“If you need any help at all, you only have to ask.” I follow her to the front door. “Danny and I are happy to help however we can.”
“Thank you, Tristan.” She smiles warmly as she opens the door and I step out. “I really appreciate you stopping by.”
“Anytime.” I give a small wave and head back out the gate and onto the pavement. I’m almost to the end of the road with Dusty and Mrs Abernathy ambling along companionably beside me when my phone rings in my pocket. I pull it free and notice it’s Danny calling.
“Hey.” I smile as I answer even though he can’t see me.
“Tristan,” he rumbles in response, and I feel the familiar warmth spreading in my belly. “I’ve just got the toxicology reports for Mrs Abernathy.”
“And?”
“And it’s confirmed, she died from acute arsenic poisoning,” he replies. “Poison Control has also finished with Sunrise. They’ve concluded there was no cross contamination and that, although they can’t be a hundred percent sure, it’s most likely the poisoning didn’t occur while she was there.”
“So my dad and the others are okay?” I breathe a sigh of relief.
“Yes, but it begs the question, if she wasn’t poisoned at the home, then where? Lois tells me Mrs Abernathy went to a social club once a week in Clapham.”
“Larry told me the same thing,” I reply. “I was just thinking about heading over there.”
“What? Why?”
“I stopped by to visit with Larry just now and–”
“Tristan.” Danny sounds exasperated. “As much as I like Larry, she hasn’t officially been cleared from the suspect list yet.”
“Oh come on,” I scoff. “Larry adored her aunt. In fact, she was the only one in her family who bothered with Mrs Abernathy at all. I just don’t see her being a murderer.”
“As much as I might be inclined to agree with you, your gut feeling doesn’t exclude her from the suspect pool. Please stay away from her until I have a better handle on what we’re dealing with.”
“I’m really in no danger, Danny, so will you stop worrying?” I say softly, touched at his protectiveness. I’ve spent so long on my own. It's nice having someone to worry about me, even if it is unwarranted.
“Do I need to remind you what happened last time you got caught up in a murder investigation?” he replies pointedly. “If I recall correctly, you were kidnapped, held at gunpoint, shot at, and almost killed.”
“I was not almost killed.” I roll my eyes with a smile. “But I’ll give you the kidnapping and being held at gunpoint. Kaitlin Fletcher was definitely one sandwich short of a picnic basket. Seriously though, what are the actual chances of something like that happening again?”
“A lot less if you’ll just stay away from the bloody suspects,” Danny grumbles.
“How about a compromise? Why don’t you meet me at Clapham so we can both talk to Mrs Abernathy’s friends? And then you can protect me from a bunch of potentially murderous old ladies.”
“You joke,” he snorts, “but statistically–”
“Oh my god. Seriously, Danny,” I laugh, “stop worrying. I’m in Stepney at the moment, but I can be in Clapham in an hour. I’ll meet you at the Northwold Community Centre and once we’re done, you can give me a ride home and then”—I lower my voice, aware of how close Dusty and Mrs Abernathy are—“maybe I’ll ride you.”
“You’re not playing fair,” he says after a moment's silence, and I chuckle loudly.
“I’ll meet you in Clapham in about an hour.” I hang up the phone before he can argue further.
I mean really, what are the chances of lightning striking the same place twice?
6
It’s raining again by the time I reach the community hall, great pelting shards slashing down dramatically as I make a dash for it inside. Standing in the entrance foyer, dripping on the rug and smelling of the rain, I push the hood of my parka back and shake like a dog.
“My goodness, is it raining?” A small, neat woman in a lilac pantsuit and pearls asks.
I glance down at the puddle of water pooling around my soggy Converse and back up at her. “Just a tad.”
“Yes, well.” She frowns. “Can I help you?”
