Pretty Poison

“I’ll be fine. Someone would have to be pretty daring to take on Shakespeare. Don’t worry about it. I’ll be leaving in a few minutes anyway.”

He left, after calling a taxi to come and get her, insisting she shouldn’t ride home late at night, even with the dog. Peggy absently said good-bye as she put together a small train set. It was John’s. Each of the cars carried a package of seeds. She watched it race around on the track before she roused herself to go.

She looked up when the front door opened. She meant to lock it behind Sam. Now she might have to deal with a customer. “We’re closed.”

“I didn’t come to buy anything.”

Peggy got to her feet and faced Julie Warner.

16

Rose

Botanical: Rosa hybrida

Family: Rosaceae

The rose symbolizes completion, achievement, perfection, which is how it came to be so popular for anniversaries, after plays, and at other times of celebration. Meanings of the rose depend on the color, shape, and number of petals. For instance, the red rose means love, desire, respect, job well done. The white rose; innocence, silence, secrecy. The yellow rose; joy, gladness, friendship.

“I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS, Peggy.” Julie methodically took off her gloves. They were black leather like the long skirt and short jacket she wore.

Peggy felt threatened. She couldn’t help it. She was still holding a garden trowel. Her hand tightened on it. The menace was there in Julie’s stance and the dangerous look in her eyes. “Acquaintances.”

“All right. Acquaintances then. Why would a friendly acquaintance accuse me of murdering my husband?”

“I’m sorry, Julie. I believe you had good reason to hate the man. He made a fool of you, your family, and your marriage vows. But there’s never a good reason to kill someone.”

“What would you know about it?” Julie slapped her gloves against her thigh as she walked through the front of the shop. “When your husband died, did the papers say he was known to step out with other women? Did the police consider one his many mistresses to be his killer? Did he almost die in the arms of his pregnant lover?”

Peggy didn’t move. She watched the other woman, wondering how fast she could dial 911 on her cell phone. Shakespeare was growling behind the counter, but he didn’t move. What would it take for him to attack someone? Not that she wanted him to randomly go around attacking people in her shop. But maybe she could come up with a signal to let him know when she was in trouble.

“Well, Peggy?” Julie stopped walking and ranting. “Did any of those things happen to you? Or did they only say what a hero your husband was and how he was an honorable man?”

“I can’t pretend to know what you’ve been through,” Peggy said in a soft voice. “But why didn’t you divorce him? No one made you stay with him.”

Julie’s laughter bordered on hysteria. “Why didn’t I leave him? Let me see. I have two children who are in private school and hope to go to Harvard. I have a lifestyle I enjoy and a home I love. I wouldn’t have any of those things if I left him.”

“We all make choices, I guess.”

“Where’s the fairness in that, Peggy? We can shoot a mad dog, but a human being who doesn’t act civilized ninety percent of the time can ruin anyone’s life he wants. Why should I have given up everything because Mark was a bastard?”

“I don’t have the answer to those questions. I only know killing him wasn’t the best way to handle the problem.”

“I didn’t kill my husband. Or that little tramp from Columbia. God knows I would’ve liked to. She actually came to the house and threatened me. She just didn’t realize that Mark would never have left me. It’s not that he loved me so much as he loved to show off.” Julie seemed to get control of herself. “Stay away from me and my family. You don’t understand what we’ve gone through.”

Peggy’s fingers clutched at the trowel. Her Irish temper kicked in. It was all she could do not to use her good left hook on the other woman as she put her gloves on and prepared to leave the shop.

The door closed behind her. Peggy didn’t move until the taxi driver knocked at the window and pointed to his watch. Her muscles ached from clenching them so long. She looked at Shakespeare. He was asleep on the rug behind the counter. “Fat lot of help you were. Next time someone threatens me, you jump up and bite them.”

The dog wagged his tail. She sighed and put on his leash. She slipped on her purple cape and picked up her backpack. It wasn’t until she was in the taxi and close to home that she realized she was still holding the trowel.

It wasn’t that Julie was big or overpowering. But Peggy could feel the deadly anger and fear emanating from her. Her words were threatening.

“Thanks for waiting,” she said to the taxi driver as he helped her take her bike out of the trunk.

“No problem, Peggy. I look forward to seeing you and your dog now. That eucalyptus rub you gave me really did the trick on my arthritis. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Is this your last fare?”

“Yeah, I’m headed home.” He glanced at her house silhouetted against the faintly orange sky. “Nothin’ as grand as this, I’ll tell you. What does one little woman do rattling around alone in a big place like this?”