why."
Lester waved a hand for her to continue.
"Tim was engaged to Jenna, but she started having second thoughts about their relationship. She was going to break things off with him, but then she disappeared suddenly and was never heard from again. Detective Ohlsen investigated, and he couldn't find any evidence of foul play, but Pandora always believed Tim Baxtor had killed Jenna."
Lester whistled, looking intrigued. His eyes gleamed with excitement. Knowing him, he was probably thinking how he had a nice open-and-shut case he could tie up before the next round of donuts. "I never heard that story."
"You were probably in diapers when it happened," Ruby said. "Anyway, over the years, I think Bud kept an eye out in case there was ever any trace of Jenna, but nothing happened. She'd just vanished."
"How awful," I said.
"Consequently, Pandora hated Tim and publicly accused him in the past of murdering her daughter," Ruby carried on. "So there's absolutely no way he should have been here. And when we saw him practically running away, he looked highly suspicious. He must've somehow killed Pandora to shut her up once and for all."
At that moment the medical examiner, Catherine Cooper, came to the patio doors. She spotted Lester, and a flash of irritation crossed her face. Even she thought he was an ass. She took a breath of what looked like resignation and walked toward us. "Detective." She gave him a curt nod of acknowledgement, then looked between Ruby and me. "I understand one of you found the body and performed CPR?"
"Yes, that was me."
"Can you show me exactly what position she was in when you found her and what you did?"
"Of course." We all followed her into the kitchen, and I explained what we'd seen and what I'd done.
Catherine asked a few questions to clarify and then nodded before kneeling down to examine the body.
Ruby looked away from Pandora's lifeless body.
"What time did you arrive?" Lester asked us.
"Just before four," I said. "That's when our appointment was."
"And tell me again what that therapy thing was?"
"Crystal healing," Ruby said.
"Crystal what?" Lester frowned. "What the hell's that kind of freakery? What's wrong with going to a doctor or pharmacist when you're ill?"
Ruby sighed and looked as if she'd like to batter Lester with a very large, very heavy crystal. "Since Tim Baxtor is a pharmacist, probably a lot."
"So Pandora was a drug addict?" Lester eyed the needle in Pandora's vein.
"Stop jumping to conclusions again, Detective." Ruby sighed. "Pandora was into healthy, holistic treatments. I never knew her to take anything other than herbal remedies for things. She was most definitely not a drug addict."
Catherine sat back on her heels and glanced at the kitchen table. She picked up the empty tumbler with a gloved hand and stared into it with deep concentration before taking a sniff. She picked up the glass vial on the floor and read the label.
"I don't know why you're wasting time talking to us," Ruby said. "You need to get out there and find Tim Baxtor."
Her voice dragged my gaze back to Lester.
"This is my investigation," he said. "So we'll be doing things in my time."
God help us!
"Did Mr. Baxtor leave on foot or by vehicle?"
"On foot."
"And you say he looked agitated and suspicious?"
"Yes, very," Ruby replied.
The cogs in Lester's brain squeaked again for a moment before he said, "Okay, you can go. For now. Don't leave town. I'll need to speak to you again."
Oh, what joy. I can't wait.
Just as Ruby and I walked down the hallway, I heard Catherine's voice, loud and clear, saying, "I won't know the cause of death for certain until I do the postmortem and toxicology, but this stuff is lethal."
CHAPTER THREE
By the time Ruby and I got back to Smugglers' Tavern, the dinner crowd was in full swing, and we only had time to have a quick chat with Vernon and let him know what had happened, before we were rushed off our feet. At 9:30 p.m. the crowd was filtering away, and I
Lester waved a hand for her to continue.
"Tim was engaged to Jenna, but she started having second thoughts about their relationship. She was going to break things off with him, but then she disappeared suddenly and was never heard from again. Detective Ohlsen investigated, and he couldn't find any evidence of foul play, but Pandora always believed Tim Baxtor had killed Jenna."
Lester whistled, looking intrigued. His eyes gleamed with excitement. Knowing him, he was probably thinking how he had a nice open-and-shut case he could tie up before the next round of donuts. "I never heard that story."
"You were probably in diapers when it happened," Ruby said. "Anyway, over the years, I think Bud kept an eye out in case there was ever any trace of Jenna, but nothing happened. She'd just vanished."
"How awful," I said.
"Consequently, Pandora hated Tim and publicly accused him in the past of murdering her daughter," Ruby carried on. "So there's absolutely no way he should have been here. And when we saw him practically running away, he looked highly suspicious. He must've somehow killed Pandora to shut her up once and for all."
At that moment the medical examiner, Catherine Cooper, came to the patio doors. She spotted Lester, and a flash of irritation crossed her face. Even she thought he was an ass. She took a breath of what looked like resignation and walked toward us. "Detective." She gave him a curt nod of acknowledgement, then looked between Ruby and me. "I understand one of you found the body and performed CPR?"
"Yes, that was me."
"Can you show me exactly what position she was in when you found her and what you did?"
"Of course." We all followed her into the kitchen, and I explained what we'd seen and what I'd done.
Catherine asked a few questions to clarify and then nodded before kneeling down to examine the body.
Ruby looked away from Pandora's lifeless body.
"What time did you arrive?" Lester asked us.
"Just before four," I said. "That's when our appointment was."
"And tell me again what that therapy thing was?"
"Crystal healing," Ruby said.
"Crystal what?" Lester frowned. "What the hell's that kind of freakery? What's wrong with going to a doctor or pharmacist when you're ill?"
Ruby sighed and looked as if she'd like to batter Lester with a very large, very heavy crystal. "Since Tim Baxtor is a pharmacist, probably a lot."
"So Pandora was a drug addict?" Lester eyed the needle in Pandora's vein.
"Stop jumping to conclusions again, Detective." Ruby sighed. "Pandora was into healthy, holistic treatments. I never knew her to take anything other than herbal remedies for things. She was most definitely not a drug addict."
Catherine sat back on her heels and glanced at the kitchen table. She picked up the empty tumbler with a gloved hand and stared into it with deep concentration before taking a sniff. She picked up the glass vial on the floor and read the label.
"I don't know why you're wasting time talking to us," Ruby said. "You need to get out there and find Tim Baxtor."
Her voice dragged my gaze back to Lester.
"This is my investigation," he said. "So we'll be doing things in my time."
God help us!
"Did Mr. Baxtor leave on foot or by vehicle?"
"On foot."
"And you say he looked agitated and suspicious?"
"Yes, very," Ruby replied.
The cogs in Lester's brain squeaked again for a moment before he said, "Okay, you can go. For now. Don't leave town. I'll need to speak to you again."
Oh, what joy. I can't wait.
Just as Ruby and I walked down the hallway, I heard Catherine's voice, loud and clear, saying, "I won't know the cause of death for certain until I do the postmortem and toxicology, but this stuff is lethal."
CHAPTER THREE
By the time Ruby and I got back to Smugglers' Tavern, the dinner crowd was in full swing, and we only had time to have a quick chat with Vernon and let him know what had happened, before we were rushed off our feet. At 9:30 p.m. the crowd was filtering away, and I
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