Lethal Lily (A Peggy Lee Garden Mystery) (4 page)

Paul put his arm around her shoulder and rubbed her large tummy. “It’s going to happen any time now. Just be patient. Besides, we didn’t want the baby to be around all those chemicals and see dead bodies.”

Mai faced him with no humor in her expression. “The baby has been around those chemicals for the last nine months. She knows as much about forensics as I do. Let’s go home. I need to stop at Krispy Kreme on the way. And don’t say anything to me about gaining weight.”

“Goodnight, you two.” Steve smiled. “I guess we’ll try this again later.”

“Sorry again.” Paul rubbed his head. “Any herb she could take to get the baby out sooner, Mom?”

“Not a good idea,” Peggy told him. “Let nature take its course. She’ll be all right.”

Paul glanced at Mai’s retreating back. “I guess I better go. She’ll leave me here. That woman is single-minded right now when it comes to food.”

Steve laughed as Paul ran after his wife. “You know, I thought the whole thing about cravings was a myth.”

“You’d find out different at your own peril.” She took his arm. “At least it’s morning. I’m glad
that
night is over.”

“Me too. Now we can go home and really get the day started.”

“I’d like to get a do-over on it.” She yawned.

“What are you planning for today—besides getting your car back?”

“We’re bringing in fall stock at the store. I know it’s still summer, but people have to plan ahead for their spring gardens. Those tulips and hyacinths don’t plant themselves.”

“Unless you hire Sam.”

“That’s right. Another good reason to plan ahead. Sam is very popular. And
very
busy in the fall.”

They went back to the house—and another crazy welcome from Shakespeare. Steve took the dog for a walk while Peggy made tea and coffee. A few minutes later, two agents who worked with Steve showed up. It had become routine a few days a week for them to get started here.

Peggy liked Agent Millie Sanford. She was a very competent redhead who was calm, smart, and funny. It made her feel good that Millie had Steve’s back if they ever ran into trouble.

Agent Norris Rankin was another story. He and Peggy had rubbed each other the wrong way since they’d met. Peggy found him generally condescending and obnoxious. Steve trusted him though, so she did the best she could to get along with the man.

This morning, Peggy’s neighbor, Walter Bellows, ended up around their table in the kitchen too. “Did something happen last night that caused your dog to bark at odd hours?”

Steve was bringing Shakespeare in as Walter arrived. The dog almost spun the man around as he raced by him to get to his food that Peggy had put out.

“Nothing I want to talk about.” Peggy got mugs for her visitors. “If you’re not busy though, I wouldn’t mind a ride to the shop today.”

“I can drive you,” Steve said.

“Maybe not,” Norris countered. “We had another burglary last night. We got the call at about 2 a.m. Antique jewelry again—this time diamonds. A woman was roughed up a little but not seriously hurt. I’m hoping we can finally get a description of the gang responsible for this.”

“Why is the FBI looking into local burglaries?” Peggy wondered. “Shouldn’t that be the Charlotte police?”

“The FBI has been following this gang of thieves through several states,” Steve explained. “Right now, they’re in Charlotte. I’d like to be the one to stop them.”

Millie tossed her super-straight red hair. It was as fiery as Peggy’s hair had been in her youth. “I think Steve could take the time to drop off his wife, Norris.”

“Whatever.” Norris closed his planner. “If that’s what
you
want to do, Steve.”

“I have no burglaries to look into, nor a single homicide to investigate.” Walter poured himself a cup of coffee, liberally adding cream and sugar. “I’d be delighted to take Peggy to the shop.”

He smiled at her, a short man who always wore a brown and black tweed cap that caused tufts of his gray hair to stick out all over his head. Peggy and Walter were neighbors who’d become friends with their shared love of plants.

Peggy smiled at Steve. “I’m good with Walter’s offer to take me to the garden shop. Don’t worry about it.”

Steve frowned, but went along with the plan. They met upstairs as they were getting ready to go their separate ways. He zipped the back of her brown dress and kissed her. “You know, this doesn’t have to be the way our work days start. I know you don’t like Norris. I could have him and Millie start meeting me at the office every morning.”

“That’s okay.” She touched up her hair, and put on a pair of jade and gold earrings. “I get to see you for a few minutes extra during the week this way. I can put up with Norris.”

He hugged her tightly to him. “If you’re sure. Be careful today. I know you want whatever information is at the storage building. Someone else might want it too. Call me if you need
anything
.”

“I will.” She smiled, and kissed him again. “Don’t be so worried. I can look after myself.”

“I’d appreciate it if you said the actual words—
I’ll call you if I need you, Steve
.”

She laughed at him. “You’d think I got you out of bed in the middle of the night because I’d been arrested or something.”

“Peggy?”

“Okay.” She stared seriously into his eyes. “I’ll call you if I need you, Steve. All right?”

“All right.”

They agreed to text each other during the day to decide if they wanted to eat dinner out that night. Steve went down first. He left right away, taking Norris and Millie with him.

Peggy went down a few minutes later, and found Walter helping himself to some leftover donuts that she’d bought from a high school student as part of a fundraiser.

“I’m afraid I need to ask a favor,” she said to him.

“Anything, dear lady.” The words were muffled around the chocolate-covered donut in his mouth.

“I need to make one stop before I go to The Potting Shed. You can leave me there. I can go to the shop once I pick up my car.”

“
That’s
what’s missing.” He clapped his hands together. “I knew it was something. What happened to your car?”

“I’ll tell you on the way.”

Peggy set the alarm for the house, glad to see the roofers hadn’t arrived yet. She was hoping to get the answer she needed from Sam before they started working on getting rid of the English ivy again. She knew Dalton would take a shortcut, if he could. She also knew he’d regret it later.

She knew Steve had thought she was going right to the mini-storage, but she really planned to yell at Harry at his motel before they went there.  Peggy knew Steve might get too involved in what they were doing if he was there for what was sure to be some unpleasant moments.

Even though she knew Harry didn’t have a car, she figured they could take a cab to the mini- storage for the auction and then pick up her car. She probably wouldn’t need a code to get on the lot during the auction—they were sure to leave the gate open.

She’d only been to Harry’s room at the Flowers Motel once. It was a sleazy dive that was probably on the national bedbug list. She’d been careful not to sit on the chair or bed while she was there. The rest of their meetings had been at restaurants where she wasn’t familiar, and spots in Charlotte that were easy to reach from the garden shop while she was working.

When she told Walter where she was going and why, he stared at her as though she’d lost her mind. “Seriously, Peggy, maybe you should have allowed Steve to bring you there—with an armed escort. There are dozens of shootings and drug dealers in that area.”

“You don’t have to stay, or even park. Just stop the car, and let me out. I know someone staying there. He and I need to have a discussion.”

“This is about what happened to you last night, I assume.” He started the older Bentley and carefully inched down the driveway toward Queens Road. “Is it wise to see this man again after he was responsible for your nearly being arrested?”

“It may not be wise, but I’m in the middle of it now. I’m going to see it through.”

He shrugged and looked both ways at the oncoming traffic that was streaming toward them. When there were absolutely no cars or buses that he could see, he slowly crept out into the street.

Peggy took a deep breath. She could’ve probably ridden there faster on her bike. If she didn’t have so much to do—and so many places to go—she would’ve done that. She was grateful that Walter was willing to give her a ride, but being patient was difficult sometimes.

Walter’s Bentley chugged its way toward South Boulevard. He didn’t like the Interstate highway and would do anything to avoid it. They drove into one of the most depressed business areas, and headed for the Flowers Motel.

The motel had once been an office building that had fallen into disrepair along with the rest of the property around it. Four men in their underwear sat outside at a street-level smoke shop in the warm morning air.  They waved as the Bentley went by.

“I’m glad you don’t require me to park in this place.” Walter eyed the men suspiciously. “I’m afraid I’d have very little left of my car when I returned.”

“Don’t worry. I parked here. No one bothered my car.”

He sniffed indignantly. “Madam, you drive a
hybrid
. This car is a classic. Comparing the two would be like comparing opera and pop music!”

Peggy smiled and ignored him. Walter liked to complain, but he had a very good heart. She knew he’d do almost anything for her. She felt the same about him.

“Right there.” She pointed. “Number six on the ground floor. Just pull in there, and I’ll get out.”

He pulled the Bentley between the faded yellow parking lines and dared a glance around them. “Are you
sure
you want to do this?”

“Absolutely.” She got out of the car and reached back for her handbag. “Thank you for the ride. Can you find your way back to Queens Road?”

“I can. Please be careful. I feel people watching us and plotting our demise.” He shivered. “Your husband won’t thank me for bringing you to your doom.”

“He would’ve done the same thing,” she assured him. “Be careful driving back.”

Peggy left the Bentley and walked confidently to the door with the large brass 6 on it. She knocked, but there was no answer. She tried calling Harry again on the phone. Still no answer. She knocked, and yelled out his name, drawing unwanted attention from the men in their underwear across the parking lot from her.

Still no answer.

She finally put her hand on the doorknob and turned. The door eased open. Peggy stepped carefully into the room. The small bed was carelessly made. The TV was on with the news channel playing low. There was a light on in the bathroom, and the door was partially closed.

She walked across the tacky pink carpet, and tapped on the door. “Harry?”

No answer.

She
really
didn’t want to open the bathroom door. Instead, she knocked hard, the thin door shaking under her onslaught. “Harry!”

Still no answer.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen naked men before. She knew he liked to drink. He might have fallen asleep in the tub.

Peggy slowly pushed open the door. Something was caught on the back of it. She had to shove to get it open. Eyes closed, she poked her head in through the partially open space.

When she peeked, she saw Harry lying on the floor, a broken glass near one hand. There was a bluish tinge to his face—his lips were colorless. White foam was coming from his mouth.

“Oh, Harry.” She shook her head as she maneuvered around the door into the tiny room and crouched beside him. “What did you get mixed up in this time?”

Ginger

In 1585, Jamaican ginger was the first oriental spice to be grown in the New World and imported back to Europe. It has a history of cures in folk medicine including uses for nausea and vomiting, rheumatoid arthritis, and joint and muscle pain. Ginger also acts as a food preservative.

Chapter Five

“How do you know your friend has been poisoned?” the 911 operator asked.

“It’s part of my job to know these things.”  Peggy walked out of the bathroom. “I’m a forensic botanist with the medical examiner’s office.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll send help.”

“Thank you.” She put away her phone and stood at the bathroom door again, surveying the room.

“What happened to him?” Walter asked.

Peggy jumped, unnerved by his voice behind her. “I thought you were leaving.” She put her hand to her chest as her heat beat slowed again.

“What kind of man would I be to leave you in this terrible place?” He gazed around the room. “It’s even worse on the inside, if that’s at all possible. Is that the man you were meeting?”

“Yes.” She sighed. “It looks like I’m on my own again.”

“Is he dead?” He sniffed. “I smell cheap scotch.”

“Yes, he’s dead. You probably smell what was in that glass.” She pointed to the shattered glass. “It appears that he was poisoned.”

“Poisoned? How can you tell?”

“There are the usual signs of toxicity. You see the white foam at his mouth, and the coloration of his face. No doubt he lost control of his body, and fell to the floor, dropping the glass he held. It probably still contains the poison that was used.”

“Who would be that stupid?”

“You’d be surprised. Most poisonings are mistaken for heart attacks. Poisons mimic those symptoms. Secondary events, like hitting your head on something or being struck by a car, can be mistaken for cause of death. No one wants to do an expensive autopsy if they don’t have to. In most cases the police go with what they see unless they have some plausible reason to look further into the death.”

“Can you tell what type of poison was used?” Walter stroked his chin.

Peggy shook her head. “I’m not Sherlock Holmes. It’ll take some careful analysis to determine what killed him, though I think it’s odd that he thought his wife was poisoned too.”

“I would imagine that would be uncommon.”

She tried to observe the scene for evidence, as she’d been taught during her six-weeks of forensic training. She used that training, and her degree in botany, to help out at the medical examiner’s office as a contract worker.