something out here I think you should take a look at, T.J.”
They went out the back door, and since they didn’t specifically tell me I couldn’t, I followed them out there. One of the crime techs had spread what looked like a plastic drop cloth on the ground, and dumped the trash from the outside can on it. Owen, T.J. and another person were standing by a table that was partially covered with vegetables. I walked over and stood next to T.J. “Don’t touch anything,” he said without looking at me.
A female crime tech was holding a mortar and pestle in her gloved hands. “There’s quite a bit of residue here, as you can see,” she said, holding it out for us to examine. She put it down on the table and picked up a piece of wadded up wax paper. “I also found some cut up pieces of rhubarb greens on here, as well as blueberry filling. There are probably some of the crushed greens in that filling. I’ll know for sure once I get it back to the lab and test it.”
Owen pointed to several stalks of rhubarb on the table, nestled next to some carrots and corn on the cob. I never ate rhubarb myself, but I knew it was the color of raspberries on the outside, and green on the inside. It looked a bit like celery, except for the color, and it certainly didn’t look appetizing, but that’s just me.
I left the three of them to talk while I wandered toward the vegetable garden in the right corner near the back fence. There were plenty of vegetables, ripe and ready for harvesting. It would be great to have something like this in my backyard, but Mittens had the tendency to dig a lot, and knowing Babe, she’d probably lay down right in the middle of the garden, killing anything trying to grow there.
“Lizzie,” T.J. called out to me, “let’s go.”
I looked around the garden one more time before I walked back to the house. There was something bugging me about the garden. I’m not sure what it was, but something wasn’t right.
Turns out, that something was a pretty big clue, only I didn’t know it at the time.
Chapter Eleven
I watched them put everything into separate evidence bags, and then T.J. carried the albums out to the car for me, placing them in the front seat. “It doesn’t look good for Gladys, does it?” I asked him as I took off the gloves and booties.
He shook his head. “No, it doesn’t,” he replied, taking the protective gear from me. “How well do you know her?”
“She’s a friend of Mother’s. I’ve known her all my life.”
“Did you ever see anything to indicate that the two of them were having serious problems?”
“No, not anything that she would kill him for. They were always nasty to each other, but not in a mean sort of way. More of a ‘we’re married, and I enjoy yanking your chain once in a while’ kind of way, although there were times when the comments were intentionally mean. Even the people you love can do stupid things that can upset you.”
He stared into my eyes. “Yes, they can, but I’m sure they don’t mean to hurt the other person.”
There were butterflies in my stomach as he said that. I knew what he meant, but I wasn’t ready to go down that road, not yet. “Sometimes it takes a while to forgive, and sometimes things don’t always go back to the way they were.”
I saw a flash of hurt in his eyes, but I couldn’t help that. “You should get those albums over to Gladys. She was anxious to have them.”
I swallowed hard. “Right,” I said, pulling my keys out of my pocket. “Thanks for carrying those out here.”
“No problem. Glad to help,” he said, opening the driver’s side door. I got in and he closed the door. I started the car and lowered the window. “I’d like to see you later, if that’s alright.”
“Maybe,” I said. “I’ll let you know.”
“Fair enough,” he replied, stepping out of the way. He watched me drive off.
I was still trying to figure out what was bugging me about the Norwells’ garden when I parked
They went out the back door, and since they didn’t specifically tell me I couldn’t, I followed them out there. One of the crime techs had spread what looked like a plastic drop cloth on the ground, and dumped the trash from the outside can on it. Owen, T.J. and another person were standing by a table that was partially covered with vegetables. I walked over and stood next to T.J. “Don’t touch anything,” he said without looking at me.
A female crime tech was holding a mortar and pestle in her gloved hands. “There’s quite a bit of residue here, as you can see,” she said, holding it out for us to examine. She put it down on the table and picked up a piece of wadded up wax paper. “I also found some cut up pieces of rhubarb greens on here, as well as blueberry filling. There are probably some of the crushed greens in that filling. I’ll know for sure once I get it back to the lab and test it.”
Owen pointed to several stalks of rhubarb on the table, nestled next to some carrots and corn on the cob. I never ate rhubarb myself, but I knew it was the color of raspberries on the outside, and green on the inside. It looked a bit like celery, except for the color, and it certainly didn’t look appetizing, but that’s just me.
I left the three of them to talk while I wandered toward the vegetable garden in the right corner near the back fence. There were plenty of vegetables, ripe and ready for harvesting. It would be great to have something like this in my backyard, but Mittens had the tendency to dig a lot, and knowing Babe, she’d probably lay down right in the middle of the garden, killing anything trying to grow there.
“Lizzie,” T.J. called out to me, “let’s go.”
I looked around the garden one more time before I walked back to the house. There was something bugging me about the garden. I’m not sure what it was, but something wasn’t right.
Turns out, that something was a pretty big clue, only I didn’t know it at the time.
Chapter Eleven
I watched them put everything into separate evidence bags, and then T.J. carried the albums out to the car for me, placing them in the front seat. “It doesn’t look good for Gladys, does it?” I asked him as I took off the gloves and booties.
He shook his head. “No, it doesn’t,” he replied, taking the protective gear from me. “How well do you know her?”
“She’s a friend of Mother’s. I’ve known her all my life.”
“Did you ever see anything to indicate that the two of them were having serious problems?”
“No, not anything that she would kill him for. They were always nasty to each other, but not in a mean sort of way. More of a ‘we’re married, and I enjoy yanking your chain once in a while’ kind of way, although there were times when the comments were intentionally mean. Even the people you love can do stupid things that can upset you.”
He stared into my eyes. “Yes, they can, but I’m sure they don’t mean to hurt the other person.”
There were butterflies in my stomach as he said that. I knew what he meant, but I wasn’t ready to go down that road, not yet. “Sometimes it takes a while to forgive, and sometimes things don’t always go back to the way they were.”
I saw a flash of hurt in his eyes, but I couldn’t help that. “You should get those albums over to Gladys. She was anxious to have them.”
I swallowed hard. “Right,” I said, pulling my keys out of my pocket. “Thanks for carrying those out here.”
“No problem. Glad to help,” he said, opening the driver’s side door. I got in and he closed the door. I started the car and lowered the window. “I’d like to see you later, if that’s alright.”
“Maybe,” I said. “I’ll let you know.”
“Fair enough,” he replied, stepping out of the way. He watched me drive off.
I was still trying to figure out what was bugging me about the Norwells’ garden when I parked
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