dead. Falling off a cliff and then having a maniac after you for years. You beat the odds. You should be rejoicing.” He handed me his handkerchief. “Please don’t cry. Your life is good. You’ll find your way. Just stop crying. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have teased you so.”
My face perked up. “What was that?”
“I said I was sorry for being such a jerk. You’re a good woman. That’s why everyone comes to you when they’re in trouble.”
My intro at last. “Speaking of trouble, there is someone I want you to check out,” I confessed while dabbing my eyes.
Goetz leaned back in the car seat. “I should have known the tears were a con.”
“Don’t you want to make it up to me? After all, I did go to the trouble of making a chess pie.”
“Miss Eunice.”
“Go to the trouble of having Miss Eunice make a chess pie for you.”
“Can I keep the rest of the pie?”
“It has your name on it.”
“What do you need?”
I gave Goetz a sincere smile . . . for once.
18
I stopped by Mavis’ house on the way home.
“Josiah, nice to see you again,” declared Mavis, opening the screen door.
“Hope I’m not bothering you,” I said, noticing that Mavis was still in her morning housecoat. It was the afternoon.
“You’ll have to excuse me,” she confided. “I don’t feel like gussying up lately.”
“I understand.”
“Yes, you would, being a fellow widow and all. Please come in. Come in.” She motioned to a chair, which was not littered with newspapers, baskets of laundry or dirty dishes. Mavis gave a sheepish grin. “No need to keep up with things now. Terry always favored a tidy house . . . but . . .”
I cut in. “I know, Mavis. Death throws you off your game. Give yourself time. You’ll find your groove again.”
“You understand. My daughter doesn’t. She was on me this morning. She wants everything normal, but it’s not, is it, Josiah?” Mavis looked about the room. “You know, I don’t even see colors now. Everything is gray.”
I reached over and patted her hand. There was no need to say anything, but I knew exactly what she meant about the lack of color. We both sat in our own thoughts and memories until I broke the silence. “Mavis, I was wondering how your dog is doing?”
“He’s fine. The vet flushed out his stomach and he’s right as rain.”
“Did he eat something poisonous?”
“The vet thought he might have gotten into some insecticide, although I don’t know how. We didn’t have any in the house and don’t have close neighbors. I’ve been wondering where he could have gotten ahold of that stuff. Why do you ask?”
“You mentioned that his claws were bluish. It just clicked with something I read in an Agatha Christie book once.” I thought for a moment. “Are you sure the vet thought your dog had been poisoned?”
“I wasn’t at the vet. My daughter took him. She said they pumped out his stomach. Why?”
“How is your cat doing? Was he sick at any time?”
“No. He was never ill.”
“Anybody visit before the dog got sick?”
“Well, Jean Louis paid Terry a visit, but that was all.”
“How was Terry after the visit?”
“I don’t understand the question. What are you aiming at?”
“Was he agitated or angry?”
“Not that I noticed, but Terry said he felt tired afterwards and he went to bed earlier than usual. He had his heart attack later that night.”
“I see.”
“What are you trying to say, Josiah?” asked Mavis becoming alarmed.
“Nothing,” I assured. “Just being nosey. You know how I am. I like to know how all the pieces fit into the puzzle.”
Mavis’ face relaxed. “Yes, you have quite a reputation. You like puzzles, don’t you? Speaking of puzzles, did you get a chance to study Terry’s notebook?”
“Yes, I did,” I replied, pulling the notebook from my pocket and handing it to her.
Mavis received it gratefully. “Anything?”
“Terry wrote some of it in code that I couldn’t break,
My face perked up. “What was that?”
“I said I was sorry for being such a jerk. You’re a good woman. That’s why everyone comes to you when they’re in trouble.”
My intro at last. “Speaking of trouble, there is someone I want you to check out,” I confessed while dabbing my eyes.
Goetz leaned back in the car seat. “I should have known the tears were a con.”
“Don’t you want to make it up to me? After all, I did go to the trouble of making a chess pie.”
“Miss Eunice.”
“Go to the trouble of having Miss Eunice make a chess pie for you.”
“Can I keep the rest of the pie?”
“It has your name on it.”
“What do you need?”
I gave Goetz a sincere smile . . . for once.
18
I stopped by Mavis’ house on the way home.
“Josiah, nice to see you again,” declared Mavis, opening the screen door.
“Hope I’m not bothering you,” I said, noticing that Mavis was still in her morning housecoat. It was the afternoon.
“You’ll have to excuse me,” she confided. “I don’t feel like gussying up lately.”
“I understand.”
“Yes, you would, being a fellow widow and all. Please come in. Come in.” She motioned to a chair, which was not littered with newspapers, baskets of laundry or dirty dishes. Mavis gave a sheepish grin. “No need to keep up with things now. Terry always favored a tidy house . . . but . . .”
I cut in. “I know, Mavis. Death throws you off your game. Give yourself time. You’ll find your groove again.”
“You understand. My daughter doesn’t. She was on me this morning. She wants everything normal, but it’s not, is it, Josiah?” Mavis looked about the room. “You know, I don’t even see colors now. Everything is gray.”
I reached over and patted her hand. There was no need to say anything, but I knew exactly what she meant about the lack of color. We both sat in our own thoughts and memories until I broke the silence. “Mavis, I was wondering how your dog is doing?”
“He’s fine. The vet flushed out his stomach and he’s right as rain.”
“Did he eat something poisonous?”
“The vet thought he might have gotten into some insecticide, although I don’t know how. We didn’t have any in the house and don’t have close neighbors. I’ve been wondering where he could have gotten ahold of that stuff. Why do you ask?”
“You mentioned that his claws were bluish. It just clicked with something I read in an Agatha Christie book once.” I thought for a moment. “Are you sure the vet thought your dog had been poisoned?”
“I wasn’t at the vet. My daughter took him. She said they pumped out his stomach. Why?”
“How is your cat doing? Was he sick at any time?”
“No. He was never ill.”
“Anybody visit before the dog got sick?”
“Well, Jean Louis paid Terry a visit, but that was all.”
“How was Terry after the visit?”
“I don’t understand the question. What are you aiming at?”
“Was he agitated or angry?”
“Not that I noticed, but Terry said he felt tired afterwards and he went to bed earlier than usual. He had his heart attack later that night.”
“I see.”
“What are you trying to say, Josiah?” asked Mavis becoming alarmed.
“Nothing,” I assured. “Just being nosey. You know how I am. I like to know how all the pieces fit into the puzzle.”
Mavis’ face relaxed. “Yes, you have quite a reputation. You like puzzles, don’t you? Speaking of puzzles, did you get a chance to study Terry’s notebook?”
“Yes, I did,” I replied, pulling the notebook from my pocket and handing it to her.
Mavis received it gratefully. “Anything?”
“Terry wrote some of it in code that I couldn’t break,
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