A Very Merry Murder

by Cindy Kline

  He pulled into the hospital parking lot and parked next to the ambulance. The two drivers were going over their checklist when Callum walked up to them.

  “How’s our patient?”

  The woman, Eve Lesher, frowned. “Hey, Callum. I’m not sure he’s going to make it. That bash on his head is pretty bad.”

  “Thanks.” He nodded and made his way inside.

  Callum checked in with the nurse at the desk, then took the lift to visit the cafeteria for coffee. His watch read a few minutes before ten. He figured it would be at least eleven or later before Liam showed up, so he would have time for dinner.

  The steak and kidney pie wasn’t too bad. Twenty minutes later, he made his way back upstairs and checked in at the desk.

  “Has Mrs. Pierce arrived yet?” he asked the nurse.

  She shook her head. “I can let you know, though, when she arrives.”

  “Thank you.”

  A doctor was standing next to him, looking at a medical chart, when another man he recognized walked up to him. Callum couldn’t help but overhear.

  “Keagan, I hear you just checked in a patient of mine, Henry Pierce.”

  “Owen, good to see you. I didn’t realize you were here. Yes, a bash on the head. It doesn’t look good. He’s in a coma.”

  “He came and saw me this morning, thinking his ulcers were acting up. I did some tests and look at this.” He handed the doctor a sheet of paper.

  The doctor read it, and his eyebrows raised. He handed it back. “Poison?”

  Callum knew Dr. Owen West, of course, but not the man he was speaking to, but he now assumed he was the emergency doctor who took care of his victim. He held out his hand toward him, “I’m Sergeant Murphy, Garda Síochána in Dooley. Are you two speaking about Henry Pierce?”

  They nodded.

  “That’s why I’m here. What can you tell me? Did I hear you mention poison?”

  Dr. West looked around and said, “Let’s go over here where there’s a bit more privacy.”

  The three of them walked into a small, empty waiting room. Dr. West folded his arms across his chest. “Mr. Pierce came in to see me this morning complaining about pain in his abdomen, diarrhea, dizziness and numbness. He thought it was his ulcers becoming worse, so I ran some tests. I had a similar case last year with the same symptoms, so I had the lab run a specific test for the poison aconite. It just came back positive.”

  “Aconite? Isn’t that monkshood?” Callum pulled his phone out of his pocket.

  “Yes, a well-known and very familiar plant in Ireland. The problem is, people don’t realize how incredibly dangerous it is.”

  Callum looked at the doctor, “So someone tried to kill him?” Dread filled his body. Oh boy, another big case with Molly right in the middle. He would have to call Liam and let him know the latest developments.

  “It looks like someone tried to kill him twice, once with poison, and when that didn’t work, they bashed him on the head,” said Dr. O’Connor.

  Callum looked at him, “I’m sorry. I didn’t get your name.”

  “Doctor Keagan O’Connor.”

  Callum took out one of his cards from his pocket and handed one to both doctors. “Can you do me a favor and not mention this to anyone yet? I need to check with my boss to see how he wants to handle it. Mr. Pierce’s wife should be here soon. If you could not mention it to her right away, I would appreciate it.”

  They both agreed, and Callum left to make the dreaded phone call to Liam.

  Chapter Eight

  Liam had just pulled into Molly’s driveway when his phone rang. He’d planned to ignore it, eager to see her, until he looked at the caller’s ID and sighed.

  “Fitzgerald.”

  “Poison?” He pulled out his notebook from his inside coat pocket, along with a pen.

  “What’s it called again?” He jotted it down, and stuck the notebook back into his coat, then opened the door to his Miata.

  “Go ahead and talk to the spouse, but keep your eyes and ears open for anything suspicious.” He walked up the pathway to the front porch and rang the bell.

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can. I’m at Molly’s right now.”

  The door opened, and Liam’s heart did a little flip, his eyes taking all of her in. He hadn’t seen her in three weeks and hadn’t realized how much he’d missed her until that moment. She’d obviously just gotten out of the shower. Her hair was up in a towel, and her long, fluffy turquoise robe wrapped around her tight.

  “Thanks, Callum. I’ll get back to you.” He disconnected the call, his eyes not leaving her face.

  “Hiya.” He smiled.

  “Hiya back.” She smiled.

  She stepped back so he could come in. The door had barely closed when he took her in his arms and kissed her, leaning her against the door for support. She smelled of lavender and orange and other aromas he couldn’t identify. “I’ve missed you.” He leaned his forehead on hers.

  “I’ve missed you too.” She smiled.

  He dropped his arms, and they moved further into the living room. He took off his coat and laid it on the chair, then grabbed her hand and led her to the couch, pulling her down on his lap.

  Luna raised her two front paws onto the couch, trying to jump up, but they were in the way. He picked her up and set her on Molly’s lap. The bundle of golden fur thanked him by licking his face. He leaned back as far as he could, but it didn’t stop her. He looked at Molly out of the corner of his eye, but she just grinned, so he knew she’d be no help.

  “It’s your own fault for bringing her up here.” Molly laughed.

  “I think she misses me, don’t you? Or is it you smell your ma on me?” He pushed her away from his face, and Molly moved her to the other end of the couch, where she twirled around three times, then curled up into a ball and fell asleep.

  Molly laid her head on his shoulder, tilting her head back so she could see his face. “I thought you were on special assignment.”

  “I am, but it’s at a standstill right now. Drugs are coming into this area, and we can’t figure out from where. Where’s your gran this evening?”

  “She’s at the pub with the rest of the family. Are you here because you wanted to see me, or did Callum call you and tell you I found another body?”

  Liam pulled her hair out of the towel and took a piece of her wet hair in his fingers. He loved the feel of her hair, even wet. “You do have the knack, don’t you?”

  “At least this one’s still breathing. Can I get you anything? I think I still have some beer.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “No. As much as I would like to stay, I just wanted to stop by and see how you were. I told Callum I’d meet him at the hospital.”

  “You know, I just met Henry yesterday, and he wasn’t feeling good then. I tried to get him to go to the hospital, but he refused. He had a doctor’s appointment this morning with Dr. West. When I found him, I just assumed he collapsed and hit his head. Although I saw nothing that could cause such a deep gash in his head.”

  “It was Callum I was speaking to when you opened the door. It seems it was poison, making him so sick. The gash on the head caused him to be unconscious.”

  She bolted up from his embrace. “Poison? I’ll be right back.”

  Liam leaned over, scooped up Luna and set her on his lap. She wasn’t very heavy, and he ran his fingers through her thick, blonde fur. It turned out as a surprise when he found out his Australian shepherd, Sandy, had gotten pregnant by the golden retriever next door. She had eight healthy puppies, and he’d fallen in love with every one of them. He’d never told Molly, but Luna, here, was one of his favorites. He stopped petting her, shaking the golden fur from his fingers, and she turned her muzzle to him and nudged his hand.

  Molly returned then, smiling at him and shaking her head. “You’re spoiling my dog.” She sat down beside him, and he noticed she had a book in her hands. “Did Callum mention what type of poison?” She opened the book.


  “Aconite, I think Callum said. What book is that?”

  “It’s a book of poisons.”

  His eyebrows raised. “Why do you have a book of poisons?”

  She looked at him, frowning, “Doesn’t everyone have a book of poisons in their library? It’s very interesting.” She flipped through the book. “Here it is. Oh, it’s also known as monkshood. It says here that all parts of the plant are poisonous. I think this may be one of the plants in my garden.” She looked at Liam. “Too bad they’re all dormant now. One thing I didn’t get around to doing this summer was going through the information Mrs. Riley left on her garden.” She continued to read. “Any idea how it was administered?”

  He shook his head. “I’ve changed my mind about the drink. Do you still have the bottle of Jameson’s I left here?” He got up and made his way to the kitchen.

  “Yes. It’s in the cupboard above the stove.”

  Liam pulled a glass down and poured the amber liquid into it, along with a couple of ice cubes, and made his way back out to the living room. He smiled when he saw Luna, now sitting in the space he’d just left, sound asleep. He picked her up and said, “Move my feet, lose my seat. Is that the way it is, little girl?” He kissed her head and set her down on the other side of Molly, where she stood there for a second and looked at him, then laid down, setting her little head on Molly’s lap and closed her eyes.

  Molly began reading aloud from the book of poisons. “It says here it causes vomiting, numbness and tingling. He didn’t mention any of that. Are they sure about the type of poison?” She looked over at Liam, who was pulling his notebook out of his back pocket, along with a pen. “I’m pretty sure that’s what he said.”

  Molly closed the book, set it on the coffee table and moved closer to Liam. He put his arm around her, and she snuggled into his side.

  Liam chuckled. “This is not getting me to the hospital.”

  “I know, but it’s much more fun.” She laughed.

  He pulled his arm out from around her and cleared his throat. “Was yesterday the first time you met him?”

  Molly explained about meeting him the night before when he showed up at the store, feeling ill, and then later taking him home.

  “Where was his wife during all of this?”

  “Out of town, he said.”

  “What did you do once you gave him his medicine?”

  “He laid down and fell asleep. I left another set of pills on the table, along with a glass of water for him to take in the morning, covered him up and came home.”

  “Then when did you see him again?” He continued to write notes in his book.

  She smiled. “I thought this was an unofficial visit?”

  “It is. I’m just curious.” He set the book down on the table.

  “Well, he needed a ride back to his car, so I picked him up this morning and drove him back into town.”

  “Did he mention when his wife would be home?”

  She shook her head. “His mother-in-law lives with them too, at least according to Gran. She wasn’t around either.”

  “That’s it? You just dropped him off at his car?” Liam looked at her beautiful face, admiring the freckles on the bridge of her nose and trying to keep track of what she was telling him.

  “We stopped at Reanna’s and picked up a cinnamon roll and tea. Well, I had tea. He had coffee.”

  “And then what?” His fingers itched to pick up his notebook, but fought the urge.

  “And then what, what?” she asked, her nose crinkling. She’d make a lousy poker player.

  “And then what happened?” He observed her face.

  “Then…I dropped him off at his car, and he went to the doctor.”

  “Molly…”

  She leaned in and kissed him, but he pulled back, stopping himself from deepening the kiss further.

  “Molly, what did you two talk about?”

  She looked everywhere but at him, a classic response when wanting to dodge a question.

  “He talked about his work, and how grateful he was to Ronan Moore for giving him the opportunities at Moore Plastics.”

  “Anything else?”

  “I guessed he was having an affair with his assistant, Megan, if that helps any.”

  “You guessed?” he wasn’t really surprised. People would tell her anything, things they never talked about with their best friends. He felt that way the moment he met her.

  Her eyes opened wide, “Yes, I did. It was weird. He was speaking to her on the phone, telling her he wouldn’t be in and to cancel all of his appointments for the day, and the thought just hit me, so I asked him, and he confirmed it.”

  “Anything else?” he asked, moving his head when she leaned in to kiss him again. “Molly…”

  “Okay, I’ll behave.” She sat up straight, removed Luna from her lap and set her feet on the floor, but turned to look him directly in the eyes, “You won’t like this, but there is something I would like to tell you, but can’t tell you, unless I can talk to you like a…”

  He waited for her to finish, but she didn’t, so he took her hand. “Like a?”

  She blushed. “Not like the police.”

  Liam took his job seriously but had always been a genuine believer in his gut, so he pulled her to his side. She relaxed and put her head on his shoulder, tucking her feet under her once again.

  “Have you ever met Henry Pierce?”

  He wondered where this was going but answered, “I’ve seen his picture but never met him. Why?”

  “Do you know anything about him?”

  “Not much. I know he grew up here in Dooley, and he was the driving factor they moved the factory from Dublin to here.”

  “When I first met him, there was something about him that seemed familiar, but I couldn’t figure it out.”

  She was quiet, but he learned a long time ago to just wait, and people would eventually speak.

  “Then, I did.”

  She lifted her head off his shoulder and started fiddling with the edge of her robe, not looking at him.

  “You can trust me, Molly.”

  She got up off the couch, Luna following her. He could see her struggling. Hoping it had nothing to do with the poisoning, he said, “Look, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

  She walked back and forth across the rug, Luna trying to nip at her robe to the point where Molly finally picked her up and held her close. Then she kissed her on the top of her head, took her over to her bed and set her down. “Settle, Luna.” The little dog twirled around twice and then laid down.

  He’d have to get her to show him how to do that. He still couldn’t get his dog, Sandy, to settle, and she was three years old. Molly walked back to the couch and sat down.

  “You know how I said we stopped at Reanna’s bakery on the way to my dropping him off at his car?”

  Liam nodded.

  “Well, we were there, and he couldn’t stop staring at Reanna. I know she’s pretty and everything, and at first, it disgusted me thinking he was going to hit on her, but then I looked at his face. It wasn’t adoration or lust. It was…shock.”

  “Shock? Why?”

  “I heard him whisper the name Alaina, too, but had no idea who that was. It turns out Alaina was his sister who he lost in the same car accident that took his parents.” She stopped talking, her eyebrows raised.

  Liam had no idea what she was trying to say, so he tried to put the pieces together.

  “So, Reanna looks like his dead sister?”

  She nodded.

  “Why would Reanna look like his sister?” He thought about it. “So…Reanna is somehow related to his sister?”

  She rolled her eyes, “You call yourself a detective inspector?”

  “Now, wait a minute. So, they’re related, but how?” He thought about his sister now living in New Zealand. Who did she look like? She looked like Ma. So, Reanna looks like one of her parents. He’d never met doctor or Mrs. West, so that didn’t help. But Mol
ly said something about Pierce reminding her of someone. “Are doctor or Mrs. West related to Henry?”

  “No.”

  He thought about his parents in relation to him. He didn’t really look like either. He was a combination of both, except his grandmother had told him how much he looked like his Da when he was younger. If Reanna looked like a parent, and something about Reanna sent shock waves through Henry…

  “Are you saying that Reanna is Henry Pierce’s daughter?”

  “Finally!”

  He leaned back onto the couch, and Molly snuggled up next to him again. He was letting it all sink in when she said, “But you can’t tell anyone. Not even Reanna knows, and I promised Mrs. West I wouldn’t say anything to her.”

  “You saw Mrs. West?”

  “Yes. That’s what I left out of the story. After we left the bakery, Henry insisted on going to see Mrs. West. I guess they were an item before he left for Dublin all those years ago, and Mrs. West didn’t know she was pregnant until after he left and decided not to tell him. Then she met Dr. West. They fell in love and got married when Reanna was a baby.”

  “Does Dr. West know who the father is?” He sat up and took out his notebook and pen.

  “Liam, no, don’t write this down. I told you as a boyfriend—” She stopped, and her face went red again. She cleared her throat. “I told you not as a police officer.”

  “I don’t know. I kind of like the boyfriend remark, although I’m hardly a boy.” He was grinning, and the wider his grin got, the redder her face became. He looked at her, dressed in her turquoise robe, her strawberry blonde hair starting to dry into ringlets, her face all red. He’d realized six months ago he was in trouble when he met her on the plane. He’d saluted to her when they said goodbye. It wasn’t until he was telling his aunt, Bessy, about it that she reminded him of a story his father used to tell. He’d been in the Irish Army and hated to salute. Yet, when he’d been on a date with this girl, he’d saluted her. He used to say that was when he realized he’d fallen in love. That girl was his mother. They’d been happy for over thirty years when they died in that accident ten years ago. How he missed them. Was he falling in love? His career wasn’t conducive to relationships. He learned that with his first marriage.