“Who told you?” Smith & Hawken was an expensive garden shop that supplied choice garden products to an upscale market. They didn’t have plants or landscaping capabilities, but they could wipe out her garden furniture and paraphernalia sales. Peggy didn’t like the sound of that.
“David Friese from the Bookmark over in Founders Hall. He said he heard it today.”
“Competition?” Marvin asked, hearing the first thing he could understand that morning.
“Not directly,” Peggy replied. “But it would affect us.”
Five of the women from the meeting, all dressed in business suits and heels, followed Peggy to the Potting Shed, each looking for something different. She was able to set up a very nice deal with one of the shoppers for an expensive patio set. The three-piece wood and canvas set would be delivered the following week.
But she knew the elite garden store would make a dent in future sales of that kind. They were a little pricier, but they were bound to have a bigger shop with room to display more products.
A large, spike-haired black man in an expensive gray suit came into the shop as the last customer left. He glanced around at the tomato seedlings in the large, wide-paned windows that faced the courtyard and touched a birdhouse that looked like a pirate ship. Then he planted his feet on the floor, looking like a pirate balanced on the deck of his rolling ship. “Which one of you is Dr. Peggy Lee?”
Selena stepped from behind the counter and placed herself protectively in front of Peggy. “Who wants to know?”
“Erasmus Smith. I’m Darmus Appleby’s attorney. Are you Dr. Lee?”
Peggy pushed up out of the rocker. “Of course not. I’m Peggy Lee.” She stepped forward and held out her hand to him. “I hope you’ve tried a murder case before.”
Erasmus’s broad face and slanted eyes showed no surprise. He obviously knew about the new charges. “I hope so, too. If not, your friend is in trouble. Fortunately, I’ve tried many cases like this one.”
“How were they like this?”
“My client is innocent. I’m sure you know that, Dr. Lee.”
“I believe that’s true,” she agreed. “The question is, who killed Luther if Darmus didn’t?”
The attorney flicked an imaginary dust mote from his flawless suit sleeve. “That is not my concern. The question for me is how to prove my client is innocent. Or at least how to make him
“I think we’re basically talking about the same thing, Mr. Smith. What can I do to help you?”
He glanced around the room again, then focused on Selena and Peggy’s father, who was there to help for the day. “Not here.” He handed her a business card. “My office. Three this afternoon.”
Peggy nodded. “I’ll be there.”
When he was gone, after one last derisive look at the Potting Shed, Peggy glanced at the business card. “I can’t believe Darmus trusts that man with his life.”
“He seemed fine to me,” her father remarked. “A little sneaky and shiftless just like a lawyer should be.”
Selena laughed. “You’re right about that! Wonder where Darmus met him.”
“Sometimes you have to make do,” Peggy said. “Darmus may not have had much choice.” Erasmus Smith’s business card was from Feed America. Apparently the group was still interested in what happened to Darmus. “I’m going to go over there and find out what’s going on.”
Paul called her a few minutes later, while she was handling a delivery of sundials. “Darmus made bail. I didn’t know if you heard. Feed America raised the money for him.”
Her brows knitted as she signed the delivery receipt. “All of this mayhem hasn’t slowed the group down, has it? With Darmus out of action and Luther dead, Holles just keeps going and going.”
“Gotta go. Just thought you’d want to know what happened.”
“Thanks. I’ll talk to you later.”
Peggy tapped the phone absently on her chin as she considered the possibilities.
“Problems?” the delivery driver asked.
“No more than usual.” She focused on him. “How are you doing, Fred? How’s Thelma?”
“I’m okay. Been having a few problems with my back, but otherwise things are good.”
“I’m glad. How are Thelma’s allergies this year?”
“Better! That trick you told me about eating local honey seems to have worked for her. She’s not even taking her prescription this year.”
“That’s great!” Peggy patted his hand. “The chances are everything we need to stay well is out there. We just have to know about it.”
“Yeah. Who’d have thought about honey helping allergies?”
Peggy agreed as he climbed back in his truck and got ready to pull out. She’d only heard recently about honey made within twenty-five miles of a person’s home being able to help allergies. It had something to do with the enzymes in the honey acting like a vaccination against the pollen from local flowers. The program had to be started in the winter to give the enzymes time to build up, but if Thelma’s results were good, it could help many allergy sufferers.
Her mind turned to the problem with Darmus as she walked back into the shop. She wished there were an enzyme that could solve it as easily as the allergies were handled. Darmus didn’t kill Luther. She was certain of
