Fruit of the Poisoned Tree

by Joyce; Jim Lavene

  “Or someone?” Hunter demanded, impatiently tapping her foot. “Mom wouldn’t like it if she knew you were letting me starve so you could spend time with your boyfriend.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend.” Sam started walking toward the front of the shop again. “At least I don’t think he’s my boyfriend. I’m sorry, sweetie. I’ll make it up to you.”

  “Yes you will!” She followed him into the shop where Peggy was already going through the mail. “I got a serious retainer fee today, thanks to Peggy.”

  Sam made a face that looked like he’d eaten too many pickles. “Are you kidding? You’re going to do it again, aren’t you? You’re going to get involved in another one of Peggy’s crazy murder cases.”

  Peggy heard her name and looked up from an invoice for several tulip trees. “What do you mean one of my crazy murder cases? I don’t think I’ve had crazy murder cases. You can’t really count this the same way as Mark Warner’s death. We’re not investigating exactly. Hunter just stepped in to help Beth.”

  “That’s the way it started last time.” Sam grinned. “I’m not complaining. I had a good time when we did it before. Hunter was the one who whined and complained when she didn’t start picking up expensive clients when it was over.”

  “This will be different,” Hunter agreed with Peggy. “Wait and see. I’ve already made more money on it than I did on everything last time. How could I charge that poor old man or his daughter for much? They didn’t have any more than I do!”

  Peggy leaned on the counter beside the cash register. “Beth needs help, Sam. Park’s friend from the law firm was a little weird. There’s going to be press over this. When Hunter and I get Beth out of trouble, her name will be in the paper and on TV. Her career is bound to take off.”

  “Okay! Okay! You’ve beaten me with your plowshares! So what do we do first?” Sam asked as Hunter sat in the rocking chair beside the snowman. “Do we need to steal something? Beat someone up until they tell the truth?”

  “Not as far as I know.” Peggy laughed. “First, we let the police do their job. Mai told me she’d let me know as soon as the Isabelle’s preliminary autopsy is done. In the meantime, I guess we begin by compiling a list of suspects.”

  “Isn’t it still possible the police will come back empty-handed as far as Park’s death is concerned?” Sam rearranged the red silk tulips in the spring display. “If his death was really an accident because he fell asleep at the wheel, the police won’t be able to say anything else to Beth, right?”

  Hunter made a pyramid of her fingers as she rocked furiously, the floor creaking beneath her. “That’s true. But it won’t help with Isabelle’s death. The police could still try to say Beth decided to put an end to the old lady giving her grief over everything. Even if nothing comes of the investigation into Park’s death, I think there will still be problems with that.”

  Peggy agreed with her. “But if we’re going to look for Isabelle’s enemies, it’s going to take us years. No one liked the Dragon Queen. Not even her husband and son.”

  “That’s really sad.” Sam shook his head and stared out at what was left of the snow in the courtyard outside the windows. “But there’s a big difference between not liking someone and killing them. I don’t like Hunter, but she’s still alive.”

  “I’m going to be generous and ignore that remark since you’re taking me out for dinner. And not fast food either!” Hunter smiled and hugged her brother. “Peggy, let me know if you hear anything. Otherwise, we’ll wait for the police to call us.”

  “Don’t forget about Alice and Cindy,” Peggy reminded her. “I think there could be something there.”

  “I won’t.” Hunter wrote herself a note on the palm of her hand.

  “Where are you off to?” Sam asked her.

  “To buy a new suit,” Hunter replied with a dreamy expression on her face.

  “Everything’s closed,” Peggy reminded her. “You might have to wait until tomorrow.”

  “As long as the power is on and my computer is working, I can shop.” Hunter grinned. “That’s why God gave us credit cards.”

  Sam shook his head as Hunter left the shop. “I worry about her. It’s hard for her to keep five dollars in her pocket without spending it.”

  “She’ll be fine,” Peggy advised. “She just needs to get on her feet.”

  “While we’ve got a few minutes,” Sam said, “let’s talk about pruning a gardenia. Mrs. Shultz wants her gardenia pruned. I think it’s fine the way it is, and I’m afraid to prune it back any further. I think it might kill the plant. She says it doesn’t flower enough.”

  “Gardenia . . .” Peggy ruminated, glancing through her vegetable catalog. “A good rule of thumb is to prune lightly. Just look for places where the plant looks uneven or has yellow leaves. You’re right about cutting it too far back.”

  “So what do I tell Mrs. Shultz? She wants it trimmed back to almost ground level.”

  “You tell her the truth. We don’t prune back so far as to cause damage to the plant.” Peggy looked at him and smiled. “If she wants to do it, that’s fine. Our last word should always come from Hippocrates. ‘Do no harm.’ That’s the Potting Shed motto.”

  “That’s what I thought. Just wanted to clear it with you because I know she’ll be on the phone with you as soon as I leave.”

  “Don’t worry about a thing.” Peggy put on her glasses. “I’ve got your back, as they say on the street.”

  Sam laughed. “When was the last time you were on the street?”

  “Today. Furiously running from yard to yard. You’d be surprised how much you pick up.”

  “I’m going to finish putting out this fertilizer for pickup tomorrow.” He smiled with a hint at her “street smarts.”

  Peggy stayed at the shop, looking through catalogs and ordering supplies. A few customers actually came up and knocked on the door. She let them in and offered them a cup of hot tea as they explained what brought them out.

  One man was looking for a last-minute gift for his wife. Peggy sold him a terrarium kit when he explained his wife liked indoor gardening. They lived on the fifth floor of one of the new condominium units right around the corner. He thanked her heartily. His wife’s birthday party was scheduled for that night, despite the bad weather. He promised to come back when they were ready to start gardening on their balcony.

  Debra Carson, a longtime friend of Beth’s, came into the shop. She was a regular customer at the Potting Shed. Peggy rarely saw her because she mostly ordered online and had her supplies delivered. But since the snow kept her home for the day, she sat down and had tea with Peggy.

  “I can’t imagine how Beth must be feeling about now.” Debra sat in the rocking chair and rolled her eyes. She was married to a pediatrician and lived two doors down from Park and Beth.

  Peggy wished she couldn’t imagine but didn’t bother explaining that to Debra. “It will be hard for her, especially with the two boys.”

  “Not to mention the guilt.” Debra flipped through the flowering tree catalog.

  “You mean about Isabelle’s death?”

  Debra looked up at her, brown eyes open wide. “You mean she didn’t tell you about Park and her?”

  Peggy put down the catalog she held and paid more attention. “What about them?”

  “Beth was going to leave him over the summer. They finally reconciled and managed to keep it together. I think it was mostly for the boys. But it was close for a while.”

  “What happened?” Peggy couldn’t believe it was true. Park and Beth had one of the most stable relationships she knew.

  “It was the ex-wife, what’s her name?” Debra said the words like they explained everything. “As a second wife, I can tell you they can be a real bitch.”

  Cindy Walker again. Her name was coming up more and more often. She was always a problem, stalking Park, trying to run Park down with her Saab when he left her for Beth. Maybe she was more than just a scorned wife. “What did she want this
time?”

  Debra smiled and narrowed her eyes. “It wasn’t what she wanted. It was who. And I guess you could say she got him. Park slept with her. Beth found out somehow and was ready to leave. I don’t know what changed her mind. I would’ve left Kinsley if he ever tried that on me.”

  “Why would Beth feel guilty about Park dying because of that?” Peggy was confused and concerned about the information. Why didn’t Beth tell her? The police were sure to find out.

  “Because,” Debra explained, “part of her agreeing to stay with him was that big, fat insurance policy. Imagine how she feels now that he’s dead.”

  9

  Begonia

  Botanical: Begonia

  Family: Begoniaceae

  The begonia was first discovered in the rain forests of South America around the mid-1800s. For almost a century, it was considered an exotic plant only owned by the wealthy. Today, the begonia is to Belgium what the tulip is to Holland and graces the windowsills of homes around the world.

  “YOU’VE CONSISTENTLY LIED TO the police from the start,” Peggy accused Beth an hour later as she paced her kitchen floor.

  “Alice, take the boys upstairs, please,” Beth requested.

  The burly black housekeeper snorted and glared at Peggy. “Seems to me some people should have enough to do without getting in other people’s business!”

  “It’s all right.” Beth smiled at her. “Peggy and I need to talk.”

  Peggy waited until Foxx and Reddman were out of the room. She didn’t mean to burst in and begin a tirade, but the words just came out when she saw her friend’s placid face. “Beth, if the police find out . . . when the police find out, it’s going to be very bad for you.”

  “I didn’t know what to say,” she confessed, hands twisted in her lap. “Park told me we should keep quiet on the insurance. That’s why I pretended not to know about it. Then all these other things came up. I just blanked.”

  “This makes you look incredibly guilty of something.” Peggy continued to pace the old hardwood floor. “I know you didn’t do anything to hurt Park or Isabelle. But the police won’t. They’ll come after you about this. You have to tell Hunter so she knows what she’s up against.”

  “I will,” Beth agreed. “It’s so scary, Peggy. I-I don’t know what to say or do. They’re accusing me of terrible things. I could lose the boys.”

  Peggy wanted to hug her. She really did. But she was angry, too. So she stayed where she was, arms folded across her chest to keep from reaching out to her friend. “Just tell the truth from now on. Don’t let them catch you in any more lies. This is bad enough without that.”

  “I agree.” Beth looked up at her with tears on her face. “I won’t let it happen again.”

  “Did you talk to Alice about working for Isabelle?”

  “I don’t see what difference it makes now.” She shrugged. “Isabelle probably sent her here years ago to spy on me. It’s not surprising. She liked to know what was going on.”

  Peggy tended to agree with her. With Isabelle dead, those small intrigues would be over. Still, it disturbed her. Did Isabelle know about the insurance policy and Park’s affair with Cindy, courtesy of Alice? Is that what made her think Beth was responsible for Park’s death?

  Alice called Beth to let her know the boys were ready for their stories. Peggy said good night to her but waited for Alice to come downstairs.

  When the housekeeper saw her, she drew her arms up combatively and her dark eyes narrowed. “What do you want now, Miz Peggy? Can’t you leave good enough alone?”

  “I suppose not. Not with everything that’s going on.” Peggy focused on the other woman, who was easily twice her size. “What kind of things did you report to Isabelle?”

  “Nothing! I worked for both of them. Don’t mean I spied on either of them, if that’s what you’re thinking!”

  “So you didn’t tell Isabelle when Park had the affair with Cindy or about the insurance policy Beth took out on him?”

  Alice’s lip curled. “I didn’t have to tell her about the insurance policy. Mr. Lamonte’s doctor told her when he went in for a physical to qualify. And I know you don’t think I had to tell Miz Isabelle about Miz Cindy! That woman was bursting to tell her!”

  “But you did tell her things, didn’t you?”

  “Things about the boys.” Alice shrugged. “Nothing important. Nothing that would hurt Miz Beth. She didn’t offer to pay me for anything, you know. It was like my duty to her. With her it was always like I should be grateful for her letting me work there. When she got me this job, I was supposed to be double grateful. But don’t take a leftover potato or a decent Christmas bonus home. No, ma’am!”

  Alice’s voice was bitter. Peggy looked at the surly housekeeper but decided to leave it. Alice worked for both households, had access to both dead family members. But it was hard to imagine where Park’s or Isabelle’s death would benefit her.

  Peggy called for a taxi and waited outside for it. There was nothing else she could do, and she was tired. She wanted to go home. She left a message on Al’s cell phone about Alice and Cindy while she was waiting. Maybe the information would be helpful.

  The cold air cleared her head. It was dark at six p.m. The streets were starting to freeze over for the night. All that melting left a lot of water on the pavement that quickly became a glossy sheen under the streetlights’ gleam.

  She heard some rustling in the bushes close to the house. Thinking it was probably a cat caught in a frozen holly, she went to help. She took a step back when Cindy Walker emerged from the cover of blackness where the lights couldn’t penetrate the shadows.

  “Peggy! It’s nice to see you again.” Cindy’s pale green ski-bunny outfit was perfect for her. Her blond hair was pushed up under a matching green knit cap with a white tassel on the top. “Cold out here, huh?”

  “What are you doing out here, Cindy?”

  “Not spying, if that’s what you think. I was about to go in and offer my condolences. Not that she’d come and offer any to me! And not that I’m not entitled to a few. He was my husband first! And he still loved me.”

  “You can sashay around the truth as much as you like,” Peggy said, “but when it comes right down to it, Park was with Beth. Not you!”

  “Not because he wanted to be,” Cindy declared passionately. “He wanted to leave her. She wouldn’t let him go. He didn’t want to lose everything. That’s the God’s honest truth! Ask her!”

  Peggy knew the only thing that kept this woman in Isabelle’s good graces was that her father was a state senator and she had a pedigree that went back before the Civil War. Cindy had to make the Dragon Queen grind her teeth just to talk to her!

  Unfortunately, she could hurt Beth’s case with her last declaration. The police would listen to her once they knew the whole story. Especially since Beth had lied to them. “I’m sure you were devastated as well,” she finally said to Cindy. “It’s been hard for everyone. I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Cindy’s shoulders sagged dramatically. “He was my life. She never loved him like I did. And he loved me. Now she’s killed Isabelle, too. I have no one. What am I going to do?”

  Peggy sympathized with her for a few minutes, patting her shoulder until the taxi came to take her home. But she thought about her for a long time after she left Myers Park. Cindy could be the prosecution’s best witness against Beth. She was also a good suspect. But while she definitely had motive to kill Park, Peggy couldn’t imagine her hurting Isabelle, her staunch supporter. Park, she sighed, what a mess you left us in!

  PEGGY WAS GLAD TO be home safely after a five-minute drive became a twenty-minute obstacle course. A car was turned sideways on Providence Road, blocking all traffic. Her driver, David, knew some side streets to take and skidded down them to reach her house. She gave him a large tip and some advice on what to do for the cramps he was having in his legs. “Eat plenty of bananas. That should help. You might need to see a nutritionist.”

 
“Thanks, Peggy. Those eyebright drops you recommended did good for my wife.”

  “That’s wonderful, David! Eyebright will do the trick! Say hello to Agnes for me, and drive safely.”

  Shakespeare was barking loudly when she opened the door. He ran and slid across the wood floor, taking a rug and a table with him, crashing into the wall. He looked up from his upside down, feet-in-the-air position and wagged his tail.

  “You’re a mess,” she told him as she extricated him from his tangle. “If we don’t get over to get those lessons soon, there won’t be anything left of the house or the shop.”

  She made herself a light supper of cheese and crackers while she looked through her mail and watched the news on TV. She was headed upstairs to change clothes and check on her plants when Hunter called. Beth had called her, as she promised.

  “This is bad, Peggy,” Hunter began. “When the police find out Beth and Park were having problems, then a big insurance policy surfaces after he dies, it will be very bad.”

  Peggy sighed. “I know. There’s nothing we can do about it now. Let’s hope they don’t find anything suspicious about Park’s accident. No matter how guilty Beth looks, if there’s no crime, it doesn’t matter.”

  Hunter agreed. “I hope she’s not hiding anything else from me. I can’t help her if I don’t know the truth.”

  “I know. I’m sorry this happened. But I really think it was a mistake and nothing calculated on her part.” She told her about her words with Alice and Cindy.

  “I hope so,” Hunter said. “On a lighter note, Sam took me out to a nice pizza and spaghetti place for dinner. There was no one there, so we got great service. They closed the place down as we were leaving.”

  “That’s great,” Peggy enthused. “But Sam is going to be with his new friends a lot. You need a boyfriend to take you out to dinner.”

  “Easier said than done. The last date I had was two years ago when a junior partner at a law firm took me out for lunch.”