The door to the greenhouse opened, and they both turned around to see Margaret. Visibly shaking, her hands lifted a small handgun and pointed it toward them. “I didn’t want it to be like this,” Margaret said earnestly. “I met her here because I didn’t want to meet her at home. I tried to leave, but she grabbed me.” Margaret shook her head, and in doing so, she waved the gun around. “She fell. You gotta believe me.”
“I believe you,” Leo said calmly. “Put the gun down, Margaret. This will only make things worse for you.”
Margaret did not seem to be listening to Leo. Instead, she had her eyes fixed on Penelope. “I just got a letter from the gallery in Atlanta. They are gonna let the winner of this year’s show put their work up for all to see. I couldn’t miss that. I was so close to making it big.”
“You threw us under the bus, Margie. After all we did for you,” Penelope shook her head. Penelope gasped as a blur of golden fur rushed toward Margaret. “Bramble!”
The next moment, Margaret went down with a squeal. The gun fell from her hand, and Leo hurriedly scooped it up. Bramble lay on the woman as she flailed and kicked. Leo shook his head at Penelope, taking out his cuffs.
Penelope sat in the grass with Bramble. They watched as Leo put Margaret into the back of a squad car and handed the papers over to another officer. The curly-haired detective came and sat down in the grass next to Penelope. “I guess you were right again,” Leo said with amusement. “It really wasn’t any of you three.”
I’m not always right,” Penelope said as she dug the toe of her shoe into the soft grass. “I’m sorry, Leo, for what I said to you when you left. Just so you know, I was wrong.”
Leo shook his head. “Not entirely,” he said with a smile. “But just so there are no misunderstandings this time, why don’t we have coffee in the morning before you go down to give your statement?”
“Romantic,” Penelope teased, and then they both laughed. “Thanks, Leo.”
Leo shrugged. “Anytime, Penny. I’d better go. I’m sure the chief and the mayor both will want a full report in the morning.”
“See you tomorrow,” Penelope said. The man smiled at her as he walked away. Penelope gave him a little wave.
Bramble put his head on her knee. “Want to go home, handsome?” Penelope asked Bramble. The dog’s tail thumped lazily against the ground. They locked up and headed to the truck. As she started to get in after Bramble, Penelope stopped. Her eyes went to the garden center and the large sign with their logo and the words Greene Fields in big letters. She nodded and slid into the truck behind Bramble. Time to head home.
“I don’t think I am ready to hire anyone else,” Sorrel said with feeling.
Penelope gave her cousin a smile. “Come on. It’s been two months since Margaret was arrested, and we haven’t had a day off since. It’ll take weeks to train someone, and I would dearly love to take a beach day before it’s winter again.” The two were preparing to meet with the first of many interviewees.
“I’m just glad the truth came out at the trial. I can’t believe she thought she could do that and get away with it all for some stupid gallery!” Sorrel shook her head.
“We may never understand Margaret’s reasoning, but she’s gone, and we are still here.” Penelope put her hand on the table. “We have to do these interviews.”
Sorrel rolled her eyes and sank down into a chair. “Okay.”
“You can’t ask them if they are going to murder anyone on the property, Sorrel,” Penelope reminded her cousin.
Sorrel shook her head. “You just take the fun right out of everything.”
“That’s my job. Keeping the family safe and making sure no one has any fun,” Penelope said with a grin.
A grin spread over Sorrel’s face. “Have you decided to add detective to that list of jobs?”
Penelope tapped her chin with the pencil in her hand. “I think Leo might mind that.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Sorel mused. “I think he might be talked into going along with it.”
Penelope pondered that for a moment. She shrugged just as there was a knock on the door. “Anything’s possible,” Penelope whispered before she called out, “Enter.” Sorrel and Penelope shared a look as they prepared themselves to go through the process of looking for a new employee.
It might take a while, but Penelope was sure that they would all get back to normal. Fall Creek, after all, was a resourceful town. Nothing got its residents down for too long. They were just too stubborn to accept what life threw at them without a bit of a fight. Yes, everything would be right as rain in no time at all.
Narcissist in the Daffodils (Greene Fields Mystery Book 1) Page 7
