Posies and Poison (Sweetfern Harbor Mystery Book 1)

by Wendy Meadows

  “I haven’t seen Carrie this afternoon. She takes her break early to mid-afternoon. Maybe she walked downtown,” said Phyllis, who was polishing a teapot. “I’m waiting for William. He’s picking me up and we’re going to the museum this afternoon.”

  Brenda smiled at her. Phyllis relaxed more now that her relationship with William Pendleton was out in the open. Gossip about the relationship and approval for the two’s love was almost as common in Sweetfern Harbor as gossip about murder suspects. Brenda returned to Mac, frustrated.

  “Let’s go check at the coffee shop. Sometimes she visits Logan there when she has time.”

  “Get in with me and I’ll bring you back when we find her,” said Mac.

  When they got to Morning Sun Coffee, Molly looked a little wary of them as she asked them for their orders.

  “We’re looking for Carrie and I thought maybe she was down here hanging out with Logan on her break,” said Brenda. She looked around and didn’t see Logan. “Is Logan off this afternoon?”

  “He’s probably with Carrie. Her cousin Kelly is leaving in a little while to go back home to New York. Logan and Carrie mentioned giving her a send-off down at the bus station.” She gave an apologetic grin. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even ask them what time Kelly was supposed to be leaving.” She looked at the detective. Her face turned serious. “I’m on pins and needles wondering if and when you are going to arrest me. It’s worse waiting than knowing.”

  Detective Rivers jerked slightly at her question. “It won’t be any time soon, Molly. I’m still investigating everyone.”

  “That’s good to know. I worried about the shop and who would keep it going. Logan can never seem to come in on time and he has no clue of how to keep inventory at the right level.” She smiled. “At least with William in charge of the lease we can all relax and stop worrying about unexpected rent increases and build our businesses the way we want.”

  With that, Brenda and Mac quickly left for the bus depot.

  Chapter Eight

  Departure Interrupted

  They drove through the streets until reaching the edge of town where the bus depot was located. Two buses were parked. People were getting onto one of them. The bus was ready to pull out. Mac parked and they hurried toward the bus. Searching the faces of those boarding, neither saw Kelly.

  “Let’s go inside. Maybe she is getting her ticket. The bus for New York is not filled yet,” said Brenda. She pointed to the second bus. Mac hurried over to it and stepped inside. She saw him flash his badge and he scanned the faces of the passengers on board, then he stepped back down.

  Inside the depot, they spotted Logan at the ticket counter. Carrie stood to his side. Kelly sat on the bench intent on her iPad. Mac stood on the other side of Logan and asked him if he was buying a ticket for Kelly. Brenda talked with Kelly who told her she was waiting for Carrie and Logan to get their tickets.

  “We’re all leaving for New York. Both of them decided to come with me.” Her face lit up with excitement. “I’m so glad Carrie decided to finally follow her dreams. Logan was determined to come with her. He doesn’t want any big city guy getting his girl. At least, that’s what he said.”

  Brenda rushed to Mac and whispered the news. Mac moved to Carrie’s side. Brenda hurried to stand by Logan. The young couple looked surprised to see them.

  “You aren’t going anywhere, Carrie. I’m putting you under arrest for the murder of Priscilla Pendleton.” He took his handcuffs out and pulled her wrists together behind her back, fastening them securely.

  “What?” Logan yelled. “She’s no murderer. Let her go! She’s on her way to New York to finally follow her dream. There is no way Carrie killed that old lady.”

  Kelly rushed to her cousin’s side. “What’s going on?” she asked in alarm.

  “Carrie is being arrested for the murder of Lady Pendleton,” Brenda replied. Kelly’s eyes opened wide matching her gaping mouth.

  “Carrie is not the murderer. You have the wrong person.” Logan’s voice rose to an anguished shout and he began to draw a crowd.

  Security was called while Mac radioed for a backup squad car. Carrie’s eyes filled with tears but with handcuffs on her she had no way of wiping them from her cheeks. Kelly quickly hugged her and carefully reached to dry her cousin’s tears.

  “I can’t stay. The bus is leaving soon, Carrie. My job is waiting back in New York. My boss told me if I don’t come home soon I won’t have a job. I have to go but I will check with Logan to find out what happens with you. I know you didn’t do it.” She hugged Carrie again and tears flowed between the cousins. Two cops entered and one immediately escorted Carrie to the car. The other one snapped handcuffs onto Logan at Mac’s orders, arresting him for disorderly conduct.

  “Good,” he yelled at Mac as he was walked slowly to the exit. “If she goes to jail, I’m not leaving her there. She’s innocent and you have no proof she killed anyone.”

  The crowd was held spellbound with these events, but the bus station security and the cops moved everyone back.

  Brenda noticed Kelly. She appeared helpless as well as confused as to what she should do. Brenda stepped over to her.

  “I understand how you feel, Kelly. You have a job to go home to and you aren’t that far from Sweetfern Harbor. Call me for any updates if you want to.” She passed her a business card with the number of Sheffield Bed and Breakfast printed on it. Kelly smiled and thanked her, trying to hide her anguish. She hurried to the bus without looking back.

  Logan called back to her. “Don’t worry, Kelly, they have the wrong person and Mac Rivers will soon know that. He’s made a big mistake.”

  Brenda got into Mac’s car, still a little shell-shocked from the shouting confrontation. “I have to tell you something, Mac. I was hoping to confirm this first with William Pendleton, but everything is moving so fast now...” She told him of her conversation with Pete Graham. “I’m not saying you don’t have your reasons for arresting Carrie, but I really think there could be something between William and Pete. They both have a reason to want her dead. Besides, Pete didn’t seem to notice this, but it sounded like William was awfully positive that Lady Pendleton would die first.” Brenda looked hopefully at Mac. “Maybe they presumed she would die first because one or both of them knew she would.”

  Mac shook his head. He held to the firm belief he had the right person. “Neither of them had a way to get poison of any kind into her food or drink. Besides, we discovered large amounts of antifreeze residue in the cup from Morning Sun.”

  “What does that have to do with Carrie?” Brenda felt a slow anger rising within her and she fought to control her voice.

  “She knew exactly how poisons mixed with other substances. She often visited with Logan on her breaks and she could have easily slipped something into the drink he served. He may or may not have known she put it into the cup.” It was as if Mac anticipated her next objection. “I will find out if Carrie was there when the Pendletons came in. Logan probably wouldn’t have wanted to mention her being there under the circumstances but I think we have some leverage now.”

  He was logical, thought Brenda, but she still did not believe Carrie Martin had anything to do with the woman’s murder. She said nothing more as Mac parked the car at the police station and they went inside to watch as the new arrivals were processed.

  Logan stood waiting to be booked. He glared at Mac.

  “Let’s go,” said the cop. He moved Logan to a room down the hallway.

  Brenda watched as the second officer finished processing Carrie. A female officer took her into another room next to the interrogation room where Logan sat.

  “I’ll go in and see Carrie,” said Mac. “The earphones will allow you to listen and you can watch through the one-way window. I think it’s best if you don’t go in with me since she is an employee of yours. I don’t want her to be distracted, or to hold back in any way.”

  Brenda walked to the window and observed Carrie sitting down. Ma
c told the officer to remove her handcuffs and stand to the side of the room while Mac began his interrogation. Brenda watched while the initial comments were made and then had an idea.

  Brenda asked the deputy to allow her in the room with Logan. When she entered the small room, she noted Logan paced back and forth, agitation clouding his face. He stopped when she came inside.

  “I’m not coming to interrogate you. That will be Mac’s job. I just want to know why you and Carrie suddenly decided to leave your jobs without telling me or Molly.”

  “We couldn’t stand hearing about Lady Pendleton’s death everywhere we turned,” he said, practically exploding with frustration. “I was sick of the woman when she lived and happy when she died. She cheated everyone in Sweetfern Harbor and she was hateful toward Carrie. She didn’t care who she hurt or what the outcome was, and that includes my own father.”

  “Tell me what happened to your family.”

  Anger flared in his eyes as he spoke. “My father was a plumber and a very good one. She hired him to install plumbing work for all the houses she owned and he did a good job. When he was finished she refused to pay him in full for the work he had done. She said he had broken the contract for some small thing that shouldn’t have mattered. He had passed up several jobs to get the work done for her. My father barely made ends meet after that. He had spent a lot of money on fixtures and pipes and when she didn’t pay him as promised he lost a lot of money on the deal.”

  “I’m so sorry, Logan. It seems like the more I hear about Lady Pendleton there’s just no end to the bitterness and wrath she spread around this town.” She paused a moment, glad to see he had calmed a little getting this story out of his system. She then continued carefully. “Have you and Carrie known each other since childhood?”

  “I knew her but not well until we had freshman science class together. We clicked right away. Neither of us ever dated anyone else. After her parents died, an aunt of hers from Brooklyn moved in with her, just until Carrie turned eighteen. Soon after she left, that’s when Carrie’s troubles with Lady Pendleton really started. I knew what would happen to her then.”

  Logan gave a short, bitter laugh. “Of course, Carrie knew what had happened to my dad, too. Everyone hated that woman.” He gestured toward the door emphatically. “She had nothing to do with killing Lady Pendleton. As much as Carrie resented her, she would never have done that. She still wants to be a pharmacist someday. If she had stooped to murder, her chances at that future would be lost. She’s better than that.”

  “What are you trying to tell me, Logan? I have to ask you. Why were you both leaving so suddenly for New York? Was it spur of the moment, or did you plan ahead to do that? I doubt you had a job lined up there.”

  “I figured I’d find work,” he replied defensively. “Kelly promised to help me with that. Carrie was excited to get her education back on track. And, yes, it was spur of the moment,” he said. “I mean—we constantly talked about our future but to actually take off like that…Kelly convinced Carrie to come with her.” Logan’s voice quieted and he seemed lost in thought, staring into the distance as he recalled it to Brenda. “She said it was now or never. Lady Pendleton’s death was like a ghost that would never stop haunting us…never stop haunting this town. It was time to get a fresh start. Carrie planned to call you when we got to New York. She said she would come back on weekends and help train someone new. I couldn’t let her go alone like that. What if some guy in New York won her over? I had to go with her.”

  Brenda didn’t say anything for a moment. She waited. Something about Logan Tucker told her he was hiding something more. It had something to do with this sudden impulse to run off to New York City.

  “It’s not like Carrie to just up and leave without any notice. She is more responsible than that.”

  Logan nodded his head in agreement. “She felt guilty about that but she loves me like I do her. You see…there is nothing left for me here. And Carrie really does love me. She loves me no matter what I’ve done.” He looked up at her with a desperate, pleading look.

  Brenda felt shock waves shoot through her. She stood up and raised her hand to stop Logan from saying any more. An officer stood outside the interrogation room and she asked him to stay with Logan. She hurried from the room and signaled to Mac’s deputy, who hurried over.

  “Tell Detective Rivers I must speak with him right away. He must interrupt his interview; it’s that important.”

  When Mac came out, she told him of her strange conversation with Logan Tucker. “I think he’s ready to confess something. He’s in distress and he’s adamant that Carrie did not do it.”

  Mac nodded in agreement. “She told me she left like that because Logan wanted to go to New York City, but she wouldn’t come out and say why. Now Logan has something to say. She’s beginning to make more sense now.”

  “For the record, I did not interrogate Logan,” said Brenda. “I merely had a casual conversation with him about his relationship with Carrie. Once we were talking, he told me how Lady Pendleton ripped off his own family. That was when he made a remark that drew suspicion and I called for you.”

  “That’s all right. It was good that you went in like that. If he had been left alone much longer he would have had too much time to think about his situation and how to get out of it all.”

  Chapter Nine

  The Interrogation

  Brenda drew a deep breath. She hoped she was right about Logan Tucker and what he had to say. At the same time, she thought it would be natural for him to point the finger at anyone but himself. He had his whole life ahead of him and a lot to lose. Then again, why had he seemed so ready to reveal his secret to her?

  Together, Mac and Brenda went into the room where Logan paced nervously beside the small table. “I understand you are ready to tell me something, Logan. What is it?” Logan twisted his fingers together, stopped as if he was going to speak, but then stopped himself and paced again. “Sit down, Logan. Do you want something to drink? We have soft drinks, water, or coffee if you want anything.” Mac appeared relaxed but Brenda noted his alert demeanor. Finally, the young man sat down and shook his head refusing the offer of something to drink.

  “Good,” said Mac, “now let’s get started. Tell me everything you know.” He flipped the recorder on. Then he asked Logan if he wanted a lawyer present. When the answer was no, Mac read him his rights again. “Go ahead, then,” the detective said.

  “I’ve been working on a motorcycle in my garage. I mean the garage down the street. My dad has our garage at home piled up with other stuff, so he keeps a couple of things in my garage. Things like jugs of antifreeze.” He swallowed hard and continued. “Every day I heard people complaining about how much Lady Pendleton was squeezing them bone dry. I saw it happen to my own dad and we all know what she did to Carrie and to Phyllis. With that lawsuit against Jenny, she was aiming for your daughter too, Mac. You knew something had to be done. Everyone knew something had to be done.” He swallowed again. “No one seemed to know what to do about it. I was going crazy thinking it would go on like that forever. So, when I saw no one else was doing anything about her, I did something.”

  Brenda held her breath. The atmosphere in the little room was close, almost stifling.

  “What happened?” asked Mac.

  “I knew it was time for her to pick up her coffee beans. That morning before I came to work, I put antifreeze in a little jar and put it in my pocket. She always ordered a cappuccino and so I knew I could be generous with the antifreeze, it would be hidden under the foam. I saw her and William getting out of the car and I started making her drink. I stirred it in well and topped it with a perfect cap of foam. She sat there and drank it and had no idea she was on her way to death. She deserved it.”

  “How did you know her coffee wouldn’t taste wrong to her?”

  Logan relaxed. “That was easy. I learned that a long time ago from Carrie in high school chemistry. It has the same chemical composition as suga
ry drinks or something like that. Who would have known that would come in handy one day?”

  “Why would you do such a thing, Logan?” asked Brenda. “You have your whole life ahead of you.”

  He tilted his chin up, cocky again. “It was simple. Everyone in Sweetfern Harbor is family to me. I was sick and tired of her beating everyone out of their livelihoods and getting away with it. I was just helping my family. I was just doing what everyone knew needed to be done but no one else had the guts to do.” He smiled, though not his usual wide grin. “I’m glad I did it. She didn’t deserve to have everything at the expense of the rest of us.” He looked at Mac. “I swear to you that Carrie had nothing to do with the murder. She had no idea until I told her a few minutes before we took Kelly to the bus station. That’s how I convinced her that the best thing was to leave with Kelly and start a new life in New York without telling anybody.” He paused. “Carrie was nowhere near Morning Sun Coffee that day.”

  He looked at Brenda. “Carrie was at Sheffield House with you that whole morning, remember?” Brenda realized he was right. Carrie had helped her audit her books and there would have been no time in between when she could have been down at the coffee shop.

  Mac just shook his head. “Even if you weren’t running from the law, running off is a bad idea. Do you know how expensive it is to live in New York? You wouldn’t have found support like you do around here. It was a matter of time before we would've found out who killed Lady Pendleton. You wouldn’t have lasted in New York City anyway, and running is a red flag for your guilt.” He wiped his forehead with the back of his sleeve. “I’m just glad you were honest enough to confess, Logan. Wait right here until my deputy comes in.”