by Thea Cambert
“Forty-five,” said Mrs. Howard.
“Has it been that long?” asked Doc Howard, frowning. Then he broke into a grin and kissed his wife on the cheek. “It seems like only yesterday I married this young lady.”
“We’ll be renewing our vows tomorrow night with all of you around us,” said Mrs. Howard.
“Luke and I are too,” said Alice. “And Franny and Ben,” she said, nodding in Franny’s direction.
“Wonderful!” said Mrs. Howard.
Alice turned to Doc. “We heard there’s a pretty bad stomach bug going around town.”
Doc nodded. “Yep. Unfortunately. Stomach bugs are no fun, but this one doesn’t last long, thankfully.”
“I’m worried I might be getting it,” said Alice.
Doc instantly switched from doting husband to doctor mode. He laid a hand on Alice’s forehead. “Cool as a cucumber,” he mumbled. “What are your symptoms, Alice?”
“Fatigue. Loss of appetite,” said Alice.
Doc nodded and took a good look into Alice’s eyes. “No stomach pain?”
When Alice shook her head, he said, “I doubt you have the bug. But come and see me if you develop more symptoms or feel worse.”
“Okay. I will,” said Alice. “Is there any news on Stanley?”
Doc shook his head sadly. “Poor Stanley,” he said. “He’s not out of the woods yet. That poison did quite a number on him, and his asthma complicated matters, since he breathed it into his lungs.”
“Hopefully Ben and Luke will catch whoever did this to Stanley soon,” said Franny.
“Don’t tell me you three aren’t helping solve the case,” said Mrs. Howard with a wink. “You know the police can always use a helping hand.”
“We’ll do what we can,” said Alice with a laugh.
“Well, Ethel, how about we go find a nice spot and have a picnic?” said Doc, picking up the heavy basket.
“Have fun, you two,” said Owen, just as Picnic Patsy, who was waving at him, caught his eye.
“Order up, Owen,” she called.
“Coming!” He went to grab his lunch.
“Doc Howard! I need help!” Andrea Smith came running up, red-faced and panting. She bent over and put her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.
“Andrea, what’s wrong?” asked Doc, setting the basket down again.
“It’s Watson. He’s sick. Really sick.”
“What’s going on?” asked Doc.
“He’s weak and nauseous,” said Andrea. “He feels awful. He never gets sick. We were at the clinic, treating Ethel Primrose’s new puppy, Snoodle—”
“Ethel got a dog?” Alice whispered to Franny. “Imagine that!”
Ethel Primrose, the persnickety curator and director of the Blue Valley Heritage Museum, didn’t seem the type to get a puppy.
“And she named it Snoodle!” said Franny.
“I’m really worried,” Andrea told Doc.
“Is he still at Furry Friends?” asked Doc.
“Yes. I closed up and had him lie down on a cot in the office,” said Andrea, who worked as her husband’s office administrator at the Furry Friends Veterinary Clinic.
“Sounds like he’s got this bug that’s going around,” said Doc. He glanced over at his wife, who smiled and gave him a little nod. “But just in case, I’d better have a look at Watson.”
Andrea breathed a sigh of relief, and the two of them hurried away.
“Can we help you with your picnic basket, Mrs. H?” asked Franny.
“That’s okay,” said Mrs. Howard. “Doc will be back soon.”
“Too bad your picnic got interrupted,” said Alice.
“Oh, Alice dear, I’ve been a doctor’s wife for almost half a century. If I weren’t a flexible person, we’d never have made it this far.” She chuckled. “You’ve got to go with the flow and give your partner the benefit of the doubt. That’s the key to having a happy marriage—whether to a doctor or a detective.”
Owen came back and joined them, now holding a small cardboard takeout box. “I saw Andrea and Doc run off,” he said. “What happened?”
“Watson is sick,” said Mrs. Howard. “Sounds like that darn virus.”
“Wow,” said Owen. “Watson was fine this morning when I saw him.”
“You saw him this morning? At the clinic?” asked Alice.
“Yep. Delivered a love note to him.”
Pearl Ann Dowry walked up, headed toward Picnic Patsy’s. “Well, this is a nice surprise,” she said. “I’m just on my way to Patsy’s for some chicken soup for Norman.”
“How’s Norman feeling?” asked Alice.
“Not good,” said Pearl Ann. “In fact, I think he’s getting worse.”
“I thought this was a twelve-hour bug,” said Owen. “Shouldn’t Norman be improving by now?”
“What are his symptoms?” asked Mrs. Howard.
“Weakness. Nausea. And his heartbeat is irregular—like palpitations.”
“Sounds just like what Dr. Watson has,” said Alice. “Andrea was just here. Doc Howard went off with her to check on Watson.”
“You know, I’d better check in with Doc, too,” said Pearl Ann. “Were they headed to the vet clinic?”
“Yep,” said Mrs. Howard. “If you go there now, you can catch the doc.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Howard. See you all later!” Pearl Ann turned to go.
“We’ll get your chicken soup,” Alice called after her. “We’ll drop it off at Blue Beauty.”
“Thank you!” said Pearl Ann. “Just leave it with Sandra at the front desk. Norman’s asleep upstairs.” Pearl Ann and Norman lived above the spa with their dog—a corgi named Polly.
“Call us later and let us know how he’s doing!”
“Will do!”
Alice turned back to Owen, frowning. “Hey Owen, who sent the note you delivered this morning to Dr. Watson?”
“Well, I would assume it was his wife. But the note said it was from a secret admirer,” said Owen, straightening his heart sash.
“That’s what I was afraid of.”
“You were?” asked Franny. “Wait. Are you thinking there’s something in the notes that’s making people sick?”
“Maybe I’m grasping at straws. But Norman got a note from a secret admirer yesterday, and he got sick last night. And Watson got one this morning, and now he’s sick.” Alice turned to Owen. “Did you deliver any other secret admirer love notes today?”
“Just one.” Owen paused and swallowed, looking at Alice. “To your dad.”
Chapter 9
Alice had never been more thankful that her parents’ house was directly across Trout Lily Street from the park. She, Owen, and Franny made a beeline for the house and knocked on the door.
When no one answered, Franny said, “They’re babysitting Theo. Maybe they’re out playing in the backyard.”
The threesome ran around the side of the house and through the gate in the picket fence, only to find the backyard quiet, save the birds flitting about in the trees.
“Ooh—Martin managed to get a yellow-billed cuckoo to come to the yard. I’ll have to ask him what he’s putting in the feeders,” said Owen. He and Martin had a long history of birdwatching together, and were constantly looking for the birds of the season.
“Owen! This is no time for bird talk!” said Alice, feeling more nervous as the minutes ticked by. “Where could they be?”
“They didn’t text to say they were going anywhere,” said Franny, checking her phone.
“Check with Ben,” said Alice. “Let’s walk down the street. Maybe they took Theo out for a stroll.”
Franny nodded and messaged Ben as they walked, and he quickly answered.
“Nope,” said Franny, reading the text. “Ben doesn’t know where they are.”
Alice felt her heart begin to pound harder as she scanned the normally quiet sidewalk and street, which were crowded with fair-goers today. “I know they’re probably fine, but I—”
“Alic
e, look!” said Owen. “There they are—up ahead!”
Sure enough, Martin and Bea Maguire were walking toward them, pushing a snoozing Theo down the sidewalk in his stroller.
“What a nice surprise,” said Bea when she saw them.
“Mom and Dad, we were just at the house.” Alice breathed a sigh of relief.
“Well, we weren’t there, Pumpkin,” said Martin.
“You look worried,” said Bea, looking from Alice to Owen to Franny. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes—I think so, anyway.” Alice turned to her father. “Dad, Owen said you received a love note from a secret admirer earlier today.”
“That’s right,” said Martin, winking at his wife. “You mother swears she didn’t send it, but we both know she did.”
“I’m telling you, I didn’t,” said Bea, playfully swatting her husband’s arm. “But I’m glad someone did. We just got a free lunch at the Salad Stop and chocolates from Sugar Buzz for dessert.” She walked around to the front of the stroller and adjusted the sun visor.
“Dad, how are you feeling?” asked Alice, taking her father’s arm.
“I’m fine,” he said. But then his steps slowed a bit. “Mostly fine.”
“Martin what are you talking about?” asked Bea, looking up from the stroller.
“Well, if I’m honest, I do feel a little . . . strange. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“I heard there’s a stomach bug going around town,” said Bea, putting a hand on Martin’s forehead. “Is that why you didn’t eat much lunch, dear? You weren’t feeling well? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Oh, now,” Martin peeled Bea’s concerned hand off his forehead. “I’m sure I’m fine.”
Alice took her mother’s hand and looked directly into her eyes. “Now listen Mom, all kidding aside. Did you or didn’t you send Dad that love note?”
“I did not,” said Bea, her face turning serious. “I truly thought it was a hoot that someone—other than me, that is—has a crush on your father.”
“You did?” asked Martin. “Bea, I had no idea. I mean, I thought you were kidding about all that.”
“Alice, what’s this about?” Bea put her hands on her hips.
Suddenly, their attention was diverted when a siren sounded from nearby, then quickly faded as the town’s ambulance presumably made its way to the hospital.
“That sounded like it was just on the backside of this block,” said Owen, looking down the street.
“What’s going on?” asked Martin, who was beginning to look a little pale.
Alice’s cell phone rang. She looked at the screen. “It’s Pearl Ann.” She answered the phone, saying only, “Okay . . . Yes. Please call if you need anything, Pearl Ann . . . Thank you.” When she hung up, she looked at Owen and Franny, feeling her stomach turn over. “Norman’s getting sicker. He just collapsed and is being taken to the hospital.”
Chapter 10
A quick call from Franny to the police station brought Ben and Luke both running down Main Street, past the park, and straight to the Maguires’ house at the corner of Trillium and Trout Lily.
“How’s he doing?” asked Ben, bursting through the front door.
“He’s been throwing up,” said Alice. “Doc will head over here as soon as he checks in on Norman.”
“I have never been more thankful to have a family doctor who’s willing to make the occasional house call,” said Bea with an exasperated sigh as she came out of the bedroom.
“How is he, Mom?” asked Alice.
“He’s resting now.” Bea patted Alice on the cheek. “You all go on about your day. Doc will be here soon, and I’ll take care of your father.”
“No, Mom, we’ll stay,” said Alice, and Ben nodded behind her.
“No you won’t,” Bea insisted. “It may be that your dad has that awful stomach bug, and I don’t want you all catching it. Think of little Theo if you won’t think of yourselves.”
“What about you, Mom?” said Ben.
“I’m tough as nails,” said Bea with a snort. “I’ll be just fine. Now scoot.”
A moment later, the whole group was walking back up Main Street.
“Something’s definitely going on, and I don’t like it,” said Luke.
“Let’s go over what we know,” said Alice. “First, Stanley was delivering flowers that had poison in them. We still don’t know who exactly they were intended for, because there were a lot of names on the list that day, and none of them were supposed to receive flowers as far as we know.”
“And then Norman, Watson, and Martin all got love notes from secret admirers, and they all got sick,” said Owen.
“Do we know yet what the poison in the flowers was? Could it be that some of that same poison was in the love notes? Maybe something they all inhaled?” wondered Alice.
“Like Anthrax or something?” asked Ben.
“I’ll give the lab a call,” said Luke. “We’re expecting some test results back from those flowers.”
When he stepped aside to make the call, Ben lowered his voice and said, “We’re pretty sure we know what the poison was. We just need to confirm it.” He looked at Luke, who gave him a little nod and hung up the phone.
“Cyanide. Just like Doc suspected.”
“Cyanide?” asked Alice.
“Rat poisoning in this case,” said Ben. He looked at his sister, then at Owen, then Franny. “This stays on the downlow, understand?”
“We shouldn’t even be talking about the investigation with you,” said Luke. Then he smiled. “But somehow, you always figure everything out anyway. And I have to admit, you three have been amazingly helpful in the past. So if you have any insights, we’d welcome them.”
“You’ll be the first to know,” said Owen, who had just taken Theo out of his stroller.
“There is something—something I remember that I keep going back to,” said Alice.
“What is it?” Luke stopped walking and turned to his wife.
“We were all watching Stanley that morning—Thursday morning . . . Oh my gosh, it was just yesterday morning. Seems like a million years ago!”
“Totally agree,” said Owen, bouncing Theo lightly.
“Anyway,” Alice continued, “We were watching Stanley walking down the street, making his deliveries. He stopped at Blue Beauty and gave Pearl Ann her love note. Then he walked a little further up the street, then looked at his list and stopped. He turned back—it was as though he’d forgotten something—and then he sort of smiled at the flowers and started walking back in the direction he’d come. He’d only walked a few steps when he smelled the flowers and started coughing.”
By this time, Ben had taken out the little notebook he always carried and was reading through his notes. “Yep. That’s exactly what you told us yesterday,” he said.
“I told you the facts,” said Alice, “but I didn’t tell you my feeling.”
“Like your gut instinct?” asked Luke.
“Auntie Alice’s gut is never wrong,” said Owen, twirling Theo around.
“I feel like Stanley realized he’d forgotten something,” said Alice. “I think he saw another name on the list—a person he’d just passed by—and was going back to deliver those flowers to them.”
“Like maybe he was supposed to give the flowers to Pearl Ann?” asked Owen.
“No, because he’d already scratched her name off the list. I think he would’ve given her the flowers if they were for her. No, I think he had realized Norman was down the list. And since he’d just seen Norman at Blue Beauty—”
“He knew Norman wasn’t over at Odd Job Bob’s yet!” said Franny.
“Exactly,” said Alice. “I think the flowers might’ve been intended for Norman.”
“Since I took over the list for Cupid, I can confirm that the address given for Norman’s love note—which was further down the list, well past Pearl Ann’s—was definitely at Odd Job Bob’s—not at Blue Beauty,” said Owen. “Which makes sense, since th
at’s where he normally is during the day on Fridays.”
Franny waved her hands around excitedly. “Oh! But Norman must’ve wanted to be by Pearl Ann’s side when she received the love note he’d sent her. So he was in the wrong place.”
Norman was the current Odd Job Bob. He’d bought the business from Bob Davis when he’d retired, and had decided that Odd Job Norman didn’t sound as catchy, so he’d kept the original name.
“Normally, Norman would’ve either been out on a call or at his workshop on Phlox Street at that time of day,” said Luke, nodding. “You all might be right.”
“It’s just a hunch,” said Alice. “Maybe Norman’s secret someone had told Stanley to give him the flowers along with the note that Owen ended up delivering later.”
Ben snapped his notebook shut. “So maybe when the poisoner saw that the flower ploy wasn’t going to work, they fell back on some kind of poison in the love notes? Or maybe the love notes and the flowers contained poison . . .”
“Maybe,” said Luke.
“It does seem an odd coincidence that all three recipients of the secret admirer notes that I’ve delivered have gotten sick,” said Owen.
Luke gave Alice a kiss on the cheek. “Maybe your gut is always right, Alice. Thank you.”
“We’ve got to get going,” said Ben, patting Theo on the head and kissing Franny. “We’re going to start by collecting those secret admirer notes.”
“And let’s run down to the Community Center while we’re at it,” said Luke. “We need to see if Virginia was able to find the payment envelope there.”
“See you tonight,” Luke called over his shoulder as they headed back toward the Maguires’ house. “I’ll check on your dad when we pick up his love note and let you know how he’s faring.”
“Thanks!” said Alice. She turned to Owen. “Listen, Cupid, if you get any more orders from secret admirers, absolutely do not deliver them unless you know exactly who they’re from. And tell Virginia, Marge, and Barb that if they receive another anonymous payment, they should call the police immediately and not touch the envelope.”
“Got it, boss,” said Owen, handing Theo to Franny and straightening his sash.