Murder by Yew (An Edna Davies Mystery #1)(23)

“I served him some iced tea, and he ate a few of my homemade cookies.” Something in the policeman’s manner was making her uneasy. I wish Albert were here, she thought, gripping her hands in her lap.

“What kind of tea?”

“What?” Thinking of Albert, she had lost the thread of the conversation.

“Do you have any of the tea or cookies left?” Charlie asked.

“No.” Edna remembered throwing away the last of the tea. Then, “Yes. I mean …” Why am I feeling so jittery? I’ve done nothing wrong. Taking a deep breath, she began again. “Some of the cookies are left but none of the tea.”

The detective continued to prod. “Tell me about the tea. Was it loose, canned, tea bags?”

“Uh.” She flapped a hand over her shoulder toward a cluster of canisters on the counter. “I make my own tea.”

“Oh?” Charlie raised his thick brown eyebrows, and his gaze flicked to Peggy. “How do you do that?” He folded his hands on the table in front of him, leaning forward as if very interested in Edna’s answer.

“I’ll show you.” She got up and brought two tins back to the table. “These are my most recent blends.” Her palms felt clammy, and her stomach churned as she sat back down on the edge of her chair and explained how she had processed and dried the leaves.

“How long did Tom stay?” Charlie abruptly changed the subject.

“I don’t remember exactly, but he left before lunch.” She remembered thinking it strange that he’d left without saying goodbye, but she didn’t feel it was worth mentioning to the police. She waited for Charlie’s next question.

“Did he tell you where he was off to?”

Edna frowned, thinking back. “No, I don’t believe he mentioned any place in particular. No, wait. He did say he was going someplace down by the shore. A bar, I think, where college kids go.”

“Sting Ray’s?” Peggy asked.

“Yes, that was the name. He was going to drop off some bracelets.” She explained about Tom’s hobby.

“We understand that he was supposed to be working here all day.” Charlie spoke when Edna finished. He appeared uninterested in Tom’s arts and crafts.

Norm. She felt her temper rise. “I bet you heard that from Norm Wilkins, but it simply isn’t true. He knows perfectly well Tom wasn’t here yesterday afternoon when that overbearing …” Edna caught herself and took a deep breath. Why did she let the man get under her skin? She finished weakly, “when Norm came looking for him.” She looked defiantly at Charlie. “Did he bother to tell you that?”

The detective stared at her with an odd expression. He was making her feel like a criminal. Unbidden, a picture of Aleda Sharp being led to the patrol car popped into her head. At that moment, Edna knew the feeling of impotence her neighbor must have been suffering.

“Mrs. Davies.” Peggy King spoke, drawing her attention. “We believe you. We’re just trying to piece together Tom’s day. Please try to understand, we need to work through these discrepancies.”

Chastened, Edna took another deep breath. In a minute, she felt calmer and explained in a quieter voice. “Tom stopped by to drop off some screens he’d repaired for us. As far as I know, he hadn’t planned to be here at all yesterday. He might have mentioned something to my husband, but I’m certain Albert would have said something to me. I got the impression he was in the neighborhood and decided to bring the screens by.”

“But he stayed long enough for tea and cookies.” Charlie interrupted before Edna could say more.

“Yes, but he was here for no more than an hour.” Again, the thought of Tom leaving while she was in the shed came to Edna’s mind. She wondered how long he had remained talking to Dee while she herself had gone after the rue.

“Do you know how he might have gotten bits of twigs on himself?”

As the memory came back, Edna smiled and told Charlie and Peggy about Tom’s helping her clean up the debris around the yew trees when his grandson had plowed into him. She chuckled and the detectives smiled at her description of Tom having to convince Danny that he wasn’t hurt.

Her laughter died immediately when Charlie asked his next question. “Are you studying poisons, Mrs. Davies?”

Now who’s been talking? Edna felt her face flush, thinking Dee must have said something to them, or had it been Mary? After a brief hesitation during which she tried to imagine why Charlie had asked her this question, Edna explained about her garden club presentation and how she’d been in the process of sketching some of the plants she wanted to use when they had found her on the patio. Her face grew warmer when she remembered it was Tom’s face, not flowers, they had seen on the paper clipped to her easel.

“What did you do with the clippings from the trees?” Peggy asked.

“They’re out by the walk in those trash bags.” Edna waved her hand vaguely toward the front of the house. “Albert will take them to the dump when he gets home.”

“Would you mind if we take them?” the slender young officer asked.

“I suppose not, but what do you want them for?”

“We’d like our lab to run some tests. You know, cover all bases.” Charlie answered Edna’s question before Peggy could. “Would you mind giving me a sample of these teas, too?” he asked, pushing himself out of his chair.