Fruit of the Poisoned Tree

They sat in the dark crawl space and listened as footsteps and voices came closer until they were right above their heads.

“We have to do this now.” The woman’s voice was muffled but understandable. “If we don’t, the executor will or they’ll hire someone to sort through it. If we want anything, we better get it now. Otherwise, all this has been for nothing.”

“I know that voice,” Peggy whispered. “It’s Cindy. Park’s ex-wife. What’s she doing here?”

“She’s going through the house.” Steve moved, trying to find a spot that didn’t have something that poked into his butt. “I suppose the old lady had plenty of stuff to steal.”

“Plenty,” Peggy confirmed. “But Cindy was always such a dear friend of Isabelle’s. Even after she and Park broke up. I can’t believe she’d steal from her.”

“People will do anything they think they can get away with, I guess.”

“But who’s with her? She’s not talking to herself.”

“Her jewelry is locked in a chest upstairs.” Cindy spoke again. “Those are probably the most valuable items. We should start up there.”

“I guess you better start believing Cindy could steal from Isabelle,” Steve remarked. “She knows exactly what to look for and what she wants.”

“But who’s she talking to?” Peggy wondered again. “We need to know who the other person is before we call the police.”

“There’s those eggs, too. Those Russian eggs are worth some money. She was always so particular about those. They had to be turned every day. Glad I kept them clean now!”

“That’s Alice Godwin!” Peggy started crawling back toward the crawl space door.

“Wait a minute!” Steve hit his head on a floor joist as he tried to stop her. He groaned but kept going. “These women might be responsible for killing Isabelle. They’re probably not going to like it if you interfere. Let’s call 911. Are you listening to me at all?”

But Peggy wasn’t listening. She pushed past the spiderwebs and climbed out of the small doorway in the wall. The two women Isabelle trusted most in the world had turned on her. As cranky and unbending as Park’s mother was, the thought of those two women hitting her in the head and pushing her down the stairs to steal from her struck a chord in Peggy. Maybe it was because she lived alone, too. She wasn’t going to let the two traitors get away.

Steve was frantically dialing 911 on his cell phone as he followed her outside. “I’d like to report a possible homicide. And maybe one in progress.” The woman who responded at the switchboard asked for the address. He couldn’t remember it. “A woman was killed here recently. Isabelle Lamonte. I’m at her house. Can you send someone, please?”

Peggy was already angrily pounding on the front door as Steve rounded the corner of the house. He put away his cell phone, hoping the police would respond quickly. Before he could reach her, the heavy front door opened, and Peggy confronted Alice Godwin.

“What do you want now?” the housekeeper demanded. “You’re always butting into other people’s business! I think you should leave, or you might have a serious accident!”

“You can start by handing over the ivory dragon’s head from Isabelle’s walking stick.” Peggy pushed past her, not intimidated by her words. She stood in the foyer, tapping her foot impatiently, covered in dust and spiderwebs. “And you can come out, too, Cindy. I know you’re here.”

Park’s ex-wife peeked around the corner from the library. She blinked nervously. “Peggy? What are you doing here? I just came here with Alice to help her . . . uh . . . clean up. I knew the place would be a mess. You know Isabelle hated that.”

“I’ve been listening to murderers and thieves!” Peggy glared at her. “Don’t bother to deny it, either one of you. I heard every word from the crawl space.”

“The crawl space?” Alice couldn’t believe it. “You must be crazy! What were you doing down there?”

“We didn’t kill anyone,” Cindy persuaded. “She called me when she found Isabelle. Maybe she’s responsible. But I’m not. I took a few things, but I would never—”

“What are you saying?” The housekeeper turned on her. “I told you I found her dead. I didn’t kill her.” She glared at Peggy and Steve. “It was Cindy’s idea to steal her stuff. She said she had plenty, and the family wouldn’t miss a few trinkets. God’amighty, Miz Isabelle had enough of it! Not like she’ll miss it now!”

“Like the ivory dragon’s head?” Peggy’s chest was still heaving from running up to the house, but she considered the two conspirators calmly. “Did you take that after you hit her in the head with the cane?”

The other two women stared at each other. Steve stood behind Peggy, glancing out the open front door, wishing the police would get there quickly.

“You bitch!” Cindy launched herself at the housekeeper.

Alice screamed and fell backward under the younger woman’s impact, but she was broader and stronger. It only took a moment for her to get the upper hand. She pulled Cindy’s too-fluffy blond hair and punched her in her pretty blue eyes. Peggy stepped aside, watching them roll across the foyer.

“Aren’t you going to do something?” Steve asked.

“Like what? They’re getting what they deserve. I say let them kill each other.”

With a heavy sigh, Steve stepped in to stop the women from hurting each other. Cindy raked his face with long, red fingernails. Alice landed a punch to his right eye. Peggy was about to step into the fray to save him when the doorway was filled with several police officers.

“What the hell is going on here?” the first officer demanded, pushing back his hat. “This is a crime scene, in case none of you noticed. Are any of you related to the deceased?”

“You need to arrest these two women for the murder of Isabelle Lamonte as well as stealing from her,” Peggy told him. “I heard them talking. They’re responsible for what happened here.”

“And who are you? Don’t tell me you’re a private investigator?” The officer stared down at her.

“I’m Dr. Margaret Lee from Queens University. I’m here on behalf of the family.”

“Are they teaching crime solving at Queens now?” the officer half smiled at her. “If they are, maybe I need to go there and brush up on my basic skills.” The other officers laughed with him.

Peggy glanced back at the two women, who had stopped fighting. They were both sitting on the floor, nursing their wounds, breathing hard, probably wondering how they were going to get out of this mess. “I teach botany,” she declared proudly. “But I can testify against these two women.”

The officer looked past her at Steve, whose clothes were dirty and ripped, his hair standing almost straight up on his head and covered with spiderwebs. “And where do you fit into this? Are you a student or a murder suspect?”

“I’m a vet,” he answered. “And I was just trying to keep these women from killing each other until you got here! What took so long?”

“What’s going on here, Officers?” Al’s booming voice broke through the sarcasm and explanations.

“We got a call about a possible homicide here, Detective,” the lead officer explained.

“I know that, son. That’s why I’m here.” Al saw Peggy’s face and put his hands over his eyes. But his voice was calm. “Okay. I can handle this from here.”

The officer looked at the two women on the floor. “I don’t know. This is a pretty rowdy crowd, sir. Maybe we should call in SWAT.”

Alice started crying and rocking her body back and forth. “I didn’t do anything anyone else wouldn’t have done. Do you know what she gave me every year for Christmas, the rotten old miser? A plate of cookies. That’s it. Twenty years of service. I was there for her when no one else would bother with her. She gave me cookies. I deserve the head on that cane. I deserve some compensation.”

The foyer was suddenly silent after her outburst. No one was expecting her to confess to what happened while they were standing there.

Al nodded. “I guess I was wrong about not needing your help, Officer. Would you please take both of these women to the precinct? I think I might have some questions for them.”