The Girl with the Uninvited Ghost: Pandemonium Cozy Mystery #1

Chapter 37

"Where have you been?" Neema said, not looking away from the clipboard in her hands.

"Running a few errands for the museum," Mahogany said. She had stowed her new album and the items she'd retrieved from Priscilla's in her room before entering the apothecary.

Neema's head snapped towards Mahogany. "Did someone else die?"

"Yeah, Priscilla, at the library. It looks like it might have been an allergic reaction to something she ate," Mahogany said.

"Oh, the poor dear." Neema shook her head. "Well, life marches on. I need you to polish the silver measuring spoons."

"Right." Mahogany had just started on the third tiny spoon when the bell above the apothecary's door jingled. She pulled her gaze from her task to greet the customer.

"Detective," Mahogany said, her heart skipping a beat. "What can I do for you?"

Detective Teresa Sawyer gave the apothecary an intense once-over. Several uniformed officers stepped through the door after her. "Mahogany, it's like your, this investigation's mascot." She gave the younger woman a wry smile. "I'm here to speak to Neema, and I have a search warrant."

Blood rushed to Mahogany's head, making her temples pound. "I'll get her. Just one sec." Mahogany entered the storeroom situated at the back corner of the shop. "Neema, Detective Sawyer is here to see you, and she has a search warrant." Mahogany's voice trembled.

Neema's face blanched. She handed the clipboard to Mahogany and smoothed her blouse over her curvy frame before heading into the shop.

"Neema," Detective Sawyer said as she emerged from the storeroom. "I'm sorry. I don't have a last name for you." She thrust a bundle of papers attached with a staple. "It's a warrant to search the premises."

"I don't have one," Neema said, taking the papers from the detective. "May I ask what you're looking for?" From inside the storeroom, Mahogany could almost hear Neema's shoulders square.

"Have you ever heard of Aconitum carmichaelii," Detective Sawyer asked, her gaze directed at Neema.

Behind the detective, the uniformed officers moved into the shop. Mahogany peeked around the storeroom's doorway. She hadn't noticed the officers carrying disassembled boxes under their arms. As they moved behind the glass display counters, they pressed the filing boxes into shape and filled them with herbs.

"We both know the answer is yes. Any wortcunner worth their salt knows it. One of Aconitum carmichaelii's common names is monk's hood. Another is wolfsbane. The plant grows as an ornamental and is native to Central China. However, the whole plant is poisonous. But, I'm sure you already know all this," Neema said.

"We found one of your monogrammed tea bags containing a large amount of monk's hood at the scene of a death. Do you know how that may have happened?" the detective asked.

Neema paused, but only for a moment. "I wouldn't know. I don't carry monk's hood. There's no need to. While some brave souls still use it medicinally, I won't touch the stuff. If you found some in a tea from my shop, well, I can't attest to what people do after they leave here. Anyone could have tampered with my tea after buying it."

Mahogany's mind raced back to the library; the scent of mint and licorice, the spilled mug of tea, Priscilla Wembley's frozen face, and the box of tea behind the computer monitor. Priscilla's lush garden was filled with bell-shaped purple flowers. Of course, a lycanthrope would grow wolfsbane.

The detective mulled around the store, poking at items with her gloved hands as Neema spoke. Next to the front door, a hefty stack of evidence grew as more and more boxes were added to the pile.

"Are you going to collect the whole store?" Neema asked, placing her hands on her hips.

Guy materialized, having been lounging elsewhere in the house. "What's going on? Why are you standing in a closet."

Mahogany pointed through the door and into the store.

Guy floated through the wall and into the shop with a puzzled expression.

"These all need to be tested for the toxin or other potentially toxic substances." The detective pointed to the door connecting the store with the living quarters. "Don't forget the living quarters?" Sawyer said to her officers before striding into the kitchen.

Mahogany's heart pounded. The photos and manila envelope! She'd left them in the kitchen. What would the detective think when she found them? She was already in hot water for investigating on her own. Mahogany imagined the clinking of iron doors as the prospect of prison presented itself.

"Detective, please. You said a death has occurred." Neema followed Detective Sawyer into the house. Neema motioned for Mahogany to stay put as she passed. The younger woman stopped, her gaze lingering on the doorway as they disappeared through it into the kitchen. Mahogany leaned towards the threshold, straining to hear what was said.

"Yes, it appears someone was poisoned after drinking your tea." The detective opened the drawers in the kitchen and rifled through the contents before walking away.

"Oh, the poor dear." Neema took a seat at the kitchen table. "It's not a quick poison. It takes an hour or more to work. When exactly did this happen?"

"Sometime last night," the detective said.

"Ma'am?" One of the officers brushed past Mahogany into the kitchen, holding a book in his hand. "You might want to look at this."

Detective Sawyer took the book and opened it to the marked page. "Aconitum carmichaelii," she read aloud.

Neema frowned. "That's not my book," she said. "I found it on the sidewalk outside the store yesterday. I figured someone had dropped it as they passed."

The detective motioned to the officer, who removed a set of handcuffs from his belt.

"Neema," the detective paused and shook her head. "Neema, you are under arrest for suspicion of murder. You have the right to remain silent."

Mahogany came to the kitchen door, her jaw dragging on the floor, when she saw Neema in handcuffs.

"It'll be fine," Neema said as the officer led her past Mahogany. "We both know I didn't poison anyone."

"Don't leave town," Detective Sawyer said, pointing to Mahogany. "Stay home. I don't want to run into you again, poking your nose into my investigation."

Mahogany nodded, unable to speak as the detective and Neema moved through the Haughty Hemlock's front door.

Some officers continued searching the premises while the others loaded boxes into a white van in the street. A small crowd had gathered to watch the spectacle. Mahogany groaned.

An officer passed her and climbed the stairs to the rooms above. Mahogany gasped and followed him. A bubble of anger rose in her throat at having her belongings rifled like a common criminal. She wanted to scream and throw everyone out onto the street.

Guy appeared then. "Don't worry about the pictures. I know where Neema hid them." He eyed the officer as he searched the medicine cabinet, tossing items into another box. "They won't find them."

Mahogany nodded and sat on her bed, wishing she were anywhere but here.