even,” I said and tried to chuckle, but it came out as a cough.

  “Hi,” a familiar voice said.

  “Susan.” Okay, this was awkward. Just when I’d hired a replacement for Susan, she showed up.

  “I’m just here to say hi. I’m definitely not ready to go back to work.” She smiled weakly.

  I grabbed her arm and moved over to the armchairs in the back. “Are you okay?”

  She rubbed her arm. “I guess. A little better than before. How are you getting on with the case? Have you found out who hurt Victor yet?”

  I bit my lip. “I’m sorry, it’s going a lot slower than I thought.”

  “Don’t feel bad. It was unfair to ask you to investigate. The police are doing their best. I just want you to know that it’s okay.” She touched my arm. “I appreciate your efforts. You’re a good friend.”

  “No, I promise I’m not giving—”

  At that moment my phone buzzed in my pocket. I nearly jumped. It was Alistair. “Excuse me. I’ll see you once you feel better. If you need anything, let me know.”

  “I will. Bye,” she said.

  I went back through the back door at the bottom of the stairs. I didn’t want anyone to eavesdrop. “Hello, Maggie speaking.”

  “This is Alistair.” His voice sounded delectable, even over the phone.

  “Hello, Detective Sergeant.” My tone was cold. “May I pick up my aunt yet?”

  A pause. “Yes, that’s why I called.”

  “Good, I’ll be right over.”