by Joyce
Peggy put her mother and father in the blue suite next to her room. Everything was done in shades of blue as it had been when she’d moved there—minus the moth-eaten drapes and bedclothes. The previous heir hadn’t been very interested in upgrading things in or around the grand old estate.
“The bathroom is in there.” She pointed. “You know the rest of the house. You can stay here as long as you like. You know the invitation is always open.”
Ranson put the luggage on the bed. “Was that pizza I smelled downstairs? I’m starving. What about you, Lilla?”
“I’m exhausted from packing and worrying about my family.” She sat in the large velvet chair beside the window that overlooked Queens Road. “And you shouldn’t eat pizza.”
“There are a few slices left,” Peggy told her father. “I can reheat them if you’d like.”
He smiled. “You know I like it better cold, little girl. Come down and sit with me anyway. Let your mother get some rest.”
Peggy and her mother hugged briefly, not too tight or close.
“If you need anything, Mom, let me know. There are clean towels in the closet at the end of the hall. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Yes. And we’ll talk about what you’re doing to make this right. Goodnight, Margaret.”
Ranson and Shakespeare went down first. Peggy followed them. She hoped Shakespeare wouldn’t knock her father down the stairs. But they managed to make it to the bottom safely.
Her mother and father had moved to Charlotte a few years back after selling their farm. They’d wanted to be close to her, to Paul, and the new baby, finally realizing that she was never moving back home again. They had a small house between Paul and Peggy’s places that made it convenient to see them regularly.
She put the cold pizza out on the table for her father, found a beer in the back of the refrigerator and put that out too. Father and daughter sat at the same wood table that John had used as a child with his mother and father.
“So, Sam was a little short on explaining what happened to Paul. I think I understand the whole thing about him getting bamboozled by some pretty girl into doing something that may have caused someone else’s death. Is that about right?”
Peggy opened the bottle of beer as her father chewed his pizza. “Something like that. Paul is working as a private detective and got caught in the middle of a murder. That’s about all we know right now.”
Ranson’s gray brows went up in his lean face. “You mean like Rockford Files? We used to love that show. Did they already fire him from the police department?”
“No. He hasn’t been fired. He was working on the side to try to figure out what happened to John. You know he’s always wanted to do that.”
“I know. He’s been like a bear with a honeycomb stuck on his paw. We’ve talked about it a few times. I think he would’ve been better off hiring a private detective than becoming one. Lilla and I would’ve been glad to foot the bill if the Lee family isn’t interested.”
“It’s not that they aren’t interested. They believe what the police said. Paul and I have learned better.”
Ranson quickly polished off a slice of cheese pizza and took a few sips of beer. “He’s got a family now, Margaret. He can’t go off on these wild hares looking for what happened to his daddy. He has to consider his daughter and Mai.”
“I know. I had no idea what he was doing.”
“He lives close by.” Ranson chuckled. “You’re not up in his business enough. That’s what mothers are for. Ask Lilla if you don’t believe me.”
“If we can get him out of this mess with his job intact, I’m sure it will be a while before Paul uses his PI license again.”
“And can you get him out of this?”
Peggy frowned. “I hope so, Dad.”
Spiraea
Sometimes considered to be a pest, spiraea shrubs are in the Rosacea family and have been known as medicinal plants for hundreds of years. The shrubs contain salicylates, such as those found in aspirin, and may have been the first source of the drug.
Chapter Thirteen
Peggy and her father talked in the kitchen until her mother yelled over the rail upstairs that it was time to go to bed. They separated with a hug, and Peggy curled up with Shakespeare for the night in her bed.
It seemed as though she’d just gone to sleep when she heard loud banging and conversation outside. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table. It was five a.m., just barely starting to get light. She’d forgotten how early deliveries came since Sam had taken over that part of the business.
Yawning, she dressed quickly in jeans and a Potting Shed T-shirt. After looking at her red-rimmed green eyes in the bathroom mirror and pulling a brush through her hair, she let Shakespeare out in the backyard. He put his huge paws on top of the wood fence and stared at the people delivering plants, but didn’t bark.
Sam was outside in the chilly morning air directing where the plant shipment should go. All the shrubs were set together. All the bulb plants were separated from the others.
Peggy was happy to see that he had a good relationship with the delivery men as he joked with them and put his muscles to use helping them with their task.
She was lucky to have found Sam, even though it was at the cost of his medical career. His parents had always pushed him to be a surgeon as they had pushed Hunter to be a lawyer. They were unhappy with their son’s choice of profession and had frequently let him know it. They’d also said a few words to her since they blamed her for Sam’s change of heart.
“How do you get them to come so early?” she yawned as she spoke to him.
“They like me. I work with them, and I give them gifts at Christmas.”
“Are you sure coming at this hour of the morning means they like you?”
He grinned as he put his arm around her shoulders. “Is this sour grapes because I called Lilla and Ranson last night?”
“That’s right. In my near unconscious state, I almost forgot. Later today we’ll have words.”
When everything was unloaded, Sam left, and Peggy got Shakespeare and went back inside. She’d forgotten to lock the door and set the perimeter alarm while she’d been outside with Sam. She remedied that situation with a touch of the keypad.
She wanted to go back to sleep for an hour or so. She hadn’t slept well, nightmares plaguing her dreams. Not surprising.
She lay down on the bed but was wide awake. She wasn’t exactly sure what the plan was for today. Without her forensic work, and with the shop still closed, it seemed her time was open ended.
Peggy went quietly down the marble stairs again and into the kitchen to make some tea. The kettle was just starting to boil when the kitchen door suddenly opened. She panicked for a moment, grabbing the first thing she saw—an iron frying pan. It would’ve been better to have a gun, but the frying pan was closer.
Shakespeare lifted his head and started barking, but he was also wagging his tail and moving to the door in a welcoming manner. Peggy knew whoever had a key was someone familiar to him.
“Good morning,” Steve said as he turned off the alarm. “I hope I didn’t wake you. What’s with all the plants in the yard?”
Peggy put down the frying pan and hugged him tightly. “You came home early. Everything was fine. You could’ve stayed for the whole conference.”
He kissed her. “With all the excitement going on here? I didn’t want to miss a thing.”
They sat at the old wood table together, talking and drinking coffee and tea. She told him all the news as he rubbed Shakespeare’s head.
“You’ve been busy,” he said with a smile. “I’m sorry about Paul and your job. I’m sure we can find out who’s really behind this, and everything will go back to normal.”
“I hope so. And I hope it happens before Paul is formally charged. Right now he’s just a person of interest. They’ve got him as far as delivering the mink coat, and I’m sure they think he knew how to poison it because of me. The one thing
they don’t have is motive. They can’t prove he knew Ms. Honohan before that day. That’s the only thing in his favor.”
“I agree with Millie that someone is setting you up. Whoever it is has been careful and methodical about what they’ve done. It wouldn’t surprise me for the police to find more evidence to convict Paul.”
Peggy shivered as she wrapped her hands around her mug of tea. “But who would do such a thing? Someone had to know me very well to set this up. They knew destroying the store would be like ripping out my heart, and they knew how to scam Sam into ordering those plants. They want to ruin my reputation and hurt Mai and Paul. I can’t think of anyone who’s that diabolical.”
Steve put his hand over hers. “You should get a pen and paper and think of all the people your personal sleuthing, and working with the ME’s office has put in jail. The chances are that’s where we’ll find the killer.”
“Which then would also have to be someone who is out of jail now,” she added.
“Exactly. You come up with the list. I’ll check it out.”
“But you can’t be involved,” she reminded him. “The FBI wouldn’t be part of this.”
“If you think I’m going to sit around while this happens to you and Paul, you’re wrong. Al has friends too. Between us, we’ll get this person, Peggy. Try not to worry about it.”
She went downstairs to the basement to check on her work as Steve showered and changed clothes. By the time she got back upstairs, the strong smell of bacon and toast was wafting through the air.
It had to be her father. Her mother rarely cooked—especially not breakfast.
Peggy wasn’t surprised to see Ranson cooking a breakfast big enough to feed an army. She was surprised to see Sam and Millie there again.
Steve’s assistant, Norris Rankin, was also there. For some reason, Peggy could never find his good side. The two of them butted heads over everything. Sometimes she wondered if he was jealous of her and Steve. It was complicated.
“Good morning, everyone.” She smiled at the three people sitting at the table—Norris with his ever-present laptop. “Dad, that’s probably enough food for us and all the neighbors.”
“It’s not as much as it looks,” he countered. “Paul is on his way over too. People who eat a good breakfast are happier and more satisfied with their lives. Did you know that? I read it online a few days ago. Get some plates out. I already put on another pot of coffee.”
Peggy fed Shakespeare as Al and Paul arrived. Mai had gone into work that day. Dr. Beck planned for her to be on other cases.
Everyone was filling their plates with pancakes, bacon, eggs, and toast as Shakespeare started barking in his way that let her know someone he didn’t recognize was outside. She looked out the door and saw several CMPD squad cars in her drive along with a crime scene unit.
“What now?” she asked.
Mock Orange
Also known as orange jasmine. The shrubs exude a citrusy scent, hence the name, but are not related to the orange tree. The plants attract butterflies, which make them popular with gardeners. They can become easily overgrown and must be heartily pruned, which make them less popular.
Chapter Fourteen
Peggy and Steve went outside together with Ranson right behind them. Captain Hager was instructing his officers how to look through the hundreds of plants in containers.
“Why are you here?” Peggy asked him bluntly. She was tired of being nice about it.
“Dr. Lee.” He nodded to Steve. “And you are?”
“I’m Agent Steve Newsome, FBI Director for this area—and Dr. Lee’s husband. I hope you have a search warrant.”
Captain Hager looked momentarily taken aback when Steve introduced himself, but he recovered quickly as he brought out the warrant with a flourish.
“Agent Newsome. I’m assuming you’re not here to look into this case.”
“No. What are you hoping to find this morning?”
Peggy had been studying the search warrant—she’d seen a lot of them in her day. “He’s here because he thinks there might be hogweed plants in this shipment.”
“That’s right,” Captain Hager acknowledged. “Don’t play with me. You’re trying to hide these plants here instead of taking them to your garden shop. Why is that?”
“Because someone broke into my shop and trashed everything I had. I don’t want that to happen again. These plants might not look like much to you, but they’re worth ten thousand dollars. We’ve already lost them once. We can’t afford to lose them again.”
Sam had joined them outside. “Do you really think there’s going to be giant hogweed plants in here? It wouldn’t hurt you to do a little homework on this and realize that hogweed is, as its name implies, a weed. You can’t buy it as far as I know.”
“Excuse us if we want to check that for ourselves.” Captain Hager smiled and walked away.
“I’ve got my Louisville slugger in the car,” Ranson growled with his fists clenched.
“Maybe you should go back inside, Dad,” Peggy suggested. Paul and Al had wisely stayed in the house. No reason to reveal their plans to find the truth to Hager.
“Good morning,” Walter said cheerfully as he approached the group. “I think it’s going to be another lovely day.”
Captain Hager grunted when he saw him. “Are you Dr. Bellows? Feel free to dive right in.”
Peggy was surprised at that. “You told them the plants were being delivered here this morning?”
He shrugged. “I’m so sorry, but it was part of my duty as the forensic botanist on this case to alert them. I knew you wouldn’t have hogweed out here. You were completely safe.”
Sam took a menacing step toward him, towering over the short man. “You called the cops? I thought you were Peggy’s friend.”
Walter took a few steps back. “As I said, I was only observing my due diligence to the city and county by alerting them to the delivery. Anyone in my position would have done the same. Back me up here, Peggy.”
“You’re on your own,” she said. “This was beyond due diligence.”
“Why you little weasel—” Sam started after him.
“I’d better go help the police.” Walter walked quickly away from them.
“Did you know he took your place with the medical examiner?” Sam asked.
“No,” Peggy said. “But since they took me off the case, they were bound to look for another botanist.”
“I don’t think reporting you to the police is something a friend would do,” Ranson said. “I’m going back in. All this has upset my digestion.”
Peggy and Sam stayed outside with the police to make sure the plants weren’t harmed. A few broken stalks could kill parts of the more delicate plants. Steve went back in with Ranson.
Hunter arrived only a few minutes later, driving her blue Camaro like a demon, which had earned her several speeding tickets since she’d purchased it.
“Let me take a look at that search warrant,” she demanded.
“I think it’s in order.” Peggy gave it to her.
“I’m the lawyer. I’m supposed to decide that stuff. Lucky Sam called me right away. This borders on harassment.”
“Not to mention being flat in the middle of stupidity,” Sam spat out.
“We’re just protecting our investment right now,” Peggy said. “If the search warrant is bad, by all means stop them from looking at the plants.”
Hunter checked the warrant. “I guess it’s okay. But I’m going to have a word with the lead investigator. Excuse me.”
Several of the shrubs were knocked over, top heavy in their pots. There were a few broken branches on the tender young trees too, but otherwise the shipment was fine after the search.
“We’re leaving for now,” Captain Hager told Peggy. “Dr. Bellows said there is no hogweed here. I guess we’ll take his word for it.”
Sam growled again as he left them. “I don’t understand why they refuse to educate themselves in this matter when Paul
’s life is on the line.”
“Never mind now. It’s over. The plants are okay. Do you have somewhere to take them today?”
“Not all of them, but a good number. I had to discount some, but better less money than no money.”
“I agree,” she said. “Any other thoughts about Mary Hood last night?”
“Not really. I keep going over it in my head, but I’ve done the same thing a hundred times. I talk to someone, and if we click, they hire me for the job. There was nothing about her that was unusual. She was just another landscaping client.”
Peggy patted his large, muscular arm. “Don’t drive yourself crazy with it, Sam. You do a good job. There was no way to know you were blindsided.”
“It won’t happen again,” he promised. “I’m taking my tablet with me from now on. I have a new app so a client can sign right on the screen, and we’ll at least have that much. I don’t have to ask for money up front, but I’ll have proof that the transaction took place. I might even take pictures.”
He hugged Peggy and Hunter before he loaded a few quince bushes into The Potting Shed pickup and left.
“We need better evidence if we want to clear Paul’s name,” Hunter told her. “There has to be proof of all this.”
Walter was actually upset when Peggy told him it might be better if he didn’t join everyone for breakfast.
“Why? You always invite me. I was only doing what you would in this case.”
“Except that I wouldn’t have called the police, Walter.” Peggy stopped him at the door. “You were just grandstanding for them. You knew how terrible this situation has been for me. Go home.”
“I’m sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing.” Walter hung his head and finally went back to his house.
Peggy and Hunter went inside to go over everything that had happened. Hunter ate what was left of the pancakes Ranson had made, and Peggy had another cup of tea.
Al looked at his notebook, as he did in every case he worked. It gave Peggy a brighter feeling for the outcome knowing he was taking it as seriously as he did his other work.