She boxed up some of the shortbread cookies for Moombeam and scones for Seth, and although The Flower Child was located across the Square, she drove there and wondered if she should forget about Margo and simply have Moonbeam do some sort of cleansing spell on the entire Square. She nearly giggled as she imagined Nona Fiske’s reaction to that.
Moonbeam was giving someone a reiki massage when Katie entered the shop. A sign on the desk asked patrons to please wait patiently for assistance. Katie sniffed the essential oils samplers until Moonbeam emerged from the back room.
“Hello.” The woman spoke softly out of consideration for her client.
“Hi.” Katie held out the white bakery box. “I brought you some shortbread.”
“How kind. Thank you.” She placed the box on the credenza behind the counter. “I have something for you, too. It’s why I wanted you to stop by.”
Taking the long, narrow black box Moonbeam extended toward her, Katie said, “Thanks, but you didn’t have to—”
“I wanted to,” she interrupted. “Open it.”
Inside the box was a pendant with two stones—a white and a rose crystal.
“Those crystals are clear quartz and rose quartz,” Moonbeam explained. “The clear crystal is considered a master healing stone, and the rose quartz will help to bring you comfort and calm during times of grief. The pink stone will also encourage love and respect within yourself.”
Katie slipped the necklace over her head, holding up the pendant to give it a closer look. “It’s beautiful.”
“I’m glad you’ve chosen to wear it. You’re going to need it today.” Moonbeam squeezed her hand. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my client.”
Feeling a bit uneasy after being told she was going to need a pendant that aided with healing, Katie left The Flower Child and drove to Seth’s house. Don saw her coming up the walk and held the door open for her.
“Hi, Don,” she said. “How are you?”
He inclined his head. “I’m feeling weary, helpless, frustrated—all the things you feel when a friend is hurting.” He led her into the kitchen and took the bakery box from her. “Something that needs to be refrigerated?”
“Blueberry scones,” she said.
“My favorite,” Seth said, as he came into the kitchen, embraced Katie, and kissed her cheek. “Thank you for remembering…and for making them.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “I wish there was more I could do.”
“Coffee?” Don asked before the waterworks could start. Katie and Seth accepted.
As the three of them sat at the kitchen table, Katie asked, “Where are Suzanne and Nick?”
“Nick went home to grab a shower, and Suzanne is sleeping,” Don answered. “She paced much of the night.”
Seth sighed and stirred creamer into his coffee. “I keep wondering if there’s something I could’ve done. I tried to convince Jamie to go to the doctor on Friday night, but he insisted he was fine—that it was just something he ate that had upset his stomach. Saturday morning, he seemed better.”
“There was nothing you could’ve done.” Don squeezed Seth’s hand reassuringly. “Jamie was a medical professional. Had he thought it was something serious, he’d have gone to the emergency room.”
Katie wondered if she should tell Seth about Gabrielle Pearson and Calexia Industries. No, it was better to wait until she knew more. At this point, telling Seth about her would only raise questions for which she didn’t have answers.
Seth’s cell phone rang, and he fished it from the pocket of his jeans. “Seth Landers…. Of course, hello.” His face blanched. “Wh-what? Are you sure? B-but…how…how can that be?” His eyes searched the concerned faces of Katie and Don. “Thank you for letting me know. Yes…of course.”
As he ended the call and placed the phone down on the table, he let out a shuddering breath. “Jamie was poisoned.”
Chapter 8
As Katie drove back to Victoria Square, she was glad Suzanne hadn’t awakened when Seth got the call from the medical examiner’s office. It would have been too much for her to bear. Katie knew Seth would help the poor woman deal with the news as soon as he could come to terms with it himself. The poor man had looked shell-shocked, but kept a stoic countenance. After much discussion, Don had convinced him to go lie down, and Katie had headed back toward Victoria Square with the desperate hope that Gabrielle Pearson could provide some answers.
After parking her car in the small lot behind Tealicious, Katie walked to Wood U to tell Ray about Jamie and what she’d learned. Ray was laughing as she entered the shop. Katie looked toward the source of his amusement and saw an attractive woman in her mid- to late-forties grinning at him. The woman wore a charcoal gray pantsuit, black block-heeled pumps, and an emerald green blouse that brought out the color in her eyes.
“I’ll come back later,” Katie said.
“Wait,” Ray said. “Katie Bonner, this is Detective Carol Rigby. Carol, Katie.”
“Nice to meet you, Katie. You’re actually the person I came to Victoria Square to see.” Detective Rigby jerked her head toward the door. “Is there someplace private we could talk?”
“Of course.” Katie turned to leave.
Before following her, Detective Rigby said, “Good seeing you, Ray. Be sure and call me so we can have that drink and catch up properly.”
“I’ll certainly do that.”
Ray sounded a lot happier about going out with Carol Rigby than Katie would have liked. He didn’t seem like a man who was merely being polite but like one who was looking forward to making good on his promise.
Well, so what? Katie reasoned with herself as she led the detective across the Square to Tealicious. This woman might be an excellent match for Ray. She glanced back. No wedding ring on the lady detective’s hand. And if the woman could make Ray happy, shouldn’t she wish them both all the best? After all, just because I’m not ready for another relationship, I shouldn’t begrudge Ray some happiness. He’s been terribly lonely since his wife died. Still.…
And, really, why was she marrying off the guy to a woman he’d probably worked with for years.
You’re losing it, girl. Losing it!
“I’m curious about where Jamie Siefert was prior to his death,” Detective Rigby said. “This is the tea shop where he’d been dining, isn’t it?”
“It is.” Katie unlocked the door. “In fact, he collapsed just about where you’re standing.”
“How tragic. And you knew the young man?”
“Not well. I’m better acquainted with his partner, Seth Landers.” Katie led the detective over to the table in the back of the shop. “This is the table where he sat, although it has, of course, been cleaned.”
“Been cleaned.” Detective Rigby frowned and took out her smartphone. She opened what appeared to be a note-taking app. “Did he vomit here?”
“No! He never vomited,” Katie said, appalled. “Each table is cleaned immediately after the patrons dining there leave to make it ready for our next guests. We pride ourselves on our fastidiousness.”
The woman nodded. “Naturally.”
Was there sarcasm in the detective’s tone? Katie couldn’t tell and thought she was probably being too defensive. Still, she didn’t feel comfortable sharing too much information with the detective. She decided to answer Carol Rigby’s questions as simply as possible and offer up no additional information.
“I understand Mr. Seifert was dining with a companion.” Detective Rigby leveled her gaze at Katie.
“Yes. He was having lunch with a woman. Our efforts to locate her to determine how Jamie was feeling or acting while he was with her have proven futile so far. We aren’t even certain of her identity.”
“Well, who do you think she was?”
“Brad—our chef—and I went through the receipts for the time Jamie was here, and we believe he was dining with someone from Calexia Industries,” Katie said.
Detective Rigby tapped the keys on her smar
tphone to record the name of the company. “Have you spoken with anyone from the company?”
“No.” Although Katie’s conscience tugged at her, she didn’t offer up the contact information she had obtained for Calexia Industries nor the name Gabrielle Pearson. Let the detective discover the lead the same way she had. Besides, if the elusive Ms. Pearson had anything to say that might incriminate Tealicious in the slightest, Katie wanted to know about it before anyone else.
“And your chef—Brad—?”
“Andrews,” Katie supplied.
The detective typed away on her keypad. “Yes. Is Chef Andrews here? I’d like to speak to him.”
“He’s off today. Tealicious and Artisans Alley are both typically closed on Mondays.” She gave a hollow little laugh. “It’s the only day of the week I get any peace.”
“Right. May I have his phone number please?”
“Of course.” Katie looked at the contacts screen on her phone and gave the detective Brad’s number.
After typing it into her phone, Detective Rigby swiped up to look at something she’d apparently written earlier. “I understand you were at a card game with Mr. Seifert the night before his death.”
“I was. We were at Sassy Sally’s—the Square’s bed and breakfast—with the proprietors Nick Farrell and Don Parsons. And, of course, Seth was there.”
“Right. How were Mr. Landers and Mr. Seifert behaving toward each other?” the detective asked. “Any apparent tensions between them?”
Katie’s ire flared, even though she knew the detective was only doing her job. “No. As a matter of fact, they were discussing vacations, and Seth said anywhere with Jamie would be heaven.”
Detective Rigby arched a brow. “Uh-huh. And that didn’t seem a little too over the top to you? A bit too lovey-dovey?”
Katie barked out a brief laugh. “Careful, Detective Rigby, or I’m liable to think you’re as cynical as I am. But, no—knowing Seth, I believe he meant what he was saying.”
The lady cop smiled. “So you’re a cynic, eh?”
Shrugging, Katie said, “I recently ended a long-term relationship.”
“Sorry to hear that. But back to business. How did Mr. Seifert seem on Friday night? Was he distracted? Upset about anything? Nervous?”
“No. He seemed fine.” Katie paused. “At least from an emotional standpoint. Physically, he wasn’t up to par. He appeared to have had an upset stomach.”
“What made you think so?” Carol looked up from her phone. “Did you see him popping antacids?”
“He kept going to the bathroom.”
“I see.” Carol typed something into her phone.
Feeling it was taking the detective too long to type in “multiple trips to the bathroom,” Katie asked, “What are you thinking?”
Carol gave her a tight smile and returned the phone to her suit pocket. “I don’t want to speculate.”
“But you are,” Katie said. “You’re thinking maybe his stomach was upset because he was troubled about something, aren’t you?”
Inclining her head slightly, Carol said, “Some people make multiple trips to the bathroom during a party to take drugs. Did Mr. Seifert appear to be impaired at any point during the evening?”
“No, not at all.” Again, Katie felt outraged on Jamie’s behalf, even though she understood that Carol Rigby didn’t know him and that she had to get to the truth. “I genuinely felt he had a queasy stomach—that’s all.”
“Then why didn’t he seek medical attention?” Detective Rigby asked.
“I assume Jamie thought he was having a bad reaction to something he’d eaten or that he had a stomach virus and that it would soon work its way out of his system,” Katie said. “When I saw him at Tealicious on Saturday, I thought he must be feeling better.”
Carol lifted her chin. “Up until the point when he collapsed right outside your door?”
Katie sighed. “Yeah.”
“Thank you for your time, Ms. Bonner. I’ll be in touch if I need any further information from you.”
After the detective left, Katie climbed the interior stairs to her apartment and sank onto the love seat. She desperately hoped the detective didn’t get in touch with Seth today. He didn’t need to deal with her questions on top of the gamut of emotions he was already experiencing.
Mason wound around her ankles, obviously thrilled to have her home in the middle of the day. She picked up the cat and kissed the top of his head.
“You’re the sweetest guy in the whole world,” she said.
He meowed as though to say he knew.
A knock sounded at the apartment’s exterior door.
Katie hoped Detective Rigby hadn’t returned with more questions. She took a deep breath, stood, and crossed to the door. When she opened it to Ray, she let out her breath in relief.
“Nice to see you, too,” he said, stepping inside the apartment. “We weren’t able to talk when you came to Wood U earlier, so I came to see what you wanted to tell me.” He looked around the open area. “Is Margo here yet?”
“No. Isn’t one woman batting her eyelashes at you enough for one day?” she asked archly.
Ray blinked. “What do you mean by that?”
“I mean, you looked awfully chummy with Detective Carol Rigby.”
Ray laughed. “Carol isn’t an eyelash batter. She’s a strong, capable, intelligent woman. Like you. But I’m guessing Carol isn’t the reason you came to talk with me.”
“No.” Katie plunked down on the love seat. “I came to tell you that while I was visiting Seth, he got a phone call from the medical examiner’s office—Jamie was poisoned.”
Sitting beside her, Ray asked, “Did the toxicologist give Seth the name of the poison?”
“Abrin.” She wrinkled her brow. “Am I saying that right? It’s something I’ve never heard of before.”
“You’re saying it right, and it’s one of the most toxic substances found in nature,” Ray said, his expression grim. “It’s also known as rosary peas. It can stay in a person’s system for up to three days.”
“Do you mean someone ground them up and hid them in his food or something?”
“That, or he chewed them.” Ray shook his head. “Either way, Jamie was poisoned. I can’t believe he’d knowingly ingest them.”
“Where does this stuff grow?”
“I’m pretty sure it’s found in Florida.”
Katie’s brow wrinkled. “Then how could Jamie have possibly eaten it?”
Ray merely shrugged.
“I didn’t tell Carol Rigby about the phone call,” Katie admitted. “I guessed she either already knew Jamie’s cause of death or that she’d find out on her own soon enough. I didn’t mention Gabrielle Pearson, either. Did you?”
“No. Carol and I were too busy catching up to discuss investigations—past or present,” he said matter-of-factly.
Katie stiffened. “Well, I’d appreciate your not mentioning Gabrielle to Carol when you take her out for that drink, either. I’d prefer to speak with Ms. Pearson before your lovely detective does, if that’s possible.”
“And why’s that?” Ray asked pointedly.
“Because…because….” But she really had no reason based on logic for such a request.
Katie stood and moved to the window. “I imagine you’d better get back to work.”
Ray strode toward her. “Why? Is there a throng at the door of Wood U? Or am I being dismissed?”
“I merely don’t want you to lose any business on my account.”
“Is that so?” He put his hands on his hips. “Twice today your green-eyed monster has reared its ugly head at me.”
She scoffed. “You’re calling me jealous?”
“Yes, I am.” He moved closer. “What is it you want, Katie?”
“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Liar.” He placed one hand on her neck and ran his thumb along her jawline. “Tell me. Do you want me to kiss you?”
Her
mouth had gone dry, and she felt her eyes drift closed. “N-no.”
“Open your eyes and tell me that.”
Instead, she opened her eyes and moved into his embrace. They kissed hungrily, but Katie eventually pulled away.
“I can’t,” she whispered.
“You know I’ll wait for you if that’s what you want.” His voice was low and husky.
It took every ounce of Katie’s willpower for her not to move back into his arms. “That wouldn’t be fair.”
“Are you saying there’s no future for us beyond friendship?” he asked.
“Not right now.” She looked down at the floor. “I want you to be happy—I truly do. But at this point in my life, I’m not in a position to build a life with someone else. I need to be on my own for a while.”
“Ah.” He gave a mirthless chuckle. “The old ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ routine.”
“It really is me,” Katie said. “You shouldn’t wait around for a relationship that might never happen.”
Ray gently lifted her chin, kissed her forehead, and left her alone.
Chapter 9
It had taken more time than Katie wanted before her heart stopped pounding and she could think coherently once again. Confusion was not a pleasant condition to suffer. Upon meeting Ray Davenport, she’d found him to be an unreasonable old man who seemed incapable of any state other than suspicion. He’d seen her efforts to get to the truth of a situation as a nuisance. But after she’d saved his life, his attitude had softened.
Were the emotions he felt for her based on gratitude alone? And why—how—could she be attracted to a man so much older than herself? Was she looking for the security of a father figure? Her own father had died when she was only six. Her husband, Chad, hadn’t evoked any such attachment, but she considered Seth to be the big brother—male protector—she hadn’t had for most of her life.
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