“But to really compare the poison in Mark Warner, Molly Stone, and the cat, we’ll need the source where the poison was created.” Peggy put the test results down on her kitchen table.
“I’m not breaking into the Warners’ house,” Steve said. “I draw the limit at moving dead bodies around the city.”
“I could probably get some buddies, and we could break in,” Sam suggested.
“Thanks for the offer.” Peggy smiled at him. “But it wouldn’t do us any good. Even this lab test doesn’t prove enough for Al to get a search warrant. Without one, the evidence is useless. Julie would go free.”
“What do we need?” Sam grabbed a donut from the cabinet. “What does it take to get a search warrant?”
Peggy refilled Steve’s cup of coffee. “It takes hard evidence to make a judge decide they have a reason to search a place.”
Shakespeare started barking. When Paul walked in through the kitchen door, all discussion of the murder ceased. His blue police uniform was enough to remind them of the obstacles they faced trying to prove that Julie killed her husband.
“Ever have the feeling people are talking about you?” Paul wondered as he walked into the silent room. “What’s up?”
Sam looked at Peggy and shrugged. “Nothing. We were just talking.”
“About what?” Paul poured himself a cup of coffee. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were planning to buy drugs and guns and transport them across the state line.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Sam stuffed another donut in his mouth.
“Good morning, Paul. Are you using your police radar on us?” Peggy took over the conversation before Sam said anything else.
“It wouldn’t take much.” Paul looked at the three of them. “You all look guilty as hell. I don’t know what you’ve done . . . and I don’t want to know. I came by to see how you were doing, Mom.”
“I’m fine, sweetie. Would you like a donut?” Peggy kissed his cheek. “How are you and Mai doing?”
He was obviously irritated by the question. “How did you know? Never mind. You seem to have your own little spy network.”
“I wasn’t spying,” she defended. “If you don’t want people to know about the two of you, maybe you shouldn’t kiss her right outside my door.”
“Oh that.” Red stained his cheeks as he took a donut. “We’d be doing a lot better if she didn’t feel like she had to hide everything you say and do from me.”
“I have to go.” Steve kissed Peggy lightly and shook Sam’s hand. “Let me know if you need anything. Nice seeing you again, Paul.”
“You, too, Steve,” Paul said around a mouthful of donut.
Shakespeare started barking again, and the kitchen door burst open. “Don’t worry,” Hunter told them. “I can get you out of this. Don’t say anything. Even if they caught you in the act, they’ll have to prove what you were doing.”
Paul swallowed the rest of his donut and glanced at his mother. “Is there something you’d like to tell me?”
“Hunter always comes into a room like that.” Sam got up and put his hand over his sister’s mouth. “We’re going, too, Peggy. See you at the shop.”
Shakespeare whined and turned around several times before he got comfortable again on the rug in front of the door. The kitchen was silent except for the ticking of the clock near the pantry and the hissing of the coffeepot.
“I need to get to the shop.” Peggy got slowly to her feet. The adventure in the Warners’ backyard made her knee sore again. It was going to take her a few extra minutes to ride uptown this morning.
“Mom, you act like this uniform makes me some kind of monster. I know you’re trying to help Keeley. I could help, if you let me.”
She thought about the dead cat in the box that was now buried in her backyard. “I know the uniform puts restrictions on what you can do, Paul. If I do something that’s legal, I’ll let you know.”
“Mom! You’re going to end up in jail
“I’ve been careful.” She kissed his cheek. “Thanks for worrying about me.”
“I don’t want to see your name on the arrest sheet.”
“You won’t. Or if you do, you’ll know it was done in good faith.”
Paul wrestled with his conscience and his duty. He sat down at the kitchen table and asked her to join him. “Tell me what you’ve got.”
“Are you sure?” Peggy pulled out a chair.
“I’m sure. Maybe I can help.”
She told him everything she knew about the murder, including her new information about the cat. She didn’t go into detail about moving Warner’s body from the crematorium or digging up the cat. She explained that Steve worked on the cat and left it at that.
Unfortunately, Paul jumped on the legitimate claim of how Steve came across the information about the cat. “We could use that to get a search warrant. If nothing else, it could be for the good of the family. Someone could be trying to poison the rest of them.”
