“I told them the doctor wanted them to wait to question you. They said it could not wait. I can get the doctor if you want me to,” said the nurse.
“No, it’s fine,” said Margaret. “You can send them in.”
“Mom, the doctor said you should rest.”
“If I am right, this will be better than any other medicine I can get.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Zach.
“Look,” said Margaret with a smile.
Zach turned his head to the door and saw what she was looking at. In the door stood David and Kyle. David was looking a bit sheepish.
“I told you I was right,” Margaret said to David.
Zach was looking on in astonishment.
“Well, if you got threatened while Kyle was in jail, I figured you had to be right. I apologized to Kyle.”
“Thank you for believing in me, Margaret,” said Kyle. “I’m sorry you got dragged into such unneighborly business right after moving here.”
“That’s okay,” said Margaret. “I’m just glad you are out of jail.”
“Me too,” said Kyle.
“Well, I did want to ask you some questions, if you are up for it,” said David.
“Sure,” said Margaret.
“Did you notice anything about the note that seemed familiar to you?”
“No, why?”
“It is just a routine question. We need to rule out everyone.”
“No, it was a typed note. Nothing about it struck me as familiar, just threatening.”
“I understand,” said David. “Besides the wreckage, was anything taken from the store?”
“Not that I could tell. Looked like everything was there, but in pieces.” Margaret teared up remembering the wreckage of her store.
“Are there any more questions? She’s getting upset,” interrupted Zach.
“No, the questioning is done,” said David, walking over to the bed. He sat down next to Margaret and held her hand.
“I am sorry I doubted you. If you have anything you would like to add to help me with this case, I would appreciate it.”
“Not right now, no,” said Margaret. “If I hear anything you will be the first to know.”
“Thank you. I am glad you are okay. I wanted to get here earlier, but I thought you would want me to get Kyle out of jail first.”
“Thank you, yes. When I didn’t see you I thought you were still angry with me.”
“No. I can be stubborn, but I know a good thing when I see it, and we have a good thing,” David reassured her. He flashed a winning smile, and Margaret forgot about her pain for a minute.
“Look, if there is anything I can do to help, please let me know,” said Kyle.
“Well, they will be discharging me later today. Zach might need some help getting me into the house.”
“I am happy to help with that,” said Kyle.
“I could help, too,” suggested David.
“No, you need to get back to work. I am stuck in a bed, but you are mobile. Find out as much as you can, and then stop by the house later. I can send Zach for some takeout food.”
“I’ll bring dinner,” said David. When Margaret tried to protest he said, “It is the least that I owe you.”
“That sounds wonderful,” said Margaret.
“I am sure when Stacy hears it is for you she will go all out,” said Zach.
They laughed.
“Well, we will let you rest some more,” said David. “Be careful. If anything suspicious happens . . .”
“You will be the first one I call,” promised Margaret. David leaned in and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Margaret smiled.
“Call me when you get to the house,” Kyle told Zach. “I will come right over to help.”
“Okay. Thank you,” said Zach.
The two men left, and Margaret settled in the bed again. She was glad Kyle was vindicated, but she was no closer to finding out who had killed Dorothy. Whoever killed her knew Margaret was looking into the case, and they were obviously sending her a message to back off. What the killer did not know was that telling her to back off made Margaret more determined than ever to figure out who killed Dorothy.
Chapter Nine
Margaret was settled in at home. True to his word, Kyle had come over and helped her into the house. Zach had been on the other side in case she wobbled. Now she was in her living room looking out the window. She noticed Mary returning from work. She saw Allie go over and talk to her. Then Allie walked toward Margaret’s house.
“Hey, Zach,” Margaret called. “Allie’s coming to the door. Please tell her I am too tired for company right now.”
“Okay, Mom,” Zach said as the doorbell rang.
Margaret could hear voices coming from the front door. Then Zach appeared. Behind him was Allie.
“Don’t be mad at Zach,” Allie said. “I just wanted to see for myself how you were doing. I am baking a pie, and I’ll bring that by later.”
“Thank you,” said Margaret. Her chain of thought was broken due to the interruption, but she wanted to be polite. “I’m still recovering from my concussion.”
“I heard. Poor thing. Can I get you anything else?” asked Allie.
“No thank you,” Margaret said.
“Okay, well, I’ll see myself out. You get some rest and feel better,” said Allie.
“I will, thank you for stopping by,” replied Margaret.
Allie left, and Margaret rolled her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Mom. She insisted on seeing you,” said Zach.
“That’s okay,” said Margaret. “I guess she can be a little pushy. I know you tried. I’m not angry with you.”
“Good. Can I get you anything?”
“I would love some sweet tea,” said Margaret.
“I’ll grab it for you,” said Zach, walking to the kitchen. “At least we will be getting some pie, later. Good pie,” he joked.
Margaret grinned. “Yep, that is true.” Her head was still sore, and she still felt a bit groggy. She hoped the tea would help clear her head. Kyle had been very helpful. He and Zach had set up her laptop and other things she might need on a table close by. Margaret sat back in her chair and started to think again. She ran though what little she knew and then ran through it again.
“You’re going to give yourself a wicked headache thinking that much,” said Zach. “Why don’t you relax? You will figure this out soon.”
“You’re right,” said Margaret. She sat and sipped her tea, watching some birds on her lawn. She saw a car approaching.
“Hey, Zach,” Margaret said. “I think I see Patty’s car.”
“Yep, that’s her,” said Zach. He went to the front door and let Patty in.
“How are you, Margaret?” she asked.
“I am still achy, but my head is a bit better.”
“I hear David paid you a visit at the hospital,” said Patty.
Margaret blushed. “Yes, he did. He brought Kyle and an apology with him.”
Patty laughed. “That’s good. I wanted to fill you in on what I found out.”
Margaret moved to the edge of her seat, wincing when a jolt of pain shot through her broken leg. “What did you find out?” she asked eagerly.
“Now don’t get too excited,” said Patty. “I really only verified what we already know. Most of the neighbors did not like Dorothy. They thought she poked her nose into their business too often. One person said that Dorothy had called animal control on their dog once, even though it had never left their yard. My friend said Dorothy told them she thought the dog might run into her yard, so she called the authorities.”
Margaret shook her head. Dorothy was not a nice woman at all, she thought. Still, Margaret wanted to get to the bottom of who murdered her. If only for Mary, she thought. Margaret was not sure, but she had heard that when someone was murdered all of their accounts were frozen, and survivors could not access them or the will until the case was closed. Mary’s life was in limbo unti
l this was solved. Margaret wanted Mary to be able to get on with her life.
“Was there anything else?” she asked Patty.
“Not really. Dorothy hated messes and jarring displays. Anytime someone put up something for the holiday she would complain. She wanted the neighborhood to look just so, and decorations did not fit into her plans. One year another friend of mine’s son built a snowman. Dorothy complained that it broke the flow of the lawn.”
“Seriously?” asked Margaret.
“Yep. My friend ignored her and told her son to build another one. My friend just wanted to bug Dorothy after that,” said Patty. Margaret laughed.
“She complained about a snowman?” asked Zach, coming into the room. “What a scrooge.”
Margaret and Patty laughed. Zach gave Patty a glass of sweet tea.
“Has Mr. Stewart called you yet?” Patty asked Margaret.
“No, he has not,” said Margaret.
“He must still be waiting for his contact to call him,” said Patty.
“So, I have to ask. How does the store look?”
“Well, it is not as bad as we first thought,” said Patty. “Some of the counters are broken, and some of the candy was lost. However, not all of the jars were broken, and we managed to save some of the candy from the unbroken jars. That reminds me. Where should I tell the delivery person to put the candy that is being shipped? They were trying to deliver it earlier.”
“Well, I’m glad it is not as bad as it looked, but it will take me a while to get it ready to open again. I am not sure I will need any more candy if I can’t open the store,” Margaret said, a bit downtrodden.
“Nonsense, we will have your store up and running in no time. Why don’t I have them deliver it to your house?” said Patty. “You have room for some boxes, right?”
“I suppose so,” said Margaret. “Zach, do you think you can handle stacking some boxes in the back room?”
“Sure, I’ll see if Kyle can help, too.”
“Okay, that will work,” said Margaret, feeling a little better.
“Remember, we are here to help,” said Patty. “We want you to succeed.”
“I appreciate that,” said Margaret.
“I’m going to go now. Try to get some rest. I will call the delivery company and tell them to drop the candy here. They should be here tomorrow. And I will tell you if I hear from Mr. Stewart.”
“Thank you,” said Margaret. Patty left, and Margaret carefully scooched back in her seat. Her phone rang. It was David.
“I am at Stacy’s picking up our order. I should be at your place in about twenty minutes.”
“Thank you, David,” Margaret said. She felt the butterflies again.
“Zach, David will be here soon. Do we have clean plates for dinner?”
“Yes, Mom. I will bring them to you. Do not try to get up,” said Zach.
“I suppose we can eat in the living room tonight,” said Margaret.
A little while later Margaret saw David’s car approaching. “Zach, he’s here.”
Zach went outside and helped David with the food. David had something else, but Margaret couldn’t see what it was. David came in and went straight to the kitchen.
“I’ll be right there,” he said to Margaret.
“Okay,” she said.
David came in carrying a tray holding a plate, a candle, and some flowers in a small glass.
“I wanted to brighten your spirits,” said David. “I know this has been a hard day for you.”
“I love it,” Margaret exclaimed.
Zach came in with his and David’s dinner plates. They sat down in chairs across from Margaret.
“How are you feeling?” asked David.
“My head is a bit better, but my leg is still sore,” said Margaret.
“What did the doctor say?”
“He told me I have to stay off my leg until the swelling goes down. Then I can start to move around more. He said I could go up and down the stairs twice. I’ve been sitting here since I got home. I’ll go up when it is bedtime. Zach can help me.”
“I am here to help you, too,” said David. “Why don’t we talk a bit, and when you get tired I will help you upstairs.”
“Thank you, David,” said Margaret. She was happy to have him around again. The house felt cozier with him in it.
“Also, I am going to have an unmarked car watching your house,” David said.
“Why?” asked Margaret.
“Because someone threatened your life. I’m not taking any chances.”
“Okay, thank you,” said Margaret. It was nice to have someone watching out for her. She was the one who usually watched out for everyone else. Margaret ate her dinner and relaxed.
After they were done eating Zach cleared the dishes. David insisted on washing them.
“Really, you can just leave them. I am sure the swelling will be down by tomorrow, and I can get them then,” said Margaret.
Margaret heard David ask Zach, “Is she always like this?”
“All. The. Time,” Zach said. Margaret could imagine the eye roll that went along with that statement.
“If you need to know where things go, just ask Zach. He knows where I like things kept,” said Margaret. She could hear David and Zach laughing. I’m glad they’re getting along, she thought. It will be good for Zach to have some positive male role models in his life.
When they were done in the kitchen, Zach and David came back into the living room. Just then Margaret’s cell phone rang. She answered it.
“Hello?...Yes?...Thank you,” she said. “I really appreciate it.” She said goodbye and hung up.
“Who was that?” asked David.
“That was Mr. Stewart. He says he has some information for me. He’s going to be here in a few minutes.”
“Good. I can hear what you amateur sleuths have been up to,” David teased.
“This amateur sleuth was right,” Margaret teased back. David and Zach laughed.
Soon Mr. Stewart pulled up, and Zach let him in.
“Hello, Mr. Stewart,” said David.
“What is he doing here?” Mr. Stewart asked Margaret.
“It’s okay. He admitted I was right and let Kyle out of jail. He even apologized to both of us,” said Margaret.
“Is that so?” Mr. Stewart asked David.
“Yes sir,” said David.
“Okay, then. I found out some information, but I am not sure it will be very helpful.”
“What did you find out?” asked Margaret.
“My source said a delivery truck stopped by Dorothy’s house late the night she was murdered. He could not see the driver or the license plate, so it is not really a lead.”
“Yes it is,” said Margaret. “It is one more thing we can add to our list.”
“It is not a very big list,” said Mr. Stewart. “I’m sorry I could not be more helpful.”
“It is a list, and that is what matters. And you gave us a new lead,” encouraged David.
“Would you like to stay and have some tea?” asked Margaret.
“No thank you. I need to get home. I just wanted to stop by with the information.”
“I appreciate that,” said Margaret.
Just then someone knocked at the door. Zach went to answer it. Margaret heard a woman’s voice, and Zach came back with a gorgeous rhubarb pie.
“Allie dropped this off. She said she saw us doing dishes, so she knew we were ready for dessert,” said Zach.
“I need to get some curtains, pronto,” said Margaret. Everyone laughed.
“Now will you stay for a bit?” she asked Mr. Stewart. “Have some pie.”
“Well, I cannot turn down a good pie,” he said. Zach and David took the pie in the kitchen.
“You two seem to be getting along well,” said Mr. Stewart to Margaret.
“Yeah. David is a very sweet person. I’m glad he is around to help.”
“So am I,” said Mr. Stewart.
David and Kyle b
rought in some plates with slices of pie and some ice cream.
“I thought we should have it a la mode,” David said.
“Ice cream makes everything better,” said Margaret, smiling. They ate their pie and talked for a while.
Later Mr. Stewart excused himself. “Thank you for the pie. I really have to get home now. My cat and dog are waiting.”
“Oh, you have a cat?” said Margaret.
“Yes, I have a Siamese cat. He is the king of the roost. He bats my Labrador with his paws, and the dog goes belly up,” said Mr. Stewart.
Margaret laughed. “I wish I could have a cat. I love them, but I am allergic.”
“That’s too bad,” said Mr. Stewart. “You are welcome to visit my pets anytime.”
“I will take you up on that,” said Margaret. “After I buy some allergy pills!”
Mr. Stewart left, and Margaret said she was getting tired.
“Let me help you upstairs,” suggested David.
“Okay, thank you,” said Margaret. She knew when to accept help, and she did not want to hurt Zach going up the steps. If something happened to him, they would be out of luck. Margaret got up and put an arm around David. Before she knew it, David had swept her up in his arms.
“The doctor said no pressure on the broken leg, right?” he teased.
Margaret laughed. “I’m too heavy for this,” she said.
“Nope, you feel just right,” said David, blushing a little. “Besides, I used to be a lifeguard. I trained for times like this. I always wanted to sweep a woman off her feet.”
Margaret chuckled, and David carried her upstairs and put her on her bed.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Any time,” he replied. Zach followed with the crutches the doctor had sent home with Margaret.
“If you need anything, or if anything suspicious happens, let me know,” David told both Margaret and Zach. “I have the unmarked car outside, and Kyle has my number. He’ll be watching over you, too,” he told them.
“I feel safer knowing you are around,” said Margaret.
When David and Zach left, Margaret tried to get comfortable. I will never get to sleep, she thought. A few minutes later, though, she had drifted off.
Gumballs and Murder (Candy Store Mysteries Book 1) Page 7