Pretty Poison

“Hey, Peggy.”

“Hello, Al. Would you like some tea?” There was deep concern and embarrassment in her old friend’s eyes. She didn’t know the younger man at his side. But his gaze was impatient and irritated.

“We have a few more questions, Peggy. You know how it is. This is my boss, Lieutenant Rimer. Lieutenant, this is Dr. Lee.”

“How do you do, ma’am?”

“I’m fine, thanks.” She extended her hand to him after wiping it on her pants. “Nice to meet you, Lieutenant Rimer. You must be new. I don’t think I recognize you.”

“I transferred from Ohio recently.”

“I hope you’re feeling at home here?”

“Not really. Not yet anyway. My wife’s from Charlotte. All her family’s here. I’m still adjusting.” He glanced around the room. “I don’t want to take up too much of your time, Dr. Lee. Do you have someplace we could talk?”

“Will the kitchen do? I just put on the kettle.”

“Sure, thanks.”

She walked beside him through the foyer. “You know, these things take time. I moved up here from Charleston. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to these cold winters. And all that red clay!”

Rimer laughed. “Yeah, I know. And what’s with that white stuff they put on your plate at breakfast?”

“You mean grits? We had them in the Low Country, too. I come from a big family. We ate fried grits, boiled grits, and baked grits. It was a relief the last time I went home and my father had a box of Krispy Kreme donuts on the counter!”

Rimer sat down opposite Al at the big oak table. There was a yellow mum blooming from the sunlight that streamed in the window every afternoon. Smells of lemon balm and spearmint mingled with the strong aroma of chamomile as she steeped the tea.

“What else can I tell you?” she asked.

“Do you have any idea what Warner was doing in your shop?” the lieutenant began with an exasperated sigh.

“I can’t imagine why he was there,” Peggy answered. “Not for lack of trying. I thought about it all night.”

“I feel like an idiot asking you these questions.” Al ran his hand through his coarse, thinning black hair and brushed his bulbous nose nervously. “But you did find the body.”

“Of course. John always told me the first person on the scene was the first suspect. I understand. It’s logical.”

He fidgeted some more. “Mrs. Warner told us she thought her husband was having an affair. She suggested that maybe it went bad. She said Mark was moody and distracted lately. Did you see him with anyone?”

“Yes. I remembered something early this morning. I know I may appear cool and collected about this, but there was a dead body in my shop yesterday. I almost fell over it!” She explained to them about the brunette she’d seen Mark with in the shop.

“What brunette?” Lieutenant Rimer demanded impatiently. “Do you know the woman’s name?”

Peggy described the woman for him. “I never really got a close look at her. They were usually there around lunchtime. She could be someone he works with.”

“But you didn’t think so,” Rimer insinuated.

“Not really.”

“Did they act . . . friendly?” Al asked.

“Very friendly,” she confirmed. “But there’s a lot of that going on with the lunchtime crowd.”

“So was she tall? As tall as him?” Al scribbled in his notebook.

“Not quite, but close.” Peggy thought back. “Her hair was very dark brown, shoulder-length. Very good condition. She dressed well. Expensive shoes. She had very muscular legs like she bikes or runs regularly.”

“What about her face?” Al questioned. “Eye color? Anything?”

“I saw them together, but they weren’t close to the checkout counter. Lunchtime is always busy. I don’t have time to do more than glance at people as they come and go. She always had her face turned away from me. I’m as preoccupied with celebrity gossip as the next person. I’ve heard the trash about the Warners. I wanted to know who was with him as much as any reporter.”

“What trash?” Rimer asked.

“The gossips,” Peggy explained. “They say Mark and his wife have been dating outside their marriage for years. Who knows if it’s true or not. The Warners are a high-profile couple in Charlotte. I’m sure some of it is sour grapes.

“Do you think the brunette was hiding on purpose?” Al went back to their conversation.

Her cinnamon colored brows lifted. “If I were out with someone well-known like Mark and I didn’t want anyone to know, I’d stay away from public places! She had to think they were safe. Or it didn’t matter.”

Al tapped his notebook with his pen. “Okay. We can check this out. Somebody else must’ve seen them together, too.”