Pretty Poison

Steve sat beside Peggy with his arm around her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, thanks.” She smiled at him. “Just hungry.” And wondering where you’ve been.

The restaurant was deserted since it was Monday night and they didn’t have a large-screen TV for football. The group from the Potting Shed didn’t mind. They took up two big tables and had plenty to discuss.

“What’s next?” Sam asked after they ordered their pizzas and beer.

Hunter shrugged. “Janice gives Keeley the best defense she can in the circumstances. We can’t manufacture an alibi. Keeley’s already confessed to being there with Warner that night.”

“What about his other women?” Selena poured a glass of beer. “Sorry, Keeley, but we know he was a three- or four-timing son of a bitch. And that’s not counting his wife.”

“Peggy’s been looking into that,” Hunter answered. “So far nothing’s turned up. As far as the police are concerned, Keeley is the number one suspect for the poisoning.”

“I was out of town for a few days. I can’t believe things progressed so quickly,” Steve reflected. “It’s odd that the Warners’ cat was poisoned, too.”

Peggy took a sip of her water. Steve had been out of town. That’s why he didn’t call. Of course, he could’ve told her he was going out of town. Hush! You don’t know him that well! Then it hit her. “What did you say?”

“The cat was poisoned,” he repeated, glancing at the group as they stared back at him. “What?”

“What kind of poison?” Sam asked. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I didn’t think about it,” Steve answered. “And I don’t know what kind of poison. I didn’t send a sample away. The housekeeper wasn’t interested beyond the fact that he was dead.”

“What happened to the cat?” Peggy wanted to know.

“I gave him to the housekeeper. She said she was going to bury him in the backyard.”

Peggy nodded. “Then I guess we’ll have to dig him up.”

15

Chrysanthemum

Botanical: Chrysanthemum morifolium Family: Asteraceae

Common Name: Mum

The Chrysanthemum genus is made up of 150 species, including the common daisy. Named by Carl Linnaeus, it means golden yellow flower. The name is derived from the Greek words chrysos meaning gold, and anthos, meaning flower. Confucius wrote about chrysanthemums in 500 B.C. According to Chinese feng shui, chrysanthemums bring happiness to your home. Chrysanthemum petals are eaten in salads to increase longevity.

“WHEN YOU SAID dig him up,” Steve whispered, “I didn’t think you meant dig him up.”

“Do you know any other way to test what kind of poison is in the body?” Peggy asked as she led the way across the fence that separated the Warners’ property from their neighbors. She handed him the shovel and the plastic garbage bag.

“Peggy, this is trespassing and probably other legal terms I don’t know.” As he finished speaking, the rain that threatened all day began to fall. It didn’t bother with a few drops here and there. Instead, it crushed them in heavy sheets.

She pulled her dark hood up over the brown wool cap she’d used to hide her hair. It didn’t matter. After only a few seconds, she was soaked to the skin. “We won’t get caught. This rain actually works to our benefit. No one’s going to be out on a night like this.”

He jumped over the fence and offered his hand to help her across. “No one except us.”

They crept through the back edges of the estate. Peggy could only hope the housekeeper buried the cat close to the house. There was too much property to search everywhere looking for a small grave. Fortunately, it would be fresh, the ground only recently disturbed. Even in the rain they should be able to find the spot.

“Where do you suggest we start looking?” Steve wondered as they approached the guesthouse and garage behind the main house. There were lights on in the windows of the big house, but the two smaller buildings were dark.

“I’m hoping she buried him in the garden. It makes sense. The ground is soft, and she wouldn’t be disturbing the sod. I know the Warners’ pay a fortune to have their lawn taken care of.”

He shrugged, rain dripping down his face. “That makes as much sense as anything.”

“The only thing is we’ll have to get up close to the house. They probably have the drapes drawn, so we should be safe. We’ll have to be careful how we use the flashlight.”

“Okay. You use the flashlight, and I’ll dig where you tell me to dig.”

Peggy smiled at him. “Thanks for coming with me, Steve. After stealing Mark’s body, I wasn’t sure if you’d be up for this. Not many people would be willing to go and dig up a dead cat.”

“That’s not how it sounded to me. I thought Sam was going to hit me when I offered to come with you. All of them wanted to dig up the dead cat.”

“They’re college students, except for Hunter.”