Family: Plumbaginaceae
This widely spread carpet of colorful flowers blooms slowly in the spring for a short time. It is perennial and grows to cover a larger area each year. It was once believed that it could cure lead poisoning, hence the family name.
AFTER A QUICK CALL to Selena at the Potting Shed, Peggy got in Al’s car. He and Jonas sat in the front seat for the ride.
“I’m sorry about your friend, Peggy,” Jonas said when they were out of the hospital parking lot. “I hope you don’t feel like we were responsible for what happened to her.”
“Not at all.” She put on some cherry-flavored lip gloss and rubbed some cream on her hands. She was drained of all emotion. She couldn’t even summon up enough to be thrilled that Beth was still alive. “I was a detective’s wife for too long not to understand the process. Beth looked guilty. You did your job.”
“Well at least it looks like she’ll be okay,” Al added. “Once she gets through this, anyway. These things aren’t totally unexpected.”
“So now the theory is that this boy—” Peggy began.
“Fletcher Davis, the head of Tomorrow’s Children,” Jonas interrupted her. “He’s twenty-five. Not exactly a boy.”
“All right. Fletcher Davis is guilty of poisoning Park and the other lawyers to get back at them for helping pollute the bay they’re trying to save.”
“That’s right,” Al agreed. “They thought it was a good way to hold up the negotiations.”
Peggy thought about Nightflyer’s questions. “Why didn’t he poison all the lawyers’ baskets? If he had access to four of them, he had access to all of them. Have you asked him where he got the poisoned honey? Has he confessed?”
“We wouldn’t need you to ID him if he’d confessed,” Al told her. “This guy is too sharp for that.”
“We don’t have all the answers yet,” Jonas admitted. “That’s why we’re still working on the case.”
“But you’re comfortable with the idea that Alice Godwin killed Isabelle.” Peggy pulled her jacket closer and shivered. Why am I asking? Why aren’t I just happy that Beth will be cleared of all charges? I’m taking Nightflyer’s ideas too seriously. It’s all settled.
“Comfortable? What do you want from me? I thought you’d be happy we got the murder charges taken away from your friend.” Jonas cleared his throat and shook his head. “Some people are never satisfied.”
She didn’t answer. He was right, much as it disturbed her to admit it. Just because all the pieces didn’t add up for Nightflyer didn’t make it wrong.
“If you’re mad about us thinking she killed her husband in the first place for the insurance money,” Al said, “she wouldn’t be the first. And considering her state of mind, that wouldn’t be surprising.”
“What do you mean, ‘her state of mind’?” Peggy demanded.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Jonas snorted. “She tried to kill herself. She’s not capable of making rational decisions.”
Peggy nodded slowly, her thoughts taking her in another direction. “That means she won’t be able to control the money from the insurance policy or the Lamonte estate now. Someone will have to be appointed as executor, since Foxx and Reddman are too young.”
Al turned the car into the police parking lot. “That’s probably true. What are you thinking, Peggy?”
“The state will appoint a guardian ad litem.” Jonas waved his hand to dismiss the subject as he got out of the car. “Who knows who that will be? But since she knows so many lawyers . . .”
“What if that’s what someone has been after from the beginning?”
“What?” Jonas asked, opening her car door.
“Look,” she explained patiently. “Someone knows Park has this large insurance policy. He or she kills him with the poisoned honey. They poison a few other lawyers in Philadelphia to make it look like Tomorrow’s Children is responsible for it. Not everyone, because they don’t need to go that far. But Park doesn’t die there. He dies here going over the ramp. The insurance company jumps in and yells suicide. That would be bad for the killer. No money.”
“Peggy . . .” Jonas tried to stop her.
“So she, maybe Cindy Walker, passes on the information about the policy and her affair with Park to his mother. Isabelle calls in the police and raises questions about it being murder. The killer is confident enough to take it in stride. After all, murder still collects on the policy.”
“Can we just go inside?” Al asked as Jonas paced the parking lot.
But Peggy was on a roll. “But then the killer had to get messy. There’s no time for poison. He or she takes matters into their own hands and knocks Isabelle in the head with her walking stick, bless her poor old soul. It doesn’t stop the murder investigation, but that’s okay. With Beth in prison, now he or she can get at the insurance money plus Park’s and Isabelle’s estates.”
“If you’re still thinking about Ms. Walker,” Al said. “How would she get at the money? I’m sure she’s not in the will or on the Lamonte’s list to care for the children.”
“Good question.” Peggy tapped her cheek. “I don’t have the answer to that. But she was at Isabelle’s house during the crime scene investigation and saw me there. She could’ve trashed my house looking for the dragon’s head because she thought I had it.”
“Nice theory.” Jonas held out his hand. “Can we go inside? They’re waiting for us.”
“Wait! There’s more. I see it now!” Peggy started to pace with her head down and her forehead furrowed. “I don’t know why I didn’t see it before! Cindy didn’t know Alice had the dragon’s head. Alice hid it away before she got there. She wasn’t trying to frame Alice for the murder. It didn’t suit her purpose for anyone but Beth to be charged with it. So when it looked like Beth was going to go free, she gave her the Nembutol. Beth is discredited or dies. Either way, the money is free game again.”
“Once again, the question is: How would Mrs. Walker expect to collect on her crime?” Al questioned. “I could see her having motive to kill Park but not the mother. Especially not for the money.”
“Excuse me? Have we all been transported to never-never land?” Jonas snarled. “We have viable arrests in both of these cases. Peggy, all we need from you is a simple ID. Can you do that?”
“I think you should question Cindy Walker again.” She stopped pacing and looked at him. “I know there doesn’t seem to be a link to her and the money, but I’m sure it’s there.”
“She wasn’t in town that night. A hundred people, including her father, Senator Walker, were with her,” Al reminded her as Jonas gave up and went inside the building. “We can’t bring her in and question her again when there isn’t any real evidence she was involved besides agreeing to call the police after Mrs. Godwin set her up to try to take the blame away from herself.”
“Is that what you think?”
“That’s what we think.” Al put his arm around her shoulders. “Peggy, we have all the answers already. Just ID Davis for us. Please.”
They walked into the precinct together. “Beth could have died, too, because we didn’t see it in time. Who else might be involved if it goes on? Her parents? Foxx and Reddman?”
He didn’t answer. “Sergeant, will you get Dr. Lee a cup of coffee? We’re going to get a lineup for her to look over.”
“Yes, sir!” The sergeant came to stand beside Peggy. “Right this way, Dr. Lee.”
PEGGY CALLED STEVE TO make sure he found Shakespeare at Beth’s house. “I got your bike, too,” Steve answered. “Where are you?”