Peggy hoped to have some message from Mai when she got home, even though she knew Mai had her cell phone number and the number at the shop. She’d call if anything came up. Obviously, there were no updates on the honey. Of course, for all she knew, the ME could decide it wasn’t important enough to bring up the investigation again. She didn’t always understand the political aspect of the law. But she knew things weren’t ever black and white.
Peggy let Shakespeare out and took him for a walk. It consisted of him trying to pull her arm out of its socket. She finally called a halt to the torture as soon as he went to the bathroom in the yard. He whined and looked eagerly at the rest of the yard. “That’s not going to happen,” she told him. “Not until you learn some manners.”
She took the dog back inside. Both of them were eating lunch while she surfed the Internet for more information about any poisoning cases in the last few days. An abrupt knock on the door brought Paul in the kitchen. He was dressed for work in his tidy blue uniform. He’d recently had his hair cut and still smelled of spicy aftershave and soap from a shower.
He hugged her, then took off his jacket. “You’re trying to ruin my career in law enforcement, aren’t you? You couldn’t win arguing with me about not being on the job, so you found another way.”
She looked up from her hummus and pita sandwich. “Are you feeling all right? Would you like some lunch?”
“I’m fine. I ate a sandwich on the way over here.” He glared at her. “You know I love you, Mom. And we both know you didn’t want me on the job because of what happened to Dad. But I thought we settled this thing between us. If you still don’t want me to wear the uniform, say so. Let’s talk it out. Don’t try to sabotage me.”
Peggy swallowed the pita in her mouth, then took a swallow of lemon tea. “I really have no idea what you’re talking about, Paul.”
“I’m talking about your new business as a private detective. Did you think I wouldn’t hear about your run-in with the lieutenant this morning? And I wish you’d leave Mai out of this. We need her income to afford the house. She can’t afford to get fired because of you!”
It was the perfect opportunity for Peggy to tackle him about the house on Mai’s behalf. But she obviously had a few strokes against her already. She knew he wouldn’t appreciate her telling him what Mai couldn’t. At least not at that moment. “What I did had nothing to do with you, Paul. I knew there wasn’t any time to explain all the details to the police or wait for them to come up with a search warrant on my information. I did the best I could to help Park.”
“How many times are you going to put your life on the line to help people? You aren’t trained to search for evidence. You could’ve been hurt out there at the landfill.” He sighed and played with the small, silver saltshaker on the wood table. “Don’t worry. I know about you and the lieutenant. Mai gave me all the details. But he doesn’t know about the ME wanting to reopen the investigation because of the honey you found. Yet. He’s not gonna like it when he finds out.”
“He does?”
“What?”
“The ME wants to reopen the investigation because of the honey I found?”
“Yes. I told Mai this would only encourage you! They don’t need your help.” He took her hands in his. Green gazes collided across the laptop. “Stay away from this, please. For my sake, if not your own.”
“I won’t do anything I don’t have to do,” she promised, taking her hands out of his clasp. “That’s the best I can offer. I want to know the truth about what happened to Park.”
He nodded but didn’t look at her. “Fine. I have to go. I just wanted you to know the lieutenant talked about you in our briefing this morning.”
Peggy didn’t know whether to be pleased or offended. “What did he say?”
“He said no one should give information to busybodies who think they’re amateur detectives. He called you a busybody and a snoop, Mom.”
She tried but couldn’t suppress the smile that sprang to her lips. Really, she knew she should take it more seriously. She just couldn’t. “Did he call me a busybody by name? I mean was it like, ‘Peggy Lee is a busybody and a snoop. Don’t talk to her.’ Or was it more general?”
Paul didn’t find it amusing. “Everyone knew he was talking about my mother. It made me feel like an idiot.” His voice lowered dramatically. “Think about it. I’ll talk to you later.”
Peggy watched him leave before she giggled. “He’s always had a bent for melodrama.” She sighed as she stroked Shakespeare’s head, which rested on her lap. “I wish there was a school I could take him to. But it’s probably too late for him anyway. Some old dogs won’t learn new tricks.”
Carlos Gonzales, the garbageman turned taxi driver, picked her and Shakespeare up a few minutes later. She told him about her trip to the landfill. He laughed when she described the landfill manager. “I know him. He tries to charge everybody for everything. You were smart. Did you find what you were looking for?”
She was careful about what she told him. She liked Carlos but didn’t want the information in the newspaper tomorrow. As she described finding the honey jar, she wondered if Paul had something to do with Mai not calling her about the ME’s decision to reopen the investigation.
Peggy took out her cell phone as Carlos navigated the high-speed traffic on the interstate. Should she call Mai? Or should she leave well enough alone? She didn’t want her to lose her job or get in any trouble. Maybe she should wait and let Mai tell her that she couldn’t do anything else.
Looking down from watching traffic before they came to the ramp she was beginning to despise, she noticed there were four messages on her cell phone. How had she missed them? She checked them and found that they were all from Mai. It was a simple mistake. She turned off her ringer at the police station that morning and forgot to turn it back on.
Mai answered her phone on the first ring. “Peggy! I’ve been trying to reach you all morning! The ME wants to see you. I told him you had some samples of poisoned honey. He wants you to bring them by. Will you do that?”
PEGGY AND RUE SAT down, exhausted by their workout with Shakespeare. He started acting up when he walked through the front door at Whiskers and Paws. A woman with a new kitten was leaving. Shakespeare saw the kitten and let out a deep, booming bark. The kitten yowled, scratched its owner, and jumped to the floor. In the ensuing confusion, three flowerpots were broken and several chairs were knocked over.
After that beginning, things got worse. Peggy held Shakespeare’s leash while Rue took him through a series of commands. When he was told to sit, Shakespeare barked. When Rue pointed to the floor and told him to lie down, he jumped up on her, putting his large paws on her shoulders and almost knocking her over. No matter what they tried to get him to do, Shakespeare did the opposite.
“I don’t understand what’s wrong with him,” Peggy huffed, lying back in her chair. Shakespeare was at her feet. He whined and covered his face with his paws. “I know he wasn’t this bad before I went to Pennsylvania. I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”
Rue shook her head. “Some dogs have a harder time learning. He’s a tough cookie, but we’ll work it out. He might’ve been thrown off by chasing the kitten when he first came in. Or maybe it’s the new surroundings. We’re not off to a great start right now, but I’m sure things will get better.”