Natalie took a right onto Harvest Lane where Lindsey Wozniak lived, pulled into the long driveway, parked behind Lindsey’s BMW hybrid, and cut the engine. The sign out front read WOZNIAK LANDSCAPE AND INTERIORSCAPE DESIGN—WE WORK WONDERS. The residence had major curb appeal—ornamental pots, a marble fountain, fruit trees around the perimeter. The elegant Victorian was built in the late 1800s with a spacious front porch and a turret. Lindsey was constantly changing the look of the place. Last year, she’d painted the exterior smoke gray with winter-flannel trim. This year, it was pewter with bone-china trim.
Lindsey answered the door looking elegantly professional in a suede pantsuit, a tailored white blouse, and Italian flats. Her sharp features contributed to her predatory corporate look. “Natalie,” she said with a bright smile. “Long time, no see.”
“Hello, Lindsey.”
“What do you think of the new color?”
“It’s very pretty.”
“I was aiming for a mountains-in-the-mist type of thing. C’mon inside.”
Like her closest childhood friends—Daisy, Grace, and Bunny—Lindsey Wozniak was thirty-six years old. The four of them used to watch The Parent Trap and Freaky Friday together. They used to party together. They’d once formed a coven together—Lindsey had been the leader. Now Lindsey was a successful landscape designer and flower stylist who did weddings, parties, and formal occasions. She maintained half the gardens on the north side and gave flower-arranging workshops at the community college. Lindsey was a big deal in this town.
“Thanks for seeing me on such short notice.”
“Sure, Natalie. Anything to help. I’m heartsick over this. The whole town’s reeling. Grace and I talked for two hours last night. Come into my office.”
The house was full of stunning period detail—original hardwood floors, stained-glass windows, pocket doors, and a domed skylight. The home office was a welcoming space full of period armchairs, floor-to-ceiling drapes, and all the trappings of a small business—steel file cabinets, top-of-the-line equipment, excellent lighting.
Natalie paused to admire the glossy promotional photos on the walls—airbrushed images of elaborately manicured courtyards and gardens full of expensive stone statuary, interspersed with professionally framed garden design awards and certifications.
“Impressive,” she said.
“I’m lucky to have such a strong client base. Espresso?”
“No, thanks.”
“Have a seat,” Lindsey said, reaching for her iPhone.
“Brandon mentioned that he hired you to do some landscaping?” Natalie began.
“That’s right. Initially, he wasn’t sure what he wanted. We went over his options, and I got him to focus on his main concern, which was the holiday season. So I told him about winter landscaping, and he dug it. He got involved with the design and execution.”
“Is that typical? For homeowners to get involved in the landscaping design?”
“Depends. Some do. Some don’t. I’m flexible. That’s one reason why I’m doing so well.” She smiled.
“When did you start working for the Buckners?”
“About two months ago.”
“And when was the last time you were over there?”
“On Monday. With my maintenance crew.”
“Since you’ve been working for them, have you noticed anything unusual?”
“Unusual how?” Lindsey asked. “What do you mean?”
“Let me put it this way. Is there anything you can tell me about Brandon and Daisy’s relationship, since you’ve been spending so much time over there? Were they happy? Unhappy? Any disagreements? Fights?”
“Well, there was tension, for sure.”
“What kind of tension?”
“Little things,” Lindsey said. “Normal couple things, I suppose.”
“Like what?”
“Well, I was the first to suspect that Daisy was pregnant. I asked her about it, point-blank. She pleaded with me not to tell a soul, so of course I kept my mouth shut.”
“Anything else?”
“Yeah, about a month ago, I walked into the living room while she was on the phone, and she freaked out a little. You know how sensitive her skin is, right? Redheads. She turned crimson and hung up immediately, then mumbled something about school. Anyway, it didn’t sound job-related to me. It sounded pretty friendly. So I wondered—why the secrecy? What’s the big deal? I don’t know.” Lindsey waved it away.
“Any guesses as to who it could’ve been?” she asked Lindsey.
“Not even. But she was acting so flustered and distracted—something was up.”
“Do you remember Daisy’s suicide attempt?” Natalie asked.
“Wow, yes,” she said, taken aback. “That was a long time ago, Natalie. It’s kind of embarrassing, isn’t it? You grow up in a small town, and people will inevitably throw your past in your face. Look, it wasn’t serious. She scratched herself with a knife. Created a little drama.”
“I remember how upset she was,” Natalie said carefully. “But I don’t recall any other details. There are conflicting accounts about what happened. For instance, somebody told me that you and Brandon had a fling back then—this must’ve been your senior year in high school—and that’s why Daisy attempted suicide, even though the cuts were superficial.”
Lindsey sighed hard, suddenly looking thin and drawn. “Oh God, Natalie. It’s all water under the bridge.”
“I also heard she became distraught when Brandon hired you.”
“Seriously?” She shifted in her seat and crossed her legs. “I doubt that’s true. We came to terms with it a long time ago.” She heaved an impatient sigh. “Affairs are messy.”
“But you and Daisy were so close back in high school. What happened? How could you betray her like that?”
“Betray her?” Lindsey rolled her eyes. “Are you judging me now? Do you want to see a grown woman break down and sob buckets over her dead friend?”
A heavy discomfort settled between them.
“I’m sorry. Let me rephrase that,” Natalie said. “Tell me what happened between you and Brandon during your senior year of high school. How did it transpire?”
“We had a fling, okay?” Lindsey said flippantly. “It was dumb. But once Daisy found out about it, that put the kibosh on everything, because Brandon went crawling back to her. And that was fine with me.”
“You aren’t still attracted to him?”
“Brandon? Are you kidding me? He’s a goofball. No. We’re friends. He can be funny as hell, though. He makes me laugh. Bottom line, he pays his bills on time. That’s all that matters to me.”
“So you and Daisy…”
“Daisy and I were good friends in high school, but after the whole Brandon drama, we sort of drifted apart. We became … less-intense friends. Look, she was a sweet kid who could be a real drama queen, overreacting and getting intensely emotional about everything. But in this town, you have to let it go. Eventually we put it behind us. I mean, look, the three of us still got together for drinks occasionally—Grace, Daisy, and me. The Witches of Eastwick, we called ourselves. We laugh about it now. Maybe cast a few spells, for yucks. White magic only.” Lindsey exhaled. “You want the truth? There was a point when I was jealous of Daisy way back when. I’m not afraid to admit that. She had such gorgeous green eyes and gawd … such perfect teeth. Me? I had an overbite and no-color hair, and my eyes have always been too close together.” Her phone buzzed. “Sorry.” Lindsey paused to check the message. “God, this is my worst habit. I have to check, like, a million times a day.” She quickly texted back. Her phone buzzed again. “Sorry, it’s like a tic.”
“Lindsey, please … put that thing away and talk to me.”
She set the phone aside. “Apologies. Go on.”
“When was the last time you spoke to either one of them? Brandon or Daisy?”
“Monday, like I said.”
“No phone calls since?”
“I don’t think so. I’d have to check my logs.”
“Where were you on Wednesday?”
“Working. I’m always working, Natalie. Constantly on the go. My day starts at five and doesn’t let up until midnight. No weekends off. Everything blurs together after a while,” she said with a strained smile. “But it’s all good. Business is booming. I have deadlines up the wazoo. Consulting with clients, maintenance, talking to suppliers, marketing, the list goes on. I pride myself on my attention to detail, but it keeps me running around like a crazy person, twenty-four/seven.”
“You sound busy.”
“Ha. Busy ain’t the word. By the way, I’m also in charge of the flower arrangements for Daisy’s funeral. I want everything to look stunning.” She brushed a sheen of sweat off her brow. “Anyway, you asked if I’d seen anything unusual lately at Brandon’s house? I just remembered something. Last week, my work crew was digging up the backyard, and they found an old poppet doll buried in one of the flower beds. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. You know, things like that are a dime a dozen in this town. I told the guys to toss it out, but it still might be in one of the leaf container bags.”
Natalie furrowed her brow. Poppet dolls were used for magic, supposedly for healing and love, but they could also be used for darker purposes. Revenge curses, bad luck, ill health, even death spells.
Lindsey’s phone buzzed. “Sorry, I have to take this.” She stood up. “Do you mind, Natalie? I hate to cut it short, but…”
“Sure. Thanks for your time.”
Lindsey escorted her to the door. She had a warm handshake. “You should try one of my flower-arranging workshops, Natalie. You know what’s exciting? When you push yourself out of your comfort zone.”
“Yeah, right.” Natalie rolled her eyes. “If I had any extra time, Lindsey, I wouldn’t spend it rearranging flowers in a vase.”
Lindsey laughed. “Same old Natalie.”
They paused on the threshold.
“You never answered my question, though. Where were you last Wednesday?”
“The Applewhites, I think,” Lindsey responded. “I’ll check my datebook and get back to you.” She gently shut the door in Natalie’s face.