Deadly Desserts (Sky High Pies Cozy Mysteries Book 6) by Mary Maxwell Page A

before, so
I asked for an explanation.
    “It’s nasty stuff, Katie. Cicutoxin
is potent, highly noxious and found in a variety of plants. The most common one
is water hemlock.”
    “And that’s what killed Lacy?”
    “According to the preliminary
autopsy results and tox screens,” Dina said. “The medical examiner was pretty
certain, but we’re running more tests to make a definitive conclusion. We’ll
have those reports in a few days.”
    I closed my eyes and pictured
Lacy’s gorgeous smile, the way her bangs were forever falling into her eyes and
the tiny curved scar on her chin from a childhood ice skating accident.
    “You still there, Katie?”
    “Yeah, sorry. I was just…” I
banished the thoughts of Lacy and opened my eyes. “Do we know how she was
poisoned?”
    “Chocolate-dipped strawberry,” Dina
answered. “It was loaded with the stuff, probably injected with a syringe.”
    “What was the name of the poison
again?”
    “Cicutoxin,” Dina said. “From water
hemlock plants; they grow in marshy areas, near lakes, streams, farm ponds,
that sort of thing. I know you were still in Chicago early last year, but there
was a very sad case that got a ton of local publicity. A family was at
Horsetooth Reservoir up near Fort Collins. Their little pooch chewed on some
water hemlock and died within three or four hours.”
    “Just like Lacy.”
    “Exactly.”
    “Okay,” I said. “How can I help?”
    “Well, I’m starting with the food
festival judges at the meeting,” Dina said. “Do you know if anyone had a bone
to pick with Lacy?”
    I thought about the group from the
previous afternoon: Portia, Becca, Pinky, Luigi, Harley, Daphne and Yvonne. As
far as I knew, everyone loved Lacy and the feeling was mutual. She was a sweet,
thoughtful and charming woman, the kind of friend who remembered every birthday
and anniversary. She sent greeting cards, baked delicious cakes and always
called whenever someone was going through a rough patch.
    When I told Dina that I couldn’t
think of any bad blood amongst the judges, she widened the net. “How about
anyone in the community?” she said. “Do you think her work as a loan officer at
the bank might have something to do with it?”
    “Anything’s possible. I’ve never
heard her mention contentious customers, but I would imagine she’s declined a
loan application or two along the way. Have you talked to Suzanne Craig? She’s
still working part-time at the bank as her husband’s assistant.”
    “I plan to ask her about it,” Dina
said, “but she’s out of town for a couple of days.”
    “She is?”
    “According to the assistant branch
manager, Suzanne left on a business trip two nights ago and she’s due to return
tomorrow.”
    “I’d heard the same thing, but Zack
swears he saw her in town yesterday afternoon.”
    “Oh, really?”
    “Well, I think…” I paused, trying
to remember Zack’s exact words. “You know what? Why don’t I ask him later? If
it sounds like it’ll be helpful, I’ll call you right away.”
    “Sounds like a plan, Katie. I
appreciate your help.”
    “My pleasure,” I said. “Lacy was a
good friend. I’m going to miss her.”
    “You and everyone else in town,”
Dina agreed.

CHAPTER
14
     
     
    The pile of unpaid invoices on my
desk looked as appetizing as a stale strawberry cupcake slathered with
liverwurst-flavored frosting. As I stared at the collection of bills, wishing
magical powers were real and the pencil in my hand was a wand, the phone rang
and Pinky Newton Home appeared on the screen.
    “Katie?” she said in a faint voice
after I answered. “It’s Pinky.”
    “Why are you whispering?”
    “Our lives are in jeopardy,” she said.
“I just heard a rumor, Katie. All of the food that we were supposed to taste
yesterday was poisoned, not just the strawberries that Lacy ate.”
    “Where’d you hear that?”
    She answered with a few hushed
words that were so faint it sounded like bees buzzing on the