“Ignore Heathcliff. We’d love to,” I beamed.
“Oh, that’s wonderful.” Mrs. Ellis took an envelope out of her carpet bag and handed it to me. “Gladys would be so pleased. There’s all the information you need in there. You’re stall number twenty-three. We’ll see you at nine thirty a.m. tomorrow.”
“Great! I can’t wait.”
Mrs. Ellis leaned over and stage-whispered. “Have you made any progress on poor Gladys’ case? The police have taken Cynthia and her husband in for questioning. She tells me they’ve applied for a warrant to search their house!”
If they’re closing in on the Lachlans, then they probably know something I don’t.And yet… “I don’t want to get your hopes up, but Ididfind something yesterday.” I explained about Mrs. Scarlett’s article defending Miss Blume.
“Oh, yes, I remember something from many years ago… Dorothy hadn’t been very friendly with Gladys since. It doesn’t help that Gladys was always stirring the pot with the church committee. She attended service, of course, but she didn’t abide all that fire and brimstone claptrap Dorothy’s so fond of. She believed, as do I, that as long as it’s not hurting people, what’s the harm in a few astrology charts and a cream doughnut and a naughty magazine?”
“Did Dorothy say anything when Gladys started the Banned Book Club? She kicked Mrs. Winstone from the youth group just for being a member.”
“Oh, she bent the vicar’s ear, and we had to sit through a whole Sunday service dedicated to it!” Mrs. Ellis rolled her eyes, and I couldn’t help but giggle. “Dorothy’s a bible thumper if ever I met one, and without a good man in her life she spends far too much energy sticking her nose in where it isn’t wanted. I have half a mind to believe she ran that digger through the town hall in an attempt to shut us down! Why… but you don’t believe she could kill Gladys over thebook club?”
“I don’t know. It’s just a hunch. Besides, I wouldn’t know where she’d get the arsenic from, or how she’d administer it.”
“Oh, Mina, I think you’ve cracked it! Dorothy works at the village pharmacy. Of course she’d know all about administering arsenic. I need to go to the police right now—”
“Hold on.” I grabbed her arm. “We’ve got no evidence, only an old newspaper article and some wild ideas. If you go to the police now, they’ll just think you’re trying to draw their attention away from the Lachlans, and it’ll make them look harder. They might even take you in for being in cahoots with them.”
Mrs. Ellis paled. “You’re right,” she whispered. “What do we do?”
“Will Dorothy be at the funeral tomorrow?”
“Of course! She wouldn’t miss the chance to lord it over the congregation, and gloating over Gladys’ coffin will bring her added joy.”
“Then I’ll see if I can find out something while I’m there.”
“Oh thank you, Mina. You’re an angel.” Mrs. Ellis kissed my cheek and shuffled off. My heart went out to her, losing a friend to poison, and being confronted with the fact it might’ve been another friend who did it. I still wasn’t certain about my Dorothy Ingram theory, especially not with the police investigating the Lachlans, but it was worth checking up on for my favorite teacher.
Deep in thought, I turned to face a glowering Heathcliff.
“Why are you trying to ruin my life?” he growled.
I smiled sweetly. “I thought we were trying to sell books? Sometimes that means bringing the books to the people.”
“We don’t do church fetes or writers festival stalls or football club fundraisers.” Heathcliff jabbed a finger at his desk. “We don’t do anything that involves me having to leave this chair.”
“Look, Duke of Grumpingham, I’m trying to figure out who poisoned Mrs. Scarlett. Maybe you don’t care, but Mrs. Ellis was the best teacher I ever had. She wants me to help, andIcare. I think this Dorothy Ingram might’ve had something to do with it – she definitely had a grudge against Mrs. Scarlett. The funeral is the perfect time to observe Dorothy, as well as Mrs. Scarlett’s other friends and relatives, and see who might be acting suspiciously.”
Heathcliff studied me for a long moment, not saying anything. That intense look passed through his eyes, the same look he’d had when he kissed me – a wild turmoil of hunger and yearning and rage. The storm passed over, and he rested a hand on my shoulder. “You should take stock from the Theology and Children’s Book sections, as well as your book artwork.”
“You’ll come help me run the stall?”
“No. That old bint’s funeral is the perfect time to get a little bloody peace and quiet in this shop.”
I stuck out my lip. “You’re no fun. I’m going to talk to Morrie. Are we still on for dinner tonight?”
“Unless you changed your mind?” The words came out in a rush, as though Heathcliff feared my answer.
“Hell no.” I smiled. “I’ve already made plans. And don’t worry, no fancy clothes are required. Where we’re going, even trousers are optional.”
I hadn’t meant that line to be flirtatious, but Heathcliff’s eyes burned into mine, and heat crept up my neck.
I raced upstairs. “Morrie, want to help me run a stall at the church fete on Saturday—”
Morrie stood in the hall, staring into the open door of the master suite.
