Sweet Ginger Poison

one.”

“No,” said the chief, “we didn’t find anything like that at the scene.”

After the chief and Ginger left the medical examiner’s office and walked to his car, it suddenly hit him. “The glove box. That’s what Navy was frantically searching for—his Epi-Pen.”

They got into the car.

He continued. “So, what do we know so far? Somebody baked Navy a special cake with fish oil in it. Then they stole the Epi-Pen from his glove box. And Lacey Greendale’s panties were under his car seat.”

Ginger didn’t speak.

“So, just what was Lacey’s relationship with Navy?”

Ginger wished she didn’t know. But she did. “They used to date.”

“They usedto date. And now he has that new girlfriend. What’s her name?”

“Kayla Hanker.”

The chief smiled slyly. “So, that’s it. Lacey was mad at Navy for dumping her, and she just happens to work at your bakery. So, she baked him a nice little fish oil cake and stole the Epi-Pen out of his glove box. Oh, what sweet revenge. I bet we’ll find her fingerprints on the glove box.”

“No, Chief, I really think you’re on the wrong track. I know Lacey well. And I can tell you that she would never do anything like this. I’m sure of it.” It was a lie. She wasn’t sure—she just hoped.

“Sometimes you don’t know people as well as you think you do. Jealousy can make people do horrible things.”

The chief started the engine and drove out of the parking lot, and headed back to Coreyville.

“Time to pay a visit to Miss Greendale,” said the chief. “You want to come along?”

Ginger figured the chief was planning to use her again. He probably thought Lacey would be more open to answering questions if her friend and employer were in the room. But still—she wanted to be there to support Lacey in whatever way she could. “I guess so.”

“Good. I thank you for your help, Mrs. Lightley. Navy’s family and the City of Coreyville thank you too.”

What had she done? This could destroy Lacey’s life—and she probably wasn’t even guilty. If Ginger had not gone out to the nursing home to satisfy her own curiosity, would Lacey’s freedom now be in jeopardy?

The chief was wrong about Lacey, Ginger reassured herself. Lacey had truth on her side, and truthwould win the day.

Then she thought about a story she had recently read in the newspaper. A man had spent twenty years in prison, and then been released after some new evidence finally proved his innocence.

Could that happen to a sweet, trusting young woman like Lacey?

Chapter 11

Lacey had slept for nearly three hours after making love to Danny. She didn’t know how long he had been awake or what he had been doing. But now he wanted to drive down to Longview and party at his favorite dance club. Lacey would have preferred to sleep until morning. But she wanted to please Danny, so she got up.

The warm spray of the shower and the lathery soap refreshed her skin. But it couldn’t erase bad memories or wash away guilt.

Was she making another mistake? Did Danny really love her, or was he just using her like Navy did?

She had been so in love with Navy. They would be together forever. That was the plan. So, when she realized he was on a path to self-destruction, she tried to save him. But Navy didn’t want to be saved. Who did she think she was, telling him what to do? He didn’t need her. There were plenty of other women ready to jump in his bed. So, that’s all she was to him?

Danny might prove no more reliable than Navy, she thought. And this time she couldn’t run home to Grandma Greendale. Her grandmother had been the one person she could always count on in times of trouble.

Lacey and her parents had lived with her grandmother from the time Lacey was fifteen. They had moved in shortly after Lacey’s grandfather died. Lacey’s father said he didn’t want his mother living all alone. They would take care of her.

The truth was that Gabe Greendale was a bum. Lacey finally understood that. Her dad was not a good father, or a good husband, or even a good son. And her mother, Marika, was no better. All either of them ever thought about was themselves. Somehow that was their bond. They enabled each other’s selfishness.

When Lacey told her parents she was moving to Dallas with Navy during her senior year in high school, they did nothing to stop her—probably because they didn’t care about her. She was just a bother to them, just another responsibility—like a collection agency nagging you every month. You just want it to go away.

By the time Lacey’s grandmother found out what was going on, Lacey was already in Dallas. This led to a huge fight between her grandmother and her parents, resulting in an ultimatum: either Lacey’s parents would drive to Dallas and bring Lacey back home, or they could find somewhere else to live.

They moved out.

Gabe and Marika had been planning to relocate to California. They both wanted to make it in the movie industry: Marika as an actress, Gabe as a screenwriter. They would never fulfill their dreams unless they moved to L.A. So, Gabe figured that being thrown out of his mother’s house was just the ‘kick in the butt’ they needed.

Lacey’s grandmother had gladly welcomed her back into her home when Lacey left Navy in Dallas and returned to Coreyville. Lacey had not heard from either of her parents since her mother called over a year ago begging for money. She sounded like she was either drunk or doped up. Lacey didn’t have any money to send. And her grandmother refused to help. Lacey understood why.

After Grandma Greendale’s funeral, Lacey was more lost than ever before. She went home to her grandmother’s house and curled up in bed to die.

But Ginger Lightley had been a long-time friend of her grandmother, and must have been keeping an eye on Lacey to make sure she was okay. Ginger dropped by the house with a home-cooked meal the day after the funeral. She knocked on the door and then on Lacey’s bedroom window to get her attention. Lacey dragged herself to the door and let Ginger in with the tray of food.

Lacey would not have eaten the meal. She would have gone back to bed as soon as Ginger left. But Ginger wouldn’t leave. She insisted on staying until Lacey had eaten every bite. And she offered Lacey a job at her bakery. Lacey didn’t think she was up to it. She needed more time to get over her grandmother’s death. But Ginger told her that she knew Lacey’s grandmother would agree that Lacey should get out and get to work right away—be out there among other people. It would do her a world of good.

Lacey knew Ginger was right. It was exactly what her grandmother would have told her. And besides, Ginger had just lost her Baker Trainee. Lacey was doing her a favor by agreeing to start on Monday.

That was five weeks ago. And things had been going well. She loved the people she was working with— especially Ginger—even though at times Ginger could be such a perfectionist that it got on Lacey’s nerves. She sometimes reminded her of her grandmother—who was more of a mom than her than her real mother had ever been.

Two weeks ago, she had hooked up with Danny. She was drawn to his sense of humor. Then she had discovered his temper. But they were in love, weren’t they?

She turned off the water, stepped out of the shower, and began to towel off.

The doorbell rang. Who could that be? she wondered. Pizza. Danny must gotten too hungry to wait until they got to the club.

“Danny, can you get that?” she yelled to the living room over the blaring TV.

The TV sound went dead.

“Yeah, I’ve got it.”

She could barely hear the conversation at the door.

“Good evening, Sir. I’m Chief of Police Daniel Foenapper, and this is Mrs. Virginia Lightley. I’m sorry to disturb you at this hour, but I need to speak to Lacey Greendale. Is she here?”

“Uh, yes,” said Danny. “Come in.”