Paul broke into your shop and vandalized it to cover his tracks.”
“No.”
“You received a new shipment of plants the day before the break-in, is that right?”
Eve kept glancing at the mirror on the wall. Captain Hager was probably watching. This had gone from small potatoes to something much larger in a day.
“Yes. I believe my assistant emailed you the list of plants that we’d received.”
Eve nodded. “I have that shipping order here. It was convenient that there was no real buyer for the plants, no paper trail of exactly who paid for these plants or why they were ordered.”
“Convenient? Certainly not for me. To begin with, the company we order from wouldn’t carry hogweed or poison oak in stock.” She stared into the mirror. “If you knew anything about plants at all, you wouldn’t ask me these questions.”
“But you admit that Paul could have added to the order Sam made and then destroyed everything that arrived except for what he needed to cover up the murder.” Eve pushed her ideas behind the conversation.
Peggy took a deep breath. Her fiery red hair might have begun going white, but she still had a temper. “I don’t admit that at all. Weeks go by that Paul doesn’t even visit The Potting Shed. And though I love him dearly, he wouldn’t know the difference between a raspberry bush and a grapevine. He’s not a gardener.”
Eve leaned forward, her black eyes intent on Peggy’s face. “I’ve been to The Potting Shed many times, Peggy. I know Selena keeps the laptop on the counter. Wouldn’t it be possible for Paul to get into the shop and change the order before it was sent out?”
“No. The gardening supply company wouldn’t send poisonous plants in their shipment, and Paul wouldn’t know what to ask for. This line of questioning isn’t going to get you anywhere, Eve.”
“Yet you admitted that this supply company has sent you other poisonous plants in the past.”
“I guess I can’t explain the difference between an ornamental, potentially poisonous plant such as Easter lilies, and a deadly one like hogweed if you know nothing about plants. If you’re going to pursue this, you need an advisor who can tell you the difference.” Peggy got to her feet and faced the mirror. “And that’s not going to be me. If I’m not under arrest, I’m leaving now.”
“I’m sorry this has happened, Peggy.” Eve she stood too. “It’s a difficult situation. I know it must be painful for you.”
“Not painful at all, Eve. It’s ridiculous. I’ll talk to you later.”
Poison Ivy
Not to be confused with English ivy. In 1784, Philadelphia horticulturalist William Bartram sent seeds for poison ivy and sumac home to be used in the United States as garden plants. So the next time you run into a poison ivy plant and are enduring the following rash you know who to thank!
Chapter Ten
Captain Avery Hager was waiting for Peggy when she left the interrogation room.
He nodded to Eve, and she introduced him.
“Dr. Lee. I’ll be taking over this case for Lieutenant McDonald.” He smiled pleasantly. “I’m sorry to meet you under these circumstances. I’ve been to many of your seminars.”
“Captain Hager.” Peggy wasn’t surprised to learn that Al had been removed from the case since their families were so close.
“I want you to know that it doesn’t give me any pleasure to put you through this, Dr. Lee. And I’m sorry about your son. He has an unblemished record with the department.”
Her green eyes flashed her anger. “But none of that matters because you have this crazy notion that Paul killed this woman.”
He nodded. “Good men go bad sometimes.”
“If my son has gone bad,” she questioned, “what was his motive? I know you don’t think he killed her for a thousand dollars. What’s the thinking behind the murder?”
“I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to discuss that with you, Dr. Lee.”
“Cop speak for you don’t know. I was married to your
“No.”
“You received a new shipment of plants the day before the break-in, is that right?”
Eve kept glancing at the mirror on the wall. Captain Hager was probably watching. This had gone from small potatoes to something much larger in a day.
“Yes. I believe my assistant emailed you the list of plants that we’d received.”
Eve nodded. “I have that shipping order here. It was convenient that there was no real buyer for the plants, no paper trail of exactly who paid for these plants or why they were ordered.”
“Convenient? Certainly not for me. To begin with, the company we order from wouldn’t carry hogweed or poison oak in stock.” She stared into the mirror. “If you knew anything about plants at all, you wouldn’t ask me these questions.”
“But you admit that Paul could have added to the order Sam made and then destroyed everything that arrived except for what he needed to cover up the murder.” Eve pushed her ideas behind the conversation.
Peggy took a deep breath. Her fiery red hair might have begun going white, but she still had a temper. “I don’t admit that at all. Weeks go by that Paul doesn’t even visit The Potting Shed. And though I love him dearly, he wouldn’t know the difference between a raspberry bush and a grapevine. He’s not a gardener.”
Eve leaned forward, her black eyes intent on Peggy’s face. “I’ve been to The Potting Shed many times, Peggy. I know Selena keeps the laptop on the counter. Wouldn’t it be possible for Paul to get into the shop and change the order before it was sent out?”
“No. The gardening supply company wouldn’t send poisonous plants in their shipment, and Paul wouldn’t know what to ask for. This line of questioning isn’t going to get you anywhere, Eve.”
“Yet you admitted that this supply company has sent you other poisonous plants in the past.”
“I guess I can’t explain the difference between an ornamental, potentially poisonous plant such as Easter lilies, and a deadly one like hogweed if you know nothing about plants. If you’re going to pursue this, you need an advisor who can tell you the difference.” Peggy got to her feet and faced the mirror. “And that’s not going to be me. If I’m not under arrest, I’m leaving now.”
“I’m sorry this has happened, Peggy.” Eve she stood too. “It’s a difficult situation. I know it must be painful for you.”
“Not painful at all, Eve. It’s ridiculous. I’ll talk to you later.”
Poison Ivy
Not to be confused with English ivy. In 1784, Philadelphia horticulturalist William Bartram sent seeds for poison ivy and sumac home to be used in the United States as garden plants. So the next time you run into a poison ivy plant and are enduring the following rash you know who to thank!
Chapter Ten
Captain Avery Hager was waiting for Peggy when she left the interrogation room.
He nodded to Eve, and she introduced him.
“Dr. Lee. I’ll be taking over this case for Lieutenant McDonald.” He smiled pleasantly. “I’m sorry to meet you under these circumstances. I’ve been to many of your seminars.”
“Captain Hager.” Peggy wasn’t surprised to learn that Al had been removed from the case since their families were so close.
“I want you to know that it doesn’t give me any pleasure to put you through this, Dr. Lee. And I’m sorry about your son. He has an unblemished record with the department.”
Her green eyes flashed her anger. “But none of that matters because you have this crazy notion that Paul killed this woman.”
He nodded. “Good men go bad sometimes.”
“If my son has gone bad,” she questioned, “what was his motive? I know you don’t think he killed her for a thousand dollars. What’s the thinking behind the murder?”
“I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to discuss that with you, Dr. Lee.”
“Cop speak for you don’t know. I was married to your
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