“Oh.”
“I don't know if I ever want to marry again. Some days I think I do and some days I don't.”
“It's a quandary.”
After a bit more chitchat Harry hung up the phone, realized it was getting late, and took a shower.
Pewter, on the bed, ignored both Murphy and Tucker, who sat on the hooked rug by the bed.
“Can you imagine standing in a shower? It's like standing in the rain,” Mrs. Murphy asked the dog, settling down for a good night's sleep.
“It's a human thing.” Tucker half closed her eyes. “It's right up there with using a knife and fork.”
47
Coop breezed in the back door of the post office at seven-thirty in the morning. She tacked up the bogus auction poster on the bulletin board in the front part of the building.
Miranda and Tracy both knew what was afoot. Every single person who came into the post office commented on it that day.
Lottie wondered if the Clatterbucks were that hard up. She then sarcastically said she thought Harry would be in the first row of the attendees since Harry couldn't resist sticking her nose in other people's business.
Mim, just returned from New York, thought it much too soon. One needed time before sorting and selling.
Little Mim questioned who would want to buy bears' paws and the like.
Jim Sanburne merely shrugged. He accepted a broader range of behavior than did the women in his life.
The Reverend Herb Jones thought the whole thing was too sad.
Sean O'Bannon read the notice without comment.
At the end of the day, Rick Shaw listened to Marshall Wells on the phone. The lab report had come back with all due speed. Roger O'Bannon had been poisoned with quinidine, a drug which, taken in excess of one gram, kills within fifteen to twenty minutes. It can be administered in pill or powder form. Unlike most other poisons, this one kills without producing horrible convulsions. It is sometimes given to heart patients to suppress acute arrhythmias.
Coop, standing next to him when he hung up the phone, simply said, “Do we arrest Lottie Pearson?”
“She handed him the coffee. Can you prove she poisoned him? Intentionally?” He emphasized the word.
“Not just yet. She's not going anywhere.”
At three o'clock that night, a car, lights off, glided down Don Clatterbuck's short driveway. The driver emerged, noiselessly closed the door, and walked to Don's shop. What no one had noticed when they left Don's shop after re-installing the lock was that the tiny red light on the video camera was reflected in the windowpane. The thief noticed and left.
48
The week roared by in a welter of chores, seemingly so important at the time yet quickly forgotten. Fortunately, mail volume was light, so Harry skipped out Friday morning to do her grocery shopping. Miranda, whose refrigerator remained full, gladly gave her the time. Tracy kept Miranda company at work.
“Have you decided what color dress you're wearing?”
“The magenta, the color of my peonies.”
“You'll be the prettiest girl there.” He smiled, deciding that either a white or pink corsage would complement her dress. “I don't remember Tim O'Bannon being so interested in charitable pursuits.”
“Tim was tight as the bark on a tree. He used to embarrass Ida. When the boys took over the business they became involved in community affairs. I think they did it out of the goodness of their hearts but I don't expect it hurt business either. ‘Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.' Second Corinthians, Chapter Nine, Verse Seven.”
“What a memory.”
“We're back!” Tucker announced gaily.
“Mom drove home, put stuff in the fridge, gave us a treat, and now I'm ready for the mail cart.” Pewter hopped in, causing the cart to roll a bit.
“I bought pork chops.” Harry sounded triumphant, up to the challenge. “I'm going to make stuffed pork chops according to your recipe. The only thing is, does Diego like pork? Some people don't.”
“Feed him a loaf of bread, a jug of wine, et cetera. . . .” Tracy slapped her on the back.
“You men. All alike.” She teased him for quoting the Rubaiyat because the next line was “and thou.” Tracy assumed all Diego needed was Harry.
“Gender wars!” Pewter called out from the bottom of the mail cart. “I pick women to win.”
“Of course you'll pick women, you twit. You're female.” Mrs. Murphy jumped in the cart, too.
A loud discussion followed, after which Mrs. Murphy jumped right out, hit the floor front paws apart, and pretended to chase a mouse into an opened mail sack.
Tucker stuck her nose in the sack. Murphy batted at the dog, who snapped her jaws, appearing quite ferocious.
“Oh, to be a cat or dog.” Harry admired their untrammeled joy.
“Your cat or dog.” Tracy waved as Coop passed by in the squad car.
Within minutes she came through the back door. “Hi. Didn't want to park out front. I'll only be here a minute.”
“More news, I hope?” Miranda offered her a cookie, which she took.
They knew about Roger. Rick had allowed Cynthia Cooper to tell them. After all, they were in on this mess. They'd helped with the safe and they'd not gotten in his way. He couldn't decide if he was mellowing or if he was too tired to bitch and moan.
“The sheriff from Washington County, Paul Carter, called. Two people at Boojum's recognized Dwayne Fuqua. Said he dropped off cars regularly. They also recognized Roger, of course, but what was interesting is that Roger would pick up Dwayne from Boojum's. Bill Boojum had to know.”
“Hi.” Susan popped through the front door followed by her youngest, Brooks.
“And why aren't you in school, young lady?” Miranda pointed her finger playfully at the high-school girl.
“Teachers' conference day.” Brooks smiled.
“They didn't have those when I was in school.” Miranda frowned. “I remember George Washington was good at math.” She broke into a tinkling giggle.
“Oh, Miranda.” Harry rolled her eyes.
“Brooks, I'm glad you're here. I was going to come over tonight and ask you some more questions. I wish they'd occur to me all at once but they don't.” Coop leaned over the dividing counter as Brooks came up to lean on the other side.
“Will you stop running around,” Harry commanded Mrs. Murphy, who had abandoned the mail sack to play tag with Tucker.
“Spoilsport.” Murphy did sit down, though, as Tucker crashed into her, rolling them both over.
“Sorry, my brakes don't work.” The dog licked Murphy's cheek to make up for the block.
“Ha, a likely story,” Pewter called out from the mail cart.
“When you brought sugar to the table, who handed you the sugar bowl?” Coop pulled out her small notepad.
“Chef Ted.”
“Did anyone stop you on the way to the table?”
“No.”
“And it was a bowl of raw sugar?”
“Uh-huh.” Brooks folded her hands, leaning harder on the divider. “I put it next to the silver creamer at the end of the table.”
“The broken sugar bowl was china.” Mrs. Murphy jumped up with a start. “China. Oh, now why didn't I notice that at the time?”
“And you weren't called in to clean up the sugar on the floor?”
“No. Someone cleaned it up. One of the guests, I guess.”
“Thomas Steinmetz. Lottie backed into him.” Coop had several eyewitnesses who corroborated that fact. “When you put the sugar bowl on the table, did you see who reached for it first?”