Sweet Ginger Poison

Ginger knew that people loved her coffee cakes, but she didn’t know she had fans.

The woman became even more excited. “Oh, would you mind tasting one of my cherry tarts. It’s my own recipe.” She rushed to the stove to get one.

Ginger looked at Elijah and shrugged. Then she saw her coffee cakes sitting on the counter. One of her trays was sitting beside them.

The woman came back with a tart and handed it to Ginger.

Ginger took a sniff and nodded. Then she bit off a small portion and chewed it carefully as she analyzed it with her tongue. She was like a professional wine taster—except for the spitting.

“I love the delicate flakiness. The cherries are almosttoo sweet—but they’re not. Ooh. And there’s a magnificent aftertaste. How did you do that?”

The woman grinned. “It’s a secret.”

“Well, of course it is,” said Ginger. “And don’t you tell a soul.”

“I won’t. Thanks, Ma’am.”

“You’re very welcome.” She handed Elijah what was left of the tart. “Try it. You’ll love it.”

Without waiting for Elijah’s verdict, Ginger turned back to the woman. “Are those the coffee cakes Navy delivered this morning?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Were you the one who let him in?”

“Yes. And he seemed fine. Then I got him to taste one of my cherry tarts and he started choking.”

Ginger glanced back at Elijah, who had just put the last bite of the tart into his mouth. He stopped chewing, and seemed to be wondering whether he should spit it out. But he was not choking.

“So, do you think the tart made him sick?”

“No,” said the woman. “I mean—I hopenot. Oh, God. What do youthink?”

“I doubt it.” She looked back at Elijah, who had finished his tart.

“I feel fine,” he said.

“Maybe it was the wayhe ate it,” said the woman. “He stuffed it in his mouth all at once.”

“That could be it,” said Ginger. “So, he started choking and then he just passed out?”

“No, Ma’am. I ran to get him a glass of water. But by the time I got back he had gone out the door. I went out to see if he was okay. He was in his car doing something. Then he got out and started walking back toward the building. So, I ran out to meet him. But before I could get to him, he fell down. I checked his pulse, but I couldn’t feel anything.”

“Then you called 9-1-1?”

“Yes. And I got one of our nurses to come out. She said he was already dead.”

Elijah said, “What do you think he was doing in his car? Was he looking for something?”

“He must have been. While I was waiting for the ambulance I went over and looked in the car. The glove compartment was open and everything had been pulled out and thrown on the floorboard.”

“Did he have anything in his hands when he got back out of the car?”

“No. So, I guess he couldn’t find whatever he was looking for.”

“Did you hear anything the justice of the peace and the chief were saying?” said Ginger.

“Yes. The justice of the peace said that he thinks Navy’s head hitting the sidewalk is what killed him. His head was bleeding. But he didn’t want to say for sure since Navy had been choking right before that.”

“So, they questioned you,” said Elijah.

“Yes.”

“Did they say anything else?” said Ginger.

“That’s about it, I think.”

Ginger looked at Elijah. He didn’t seem to have any other questions. “Okay, then. Thanks. We appreciate it.”

Ginger and Elijah walked to the door and started to step out.

“Oh,” said the woman. “There was one other thing. I don’t know whether it’s important or not though.”

“What?” said Ginger.

“When the deputies were searching his car they found something under the front seat. They were joking around about it until the chief yelled at them.”

“Did you see it?”

“Yes. It was a pair of panties.”

Ginger was not at all surprised. Navy was known to be a swinging bachelor. Although she thought he had finally settled down. “Wonder why the deputies thought it was funny?”

“Probably because they were that kind that lace up on the sides. You know—kinda sexy. And they had lettering across the front of them.”

“What did it say?”

“Unlace Me.”

Ginger suddenly felt ill. She knew who the panties belonged to.

Chapter 5

Ginger and Elijah got into his car and drove away from the nursing home. He had offered to break the sad news to Navy’s girlfriend, Kayla. Ginger asked to go along.

“Navy’s house is on the south side of town,” said Ginger. “The reason I know is because I’ve heard Lacey Greendale talk about that ‘crummy little rent house’ he lives in. She and Navy used to be a couple.”

“What broke them up?”

“Kayla.”

“Oh.”

“Well, in all fairness, it was really more about the drinking and the gambling, and wasting his trust fund.”

“It was a big mistake to give it to him all at once. I don’t know many twenty-one year olds who could handle that kind of money.”

“He didn’t stick around here for long. Remember? I guess he just couldn’t spend the money fast enough in Coreyville. So, he moved to Dallas. Lacey was a senior in high school. She didn’t even say goodbye to her parents. But according to her, they didn’t care what she did anyway.”

“I would have driven to Dallas and given that boy a piece of my mind. My daughter would have been back in her own bed that very first night.”

Unfortunately, Elijah didn’t have a daughter. Or a son. His ex-wife had deprived him of children. Not because she couldn’t have them—but because she didn’t want the responsibility. It would have been nice if she’d shared her true feelings with him before they got married. Once he had said ‘I do,’ it was too late. A divorce would have ended his career in the ministry—or at least he thoughtso.

Clara divorced him four years ago, saying she was sick of being a pastor’s wife—having to act a certain way around church members, leading the women’s group, and always having to put on a Christian face for everybody. She had drudged her way through it for thirty years. Now she wanted to be herself—whatever thatmeant. It seemed like a mid-life crisis to Elijah. But he couldn’t talk any sense into her.

He knew he would have to resign. At the time, he was fifty-nine years old. What jobs would be open to him at that age—with his background? Bosses don’t like to hire a former minister. They figure he’ll make the other employees uncomfortable. Or scare off customers.

But he could not go on as though nothing had happened. Being divorced and being a Southern Baptist