by D. S. Butler
My eyes widened as I shook my head. “That was a horrible thing to do, Mrs Townsend.”
“It was,” Betty said. “But what I don’t understand is how did you hurt your foot?”
“Well, I saw Harper coming towards us. I twisted my ankle in my rush to get away from the pies.” Mrs Townsend glared at me as though it was all my fault.
“You nasty old woman!” Grandma Grant’s voice boomed across the diner. Oh, no. I hadn’t realized she’d been listening. Things were about to escalate fast.
I turned around as Grandma Grant said, “I was all ready to blame Adele. I was sure it was her because she was jealous my pumpkin pie was better than hers.”
“Your pie is certainly not better than mine,” Adele said. “Everybody knows I’m the far superior baker!”
Within moments it was pandemonium in the diner. People were shouting over each other and making spiteful accusations.
I stood in the middle of the room, tempted to clamp my hands over my ears.
Joe McGrady’s voice sounded deep and commanding over their hot-headed words. “Enough! This is a very serious situation, a man is in the hospital, and you are squabbling amongst yourselves. You should be ashamed. Think about poor Leo and quieten down while we conduct the interviews.”
People meekly did as Joe asked, and Grandma Grant and Adele Silver resorted to sulkily glaring at each other from opposite sides of the room.
I sighed. This was going to be a long night.
Chapter Five
I was pretty useless at casting spells and making potions, but I did have one magical talent. I could see and communicate with ghosts. I’d had quite a shock when I caught a glimpse of my first ghost, but I’d become accustomed to them now.
As we waited for our turn to be questioned, I talked things over with Jess and looked around the diner, trying to spot Leo’s ghost.
“Are you looking for Leo’s ghost?” Jess asked in a whisper.
I nodded. “I haven’t seen him. Hopefully, that means the poison didn’t kill him.”
“Why don’t you ask Loretta if she saw anything?”
I smiled at Jess. “Good idea.”
Loretta was the diner’s resident ghost and she was quite a character. I’d solved a couple of murders in Abbott Cove recently with the help of the murder victim’s ghosts and Loretta.
I didn’t know how Loretta had died or how old she was. She didn’t like to talk about it, and I didn’t like to pry.
There was no sign of Loretta in the main area of the diner, so I assumed she was in the back room. It was quite unlike her. She normally liked to be at the center of things.
Loretta was hovering moodily beside the fireplace in the back room. She usually loved to be involved in the action and general hubbub of the diner, and I imagined when she’d been alive, Loretta had been the life and soul of many parties. Today, she looked thoroughly miserable. I guessed that was because she could only observe and not take part in the festivities.
“Loretta, thank goodness I found you,” I said after I closed the door behind me. “Did you hear what happened? Leo Green, the judge, has been poisoned!”
Loretta nodded. “I heard the sirens. I suppose you’ve got another newbie ghost you want me to babysit.”
I shook my head. “No. There’s no ghost. I think he’s still alive.”
“Do you know who did it?”
I shook my head. “No, but whoever it was, they must have been in quite a hurry because they left the bottle of poison beneath the table.”
Loretta frowned and nodded. “Yes, that was quite an amateur mistake.”
“Did you see anything?”
With Loretta’s unique ability to be able to float around unnoticed, she often heard fragments of conversations.
Loretta scrunched up her face as she tried to think. She swayed in front of me, hovering in midair. “I did overhear something that could be important. Leo’s brother, Bruce, was pleading with Leo’s wife, Claudine.”
“What did he say?”
“I can’t remember exactly. Something about it wouldn’t be long now and would she wait for him.”
I frowned. That was interesting. “If they were having an affair, that could be a motive for them to want Leo out of the way.”
Loretta brightened. “You could be right. You can rely on me, Harper. I will be your eyes and ears at the diner. We’ll soon have another mystery solved.”
“Claudine and Bruce have gone to the hospital. I’d better tell Chief Wickham and Deputy McGrady.”
Loretta nodded. “Do you think they might make another attempt on Leo’s life?”
“It’s possible. I’d better go and speak to the chief now.” I left Loretta alone in the back room and headed to the diner.
I told Chief Wickham my concerns, but rather than thanking me and rushing off to the hospital, he frowned and said, “Harper, I don’t want you getting up to your old tricks. Joe and I are perfectly capable of handling this investigation without your help.”
“I know, but—”
“No buts, Harper. We’ll handle it.”
Joe must have overheard because he came up to me and said, “Don’t worry, Harper. The hospital is aware an attempt was made on Leo Green’s life. They have a security guard watching his hospital room.”
By the time the questioning was over, and the pies had been shipped off to the city for forensics and toxicology tests, it was pretty late. We were all tired and subdued when Chief Wickham told us we could leave.
I yawned, and clutched my vampire cloak around me as we trudged outside to Grandma Grant’s truck.
“Poor Leo,” Jess said. “You just don’t expect that sort of thing to happen in Abbott Cove.”
“It’s awful,” I agreed.
We’d had a couple of murders in our tiny little town in the last year, and the idea there was a poisoner lurking in Abbott Cove was very unnerving. I hoped by the time I woke up tomorrow morning, Chief Wickham and Joe McGrady would have solved the crime, and Abbott Cove could go back to the friendly, quirky little town it had been in the past.
Chapter Six
After a restless night’s sleep, I stumbled into the kitchen, rubbing my tired eyes only to find Jess had already left for work at the library. Smudge, my adopted cat, wound around my ankles.
Jess and I shared a cottage a short distance from Grandma Grant’s huge, rambling home. The cottage and Grandma Grant’s house were in a secluded spot at the top of a hill, surrounded by a thicket and only accessible via a narrow, winding private road, but we enjoyed the peace and quiet.
“Good morning,” I said, smiling at Smudge and moving over to the coffee machine.
I thought about Grandma Grant as I poured a large mug of coffee. If the toxicology results showed Grandma Grant’s pumpkin pie contained the poison, she would be the number one suspect. I frowned as I sipped my coffee, mulling things over. There had to be something I could do to prove Grandma Grant hadn’t poisoned Leo Green.
After a quick breakfast, I showered and dressed and then walked over to Grandma Grant’s house to ask her for Leo Green’s address and permission to borrow her truck.
Grandma Grant told me she’d heard through the Abbott Cove gossip vine that Leo was expected to recover fully, which was a huge relief, but it didn’t get her off the hook. After a little grumbling and a few phone calls, she told me where Leo lived. I knew he was still in the hospital, but I hoped to speak with Leo Green’s wife, Claudine, and find out if she knew who poisoned her husband.
It was a cold morning, and the branches sparkled with frost. My breath appeared in clouds in front of me as I walked, and by the time I climbed into Grandma Grant’s truck, my cheeks were pink and tingling.
I picked up some oatmeal and raisin cookies from the diner, and once I had the hot air heaters blasting out, I relaxed and enjoyed the drive to Cherrytown. It was a lovely fall day. The verges were carpeted with red and gold leaves, and the sky was bright blue and cloudless.
It did
n’t take me long to get to Leo Green’s home, a one-story bungalow with a large drive and holly bushes planted in the front garden. I figured I’d try here first, and if Claudine wasn’t home, I would go along to the hospital.
The front door was opened by Petunia, Claudine’s mother and Leo’s mother-in-law.
She didn’t recognize me and hesitated before saying, “Yes? Can I help you?”
I held out the oatmeal cookies. “My name is Harper. I met you at the pumpkin pie competition at Archie’s diner. I dropped by to ask how Leo was doing and thought you might like these oatmeal raisin cookies.”
Petunia’s expression softened, and she smiled at me. “That’s very kind of you. Leo is still in the hospital, but the doctors believe he will make a full recovery.”
“That is good news. I’m so glad he’s going to be okay. Is Claudine home?”
Petunia shook her head. “She’s still at the hospital but should be returning home soon. She called me a little while ago and said she was coming home to freshen up. She has been at Leo’s side all night. If you’d like to come in and wait, I could make you a cup of tea.”
I did feel guilty for intruding on the family at a stressful time. But, if intruding meant I would get to the bottom of this mystery, I had to do it. Claudine could hold all the answers.
I thanked Petunia and followed her inside the house. She led me to a large sitting room, which was decorated in shades of beige.
“Do make yourself comfortable,” Petunia said. “I won’t be long.”
When Petunia left to make the tea, I wandered about the large sitting room, looking for clues. I don’t know what I expected to find. A love letter between Bruce and Claudine maybe? Incriminating photographs? But then, Bruce and Claudine were hardly likely to leave anything like that lying around in plain sight.
But the room was very ordinary. There were no love letters or photographs or anything else to indicate Bruce and Claudine were having an affair.
There was a large oak bookcase that ran along the back wall. I gravitated to it, my gaze running along the spines of the hardbacks.
I selected a book and pulled it out. It was one of Leo’s bestsellers, written five years ago. The Murder in Marlowe Abbey.
The dust jacket was shiny, and Leo Green’s name was printed on it in large metallic letters, with the words New York Times Bestseller above it. I put the book back on the shelf and was about to select another when I heard a noise outside.
I moved away from the bookshelf and walked across the sitting room to the window. I peered outside but couldn’t see anyone. When I opened the window just a crack, I heard the voice again. “You’ll get your money!” The words were snarled angrily. The voice seemed vaguely familiar. I leaned forward, trying to get a glimpse of the man who sounded so angry.
“Don’t worry. It’s all under control. I have a plan.”
At that moment, Leo’s agent, Jonathan Copeland, came into view. He held a cell phone in his hand. He hung up the call, shoved the phone in his pocket and then slowly turned.
Oh no! If he saw me, he’d guess I was eavesdropping. Not wanting to get caught, I quickly ducked down beneath the windowsill and remained crouched on the floor.
Unfortunately, Petunia chose that moment to re-enter the sitting room holding a tea tray.
She blinked down at me in surprise. “Dear me, whatever are you doing on the floor?”
I had to think quickly. “I…… I was just admiring the lovely wallpaper.”
I reached out and pointed to the beige and cream striped wallpaper hung on the wall around the window.
Petunia smiled. “Yes, Claudine chose that. My daughter always did have a good eye for detail.”
I straightened up and glanced out of the window. But Jonathan Copeland was nowhere to be seen.
Petunia poured the tea into pretty cups with gold scalloped rims. She handed me a cup, and I sat on a beige sofa crammed with cream cushions.
“I’m sure Claudine won’t be long. She’ll be touched that you stopped by, Harper. Between you and me, I never considered Leo good enough for my daughter, but I have to admit she is absolutely dedicated to him. She has been distraught since it happened.”
I took a sip of my tea and considered Petunia’s words. If she was right, it was unlikely Claudine was involved in Leo’s poisoning. But perhaps Petunia was blinded by a mother’s love. Either that, or she was trying to throw me off the scent.
“They seem to be a well-matched couple,” I said carefully. “By the way, I thought I saw someone pass the window just now. Jonathan Copeland, Leo’s agent.”
Petunia nodded. “Oh, yes, very likely. He stayed here last night and insisted he isn’t going back to New York until Leo is discharged from the hospital.”
“That’s very loyal of him. He must have other clients who need his attention.”
Petunia huffed under her breath. “He’s been trying to persuade Leo to write another mystery, but Leo is still suffering from writer’s block. He tried to tell Jonathan he was retiring from the spotlight, but Jonathan wouldn’t listen.”
We both heard the sound of the front door opening, and then Claudine appeared in the doorway. She looked pale and thoroughly worn out.
Petunia stood up and rushed to her daughter’s side. “Darling, you look exhausted. Come and sit down and have a cup of tea. Harper just called in to ask after you and Leo. She brought some cookies, isn’t that nice?”
Claudine nodded and smiled at me. Her eyes were red, either from lack of sleep or crying. “Thank you. That was very kind. I’m pleased to say that Leo is doing very well now. It was scary last night. Touch and go. I was terrified. I thought I was going to lose him.”
“I’m so glad he’s going to be okay,” I said.
Claudine smiled again. “I hope you won’t think I’m rude if I go and take a shower. I was at the hospital all night and—”
“Of course not! I’m sorry. I’ll leave you to it.” I put my teacup down on the coffee table and thanked Petunia for the tea.
If I was any judge, Claudine was genuinely relieved Leo was going to recover. I found it hard to imagine her murdering anyone, let alone her husband.
Maybe Bruce had acted alone?
There was only one way to find out.
Chapter Seven
I left Cherrytown and headed back to Abbott Cove to visit one of the small tourist shops that sold greeting cards along with other small gifts and mementoes. I selected a get well soon card and then dashed around Abbott Cove asking people to sign it. When I was finally done, I got back into Grandma Grant’s truck and drove out of town, heading towards the hospital.
When I got there, I asked for directions at the reception desk, and after looking up Leo Green’s name on the computer, a helpful administration assistant pointed me in the direction of Leo’s private room.
The corridors were long and winding and split up with swinging doors. There were small, square windows in the doors at head-height, so it was easy to see if someone was coming from the other direction.
As I approached the final set of doors, through the window, I saw Bruce outside Leo’s room. He paced back and forth. A little further along the corridor was a large security guard, dressed in a dark blue uniform, sitting on a hardback chair.
Before pushing the swinging door open, I took the opportunity to watch Bruce unobserved. He ran a hand through his hair and looked stressed. Even from this distance, I could see he still had a little white clown face paint around his ears. It looked like he’d spent all night at the hospital, too.
I wondered why he was standing outside in the corridor rather than sitting at Leo’s bedside. Perhaps he felt guilty?
I pushed the swinging door open and walked towards him. “Hello, Bruce.”
He looked blankly at me, so I reminded him of my name and the fact we met yesterday. “How is Leo doing?”
The security guard gave me a stern stare. I smiled at him nervously, but he didn’t return my smile. He looked even bigger up
close. I gulped. He was certainly not someone a criminal would want to mess with.
Bruce sighed. “Leo is sleeping. He’s sedated, but the doctors think he’s going to be just fine.”
“That’s great news. I just saw Claudine.” I watched Bruce’s face carefully for a reaction.
He ran a hand through his hair and nodded but didn’t smile. “She was at Leo’s side all night. He didn’t consume enough of the poison to cause serious injury. The doctors think he had an allergic reaction to the poison.”
“Do they know what the poison was yet?”
Bruce nodded. “Yes, it was some kind of herbal mixture that contained aconite. Normally it wouldn’t have caused such an immediate reaction, but Leo had an allergy to it. That was actually a good thing because it meant he got to the hospital fast, and it probably saved his life.”
“You don’t seem very happy, Bruce,” I said gently. “Is everything all right?”
“I’m fine,” he snapped. “Just tired. What do you expect?”
“You’re right. I can’t expect you to be happy, not when you’re in love with your brother’s wife.”
Bruce’s eyes widened, and his cheeks flushed scarlet. “What?”
Oh goodness. Please let Loretta be right about this. If she’d misheard or misinterpreted their conversation, this could be extremely embarrassing.
“You were overheard saying it wouldn’t be long now and asking Claudine to wait for you.”
Bruce scowled. “That’s ridiculous. Claudine wanted to leave the Halloween party early because she had a headache. I said it wouldn’t be long until we could leave and told her I would bring the car around to the front of the diner if she didn’t mind waiting. Then the judging started, and Claudine decided to wait until after Leo had finished.”
I took a deep breath. “But you are in love with Claudine, aren’t you?”