Pretty Poison

“We call him Homer because he reminds us of Homer Simpson, the cartoon character?” Selena shrugged. “I guess we don’t really know his name.”

He looked up at her. “And you are?”

“Selena Rogers. I work here.”

“And did you see anything unusual, Ms. Rogers?”

She glanced at Peggy. “I came in when she found the man—uh—body.”

“What about this homeless man?” he continued. “How about a description?”

Peggy responded, “He’s tall, very thin and pale. He has bad knees and wears a long black coat with holes in it. He has thinning brown hair and blue eyes. He’s got a jagged scar on one side of his face. He told me that he’s sixty-three.”

“Okay. We’ll put out an APB on him.”

“He doesn’t have a key to the shop,” Peggy pointed out.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll figure it out. You’ll have to leave the shop closed until we’re finished.”

“I know. But I still think you’re making a mistake looking for Mr. Cheever.”

“Look,” Al argued. “Maybe the victim got locked in here last night by mistake when you closed up. Maybe he was trying to get out and your homeless friend saw him and attacked him. Maybe Mr. Cheever was trying to break into the store. The jewelry, the wallet, even the shoes. Those are all things a homeless man might take.”

“The dead man couldn’t get in or out of the locked shop without a key,” she reasoned. “There was no one here when I left last night. And unless he broke a window, Mr. Cheever couldn’t get in without a key to rob him!”

“Stubborn as always, huh? Just let us investigate. I’ll keep you posted. Okay?”

“I understand.” But I don’t have to like it.

“Excuse me.” One of the crime scene investigators interrupted them. “Would you like to take a look and see if he’s someone you know?”

Peggy hesitated. It seemed like a good idea when she said she’d help identify him. She got up from the bench and walked slowly toward the body. The man’s face was mottled and pale, his lips white and slack. His eyes were half open, revealing his vacant stare. Blood smeared his right cheek. But she knew him despite his ghastly appearance. “Mark Warner!”

2

Water lily

Botanical: Nymphaea odorata

Family: Nymphaeaceae

Known as the queen of the water, it is found in shallow ponds, streams, and lakes. According to legend, a Brazilian Indian girl was killed when she tried to embrace the warrior in the moon. He transformed her into the giant water lily, the vitoria-regia, whose flower opens wide only at night. It is said that the vitoria-regia opens itself to its utmost only during a full moon when the sky over the Amazon jungle is cloudless and particularly clear.

“THE MARK WARNER?”Al peered at the man’s face. “Are you sure?”

“I’m afraid so,” Peggy muttered. “I’ve seen him around the shop lately.”

“What’s he doing here dead?”

“I wish I knew.”

“Well, take your time. Do your best,” Al cautioned the crime scene team. “Not like I’d expect anything else from you. But this one will be on the news every night for a week.”

Peggy knew that meant her shop would be on the news, too. There was no way to know how that would affect her business. She felt a little guilty thinking about it that way.

“I have to go.” Al took her hand. “I’ll be in touch. You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” she assured him. “I’m going to stay here for a while.”

Al kissed her cheek before he left. “That’s fine. Someone can take you home if you need a ride. Don’t be shy about asking.”

“All right. Thanks.”

“I can’t believe it. My first case has to be someone famous!” A young Vietnamese woman in a blue crime scene uniform stood beside Peggy when Al was gone. Her huge, almond-shaped brown eyes and pretty face were half hidden by heavy black glasses.

“I suppose that makes it harder,” Peggy sympathized. “Once the press hears about it, reporters will be everywhere.”

“Yeah.” She adjusted her glasses. “Sorry. That’s my problem, not yours. I’m Mai Sato. I’m with the medical examiner’s office.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Peggy Lee.”

The younger woman did a double take. “Aren’t you someone famous?”

“Only if you can get famous being a professor at Queens for too long.”