Chapter 12

Dear Natasha,

My husband throws a hissy fit when I toss out food after a power outage. Will you please settle our arguments once and for all by telling us what is safe to eat?

Hungry in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts

 

Dear Hungry,

When in doubt, throw it out. The federal government says most refrigerated food should be fine for four hours. Highly perishable items, including meats, cheeses, and dairy, may not survive that long. Consult the charts at https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/refridg_food.html for further information.

Natasha

“I’m not sure I understand. Half the bees were dead, but not the other half?” I asked.

“Pretty much. The Bee Man is removing the dead bees right now. He says it’s most likely due to one of two things: either a colony collapse disorder or someone sprayed them from the inside.”

“The latter being consistent with your theory of Hollis’s death.”

“Seems that way. It’s hard to imagine how or why he inhaled so much of the stuff, though.”

I grabbed a couple of ice cubes that were beginning to look sad, plunked them into a tall glass, poured tea over them, and handed it to him. “Nor does it account for Kelsey’s exposure unless she was there with him when he sprayed. Or maybe she left the room faster than he did?”

Wolf gulped the tea. “That’s where it gets interesting. She was exposed, but not nearly as much as he was. I’m not sure how that could happen unless she was with him at some point when he sprayed the bees. But she insists that she didn’t know he sprayed them last night.”

Wolf stood up. “Here she comes. See what you can get out of her.” He drained his glass. “I’ll let myself out the back way.” He hustled toward the sunroom, no doubt to cut through my office and sneak out the French doors in the living room.

Sure enough, the door knocker sounded on my front door. I opened it to find Kelsey looking disheveled and desperate.

She rushed inside. Her chest heaved as though she had run up the street. “They’re going to arrest me. They think I murdered Hollis.”

I was taken aback. So many thoughts went through my head I barely knew what to say to her. Mostly I had questions. Playing coy, I asked, “Then they’ve figured out what caused his death?”

She curled her upper lip inward and bit it. “They think he inhaled bee spray.”

I coaxed her into the kitchen, where we sat down at the kitchen table. “Kelsey, unless you held Hollis down and sprayed him with the bee spray, which I don’t think would have been physically possible, I don’t see how they could blame you for his death.”

“The cops asked me if they can search the house. I think need a lawyer. I called Parker Dixon, you know him—one of Hollis’s law partners. He said something about it being a conflict of interest and that I would need a lawyer outside the firm.”

“And you heard that I date a lawyer.”

“Could you put in a good word for me? I mean, I know I’m asking a lot, but I’m so scared. I don’t have anyone else to go to.”

I reached for a pad of paper and wrote down Alex’s name and business phone number. I slid it across the table to her.

She watched me intently. “Hollis told me you solve murders.”

I saw where this was going and rushed to set her straight. “I don’t do it professionally. Call Alex. He might hire a private investigator. I just got lucky a couple of times.”

Tears welled in her eyes. “I’m so scared. They’re all going to gang up on me.”

“Who? What are you talking about? Do you know who killed Hollis?”

“No! I have no idea. But I’m the outsider here. I was”—she made quotation marks with her fingers in the air—“the other woman. Everyone hates me. Do you think I don’t hear what they say about me when I walk by? Cindy was,” she corrected herself, “is an Old Town institution. Everyone knows her from little kids to old ladies. They all go to the library. She’s like a local hotshot. And I’m the one who replaced her,” she wailed.

Unfortunately, there was some truth in what she said. The people in town weren’t cruel or closed to newcomers, but Cindy was one of them and had been for a long time. She had raised her son with their kids and read to their children at the library on Saturday mornings. She ran the annual book sale at the library and volunteered to help at local events.

“How people feel about Cindy shouldn’t make any difference in your legal case.” I said it with confidence that I didn’t feel. “I’m sure the truth will come out and they’ll realize that you didn’t murder Hollis.”

“They’ll all think I killed him for his money. Please, Sophie. I don’t have anyone to turn to. They’re going to arrest me.” She paced the floor. “I thought about leaving town. Just running like I did when I was young. Maybe I should do that. I’m not sure I could pull it off anymore. Times are different. There are cameras everywhere. They’d find me for sure.”

Oh no. Hollis was right. Why, oh why, didn’t he leave her? My breath caught in my throat. “Kelsey, did you kill Hollis?” I asked as gently as I could.

“Of course not. What is it about a twenty-year age difference that makes everyone suspect me? Or is it just me? Because I’m not a socialite? It’s easier to blame me and be done with it all than to have to face the truth.”

“What is the truth?”

“Sophie, with Hollis gone, there’s no one in the world to look out for me. Please, Sophie! I need your help. No one will care about me. Don’t you see? They’re going to railroad me.” Her breath was ragged and uneven. She watched me with frantic eyes.

“That’s not going to happen,” I said softly, hoping I was right.

Her chest heaved, and when she exhaled her breath shuttered out in ripples. She gasped for air and began to cough. She bent forward and sucked in great gasps of air.

I grabbed her arm and hustled her to the closest chair, one by the fireplace in my kitchen. She collapsed on it.

I searched the pantry for a small paper bag and handed it to her. She placed the opening over her nose and mouth. The bag reminded me of a third lung the way it inflated and deflated. With the bag still over her mouth, she said, “Sophie, something weird is happening.”

I gave her some time to recover and returned to chopping cabbage. I tossed it all into a giant bowl and started to peel carrots.

After a short hacking fit, she seemed to be able to breathe more normally again.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“I’m sorry to bother you. A glass of water?”

I popped one of the sad ice cubes into a glass and added water. When I brought it to her, she held it to her cheek first.

Since the food processor wasn’t available, I shredded carrots with the vegetable peeler, hoping that if I worked calmly, she would relax. I tossed the carrots into the bowl, then chopped two sweet onions and four crisp apples and added them to the bowl as well. I pulled out a four-cup measuring glass, added sugar, dark brown sugar, bright yellow mustard, delicious smoked paprika, celery seeds, apple-cider vinegar, and a hefty helping of creamy mayonnaise and whisked it all together.

Kelsey watched quietly as I poured it over the cabbage and turned it all several times. I stashed it in a cooler on ice cubes, then turned my attention to her.

I walked over and perched on the other fireside chair, my body positioned toward her. “Do you want to talk, or do you want me to call Alex and arrange for you to speak with him?”

“Both.” Her voice was so faint I had a hard time hearing her.

“Okay. I’ll call Alex first.” I figured his office wasn’t open, so I called his cell phone and explained the situation. He promised to come right over. I hung up the phone and smiled at Kelsey. “He’s on his way.”

I had mixed feelings about prying. While I was itching to know what was going on, I didn’t relish the idea of being a spy for Wolf or having to testify against her.

I rose and put on water to make big batches of tea for dinner. I opened a cabinet and pulled out giant pitchers. “We’re all having dinner here tonight. You’ll come, won’t you?” No sooner were the words out of my mouth than I wondered if I had invited a killer.

She nodded and gazed at me. “Can I do something to help you?”

“Thanks, but Bernie’s bringing most of the food. I’m just getting iced tea ready. I hope he has ice!”

Alex rapped on the kitchen door as a formality as he opened it and walked inside.

I made quick introductions and was fascinated by the fact that Kelsey sat up straight and wiped her face with her fingers.

There was no doubt that Alex was good-looking, and since she had married Hollis, she clearly didn’t have an issue with older men. Not that he was old, just older than Kelsey.

“Maybe we could go into the living room to speak privately?” asked Alex.

“That’s not necessary,” said Kelsey. “I would have told Sophie everything that happened anyway.”

Alex frowned. “All right, but I may stop you if I think there’s anything Sophie shouldn’t hear.”

Kelsey seemed surprised. “Okay.” She told him about Angus and the bees and then about Hollis’s death.

Alex focused on her intently.

“So when The Bee Man came today, he discovered that most of the outside bees were alive, but the bees inside the house were dead.”

Alex looked over at me and tilted his head.

He was very cute when he did that, like a confused dog. I couldn’t help grinning at him. Mostly, though, I was impressed with Kelsey’s amazingly logical explanation. There were no tears or coughing fits until she said, “And now they’re going to arrest me.”

“Either you have omitted something,” said Alex, “or they don’t have any cause to arrest you.”

Of course, Alex didn’t know about Hollis’s fear that he was being poisoned . . . and since Kelsey hadn’t mentioned it, I wondered if she knew about it.

Kelsey gazed at her hands and nervously intertwined her fingers. Sparkling flecks in her blue nail polish flashed as her fingers moved. “The cops asked if they can search the house. They said they can get a search warrant if I say no.”

“Alex,” I said, “the police think that Hollis must have sprayed the bees and somehow inhaled too much of the pesticide.”

“Then I don’t see the problem, Kelsey.”

She leaned forward. “Then why is that Wolf guy hanging around?”

A furrow formed between Alex’s eyes. “Wolf, huh? Maybe it’s because he has a thing for Sophie.” Alex winked at her.

I shot him a nasty look. “That’s not true, Kelsey. Wolf is married, and he loves his wife very much. Honestly, Alex, you’re going to get me into trouble spreading nonsense like that.”

His eyes narrowed, but not because of me. “You’re certain that you’ve told me everything, Kelsey? There isn’t some tiny little thing you might have omitted? I’m not quite sure why Wolf would be interested in your bee problem.”

Kelsey gulped. “That’s what I thought. What if they’re trying to frame me?”

“For Hollis’s murder?” asked Alex.

Kelsey gulped and started hacking again.

I handed her the paper bag.

Alex raised his eyebrows in surprise.

When her respiration had returned to normal, Alex said, “Tell you what, come down to my office tomorrow morning. I’ll sign you on as a client. And if big, bad Wolf comes knocking at your door again, you tell him he has to talk to me. That’s all I want you to say. Nothing else. Just send him to me.”

“Oh! You’re wonderful!” Kelsey launched herself at Alex, who nearly toppled over from her exuberant hug.

“I’m glad to help.” He gently untangled himself from her arms.

“Are you coming to Sophie’s dinner tonight?” asked Kelsey.

“Dinner? I don’t believe I have been invited.”

“Bernie needs to use up some food from the restaurant. I hope you’ll come,” I said.

“Are you sure there’s enough?” Alex asked. “I don’t want to butt in.”

“There’s always enough for you.”

“Do we have hot water?” asked Kelsey. “I think I could use a nice, long bath.”

“Only if you have a gas hot water heater,” said Alex.

She winced. “Everywhere I turn, everything I do, there’s something Hollis would have known about. I have no idea what kind of water heater we have. Or if we even have one!”

“It’s probably in your basement. But that doesn’t matter. Just turn on the hot water in the sink. If it gets warm, you’re in luck.”

Kelsey toddled over and embraced me. “Thank you, Sophie. You’re a lifesaver. I came in here a mess and now I have a lawyer, and I might even get a bath.”

She left through the kitchen door, and I couldn’t help thinking how different she was from the time she had arrived.

Alex was leaning against the kitchen island. He held out his hand to me. When I took it, he pulled me to him for a very romantic kiss. His arms still around me, he asked, “So why is Wolf suspicious of young Mrs. Haberman?”

“Because Hollis came to me less than twenty-four hours before he died and asked how he could find out if someone was poisoning his food.”