Dying for Tea Time (Beach Tea Shop Cozy Mysteries Book 1) by Linda Gordon Hengerer

Author:Linda Gordon Hengerer [Hengerer, Linda Gordon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stinging Nettle Press, Inc.
Published: 2019-06-25T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 4

“I don’t understand,” Alex said. “How could she be poisoned?”

“You told the doctor she’d had tea last night, isn’t that right?” Detective Riordan said. He consulted a notebook from his jacket pocket.

“No, I think we told the EMTs. The doctor told us Nana Jean died after we got there.” Alex’s voice shook. Poison? From tea?

“Oh?” He checked the notebook again. “Oh, yes. The doctor said he got that information from the paperwork. He saw her pupils were dilated and she was having difficulty speaking. He suspected belladonna and tested for it.” The detective looked at them. “Where’s the tea you gave her?”

Alex bristled at his tone. “I didn’t give her anything. We ate dinner, and afterwards I had coffee and she had tea. The tea was a gift from someone.”

Detective Riordan licked the end of his pencil and positioned it over his notebook. “I’ll need the name of that person.”

“Knox Finch,” Alex said. “He stopped by Beach Tea Shop yesterday and gave it to her. She mentioned to him she’d take it home, and she did.”

He didn’t write the name down. “Knox Finch gave her the tea.”

“Yes.” Alex didn’t understand why there seemed to be a problem.

“Why would he do that?” the detective asked.

“I have no idea,” Alex said.

“He gave tea to a woman who works at a tea shop?”

“Yes.”

“Didn’t that strike you as strange? What did he say when he gave it to her?” Detective Riordan let his skepticism show.

“Yes. He said a little birdie told him she liked that tea, so he bought it for her,” Alex said.

“He said he bought it?”

“He said he got it for her. If he didn’t buy it, how else would he get it?” Alex asked. She didn’t appreciate Detective Riordan’s questions. He might have been trying to be Columbo, but he wasn’t pulling it off.

“I was told you provided the tea for her,” he said.

Alex was confused. “I didn’t sell it to him. We have plenty of hibiscus tea at the tea shop and it wasn’t the brand we stock. We do sell it, but I don’t think we’ve sold the hibiscus tea lately. I can check the records and let you know.”

“No need,” he said. “We’re searching it now, and we’ll check the records for you.” His phone buzzed and he looked at it. “I believe the search warrant for this house came through. I’ll have to ask you not to touch anything.”

“What are you searching the house for?” Alex was upset by her grandmother’s death, and the thought of strangers pawing through everything right now was overwhelming.

“Tea and poison. There are a few other things listed. It will be here shortly,” he said.

“You can stay with me,” BevAnne said. “Pack a bag. We’ll let Chelsea and Dani know to come to my house.”

“You can’t take anything out of the house.”

“I promise I’m not hiding poison in my underwear,” Alex said. She wanted to say more, but was afraid anything she said would create more trouble.

She heard pounding on the front door, voices, and then Betty brought back several sheriffs’ deputies.

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