“And yet they’re hardy to a certain extent, but more warmth in spring can be a huge help,” she said, hands on her hips, frowning. Mugs was wandering back and forth at the old guy’s feet. He bent down and gave Mugs a good scratch, and then laughed when he saw the cat too.
“Not too many people walk with their cats,” he muttered.
“All my animals love to come with me,” she said. And Thaddeus, who’d been at her neck, tucked up for the most part under her hair, rose up to his full height. He fluttered his feathers and said, “Thaddeus is here. Thaddeus is here.”
The old guy looked at him in astonishment. “You know something? My eyes aren’t so great,” he said. “I didn’t even know he was there.”
“Thaddeus is a bit of a character in his own right,” she said with a chuckle.
“Well, you be careful,” he said. “I’d avoid her if I were you. Anybody who cheats at something like a county fair contest …”
“Right. I hear you,” she said.
He smiled and said, “If you’re ever looking to be wife number three …” And, with a cackle, he headed back in and closed the gate firmly in her face. Still smiling, she walked past Marsha’s place, understanding completely what he meant about a portable greenhouse. So, she was cheating, and that’s why Rosie was so upset. But was it something to kill over? Not likely. Doreen wandered back to her house, and, as soon as she got in, she could feel the hunger pangs start again. Which didn’t make any sense. She’d had a huge omelet and cream puffs. However, as she went inside, she decided that coffee was probably better.
Mack called just about then. “Hey,” she said. “By the way, Marsha did cheat.”
“What?” he asked, as if distracted, as if this kiwi thing was the last thing on his mind.
She quickly explained what she’d learned about kiwis and Marsha’s gardening technique. “And, by the way, Marsha’s husband,” she said, “apparently had an affair with another guy.”
There was silence on the other end, and then Mack said, “Wow. You do get around, don’t you?”
“I think that’s the term for the husband,” she said drily. “Me, I’m out visiting with people.”
Chapter 27
Wednesday Late Afternoon …
“Do you think it’s related?” Doreen couldn’t help asking Mack.
“It’s hard to say,” he said. “We do have some toxicology back, and they were all given a chemical drug. It does induce heart attacks without anybody knowing.”
“Instantaneous?”
“Within a few minutes,” he said. “Fifteen minutes, maybe ten, depending on what activity level.”
“So why?” she asked. “How were they administered?”
“Likely from a drink,” he said.
“Would they have knowingly done something like that?”
“It’s pretty tasteless, so it could have easily been in their coffee or tea or juice.”
“So anybody who is a common drinker or was meeting somebody could have had it and then potentially rushed away, so nobody would know.”
“It’s possible,” he said. “It does take a little bit to get to the point of killing you.”
“So we need to know who saw them the last time they had something to eat or drink.”
“Believe it or not,” he said, “we do know how to do our jobs.”
“Right,” she said. “I’d like to know who it was who first met them though.”
“Well, so far, we’re not getting too much in the way of answers.”
“Maybe not,” she said, “but I do think it’s all surrounding Marsha.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” he said. “She doesn’t have any motive for killing the others.”
“Kiwis?” she asked slowly.
“I highly doubt it’s enough.”
“Right,” she said, groaning. “Maybe it’s more about Rosie.”
“Maybe, but then what does she have to do with anything? Just because Marsha’s husband had an affair with another man, why should Marsha hate Rosie?”
“Unless it’s Rosie’s husband who Marsha’s husband had the affair with?”
There was another silence on the other end as Mack contemplated that. “And that won’t be something easy to prove.”
“No,” she said. Then she remembered the little book she put in the freezer. She walked over to the freezer, pulled it out, and opened it. “Aha, it worked,” she said triumphantly.
“What worked?”
“Those pages from that address book that were stuck together?” she said. “Nan told me to put it in the freezer because, if it was gum, it would separate.” And she flicked off the gum into the trash. “And the pages definitely are open now.”
“And does it say anything?”
“It has Marsha’s name. Interesting.”
“Anything else?”
“Some numbers,” she said, “but I’m not sure what they mean. Hang on. I’ll take a photo, and then I’ll call you right back.” She hung up from Mack, took a photo, and sent it to him. And then she called him back. “Not sure what those mean though.”
“No, I’m not sure either,” he said. “I think I’ll take a look into her bank account.” With that, he hung up.
Doreen wondered if it wasn’t blackmail. She stared at the numbers and wondered if Rosie was the sweet innocent person who she had appeared to be. Doreen hated to think badly of anyone, but what if, just what if she’d had something to do with blackmailing Marsha about her husband’s infidelity? Marsha didn’t look like the person who would want to have anybody know about her husband’s proclivities. But that was a long time ago, so why would anybody care? But it was hard to say.
Doreen sat here, wondering about it, until, all of a sudden, she looked at that number and figured it out. She kept pacing the house now because her mind was caught on an angle that she hadn’t really expected. Would Mack tell her if blackmail deposits were in Rosie’s account? Or could it have been the other way around? Maybe Rosie had been forced to
