“Beryl, did you have a kitchen or garden house where you kept herbs, potions, things that you worked on?” asked Irene.
“Of course. I had lots of herbs and things I used to make money. It was out back. The storm took that from me.”
“Was there safflower or madder root in the house?” asked Ruby.
“I had both,” nodded the witch.
“Why did you ask that?” asked Luke.
“They’re both natural plant dyes,” said Rachel. “They produce a red color but if they were poisoned, tampered with in some way, the waters could have spread the poison into the soil or into the tar and created this mess that we’re in.”
“No one had access to my greenhouse except myself and my daughter,” said Beryl. She looked at Hezekiah and frowned. “I was angry with you. I got angry a lot back then. I’m sorry for what I did. Doesn’t help you now I suppose.”
“No, it doesn’t,” said Hezekiah. “Beryl, I explained to you that your Cressida was lovely. She was young and needed a younger man. More than anything, she wasn’t in love with me and I wasn’t in love with her.”
“Mothers do strange things for their children,” she muttered.
“Hold on,” said Parker. “Did you and Cressida argue before that storm?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “We argued about her wanting to marry that Hymel boy. I told her I forbid it. If she tried to marry him, I’d make sure he didn’t live through the honeymoon.”
“Beryl,” said Irene shaking her head. “We all want to protect our children but don’t you think you went a step too far?”
“I suppose I did,” she nodded. “But it seems like she got what she wanted. I hope she had a happy life.” Parker stared at everyone and then back at Beryl.
“Or maybe her happy life was a planned one.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“How could we possibly know if Cressida poisoned her mother?” asked Cam. “It’s not like we can draw her blood.”
“Actually, we may be able to tell from other ways,” said Hezekiah. “Did you use safflower or madder root in anything that you cooked?”
“A tea. I had digestive issues and it often settled my stomach,” she said calmly.
“Did you have tea the morning of the storm?” asked Irene. Beryl nodded. “So, you had a cup of tea, the storm came in and destroyed your store of safflower and madder root, and a few days later you got sick and died.”
“I believe that’s right,” she nodded again.
“Did anyone else have access to your greenhouse?” asked Ruby.
“No. What’s this about? You can’t possibly think Cressida would have hurt her own mother.”
“Stranger things have happened Beryl. She wanted to marry the Hymel boy and you were stopping her. Any other daughter would have jumped at the chance to marry Hezekiah. He was a successful doctor, handsome, and planning to settle in the area. Yet she fought you on having anything to do with him,” said Ruby.
“I just can’t believe it,” she whispered. “I can’t. Is this why I’ve been here all this time? Stuck here?”
“Could be,” nodded Matthew. “Others have been stuck to their property, or ours, for stranger reasons. Did she show any signs of anger with you?”
“I don’t remember,” said Beryl. She looked older than her years, even in death. Matthew stared at the woman, then looked at Irene and Ruby.
“Grandpa? What are you thinking?” asked Luke.
“I’m thinking Beryl isn’t Cressida’s mother. You’re her grandmother, aren’t you?” Beryl started to protest but knew she wouldn’t win the day. She nodded.
“Her mama got with child when she was just sixteen. Of course, the boy that she was with didn’t want her or the baby. So, she ran off and I was suddenly responsible for another daughter. That’s how I raised her. Just as my daughter. But I didn’t want her making the same mistake her mother did. The Hymel boy just seemed wrong for her.”
“We think they lived a very happy life,” said Hezekiah.
