“Try telling my parents
Peggy could hear Shakespeare barking in the house. Her father would be sure to follow, peeking out the front window to see what was going on. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say. It wasn’t my intention to hurt you.”
“You’ll have to explain that to Holles.” Sam started walking toward his truck. “And you’ll have to find a new assistant manager. Good-bye, Peggy.”
WHEN SHE ENTERED THE HOUSE, Peggy saw Steve and her father and told them what had happened that day. They were sympathetic but didn’t see what else she could do. And that was part of the problem; she couldn’t see what else she could do, either. She was sure her plants were sick of hearing about the problem. She was tired of thinking about it.
Steve said good night right after she got home. Her father went in to watch a John Wayne movie while he finished reading his book. Everyone else was in bed when she tiptoed downstairs.
Peggy sat in her basement most of the night as she watched the miracle of life unfold. A monarch butterfly slowly emerged from its cocoon, glistening in the artificial light. It rested on a milkweed pod, gently moving its wings to dry. Peggy knew in the morning it would be ready to go outside and begin its life.
As she watched the butterfly, Peggy thought. Clearly, Hunter was right. There was more involved here than Feed America, even if Holles was connected in some way. Rosie, and maybe Abekeni, also figured into the scenario. She just wasn’t sure how.
She paced the concrete floor, watching the night change. Mars was out right now, a small, slightly red star in the black backdrop of the sky. Venus was in alignment with the moon opposite. She didn’t know anything about astrology, but it seemed these two things were a bad omen. Look at what a mess everything was!
She’d assumed it was someone close to Darmus who was responsible for giving him the fly agaric. She’d assumed it was because of Feed America. Now Peggy knew Rosie had been in his life again for the last few months leading up to his breakdown.
Peggy’s analytical brain could see the fine method of torture employed. Broken down by the drug, Darmus succumbed to an illogical conclusion, which included pretending to kill himself. Did Rosie think the Council of Churches would give her control of Feed America and the ten-million dollars?
Luther got in the way and had to be removed. Maybe Holles, too. Maybe everything she’d pieced together about him was a setup.
But if it all centered on the money, it was a misguided approach. If Rosie wanted to be back in Darmus’s life, she wouldn’t want him to pretend to die and hide out. She’d want the spotlight Feed America would give her and Abekeni. So though she knew about Luther’s asthma, she wouldn’t have had any reason to use her knowledge. It wouldn’t give her what she wanted.
Where did that leave her?
If the DNA from both cottonseeds matched, it would mean Holles was in the garden with Luther and probably gave him the poisoned flower. But that was impossible, according to Sam.
Peggy closed her eyes, her head aching. She should have gone up to bed earlier. She couldn’t get anything to fit together. Knowing she wouldn’t hear anything from Merton until morning, she slowly got to her feet. Shakespeare yawned and sat up beside her. “Let’s go to bed and worry about this tomorrow.”
She was on her way past the library when she heard muted giggling and voices behind the closed door. The sounds were too low to tell who it was, but she was pretty sure it wasn’t her parents or Aunt Mayfield and Cousin Melvin. She walked softly to the door and opened it, putting her head around it to look into the room.
Naomi was sitting on Abekeni’s lap, her arms twined around his neck. They were too involved in kissing each other to see or hear her. She slowly went back out, backing up and hoping they didn’t see her.
Just the fact that they were so intimately acquainted when they shouldn’t know each other at all made her pause. She stood by the door and listened on the outside for a long time. But the voices never got any louder. She couldn’t understand what they were saying. Could the fact that they were together have some bearing on the events that had taken place?
Peggy scuttled out of the way as the door started to open. She hid in the alcove behind the blue spruce, ignoring the prickle of the tree boughs on her face and arms.
“Good night,” he said to Naomi.
“Good night, love,” she replied.
“After tomorrow, it will all be over.”
“And we will be together.”
“Forever,” he confirmed.
There was a long silence Peggy assumed was a kiss. Then she heard the front door open and shut. Naomi locked the door and set the alarm. Peggy wanted to kick herself. So much for showing other people how to set the alarm!
What was going on? She wasn’t sure if she should confront Naomi or try to find out by herself. What would be over after tomorrow?
Of course! It was so obvious she wondered why it didn’t hit her in the head! Darmus was protecting Abekeni, not Rosie. He was keeping his son from getting into trouble. The son he didn’t know, didn’t help raise for all those years. Darmus had a guilty conscience with the best of them.
As soon as he found out he had a son who needed money, he began making arrangements to get the funds for him, using Feed America as a way to do it. Then he went to jail to protect Abekeni from being investigated.
