I tried not to stare, but I couldn’t see how this man had been married to Paulette. I couldn’t imagine her washing his overalls or his handkerchiefs. I was betting all her clothes had been dry-clean-only. He and Paulette must’ve been like oil and water. As in, motor oil and sparkling mineral water. That’s probably why they were divorced.
“Now, what can I do for you?” He looked up for a just a moment, but continued to work.
“My name’s Ziva Diaz. I’m a friend of Mrs. Birdie Jackson’s.”
CLANG. Randy dropped a screwdriver and whatever part he had been holding. I flinched. Captain Jack barked. That was the wrong name to drop.
“What do you want?” He looked up and stared me down while saying the words. I might have been intimidated if he didn’t look like he was about to cry.
“Wait, hang on.” I held up a hand. “You loved Paulette, am I right?” Of course, I was right. His palms were face down on the counter now, and I could see the indent from the wedding ring he still wore. “Well, I’m here for her because, right now, justice isn’t being served and it needs to be.”
“Says who?”
“Me. I know Mrs. J.’s not the killer.” At least, I was pretty sure she wasn’t.
“What’s that have to do with me?” Randy looked wary.
“I was hoping you could help me out here, try and figure out who would want to kill Paulette, and don’t say Mrs. J...”
Randy closed his eyes and shook his head. “I just don’t know what to think. Paulette could be difficult, but not enough to be murdered. She didn’t deserve this.”
“No enemies?”
“Well now, we hadn’t been close for the last couple years, but none that I can think of unless this has something to do with that boyfriend of hers.”
“You think Mayor Potts is somehow involved?”
“Wouldn’t surprise me. He’s a bit of an idiot. Who knows what he could’ve gotten them into.”
I nodded. I could see that. Mayor Potts was the type of guy who could walk into an armed robbery and not realize it. More than that, I wondered if someone like Whip had it out for him. “I know Mrs. J. and she didn’t get along, but did she have a habit of feuding with anyone else?”
“No, no feuding, but you know who I was just thinking about?”
“Who?”
“That Vicki Kline woman. I couldn’t remember her name when the police asked me.”
“What about her?”
“She was always following Paulette around. An odd duck, that one. Something’s off about her.”
“Okay, thanks. I’ll keep her in mind.” Captain Jack wiggled in my arms and I was afraid he might tinkle if I put him down. I gave Randy my card and told him to give me a call if he thought of anything else, and we got out of there. Sitting in my truck, I thought about our next move. What had we learned? One: Randy was still in love with Paulette. Unless it was one of those “if I can’t have her no one else can” deals, then he wasn’t the killer. Two: he was the second person to mention Vicki Kline as a person of interest. Then I remembered what Maryanne said at the hospital about grayantoxins. Plants. Could it really be all that simple? Vicki did love her plants. She told me so, but if there ever was anyone who looked less like a murderer, it was her. Then again, what did I know? Last time I tried solving a murder, I became friends with the killer. I definitely couldn’t read people as well as I thought I could.
If I turned left, I’d head back toward town. If I turned right, I’d head further toward the country, but maybe that’s exactly where I needed to go. If anyone knew about Vicki, it was Suzanne. They clearly weren’t friends. Maybe she could tell me why. Plus, I needed to ask Suzanne about purchasing her honey for my products.
Suzy-Bee Honey Farms was about as picturesque as it could be. A small produce stand was at the end of a long, winding driveway stocked with honey jars, fresh-cut flowers, and fresh peaches. Flowering fruit trees lined her driveway, which lead up to a gorgeous white farmhouse with a sweeping front porch and double-door entryway.
Chickens roamed around the front yard and a dog barked somewhere on the property. It all felt very Martha Stewart-ish to me. Captain Jack wanted to get out of my arms, but I had no idea how trained the pup was. Just my luck, he’d bolt for the woods that surrounded the place, and I’d never see him again.
No one answered her door when I knocked, but her white Lexus SUV was parked next to the house, along with a delivery van with the Suzy-Bee logo on it. I wasn’t going to snoop, but seeing that I had driven all the way out here, I might as well take a quick peek around the property to see if I could find her.
I walked around the back of the house and was amazed at how beautiful Suzanne’s gardens were. The back of the property was even more gorgeous than the front. Blooms in white and purple, and hot pink and yellow dominated the landscape. Everywhere I looked, there were bushes and shrubs, climbing vines, and planter boxes bursting with color. My nose tickled and I knew I’d have to keep my visit short or my allergies would kick into overdrive. Flowers were not my friends. Never had been.
I stopped short at the sight of row upon row of white beehive boxes arranged in the bright, open yard. Guess I underestimated how many bees it took to make honey. The thought of hundreds or even thousands of bees all buzzing around freaked me out. Maybe this wasn’t the best plan? I didn’t want to be stung. It had been a couple years, but the last time one got me, my hand swelled up to an unhealthy size and I had to chug a bottle of Benadryl. I had pretty much avoided the little winged devils since then. I could never understand how something so cute could inflict so much pain.
Before I could turn tail, I spotted Suzanne a couple rows ahead, working on one of her hive boxes. She appeared to be moving it. I was surprised that she didn’t have any protective gear on. Just a straw sun hat, white capris, and a pink button-up blouse. Me? I’d be suited up like I was working with nuclear waste.
Suzanne looked up, startled.
“Hi, sorry, didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”
“No, that’s okay. Just wasn’t expecting anyone, that’s all.” Suzanne had just finished moving one of the hive boxes onto a dolly and was looking inside it, examining it.
“Isn’t that dangerous?” I motioned to what she was doing. Captain Jack sniffed toward the box. “Don’t put your nose in there, buddy.”
Suzanne looked over at Captain Jack but didn’t even acknowledge him. Instead, she picked up the smoker at her feet. “It can be, which is why I have this.”
I knew bee keepers used them, but I didn’t know how one worked. “Does that stun them?”
“Not at all. It actually makes them think there’s a fire. When a bee detects smoke, it focuses on consuming honey and protecting the queen, and not so much on what I’m doing.” Suzanne took out a piece of broken honey comb. It looked amazing, except for the bees that were starting to swarm. I backed off a little.
“Doesn’t the smoke stress them out?” Suddenly, I felt sorry for the little guys. I mean, they were super important pollinators, weren’t they?
“I’d rather have them a little stressed out than dead. If you don’t smoke them, chances are they’ll be more aggressive and sting you. They sting you, they die. So, stress is by far the better alternative.”
Well, when you put it that way… “That makes sense.” Still, I kept my distance.
“I don’t bother them all that often, only to check on the heath of the colony. This one here I’m just getting ready to move.”
I had been right, even if I didn’t understand why. “I didn’t know you could do that.” Suzanne looked at me like I was a bit of an idiot. “Sorry, I don’t know anything about keeping bees.”
“I guess not. Well, of course, you can. Growers rent bees all the time to help with pollination, or I can move the hive to another location if I’m looking to make a particular honey. Of course, we usually move them at night when it’s cooler and they’re not flying, but this was a special order.”
“Really? T
hat’s pretty cool. I would’ve never thought of that.” It wasn’t a job I was about to sign up for, but it was still interesting.
“So, how can I help you?” Suzanne put the top on the bee box, and I followed her down the row toward the back of her house.
“I actually had a couple things. One is business related. You know I have my own beauty line, and a lot of my products use honey and wax. I was hoping you could help me out. I’d love to use a local supplier.”
“Absolutely. How much are you thinking?”
“A few gallons to start and then maybe a pound or two of wax?”
“No problem. JEFFERY!” Susanne hollered and I jumped back. Captain Jack shivered in my arms. What the heck? “Where did he go? I swear, that man. Jeffery!”
“It’s okay. I don’t need it right now. I can come back.” Just stop yelling. I looked around to make sure the bees weren’t getting agitated.
“JEFFERY!”
“Or I can get it. Just point me in the right direction.” I looked around as if I could figure out where it was. Thankfully, Jeffery opened the door to the back porch and peered out. He seemed to smile slightly when he saw that I was there. With his long legs, he reached us in a couple of seconds. He went right to Captain Jack and scratched his ears.
“Hey, little guy.” Captain Jack licked at his hand. “He’s pink?”
“Don’t ask,” I said, and laughed.
“Jeffery, grab Ziva a couple jugs of honey and that wax bag from the inventory room,” Suzanne ordered, interrupting us. No please, no thank you, just orders.
“I can give you a hand,” I offered.
“It’s okay, he’s got it,” Suzanne said.
“Sorry,” I mouthed to Jeffery. He shrugged his shoulders as if to say he was used to it, and walked off to fetch the goods.
“Jeffery’s your husband?” I asked Suzanne when he was out of earshot.
Suzanne snorted. “Good heavens, no! Why would you think that?”
“I’m sorry, I just assumed. I saw him with you at the farmers market, and he lives here, right?” I mean, why else would the guy stick around? He looked a bit younger than her, but not by that much.
“Jeffery’s my stepson. My husband passed away a few years ago, but left the business to the two of us.”
“Oh…,” I guess that made sense. Jeffery was forced to be here or he had to give up his inheritance. Nice.
“Jeffery’s just like his father—has brains, but not an ounce of business sense. Forget motivation. He’d have honey pouring out of his hiney if it wasn’t for me. Bit sad, really. Now, what else do you need?”
“Well, I talked with Randy Berger today.”
“Ha, another winner. Smartest thing Paulette ever did was divorcing him. He was going nowhere fast.”
I wasn’t sure about that. “I don’t know, he seemed like an okay guy. His business seemed to be doing pretty well.”
“Being an okay guy and doing pretty well sometimes isn’t good enough. Know what I’m saying?”
Nope. I didn’t. I was thinking good enough was just great. I was beginning to realize just how hard Suzanne, and probably Paulette, were to please, especially if you were a man. Maybe that’s why Mayor Potts wasn’t so torn up to see Paulette gone? Maybe he had a motive after all…
“What were you visiting that lug for?” Suzanne asked.
“I wanted to know what he thought about Paulette. Check him off the list, you know, due diligence. Anyway, he mentioned Vicki Kline. Thinks there’s something off about her.”
Suzanne laughed. “Of course, there is. She’s a bit nutty, always has been.”
“What’s the story with you guys? I had heard you were friends of sorts.” That was putting it nicely.
“Our mothers were all friends.”
As if that explained it all. “And?”
“I’ve been stuck with her for one reason or another ever since. Never been able to shake her.” Suzanne brushed a bee off her shoulder as if it was Vicki.
“Paulette too?”
“Vicki annoyed the bejesus out of her. She couldn’t stand her. Pretty sure the feeling was mutual.”
“Just how strong was this dislike?”
“If you’re thinking Vicki had something to do with Paulette…”
“It’s possible, isn’t it?”
Suzanne just laughed and laughed and laughed. “Vicki? Oh, that’s hilarious. The woman cries whenever a flower dies.”
I could believe that, but I could also believe that a lifetime of not fitting in could take its toll. It’s always the quiet ones you have to watch out for.
“Besides, what are you poking around for? Heard they arrested Birdie this morning. About time. That crazy kook’s turned into a killer. Everyone knows she hated Paulette. There’s a special place, you know where, she can just go.”
Jeffery met us again with a wood crate full of the honey and wax. “This is awesome. Thank you so much. What do I owe you?” I asked him.
“Consider this a free sample.” Suzanne spoke for him. “We can talk price if you decide to use it in your products.”
11
I left Suzy-Bee Farm and drove back home. Captain Jack pawed at the window until I rolled it down just a crack. I was all in favor for blasting the air conditioning, but the puppy wasn’t having it. I just didn’t want to roll down the window too far and have him fall out. Do they make puppy car seats?
Back home, I couldn’t shake that there was more to Vicki, regardless of what Suzanne had said. Vicki seemed sweet to me, unless you messed with her plants. Then watch out. I dug in my purse and pulled out the flyer she gave me yesterday. I had never taken a gardening class before, but I could really use one. Just ask my parents. They no longer asked me to water their plants when they went out of town. Instead, they relied on those automatic water bulbs that you stick in the soil. Something they should’ve invested in long ago.
I read the information on the flyer. As luck would have it, she taught a class tonight at seven PM. Even better, it was on poisonous plants. I wondered just how much Vicki knew about deadly plants … and how to make poison. Was it an easy thing to do? Maybe tonight I would find out, or better yet, maybe she would slip up and give me a clue. I used my phone to jump online and register for the class, nabbing the last spot. It looked like I wasn’t the only curious person in town.
Other than Vicki, who else did I need to consider? Whip McGovern. More and more I had a feeling that Mayor Pott’s had something to do with Paulette’s murder, whether intentional or not. I needed to rule out Vicki and then look to Mayor Potts and his associates.
I spent the rest of my afternoon thinking about how I was going to arrange a run-in with the mayoral candidate. What was his story? According to his online campaign schedule, he was hosting a fundraising luncheon tomorrow. Tickets were a hundred dollars a pop, and I couldn’t justify spending that kind of dough for a luncheon, murder suspect or not. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t crash it. I was still thinking about the best way to pull it off when Aria called.
She didn’t even wait for me to say hello. “This wedding is a disaster.”
“Oh no, what now?” I closed my laptop and stood up to stretch.
“Where in the heck do I even start? You know my dress?” Rhetorical question. “It’s gone. I went to pick it up today and they can’t even find it. Poof! Just like that. It was there on Friday when I went by.”
“How do you lose someone’s wedding dress?” I wasn’t a fan of the dress, but I still didn’t want it to go missing. Talk about a stressful situation.
“I know, right? I have no idea.”
“What’s your game plan? Do they have another one there, or can they get you one?”
“It’s a custom gown!”
“I know, but dude, Vince knows everyone. If anyone can make it happen, he can.”
“I know, but he’s so stressed out with the kids and work, I don’t even want to tell him. He’s not even back in town yet. Christina wants me to go d
ress shopping back home with her to Atlanta, but I don’t know. Part of me wants to hold out and see if the shop finds my dress, but I don’t want to wait too long.”
Aria’s family lives in Atlanta and they did have some amazing bridal salons there, but I could see wanting to hold out. “Girl, I’m sorry. That sucks.”
“I’m breaking out in even more hives just thinking about it!”
“Okay, just take a breath. You’re not driving, are you?”
“I pulled over before I called.”
“Okay, good.” I didn’t need my bestie crashing.
“That’s not the worst of it though.”
“There’s more?” I couldn’t even imagine.
“Oh yeah. I called the florist, and they don’t have any record of my wedding order. Nothing. They told me to stop in and see what they could do, but there’s no guarantee they’ll be able to get the flowers I wanted.” Aria was like me; she didn’t really like flowers. But I’m pretty sure that was a moot point. “I’m headed over there now, and was wondering if you wanted to meet me? Prevent me from throttling someone.” You knew Aria was hot if she was looking at me to be the calm, rational one. I mean, she was a yoga instructor. She was paid to spend her days all Zen-like.
I looked at the clock; it was two PM. I could do that, but I wanted to stop by the pet store first and buy a crate for Captain Jack. I couldn’t keep taking him everywhere with me, and I needed to make sure he stayed out of trouble. I told Aria to give me thirty minutes and I would meet her at the shop. Fortunately for me, it was just down the street from my apartment. Playing detective was going to have to take a time out. Right now, my girl needed me.
Oh, sweet sugar. Aria needed to hurry up and get this wedding business over with before she aged herself over the hill. I wasn’t sure my beauty products would be enough to give her that wedding day glow as it was. I’ve had dark circles before, but my oh my, Aria was rocking the raccoon look, and it wasn’t pretty.
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