by Pyper James
Pearl made her way to the study. Seeing her with the tray, Simon stood to his feet.
“Shall I help you?”
“I have it, thank you,” Pearl replied. She made her way to the small table that sat between the chairs and sat the tray down. Simon waited until Pearl was seated before taking his seat again.
“Everything looks and smells lovely, as usual,” Simon offered, lifting his cup and taking a sip. “Mmm,” he moaned. “This tea is glorious. It doesn’t need anything else.”
“I’m glad you’re pleased.”
For Pearl, it was good to have someone to talk to; someone to take care of, even if it was in a small way. She missed attending to her husband, Lyle. He’d been gone almost ten years; and their home could get too quiet at times. Pearl loved being a wife. She missed it. Simon’s visits helped Pearl not miss it quite so much; not miss Lyle quite so much. Simon had a similar story. He was a lifetime bachelor, never choosing to get married; well not to a person anyway. Simon was a scientist and was married to his work. He had been so dedicated to his intellectual pursuits, he never thought marriage and science could co-exist in his life. When Simon looked up from his microscope and considered he might like to share his life with someone, he was much older and much more set in his ways. For Simon, Pearl was a breath of the freshest air, someone to share his thoughts with, and someone to spend quality time with; the kind of time he never got to spend in his youth.
“How was your day,” Pearl asked after taking a sip of tea.
“Uneventful,” Simon replied.
“Uneventful in a good way or a not so good way,” Pearl continued.
“Uneventful in a good way,” Simon laughed. “I had a glorious nap after a big breakfast. Took the early afternoon tending to the garden and now, I am here with you. That’s the eventful part in a good way.”
“Oh Simon,” Pearl said, “You have such a wonderful way with words.”
“You turn a pretty nice phrase yourself, Pearl.”
After tea and crumpets were finished, the two continued to chat.
“You have not been my only visitor, Simon.”
Immediately, Simon’s eyes tightened to slits and his constitution shifted; the whites of his knuckles gleaming under tightly clenched fists.
“Oh really?” Simon tried to keep his tone consistent.
“That’s right,” Pearl said. She felt Simon’s slitted stare and continued.
“Was it a pleasant visit?”
“I wish I could say it was,” Pearl replied, as she lightly fingered her pearl necklace.
Now, Simon’s disposition took on a new layer. If someone offended Pearl or caused her discomfort in the least way, he would rectify the situation immediately. His time with her was far too precious to have that compromised in any way and certainly not with unpleasantries.
“Tell me, Pearl, who was it?”
“It was Deputy Gathright,” Pearl said. “With the unfortunate demise of our dear friend, the young officer talked with the neighbors, I being one of them. I’m surprised you didn’t get a visit, Simon since you live on the street, too.”
“I had no visitor,” Simon replied.
“I can’t imagine that he wouldn’t have stopped by, especially since they have no idea who killed poor Princeton.”
“If he did stop by, he must have caught me sleeping or in the back garden.”
“Well we both know how hard you sleep,” Pearl teased.
“And just how would you know that, Ms. Nicholson,” Simon taunted.
Pearl blushed and smiled. “Because you told me,” she swooned.
Heat rushed to Simon’s cheeks and the slit of his tensed eyes relaxed.
“But, I didn’t need you to tell me, dear Simon,” Pearl continued.
“And why, pray tell is that?”
“Oh, Simon, there are plenty of afternoons you have fallen asleep in that very chair. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought a bear snuck into my home.”
“Are you saying I snore,” Simon playfully challenged.
“Of course, you do!” Pearl couldn’t contain her laughter. Because Simon knew what she said to be true, he joined in laughing boisterously. Pearl laughed so hard it brought tears to her eyes. And when her laughter quieted and Simon’s continued, she smiled genuinely. It was refreshing to have sounds of life fill the walls of her home again. She never liked to consider that being alone made her lonely, but there were times when the house was just too quiet and nothing she did individually, changed that. Having someone else to share a laugh with made the days pass much more quickly and much more pleasantly. But as Simon’s laughter faded, Pearl started thinking about growing old and all the losses she’d endured with Princeton being the most recent one.
“I have to admit, Simon, it is a bit troubling what happened to Princeton.”
“Did the deputy say,” Simon asked.
Pearl looked at Simon curiously.
“What happened to Princeton,” Simon clarified.
“Not really,” Pearl replied. “Not the specifics, anyway. But it’s clear what happened to him. Someone killed him.”
“I understand that piece, Pearl, and it’s quite unfortunate,” Simon added. “My question was more along the lines of do they know how it happened.”
“That I’m not sure,” Pearl concluded. “If they know how, the deputy didn’t let on.”
Simon rested his back firmly on the chair. “If they know how he was killed, poor, poor Princeton, that would give them an inclination how he was killed.”
“All I can say is I hope they find the culprit as quick as possible. It’s quite unsettling knowing there is a murderer on the loose.”
“No harm will come to you, my dear sweet Pearl,” Simon said with conviction.
“How can you be so sure, Simon?”
“Because, I will protect you. I may be old and a bit slower than in my youth, but nothing, no one is more important to me than you.”
Chapter Nine
Vivica pushed the doorbell three times in a row in quick succession and then knocked rapidly. Her animation was infectious, and Maximus barked loudly, turning in circles on the porch.
Winifred scowled as she moseyed to the door as fast as her thick ankles could carry her and the baby.
“I’m coming!” Winifred’s face flushed red with the effort it took to scream to whoever was banging on her door. The boys were finally out of the house and at school. Big Jacob was at work. This was supposed to be Winifred’s ‘me’ time and now, someone was disturbing that. Swiping the strings of hair that tickled her face, Winifred walked heavily to the door.
Vivica was in the process of ringing the doorbell again when the door swung open.
“Who in the dickens is”
Winifred’s words caught in her throat when she saw her best friends smiling face and Maximus looking up excitedly.
“You better have a darn good reason for making me rush to the door in my delicate condition,” Winifred fussed as she opened it wide enough for Max and then Vivica to enter.
“I promise you it’s worth it,” Vivica chimed, bouncing through the doorway.
“It better be,” Winifred fussed, closing the door and making the long trek down the main hallway. Just walking was a chore at this stage of her pregnancy. Just like with her other boys, this new one was heavy and big and moved a lot. Winifred couldn’t wait to have this baby and reclaim her body.
Breathing heavily, Winifred leaned on the door frame in the kitchen.
“Talk Meadows and make it good.”
“We have our first lead!” Vivica was so excited she could hardly contain herself. Just an hour or so before, she got a call from Johnathan who told her about the oleander plant. Vivica couldn’t wait to get to Winifred and tell her about it.
“What’s this lead,” Winnie asked winded but intrigued.
“Coroner Mitchell suggested that it was the poison of the oleander plant that killed Princeton Wyatt.”
“The ole
ander plant? I don’ think I’m familiar,” Winifred replied, ambling over to the kitchen chair.
“Neither am I,” Vivica added. “That’s why I figured we could do a bit of research, get our bearings on this oleander, and then go out and find it.”
“You mean literally, don’t you?”
“Literally, Winifred,” Vivica encouraged. “I thought we could ride around town once we know what we are looking for and see if we can find this poisonous plant.”
“Okay, and what do we do once we find it?” Winifred asked.
“Well, we could tell Harper and Gathright,” Vivica began. Her eyes started to dance, and she drummed her fingers on the kitchen table. “Or, we could find the plant, find the owner and question them ourselves.”
“And Johnathan gave you that much autonomy in his investigation,” Winifred challenged.
“I wouldn’t save gave,” Vivica backtracked.
Vivica offered up a sly smile. Rolling her eye, Winifred reflected the same. Vivica’s smile widened knowing her bestie was on board.
“Alright, first things first.” Vivica stood to her feet and paced the kitchen. Maximus paid no attention to the two women. He had already found a comfortable spot for a midday nap.
“Where’s your computer,” Vivica asked.
“Family room, there’s a laptop on the couch. I was relaxing and clipping coupons when you banged on my door,” Winifred spat.
“That you have the time for such leisurely pursuits,” Vivica snubbed.
“You’ve seen how my boys eat,” Winifred replied, taking a seat at the table. “And Big Jake? You’d think he was the one eating for two.”
Vivica brought the laptop to the table and found an outlet to plug in the cord. Sliding her chair next to Winifred’s, Vivica eagerly sat down.
“Do you want to do the navigating or should I?” Vivica asked, moving the computer in front of her while posing the question.
“It’s the least I can do,” Winifred replied, giving Vivica the side eye at the same time sliding the computer in her direction.
“Fine.”
“Fine,” Winifred scoffed.
They loved to tease each other, and this was just an example. The teasing was fine because each knew just how much the other loved them. Vivica and Winifred were like sisters from another mother. You always tease and taunt your siblings, but nobody else better try it.
Once the matter of who was doing the typing was settled, Winifred typed in oleander plant and both women waited to see what information unfolded.
Simultaneously, Vivica’s eyes widened and Winifred’s mouth fell open. They turned to each other with furrowed brows.
“How is this possible,” Winifred asked. “For this plant to be so deadly, like, why isn’t there some kind of warning label like with any other poison?”
Vivica turned back to the screen to continue to read. She was looking for more specific information on growing conditions, coloring and ways to spot the plant. Sheriff Harper hit the high notes when he conveyed what Coroner Mitchell said. In order to find the plant and hopefully the suspect, Vivica wanted to be armed with as much information as possible.
Winifred was still miffed by the lack of restriction on the oleander.
“The way they describe this plant, just touching it is enough to make you deathly ill, Winifred began. “Poor Mr. Wyatt,” she continued. “I can’t imagine how he felt having that toxin coursing through his body and not being able to do anything to stop it.”
Winifred shook her head. “Whoever did this to Princeton Wyatt was evil, down to the bone.”
Vivica couldn’t agree more as she continued to study the plant, learning as much about its properties as possible. Satisfied with what she found, Vivica turned to Winifred.
“How much time do we have before the boys get home?”
“Huh,” Winifred replied.
“How much time, Winnie?” Vivica insisted.
“Three or four hours,” Winifred said.
“Great Where’s your purse?”
There was no sense in trying to argue with Vivica. Once she was dead set on something, there was no talking her out of it.
Winifred pointed to her burgundy paisley print bag sitting on the counter. Vivica grabbed it and returned to help Winnie from the chair.
“Come on Max,” Vivica called out. She was more excited than ever. The quest was on!
Max lifted his head and yawned. Vivica’s excitement had not rubbed off on the hound. He really just wanted to finish his name. But eventually, Maximus got up and walked behind the two women, making their way to the front door.
“Wait a minute,” Winnie said.
“What? What’s the problem?”
“You’re in the Karmann Ghia aren’t you?”
“Of course,” Vivica answered. She looked at Winifred still confused why they were stopping.
“I am not going to get all of this in a VW.” Winifred traced her shape with her hands, putting special emphasis on her belly.
“Fine. Minivan?” Vivica conceded.
“Minivan.”
The women detoured slightly and instead of exiting the front door to Vivica’s car, they exited through the kitchen into the garage. It worked out very well for Maximus as he had a whole back seat to stretch out on. Although it was Winifred’s vehicle, she has no interest in trying to squeeze behind the steering. She was more than happy to let Vivica steer the ship. Vivica was fine with driving. She didn’t want to be getting on Winifred’s nerves with directions and commentary like ‘stop here,’ ‘go there.’ Winnie willingly handed over the keys and pressed the button for the garage to open. Putting the key in the ignition, Vivica cranked up the minivan and put the van in reverse.
She was smiling the entire time. Winifred closed the garage as Vivica backed down the driveway.
“So where are we headed,” Winifred asked as they turned onto the street.
“I don’t know exactly,” Vivica offered. “But that’s part of the adventure, right?”
Winifred didn’t want to dampen Vivica’s enthusiasm. It was good to see her excited about something. And she was in it for the long haul and would do whatever she could to help Vivica. Besides, if Vivica was locked up for killing someone she didn’t, who would Winifred talk to?
They struck out. Where? Neither of them was sure.
Even though it was not her original thought, Vivica steered the van towards Mr. Wyatt’s neighborhood. It was the most logical place to start. Conventional criminal wisdom suggests that those that kill are close to their victims once the determination is made that the act is not random. Had Mr. Wyatt still been married and his wife still alive, Mrs. Wyatt would be the most probable person of interest despite how happy their relationship may have been. It was just what police officers, and criminologists and lawyers found through the annals of time. Those that kill often kill those they know and love.
That thought turned in Vivica’s mind as she slowed the van down once they got to Remington Court.
“Is it possible Mr. Wyatt grew the oleander plant at his house,” Winifred asked, taking in the beauty of the upscale neighborhood.
Vivica liked the idea. The Wyatt estate would be their first stop. As Vivica eased the van down the road, she paused at the sight of yellow caution tape came into view. It wasn’t there the last time she was at the Wyatt home. The feeling that came over her was ominous and eerie. This was of course the first time Winifred saw the Wyatt home and the yellow tape. Winifred was like most people. You find a routine and you travel a routine path. If there is no reason to venture into an area, you typically don’t. and she didn’t have time for diving around purposelessly and exploring. Her days were chock full of wifely and motherly obligation. More than that, considering the way the homes looked on Remington Court, the Baxter’s couldn’t afford to be there anyway.
“Is this safe,” Winifred asked aloud. Whether she intended to think it or speak it, the question was on the table now. Vivica pulled across the stre
et from the Wyatt home and parked the van. The question wasn’t one, Vivica hadn’t considered privately, questioning her desire to even be involved in such a matter, and publicly in Vivica’s recent conversation with Auntie Mildred. But to hear Winifred say it, resonated differently with Vivica. Winnie was her friend. That was a big deal as Vivica didn’t have too many people she called a friend. Even more than that, Winnie was important to more than just Vivica. She had children. She was with child. She had a husband, an entire inner circle of people who not only loved Winnie but depended on her.
Winifred’s question made Vivica stop and think. Was she being selfish in her pursuits? Was she being considerate of the people she said were important to her? If something were to happen to Winne while she was helping Vivica… Vivica couldn’t even finish the thought silently. Turning to Winnie, she checked in first visually; trying to read Winifred’s eyes and gauge the level of concern. Vivica could see it in Vivica’s eyes; genuine concern and worry.
“Winnie, I would completely understand if you wanted to go back.”
Inside, Vivica chastised herself.
What were you thinking? She’s pregnant! Selfish, that’s what you are, selfish.
“I know you would,” Winifred began. “But, I’m not a fair-weather friend.”
“Big Jake and the boy would kill me where I stood if I let something happen to you.”
“That’ true,” Winnie agreed. “So, let’s make sure nothing does.”
Winnie tried to sound enthusiastic and even wore a smile. Underneath it though, there was still trepidation and doubt.
“If things get too hairy, if at any point you feel uncomfortable, Winifred, let me know and we’ll stop, no matter what’s going on. Promise?”
“Promise.”
The girls lined up their pinkie fingers and hooked them together, honoring the promise they made.
