Pretty Poison (14 page)

“Are you going to answer my question?”
She typed, ignoring the game. He had her in check in less than ten minutes. But she was preoccupied. Maybe he introduced the subject to win the game.

She knew the game was lost and didn’t pay attention to her next move.
“You can tell me, and I can tell the authorities.”

She didn’t know which part of their on-line relationship was more frustrating. She wasn’t a great chess player, but she was pretty good. Better than most players she faced. To have him kick her butt so quickly was demeaning. On the other hand, the game meant nothing in comparison to the poisoning case. How could he have that privileged information?

She wanted to say no. She didn’t want to talk to him again. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck rise when she read that he wanted her attention. No single woman living alone wanted to think some strange man was out there stalking her. And she just
knew
Nightflyer was a man.

But she agreed to meet him again. If he had information about the poisoning case, she felt duty bound to pursue what he knew. Even though he told her he wasn’t responsible for the poisoning, how could she believe him? He could be a killer.

Peggy started to reply, but Nightflyer was already gone. She sat and stared at the screen for a long time, trying to decide what to do. Should she tell the South Carolina police? She wasn’t sure Nightflyer said anything he could be arrested for. But if they found out who he was, they might be able to get a lead on where the anemonin came from.

She poked around on the game site again. There wasn’t a list of E-mail addresses for members. In fact, there was no membership required to play. It was something that drew her to the site. She didn’t like to leave her name and E-mail address all over the Internet. She wished she’d been a little less picky. If the site required membership, it would be easy to find out his real-world identity.

A long, deep howl drew her away from the computer. The dog had been quiet in the laundry room all evening. She took him out for a walk at ten. He shouldn’t have to go again. But that disturbing howl was followed by another, this one longer and louder than the first. Imagining Clarice calling the police, Peggy ran down the cold marble staircase and opened the laundry room door to see what was wrong.

The dog was whimpering and howling from his place on the vent. As soon as he saw the door open, he ran head-first into her. Peggy almost lost her footing and grabbed the counter for support. The dog nudged her with his huge head, then licked her arm and hand until she was soaked.

“What’s wrong, boy?” She patted his head and rubbed his belly. He responded by wagging his tail so hard that his whole body shook.

There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with him. He had plenty of water. He’d eaten a huge amount of dog food earlier in the day. She patted his head one last time, then closed the laundry room door and started back upstairs.

The howling began again. This time when Peggy went back to the laundry room, the dog bounded out and headed for the main staircase.

“Oh no, you don’t!” She chased him, and he ran up the stairs. He smelled the carpet when he reached the second floor. Immediately, he followed his nose to her bedroom. By the time she caught up with him, he was happily ensconced on her bed. His head was resting on her pillow.

“You’re not sleeping in my bed,” she told him in her strongest teaching tone. “Come on. Back downstairs.”

But no matter how hard she tried to get him out of her bed, he wouldn’t budge. She brought out some crackers to try and lure him back to the laundry room. He didn’t move. Finally, she admitted defeat but promised that this was only a battle and not the war.

“I suppose I’m going to have to come up with a name for you. I can’t go on calling you dog. Maybe if you have a name, you’ll listen better. It doesn’t mean I’m going to keep you. Don’t get your hopes up. If someone doesn’t come to claim you, I’ll get in touch with the Humane Society. There must be someone who wants a big horse like you.”

Botanical:
Galanthus nivalis
Family:
Amaryllidaceae
Common Name:
Candlemas bells

The name
galanthus
is Greek, meaning milk-white flower.
Nivalis
is Latin, meaning resembling snow. The legend of the snowdrop: After being expelled from the Garden of Eden, Eve sat weeping. An angel comforted her. As the angel talked with Eve, he breathed on a snowflake in his hand. It fell to earth as the first snowdrop. The flower bloomed, and hope was born.

SUNDAY PASSED TOO QUICKLY with Peggy grading test papers and walking the streets looking for the dog’s owner. She gave out flyers at church that morning. Myers Park Presbyterian was within walking distance of her house. It was possible someone would recognize the dog’s description. Too many people suggested she call the pound. She wasn’t going to do that, even if she had to keep the dog for a while herself.

She pushed aside the urge to call Steve and ask him for advice about getting the dog to sleep in the laundry room without howling. It seemed to her things were moving very quickly between them, and she felt out of place calling him. Instead, she spent half a day on the Internet looking for dog training tips and possible names for the beast.

He followed her from room to room all day as she worked with her plants and polished furniture. She finally went to sleep with the dog beside her in bed.

Early Monday morning, she left for the Potting Shed. She didn’t have any choice but to bring the dog with her. He ran alongside her bike as she pedaled hard to keep up with him down Queens Road. Runners who ignored her before stayed out of her way. People waiting at bus stops quickly moved into the plastic shelters.

They reached Brevard Court in record time. It took Peggy a few minutes to catch her breath. The dog looked at her and wagged his tail as she tied his leash to an old radiator still in place behind the checkout counter. He lay down on the smooth wood floor and didn’t move as she got ready to open the shop.

“Are you Peggy Lee?”

A woman’s voice surprised her as she was taking out the new chrysanthemums. She was very attractive, tall and thin, with shoulder-length burnished red hair and bright green eyes. Her coat and shoes were new but not expensive. She clutched a worn brown leather pocketbook like she was afraid it would get away.

“Can I help you?” Peggy wondered if this was yet another of Mark’s conquests. At this rate, she was going to make enough money from flowers for the dead man that the police might question
her
motives.

“I’m Jane Cheever.” She held out her gloved hand. “You helped my father.”

“Of course! Sit down. Would you like some tea? I have some excellent orange spice. It will only take a minute to put the kettle on the hot plate.”

“No thanks.” Jane sat down on the bench anyway. “I wanted to meet you. And I wanted you to know I appreciate your efforts to help my father. I can’t believe a stranger would go to so much trouble for him. How did you meet him?”

“He spends some nights in the courtyard outside the shop,” Peggy answered, thinking nothing of it. “We’ve had some intense philosophical debates. He’s very intelligent.”

“Yes, well, he’s also very misguided.” Jane looked up at the window across from her, still gripping her pocketbook. “It was very embarrassing to have someone call about my homeless father. The police looked at me like it’s
my
fault he’s homeless.”

“I’m sure they didn’t think so.” Peggy tried to comfort her. “He’s a good man. Down on his luck, I know. But I don’t believe he’d hurt anyone.”

“Maybe. But he’s not
really
down on his luck. I’m afraid he’s lied to you about that. He was living with me and my husband. He didn’t like the rules. We thought he shouldn’t be wandering around all night. That he should take his medication. We got into an argument, and he left. That was two years ago. I haven’t heard from him since. Not that I didn’t look for him. I couldn’t find him. I even called in a missing persons report on him. I hate people calling him homeless. He
has
a home. He chose not to live there.”

Peggy understood, even empathized, but that didn’t change the fact that Jane’s father could go to jail for the rest of his life. “Have you seen him?”

“No. They said I could after the arraignment. I think that’s today.”

“I saw him Saturday. Something’s wrong with him. You know how he quotes things and knows everything about literature? He wasn’t like that. He barely knew who I was.”

Jane’s lips pressed tightly together. “Maybe now he’ll listen to me. He’s a stubborn old man. Maybe it would be better for him to go to jail. At least I’d know he was being cared for. He wouldn’t be out on the streets.”

“Don’t say that!” Peggy’s temper rose. “No one is better off in jail. Especially for a crime they didn’t commit.”

“Why are you so sure he didn’t kill that man? The police said they found him with his wallet and shoes. He could’ve knocked him down to take them. Maybe he didn’t
mean
to kill him. It might have been an accident. But he’s still responsible.”

“Hogwash! I know your father well enough to know he wouldn’t hurt anyone, no matter how desperate he was. I’d think you’d know him that well, too. I realize this is an emotional time for you, but he needs you to stand up for him. You can’t let him down.”

Jane lowered her head. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I just get so
desperate
. My neighbors remember him from when my mother was still alive. He was an English teacher for forty years. When my mom died, he snapped. He wasn’t the same anymore. Everyone knows he’s been arrested for murder now. Even in Rock Hill, we keep up with what’s going on in Charlotte.”

Peggy didn’t know what else to say. She glanced around until she saw what she needed, then handed Jane a little plant. “Here you go. Snowdrops are for hope. That’s what we need right now. Plus a little faith. People don’t change. Your father is a good man underneath everything that’s happened to him. We have to find out who did this terrible thing before the system runs over him.”

“What can we do?” Jane looked at the plant in confusion. “They told me they have an airtight case against him.”

“We’ll see about that! You go and find out when the arraignment is. I found a lawyer for your father, but it would be nice for him to see a friendly face in the courtroom. I wish I could be there, too. Just remember he was there for you when you were a child. Do you have children, Jane?”

“Yes. Two. A boy and a girl. They don’t even remember their grandfather.”

“He’s confused and frightened. He needs you now. Wouldn’t you like to think, despite any disagreement, your children would be there for you when you really need them?”

Jane nodded and took Peggy’s hand. “Yes, I would. Thank you, Mrs. Lee. I almost let my embarrassment overshadow the fact that I love him.”

“Call me Peggy. Let me know what you find out. Give me your phone number, and I’ll keep you posted if I learn anything else.”

Selena came in as Jane was leaving. She started to walk behind the counter and stopped dead. “Whoa! Where’d the horse come from?”

Peggy explained the situation with the dog as she continued to set things up in the shop. Emil brought some of his new brew for them to taste. “I call it Holiday Cheer. What do you think?”

“It’s good!” Selena said, staying carefully away from the dog. “How’d you get it to taste like gingerbread?”

“That’s my secret!” He smiled at her. “I worked all summer on it.”

“It’s very good,” Peggy added. “I like the name, too. Maybe you could serve it at my holiday open house in the beginning of December.”

He considered the idea and agreed. “I could give samples with little name tags on the cups. What a great idea! What day are you having this?”

“The first Tuesday of the month. You know how slow Tuesdays are around here. I’m sending out invitations to all my customers.”

“Are we serving food?” Selena was excited by the prospect. “If we serve food, all the college kids will come. We’re always looking for free food.”

Emil shook his head. “What good are they? Always trying to get something for free. Peggy needs paying customers. So do I.”

“But you
could
invite your friends,” Peggy consoled her. “And I plan to have some food, too.”