Murder Under the Mistletoe by Erica Ruth Neubauer

Author:Erica Ruth Neubauer [Neubauer, Erica Roth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2023-08-17T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

My mouth might have dropped open a bit before I shut it again, and the sergeant held up a hand. “Now, before you go jumping to conclusions, the man was taking mistletoe.”

“Taking mistletoe? What on earth for? Isn’t it poisonous?” I was incredulous.

“It is, but apparently it’s used as an herbal remedy for some conditions. Including heart conditions and cancer. The European variety, at least.”

I had never heard this before. I glanced at Redvers, and he gave a little shake of his head, telling me that he hadn’t either. Of course, I wasn’t in the habit of reading up on potential uses for poisonous plants. Perhaps I needed to fix that.

But there was another issue. “Why would he bring it to a party and take it? That doesn’t seem likely.” People didn’t tend to bring their medications to neighborhood gatherings. Which made it far more likely that someone knew he was taking the herb and put it in his drink.

Thomas didn’t have a good answer for that.

We took our leave not long after that revelation, thanking the sergeant for his time. He didn’t know anything more about the doctor’s history of health, but he said he would be looking into it right away. I told him that I hoped he would share whatever it was that he learned, and he smiled noncommittally. It seemed that Sergeant Thomas already had his answer about what had happened to Dr. Taylor. But I wasn’t quite so convinced.

Back on the sidewalk I realized it had begun snowing with a bit more enthusiasm, and despite the seriousness of our investigation into Evelyn Hesse, I couldn’t help but smile at the fat flakes falling from the sky.

“I cannot believe you’re so delighted by snow. It’s such a bother.” Redvers shook his head, but his lips had quirked into a fond smile all the same.

I grinned, then sobered. “We learned more than I thought we would from Sergeant Thomas.”

“We did. Now we know it’s likely someone slipped the mistletoe into his drink.”

“Someone like James Bell. Evelyn’s brother.”

“Exactly.”

“And if someone like James did slip it to him, could it have been on the orders of your future stepmother?” I asked.

“Please let’s not call her that.”

I patted his arm and we got into the car. “Where to? Back to the estate? I think we need to speak with Carlisle.”

“I agree. But I think we should make one stop first,” Redvers said.

* * *

That stop proved to be the small cottage of his two aunts. It was a standalone home, unlike the numerous town houses on the surrounding streets. It was utterly charming, built of stone, with a small yard—I imagined that the garden was pretty spectacular in the spring and summer. We knocked on the front door and waited a few minutes before Aunt Carolyn came to answer it.

“It’s you!” she crowed in delight. “Forgive me for taking so long to get to the door. We gave the staff the next two days off.” She shrugged. “We were planning on being at your house for meals anyway, Redvers.

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