by Carol Cox
Kisses whimpered, as if in agreement, and nuzzled Renee’s chin with the tip of his nose.
Renee looked at Kate helplessly. “My poor baby needs his dinner.”
“Do you want to look in the kitchen? I’m not sure we have any of his special food in the cupboard, but there might be something here that he could eat.”
Renee dismissed the suggestion with a quick sniff. “He’s used to his mommy’s home cooking, and I hate to make any changes that might upset his delicate system.”
The general had just morphed into an indulgent dog owner. Renee caught her lower lip between her teeth, obviously torn between her devotion to Kisses and her desire not to miss out on anything concerning the investigation.
Maternal instinct won out. “I have to leave.” Renee turned to Kate. “You will take care of everything, won’t you?” She indicated the whiteboard and other paraphernalia with a surreptitious nod of her head.
“Consider it done,” Kate said. “You go on ahead. We’ll just have to muddle along without you.”
Renee left, cooing over the whimpering Kisses, and Kate returned her attention to LuAnne, who looked more distraught with each passing moment.
“Are things getting worse at the diner? Why don’t you tell us what’s going on?”
“Nothing’s goin’ on. That’s the trouble!” LuAnne wrung her hands. “We made a bad mistake with that chili last week. Even though I haven’t cooked on the same kind of scale Loretta has, I should have known better than to wait so long before we iced it down and got it ready to put in the freezer.”
She sniffled and raised her chin. “It was my fault, and I’ll take responsibility for it, but I’m afraid Loretta’s the one who will be hurt by it all. I don’t know that it matters whether J.B. stays away or not. There’ve been almost no customers today.”
Kate exchanged a quick glance with Livvy. By this point, the diner should have been in the middle of the dinner service. “You mean the evening rush hasn’t started yet?”
LuAnne snorted. “There’s no rush about it. It got so bad, I just closed up early and came over here.” Her voice caught on what sounded suspiciously like a sob. “And here I am burdening you with my problems when you’re not feelin’ any too pert yourself.”
Kate squeezed her friend’s hand. “That’s okay. It’s what I’m here for.”
“That’s just like you. Carin’ about other people more than you do about yourself.” LuAnne shook her head, the picture of dejection. “As far as I know, no one’s reported us to the health inspector yet, which is a mercy. But it’s a horrible feelin’, knowing that we made all those people sick.”
She jerked her head around to face Kate, her eyes wide. “You don’t think you picked up something from eatin’ there Sunday before last, do you? I’d never forgive myself if—”
Kate reached over and patted LuAnne’s arm. “That isn’t the case,” she said stoutly. “I’m sure of it. Just try to relax and take things one day at a time. I know you’re under a terrible strain right now, but it won’t last forever.”
“It gets even worse.” LuAnne stared at the carpet and spoke in a dull tone. “I got a phone call from Loretta this afternoon. She asked me how everything was going.”
Kate and Livvy looked at each other. “Did you tell her?” Kate asked.
LuAnne’s shoulders slumped. “Lord forgive me, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”
“I can’t say that I blame you,” Livvy consoled her. “It would be hard to break news like that to her when she’s already concerned about her sister.”
“That isn’t the worst of it,” LuAnne went on. “She’s comin’ back.”
Kate started. “Loretta is? When?”
“Friday.” LuAnne’s voice sounded more like someone announcing the death of a loved one rather than the return of a friend.
“That’s only three days away!” Livvy said, her eyes wide.
“Don’t I know it! That’s three days to try to undo all the mess I’ve made of her business since she’s been gone. Three days!” LuAnne wrung her hands. “What am I going to do?”
Kate’s heart went out to her friend. “I wish I had a grand idea that would fix everything. I don’t know the answers, but I know Someone who does. Why don’t we ask him?”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
After LuAnne left, Kate reached for her notebook. “Would you hand me my pen?” she asked Livvy. “I think it rolled off the bed when Kisses was running back and forth.”
“What are you doing?”
“This.” Kate pulled one of the lists, now somewhat crumpled, from the notebook. Taking the pen from Livvy, she drew a broad slash across LuAnne’s name.
“There is no way I can put that woman on a list of suspects. I’m ashamed that I entertained the thought for even a second.”
“Me too,” Livvy said.
Paul poked his head inside the room. “Is it safe to come in now?”
“The game must be over, huh?” Kate grinned. “Come on in. The war room has been shut down for the night.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Paul sidled into the room. “We definitely need to talk things over, but Renee’s way of handling things was a little too intense for me.” He moved over to the bed. “So did you come to any conclusions?”
“Not just now, but I’ve done quite a bit of thinking since you left after lunch.” With Livvy’s help, Kate recapped the afternoon’s events, showing him the lists and telling him her conviction about the poisoner striking a second time.
Paul dropped down onto the foot of the bed. “Are you sure?”
“I can’t see any other way it could have happened.”
“That does it.” Paul’s voice took on a determined note. “Since we don’t know what you ate that made you sick, we’re going to toss every bit of food that’s been brought into this house in the past week or so. Until this mess is straightened out, we’re not going to be eating anything unless it’s prepared by me or Livvy.”
“I’m afraid that’s the only solution.” Kate sighed.
“Definitely,” Livvy agreed. “If we want to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
“It’s the wisest thing to do,” Kate said. “But it’s a shame we don’t know which one thing to throw out. I hate getting rid of all that good food. I was looking forward to eating my way through the rest of those meals.”
“They were pretty tasty.” Paul’s eyes held a bit of sadness at the thought of the food he’d never get a chance to sample. Then his face brightened. “At least Livvy’s brownies are beyond reproach. It would be okay to have them again.”
Livvy laughed at the heavy hint. “Okay, I promise I’ll make some more.”
“I keep thinking of that chicken-and-broccoli casserole,” Kate said. “It smelled so good the day I heated it up for you. There were two of them in the freezer, and I was hoping I’d get a chance to taste the other one myself.”
“Yeah,” Paul said in a wistful voice. “That one was pretty wonderful.”
Kate tried to strike a positive note. “At least we were able to polish off the custard Lucy Mae brought on Sunday.”
“That woman makes a fine custard.” Paul smacked his lips at the memory. “She got just the right amount of nutmeg in there. It reminded me of the kind my mother used to make.”
“But I don’t ever remember your mother using blueberries as a garnish on hers.” Kate smiled. “I can still taste that crunchy sweetness against the creamy smoothness of the custard.”
Paul gave her a questioning look. “What blueberries?”
“The ones on top of the custard, silly. Don’t tell me you were so involved in savoring the nutmeg flavor that you didn’t even notice them.”
Paul’s eyes locked on hers. “I didn’t notice them because there weren’t any on mine. Are you sure about that?”
“It’s hardly the sort of thing I’d imagine.”
Paul turned to Livvy. “Did you notice blueberries on any of those custard cups?”
/> Livvy looked stricken. “I honestly don’t remember. Things got pretty hectic on Sunday, trying to feed all those people. Most of the ladies popped in to try to help at one time or other, and we were practically falling over each other. For a while there, it seemed like I was running half a dozen directions at once.”
She turned to Kate. “I remember bringing the custard to you, but as far as the berries...” Livvy shook her head. “I’m sorry, I really can’t say.”
Paul looked at Kate. “Why don’t you describe these berries?”
Kate moistened her lips. “They were blueberries; at least I assumed they were. They were the right color, although they were quite a bit smaller than usual, now that I think about it.”
A prickle of unease ran down her spine. “Would you bring me those plant books, Paul? They’re over by the couch.”
When Paul came back from the living room, Kate selected the book with the most color plates and started leafing through the photos.
“It wasn’t a bad taste,” she said while she turned the pages. “Nothing I ever would have thought of as harmful, anyway. It’s hard to imagine that—” Her fingers came to rest on a photo on the bottom-right corner of a page.
“Did you find something?” Paul asked. He and Livvy crowded in for a closer look.
“That’s it,” Kate said, tapping the picture. “At least I’m pretty sure it is. Don’t they look like blueberries to you?”
Paul tilted his head. “Yeah, I guess. The color matches, anyway. They look quite a bit smaller, though.”
“Just like I remember.”
“What are they?” Livvy asked breathlessly.
Kate moved her finger to reveal the label at the bottom of the picture. “Elderberries.” She looked up and frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. People use elderberries for all kinds of things. In fact, LuAnne brought me elderberry jam the other day, and that didn’t cause me any problems.” She swallowed hard and looked at Livvy.
“I’ve heard of people making their own elderberry wine,” Paul added, not catching the eye contact between the two women. “Find the main entry on them, and let’s see why they’re listed here.”
Kate checked the index and turned to the correct page. Skimming over the information given, they discovered that while cooked elderberries were safe to eat, the leaves, stem, and unripe berries were considered poisonous.
Livvy gasped and pointed to one paragraph. “Look at this variety, the blue elderberry. It says that even a handful of the raw berries can be dangerous.”
“How many berries were on top of that custard?” Paul asked.
“It was a pretty sizable mound of them,” Kate admitted. “But how do we know whether they were that same variety?” She opened a couple of the other books and studied their entries on elderberries. “There seems to be conflicting information on just how toxic the uncooked berries are.”
“But you had already been weakened by whatever you were given the first time,” Livvy reminded her. “You were probably more susceptible to them than if you’d been your normal healthy self.”
Kate stared at the picture of the innocuous-looking plant. For the first time, she was able to name a specific cause for her illness. “So it was elderberries,” she whispered.
“And Lucy Mae brought them,” Paul said, his face grim.
“She brought the custard,” Kate corrected. “We don’t know that the berries were on it when she came here. Besides, she never intended to stay. If only one serving had the elderberries, how could she be certain that I would be the one to eat it?”
“She couldn’t,” Paul agreed.
Livvy’s face blanched. “Then it had to have been done by someone who was here.” Her voice broke. “And I’m the one who brought it to you. Oh, Kate, I am so sorry! What was I thinking? I should have realized, noticed the difference somehow.”
“Why would you have?” Kate pulled her friend into her arms and gave her a hug. “You were busy taking care of everybody that day, and you had no reason to suspect that anything was wrong with the food.”
Livvy sniffled. “I’m just glad you’re all right now.”
“And I’m going to keep on getting better. We now have an idea of how the poisoner has been operating, and we’re already taking steps to keep it from happening again.”
Paul got to his feet. “I’m emptying the freezer right now. It’s all going into the trash. I’m not taking any chances with your health.”
Livvy stood and swiped at her eyes. “Why don’t I call Danny and tell him we’re eating over here tonight? The boys both have other plans for dinner, so it’s just the two of us.” She looked at Kate. “Are you up to spaghetti?”
Kate thought a moment and nodded, suddenly feeling hungry. “I think maybe a small portion would work.”
“Good. Then I’ll have him swing by the mercantile and pick up some ground beef.”
Twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang. “That must be Danny.” Livvy went to the front door and returned with Camille in tow.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
You have a visitor,” Livvy told Kate before turning back toward the front door. “I saw our SUV heading this way. I’ll go let Danny in and start supper.”
Camille walked toward the bed and sat in the nearby chair. “I heard you’d taken ill again. I thought I’d come by and see if you needed any help around the house, but it seems like you always have a houseful of people around.” She spoke lightly, but the bright smile on her face didn’t reach her eyes. “I thought you might want some housework done. Or maybe I could sit with you for a spell if your husband needs to go out for a while.”
Kate fought a ripple of irritation. Camille was only trying to make an overture of friendship. The persistent offers of help shouldn’t make her feel as though the other woman considered her some sort of invalid.
What was wrong with her attitude? She had already noticed how ill at ease Camille seemed to feel around most people. She ought to reach out and make her feel welcome, rather than wanting to keep her at arm’s length.
“Maybe we can get together for coffee one day. At the diner, perhaps. That way you can see me someplace outside the walls of this house, and we can have a good long visit.”
Camille nodded but didn’t look overly excited at the prospect. “Just promise me that you’ll call if you do need any assistance. I really do love helping people. Let me give you our phone number. It’s unlisted.” She looked at Kate expectantly.
Kate reached across the bed for her notebook and pulled a blank sheet of paper loose. She patted the blanket and looked under Paul’s pillow for her pen. Oh, bother! She must have lost it again.
“Would you mind getting my purse?” She pointed across the room. “It’s over there on the dresser.”
“Always glad to help,” Camille said. She stumbled over the leg of the chair on her way back to the bed, and the handbag upended, scattering its contents on the floor.
“Oh, how clumsy of me! I’m so sorry.”
Kate leaned over the side of the bed and tried to reach the spilled items.
“Here, let me.” Camille knelt and scooped up the fallen objects, stuffing them back into the handbag. “I don’t know how you had your purse organized, but at least everything’s back in there, safe and sound. And look, I found your pen.”
She set the handbag back on the dresser, then jotted her phone number on the piece of paper and wrote her name below it with a flourish. She handed the pen and paper to Kate. “I’ll feel better just knowing you’ll be able to contact me if you ever need me.”
Kate slid the paper inside the notebook cover and gave Camille a smile of thanks.
“It looks like your notebook is filling up.” Camille tilted her head to one side. “You must be making substantial progress.”
Kate tried to toss Camille’s comment off with a light shrug. “I’m just taking it one step at a time.”
Paul popped in at the doorway. “Livvy is fixing spaghetti,” he told Camille. “Would
you like to join us for dinner?”
“No, thank you,” Camille said, then leaned over to pat Kate’s hand. “Thanks for the reminder, though. I’d lost track of the time. I need to get home and make dinner for Evan.” She smiled at Paul when he started to walk her to the door. “Don’t bother. I know my way out.”
Paul leaned against the doorjamb and looked at Kate. “Funny, isn’t it, that in the time we’ve lived in Copper Mill, we haven’t crossed paths with the Sheppards? And now Camille has been over here, what...three times in less than a week?”
Kate nodded. “I think she’s looking for a friend.”
“Well, she couldn’t have found a better one.”
“Dinner’s almost ready,” Livvy called from the kitchen. “Do you want to eat at the dining table, or shall I set things up on the card table in your room?”
“The dining table, by all means,” Kate called back.
While Livvy dished up the meal, Kate took time to fix her hair and dab on a touch of lipstick. She stifled a giggle. One would think she was getting ready for something far more exciting than a spaghetti dinner at home. But the prospect of sharing any sort of meal with company made her want to treat it as a festive occasion.
The meal passed quickly, with the kind of lively conversation and playful banter that came easily to four close friends.
“There’s no ball game on tonight,” Paul said when Livvy got up to clear the table. “Do you two need to run off, or are you up to staying for a game of Scrabble?”
Kate’s spirits brightened even more. Whether she won or lost, she loved the challenge of forming the best words she could with the letters she drew. It was a little like her sleuthing, she realized—putting the pieces together to come up with the best possible solution.
Livvy looked at Danny, and he nodded. “That sounds great,” she said. “I’ll wash the dishes while you set up the game board.”
Paul waved her back to the table. “I’ll take care of those later. You come over here and relax. You’ve done more than your share of helping out around this house lately.”