Fruit of the Poisoned Tree

makes it hard for you. I know you didn’t do anything wrong. I’m sure we’ll be able to prove that. You have nothing to worry about.”

“I’m sure we can all come to a mutual understanding.” David finally freed his foot from the fringe. “We all want the same thing. We just have to get on the same page. Keep our heads together. Fight for the team! Make the problems with this accident go away so Mrs. Lamonte can go on with her life.”

“I’m thinking that Park’s death wasn’t an accident, Mr. Rusch. Someone at least wanted to make him sick. They succeeded in killing him. Park was my friend. I want to know who’s responsible for his death. Don’t you want that, too, Beth?”

Beth nodded. Her hair was a mess, and her face was blotchy from crying. “The police know about the insurance policy. They know Park was cheating on me with Cindy. They asked me to come in and answer some questions.”

“I’ll need to speak to the attorney Mrs. Lamonte hired without realizing Lamonte, Rusch and Peterson would provide her defense.” David frowned and waved his briefcase, almost knocking a vase off of Peggy’s side table and rushing to retrieve it.” She’ll have to sign off on the case unless she wants to second chair. We want to provide Mrs. Lamonte the best possible defense in the light of these accusations made against her.”

“I’m sure she has nothing to hide,” Peggy defended. “And Hunter Ollson is a good criminal attorney, Mr. Rusch. I’m sure she’s advising Beth to do the right thing.”

“Hunter?” David stopped pacing for a moment and stared at her.

“Didn’t I tell you her name?” Beth asked him.

“Hunter Ollson?”

The doorbell rang again, this time persistently. It was followed immediately by pounding on the heavy portal. Peggy opened the door and stepped aside as Hunter rushed into the house.

“What the hell is going on here?” she demanded, glaring at everyone. “I thought Beth was my client.” She paused in midtirade and blinked her pretty blue eyes. “Davey? Is that you?”

12

Banana

Botanical: Musa sapientum

Family: Musaceae

The banana has a history that follows our own civilization. Called fruit of the wise men, Alexander wrote of it in 327 B.C. Arabian slave traders are credited with naming it banan, “finger,” for the shape of it. The banana tree is actually not a tree at all but a giant herb. Cultivated bananas will not grow from seed, only from rootstock.

PEGGY DID THE INTRODUCTIONS. The look on Hunter’s face didn’t change. She glared at the other attorney while Peggy was speaking. “I think you and I should step into another room for a word, Counselor.” Hunter opened the door to the small sitting room on the right and waited for David—Davey—to join her.

He shrugged and finally followed her, closing the door behind them . . . after closing his suit coat in it and extracting it.

Beth turned to Peggy. “I know what this looks like. This thing with Park and Cindy was terrible. I was out of my head when I told him to get that insurance policy before he came back to me. I don’t know what difference I thought it would make. I suppose I thought the money aspect would affect him. I don’t know. But I didn’t kill Park or Isabelle. You have to believe me.”

“I do. But there are some questions here that need answers.” Peggy grasped Beth’s hands firmly in her own. “It may be hard on you while they ask the questions, but you want to know the truth about what happened to Park, don’t you?”

“You know I do.” Beth squeezed Peggy’s hands in return. “I’m just terrified. I’m not only worried about myself. I’m worried about Reddman and Foxx. What if I lose them, too?”

“We’ll make sure that doesn’t happen! But it’s not going to be easy for them either. Maybe your parents could take the boys home with them for a while until we get this cleared up.”

“I don’t want to sound selfish, Peggy, but I don’t know if I can stay in the house alone right now. I want to protect the boys, but I’m so alone without Park. The house seems so empty.”

“Pack a few things and stay with me,” Peggy suggested. “You can answer questions just as well from here. And you know I have plenty of space. It’s a little chilly because that stupid furnace is screwed up, but I’d love to have you here.”

Beth blinked tears out of her eyes as she wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. “Thank you, Peggy. You’re so strong. I hope you don’t mind if I lean on you for a while.”

“I’m here for you.” Peggy grinned, tears in her eyes. “We’ll see this through. Frankly, I’m more worried about Shakespeare knocking you down the stairs than I am you being blamed for Park’s death. We just have to find out what happened to him and who was responsible.”

As Beth was about to speak, the sitting room door burst open, and Hunter raced out, waving her hands and talking so quickly, Beth and Peggy could barely understand her. Her face was red and her hair was messed up. Her burnt-red lipstick was smudged. “Well, I think we settled that issue. I’m your attorney, Beth. I’m advising you to answer any questions the police have regarding your husband’s death. We have nothing to hide, right? I’ll be there with you the whole time. You’re innocent. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

David walked out slowly behind her. He was straightening his blue striped tie and trying to smooth his dark brown hair back but hadn’t touched the trace of burnt-red lipstick by the side of his mouth. One persistent strand of hair stood straight up on his head. He cleared his throat. “I think Hunter will do a good job for you, Beth. We knew each other briefly in school. She’s a good attorney. We talked, and we’ll be talking for a while. I mean, until you get through this. Then we’ll probably still be talking, of course. Maybe about different issues. But still talking.”

Peggy smiled and offered him a tissue to wipe off the lipstick. “That much is obvious.”

The attorney’s lean face suffused with pink as he took the hint and scrubbed the tissue against his mouth. “Anyway. I have to go. Hunter has agreed to keep her breast firm . . . I mean to keep the firm abreast of the investigation. Don’t hesitate to call if you need anything, Beth. We’re here for you and the boys.”

She thanked him, glancing at Hunter curiously. “Thank you for your help, David. I’ll be staying here with Peggy for a while until we get things straightened out.”

“Good idea.” He cleared his throat and gruffly told Hunter, “I’ll talk to you later. Good-bye, Peggy. Sorry for the interruption. I hope you’re okay.”

“I’m fine,” she reassured him, trying her best not to laugh as he almost tripped over a cane chair.

“I’ll walk you to your car to fill you in on some of the details, Davey,” Hunter volunteered with a wide smile, giving up on maintaining her professional demeanor.

“Thank you.” He opened the door for her. “We’ll just discuss a few more ideas about the . . . case . . . out here,” he explained to Peggy and Beth. He grinned and walked outside with Hunter, closing the door behind them.

“Well!” Peggy rolled her expressive green eyes. “That was interesting. Do you get the idea they may have been more than acquaintances in school?”

“I guess they’ll keep each other well-informed.” Beth sighed sadly. “It’s not going to be easy being alone, is it? I know you must be glad you have Steve in your life now. He seems so nice.”

“He is,” Peggy said. “And you’ll find someone else, too. I know it’s too soon to see that right now. But at least you have Foxx and Reddman.”

“I know.” Beth smiled. “And I’m happy I had Park all this time. But now I’ve lost my ride back to the house.