Pretty Poison

She gave him what she owed him for the trip plus her usual tip. “It doesn’t seem so big to me. Besides, where would I keep Shakespeare if I didn’t have a house this size?”

He laughed and got back in the taxi. Peggy put her bike away and shook her head at the Rolls that slept in the garage. Maybe since the shop was set for Christmas and she didn’t have any classes, she could get to the project again. She let Shakespeare run in the yard for a few minutes, but she felt very vulnerable being outside. She finally dragged him into the house and locked the door.

She was able to lose herself in her work, as always. The eighth graft from the night-blooming lily seemed to be taking on the rose. It would be a few weeks before she knew if the experiment was successful or if she’d have to start over. Many of her colleagues preferred the newer bio-genetics, changing the plant on a cellular level. But she preferred the old ways. Plants had been propagated and changed for thousands of years. She didn’t see any reason to alter her technique. She got good results, and she was happy with her work.

At two-thirty, she climbed wearily up the stairs with Shakespeare. Luckily, she didn’t have to get up for an early class that day. She had a tendency to forget the time when she was with her plants. At least ten alarm clocks were in the basement. All she had to do was remember to set them.

The phone was ringing when she got out of the shower. Shakespeare barked and whined, startled by the sound. His floppy ears almost managed to stand up. “It’s okay.” She stroked his head and neck.

But she didn’t answer the phone. When the answering machine picked up, there was only silence on the line. Shivering, she turned out the light and climbed into bed. For once, she was glad to have the big dog beside her. He was the only reason she went to sleep that night.

PEGGY WAS MAKING chocolate mint tea when there was a knock at her back door. It was Al and Jonas. “I’m making some tea. Would you like some?”

“This isn’t a social call,” Jonas explained. “We’re looking for Keeley Prinz. Do you know where she is?”

“No.” Peggy didn’t mind lying to them. Especially after her visit from Julie last night. “Have you checked her apartment?”

“Yes,” Al told her. “And her mother’s house. We thought maybe she was out on a job for you.”

“No, she can’t work yet. She had the miscarriage. Her doctor won’t release her for six weeks. Her work is pretty strenuous, you know.”

Al ran his hand over his face. “Peggy, don’t you think it’s kind of weird that you knew the DA was going to issue an arrest warrant for your friend, and now she’s vanished?”

She managed to look surprised and upset. “I wouldn’t tell her to hide from the police. I believe in the system. You know that, Al.”

“What about hiding her here?” Jonas glanced into the kitchen. “This is a big house. A girl could feel safe here. Especially since she knows her friend who owns the house is buddies with the police.”

“If you’re suggesting you’d like to search the house, go right ahead. I wouldn’t hide a fugitive here. That’s illegal.”

“We might take a look around.” He strolled into the kitchen and sniffed the air. “What’s that smell?”

“Chocolate mint tea. It should be ready by the time you finish. Ignore the mess. I always do massive cleaning over the holidays when I don’t have classes.”

He took a cookie she offered him and walked into the dining room.

Al shook his head. “That was too easy. I know you, Peggy. You wouldn’t let us in if she was here. You would’ve had some contagious fungus or something that would keep us out until you found another place for her.”

“I didn’t realize I had such a devious reputation.” She held up the plate. “Cookie?”

He refused. “Not devious. Just too smart for your own damn good. Someday you might be sorry you played us along this way. Your friend could really be a killer, and she could turn on you.”

“That’s the least of my worries.” She took a bite of a cookie and told him about Julie’s visit to the Potting Shed. “Unfortunately, I didn’t have my digital camcorder set up to catch all of it. But I won’t leave home without it again.”

“What she said couldn’t really be construed as a threat, Peggy.”

“You weren’t there, Al.” The kettle began to whistle, and she turned off the stove.

“Have I mentioned how stubborn you are?” He picked up a cookie and followed Jonas into the house.

Thirty minutes later, they were gone; a cup of tea in their hands and cookies in their pockets. Peggy fed Shakespeare and went upstairs to get dressed.

SAM, SELENA, AND HUNTER were already at the shop when Peggy arrived. Sofia and Emil hurried over with tea and bagels when they saw her. Everyone had visits from the police looking for Keeley.

“We didn’t know what to say,” Sofia exclaimed. “You should tell us when something like this happens. What’s the story?”

Peggy explained a little, leaving out the part about Keeley going to her aunt’s house. The Balduccis didn’t need to know, and she didn’t want to ask them to lie.

“It’s only a matter of time,” Hunter said when they were gone. “She can only hide for a few days, then Janice will advise her to turn herself in.”

“Do we have any other leads proving Mrs. Warner did the deed?” Sam asked as he moved back and forth in the rocking chair.

“Not as far as I know.” Peggy turned on the computer. “The videotape was my last idea. We’ve got everything except the proof. Who’d have thought two people I know would be charged with the same murder.”