Ten minutes later Kat pulled into Garden Heaven’s gravel parking lot. There were only two other cars in the lot. Who bought plants and gardening supplies in the dead of winter?
The gravel crunched under her feet as she headed for the front door. A wind whipped up and snapped at a torn banner across the front of the store. She unzipped her jacket and went inside.
“Can I help you?”
Business must be slow. The fifty-something woman practically accosted her before she was even inside. She wore a Garden Heaven green golf shirt with the name tag Rosemary. She wiped her hands on the thighs of loose-fitting jeans as she smiled at Kat.
Kat smiled back and pulled the sales receipt from her pocket. “Actually, yes. I’m looking for some information.”
Rosemary frowned. “I’m afraid this is nonreturnable. It’s past our fourteen-day return policy.” Her eyes darted to Kat, waiting for a reaction.
“I don’t want to return it—I’m just wondering if you’re the one who sold it.” Kat held out the receipt.
“What difference does that make?” Nevertheless, Rosemary took the receipt. She pulled down the glasses perched on her head and studied it. “Yep, I rang this sale up. I remember that day.”
Kat’s hopes soared. “You remember the person who bought this?”
“Normally, I don’t. But this one I do—it was my anniversary that day. I had closed a bit early. A woman rushed in here—I hadn’t locked up yet. I told her we were closed, but she ignored me. She wouldn’t leave, so finally I gave up asking her. She was out in five minutes and I hadn’t closed my cash yet. So I just rang it up. It was the easiest way to get rid of her.”
Kat pulled out a photograph of Hillary. “Is this the woman you saw?”
“Um...could be. Then again, maybe not. I’m not good with faces. Can’t say for sure.”
“Okay.” Kat’s shoulders slumped as her hopes faded. She thanked Rosemary and headed for the door. That’s when she saw it.
Garden Heaven had a surveillance camera, right above the door. She turned around and pointed to the camera. “Rosemary, is that camera on all the time?”
“Should be. Why?”
“I’m investigating a fraud. Please save the footage—don’t erase anything. It might be important for the case.”
Rosemary’s eyes widened. “What kind of case? A criminal one?”
“Yes.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. As far as Kat was concerned, Hillary was a criminal. And Rosemary hadn’t specifically asked if she was from the police. She wasn’t about to elaborate, either. “Someone could be in danger. I don’t suppose—no.”
“Suppose what?” Rosemary’s eyes lit up.
Exactly the spark of interest Kat had hoped for.
Kat tapped her watch. “Well, I’m racing against time and I’ve got several leads. If I could just have a quick peek at your video, I can rule this one in or out. But never mind, I don’t want to get you in trouble or anything.”
Kat let out a heavy sigh, hoping to elicit Rosemary’s sympathy.
It worked.
“It’s no trouble. I’m the owner, so I can do what I want. It’s dead slow today. We can access the footage on my computer.” She motioned Kat to follow her over to a desk by the florist department.
Less than a minute later they sat in front of Rosemary’s computer. Rosemary started a program and within a few mouse clicks they were viewing the film from that day. Another slow day from what Kat could see. Rosemary played it in fast-forward mode. The door opened and closed, and people came and went in rapid motion. Less than a dozen customers so far. Exactly what you’d expect in December.
“Wait. Go back a minute.” The latest woman was blurry, but there was something familiar about her. Kat’s pulse quickened.
Rosemary slowed the footage to play mode.
The sound on the tape was garbled, but the picture was clear. A woman in black entered the store and strode towards the rear. Rosemary followed her, motioning towards the door and saying something Kat couldn’t make out. Probably protesting that the store was closed, no doubt. The woman’s back was to the camera, and she wore a long coat. Hillary always wore black.
No one entered or left the store for the next few minutes. Rosemary fast-forwarded the tape until the figure stepped up to the cashier. She pushed a shopping cart filled with bags about the same size and color as the pesticide bags in Harry’s garage.
“Now I remember her,” Rosemary said. “She was dressed different, you know? Most gardeners don’t wear high heels. The occasional one maybe, dropping by on their lunch break or on their way home after work. But this was right before closing. Another thing—absolutely no one buys pesticides in December.”
“What’s the pesticide used for?”
“It’s broad spectrum, meaning it kills anything. But you’d need a serious infestation to use something this strong. It kills absolutely everything it comes in contact with.”
Kat shuddered. “Even people?”
Rosemary’s mouth dropped open. “Well, it is poison. Did someone die?”
“Almost. Any chance I can have a copy of that tape?”
After an eternity fighting her way back home during rush-hour traffic, Kat sat in her upstairs study, wondering how to link the pesticide to Harry’s toxicology report. A report she didn’t actually have. A CD copy of Garden Heaven’s footage lay on the side of her desk.
Finding Hillary on tape making the purchase had been a huge step forward. It wasn’t yet enough to charge Hillary, but it was enough to make her run. Kat wanted to ensure she faced justice for her actions.
She’d visit Connor Whitehall’s office in the morning with the footage and to get his advice on the next steps. Was the receipt enough evidence? No way was she going to simply hand it over to the police. After all that had happened in Hideaway Bay, she couldn’t blindly trust them without a back-up plan.
Now she turned her attention back to the pesticide itself. One by one, she typed each ingredient listed on the label into the computer. She wanted to rush to the hospital—and the police—with her suspicions, but knew she had to build a case first. Otherwise they’d never believe her.
Even though she had expected it, the words still astonished her:
Contact your poison control center and seek immediate medical attention if product is ingested, inhaled or contacts skin, eyes, or mucous membranes. May cause blindness.
Ingestion may cause gastrointestinal distress including nausea, vomiting and stomach cramps, pallor, dizziness, fainting, seizures, mental confusion, delirium or death.
Kat focused on the last word. She was running out of time. So was Harry.