Peter licked his lips and glanced at the sky. “I know it’s getting late, but I’d like to pay Pearl’s sister, Opal Whitaker, a visit. She’s the one who came up with these formulas—I want to hear what she has to say about this and what their potions are actually capable of.”
I nodded. “Avery Ann said she was working from home lately.”
He glanced toward Maria’s door. “Then I’ll call up to the station and get Opal’s home address. And I’ll have somebody look into Mrs. Wu’s alibi for the night of the murder.” He sighed. “Though I don’t know what the point is—we already know she was lying.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Yeah, but why? I don’t get the murderer vibe from her.”
Peter shook his head. “Me, neither.” His voice came out heavy. “But people have surprised me in unpleasant ways lately.”
23
FAMILY
Peter double-checked the address he’d jotted down on a bit of scroll after his conversation with Edna. “Looks like this is the place.”
Daisy led the way, bounding up several stairs to a small landing and Opal Whitaker’s front door. Peter and I followed. Just as he lifted his arm to rap on the door, I noticed a movement in the window.
The semisheer curtains rustled, and I gently placed a hand on Peter’s arm. He gave me a startled look, and I tipped my head toward the swaying curtains in the window to my right.
“I think she already knows we’re here.”
A moment later, locks clicked, and the door opened just a crack. Opal stood in the doorway, peeking out at us.
She plastered a huge smile on her face, but her tight, worried eyes shifted quickly between Peter and I. “Oh, Officer, and… you,” she finished lamely.
I gave her a bright smile. “Yep. You’s my name, don’t wear it out.”
Peter shot me a look but dipped his head. “Ms. Whitaker. We hoped we might have a few more words with you. Is this an all right time?” Peter leaned to the side and tried to peer past Opal, but she kept the door barely open, blocking most of it with her body.
Yeah, she wasn’t hiding anything.
My face split into a huge smile. “Someone seems chipper, considering their sister just died.”
Opal’s eyes grew tighter, and her mouth collapsed into a pinched knot. She let out a heavy exhale. She stood aside and waved us in. “Come in, come in, of course. I don’t mean to seem flippant or heartless, but—” Her eyes widened as Daisy trotted inside. She cleared her throat and seemed to rearrange her words. “—but I’ve got family staying with me.” She shrugged. “The death and all, and I’ve had to put on a brave face.”
Erg. Now I felt like a real sea slug. I shot her an apologetic smile as I slunk inside behind Peter. “Sorry about that.”
“Not at all, not at all.” She closed the door behind us, then breezed past us into the open floorplan townhome. Her place was modern, luxurious and, unlike my place, clean.
She ushered us toward a tidy arrangement of sofas around a beautiful oriental rug that constituted the living space. Peter and I settled on the leather sofa, and Opal sat across from us on a sparkling, translucent chair. She adjusted her glasses and clasped her hands together on her knee.
“So… what can I help you with?”
Behind her, candlelight glinted off the white marble counters of her kitchen. An open bottle of wine sat beside two glasses. I glanced toward the stairs that led up to the second story, my curiosity piqued—what family did she have staying with her?
“Can I offer you some coffee or tea?” She brightened. “Or perhaps some potions?”
Tempting, except after speaking to the lizard man, I wasn’t going anywhere near those. I slumped into the sofa and stretched my legs out. “No thanks, I’d rather not turn into a reptile tonight.”
Her eyes widened. “Why would you say that?
Peter shot me a look, then turned back to Opal. “We’re actually here to ask you about Maria Wu and her husband, John. Are you familiar with them?”
Opal’s face darkened, and her neck flushed red. “How did you find out about that?” She shook a finger. “They’re not supposed to be speaking about that.”
I smirked. “Well, John being a lizard and all makes it pretty tough for him to speak about much of anything.”
Her nostrils flared as she shot me a withering look. “That’s per court order; that case has been settled. It’s over.”
Crash!
Opal pressed a hand with neatly painted nails to her chest. Peter and I snapped our gazes toward the stairs and the noise that had sounded from upstairs.
A line creased the space between Peter’s brows. “Do you need to go check on that or—”
Opal cut him off. “Oh. Just my guest. No need.” Her eyes darted to Daisy who sat, tail wrapped around her paws, beside Peter. “What happened to that man was an unfortunate tragedy, but it was the fault of our manufacturer. My formulation was fine—they messed up the production of it. But like I said, that case is closed, ancient history. So why in the seas did you want to know about it?”
Peter leaned forward, elbows on his thighs. “Why would Maria Wu have thought Potent Potions could cure her husband’s disease?”
Opal scoffed and airily waved a hand. “Why would any delusional person think anything?”
Daisy bared her teeth, and the woman sobered. She pinched the bridge of her nose, heaved a dramatic sigh, then splayed her palms. “Look, we’re a huge company. We’ve grown so quickly, and it’s impossible to make sure that every single one of our independent consultants is properly trained.” She pressed her bright red lips together and looked from Peter to me.
I frowned. “So you’re saying Maria was misled by one of your consultants?”
“So you’re saying you don’t claim that your potions can cure
