Tea is for Trapped: A Haunted Tearoom Cozy Mystery With Recipes (Haunted Tearoom Cozy Mysteries Book 10) by Karen Sue Walker

Author:Karen Sue Walker [Walker, Karen Sue]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Laragray Press
Published: 2025-06-28T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 15

Istared at her, caught off guard by her words and stunned that she’d decided to share them with me. “Someone wanted Delilah dead? Who?”

Rosalie held her mug cupped in both hands. “Take your pick. You met the woman. Don’t tell me you weren’t about ready to strangle her yourself after spending one afternoon in her company.”

“I’ll admit she tested my patience, but if people were murdered because they were obnoxious or difficult, there would be a lot fewer people in the world.”

She picked at her muffin like she’d lost her appetite but wanted to be polite. “Sarah’s a wonderful baker.”

I refilled my teacup. “I’m surprised she had a room available for you at the last minute. She’s been booked solid since the hotel closed for renovations, especially on the weekend.”

“I guess I got lucky and someone cancelled.” She took another bite of the muffin, chewing like someone who wanted to keep their mouth full a little longer than necessary.

“That was lucky,” I agreed, letting silence settle for a beat. “I wanted to thank you again for the herbal teas you gave us. How did you learn so much about plants and herbs?”

Rosalie brightened. “My grandmother. She kept a garden full of things most people called weeds. She always said every plant had its use, as long as you knew what it was trying to tell you. I started helping her when I was maybe six or seven, cutting leaves, drying flowers, making salves and teas. She had the most amazing garden. When I was little, I thought fairies must live there among all those wonderful plants.”

“That sounds magical.” I smiled, stirring my tea though I hadn’t added anything to it. “I went down a rabbit hole learning about herbs when I was researching for your event. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was surprisingly knowledgeable on the subject.”

Rosalie looked amused. “Let me guess what you discovered. Belladonna, wolfsbane, mandrake…”

“And gelsemium.” I casually watched her face for any telltale reaction.

She blinked once, a slow deliberate blink. “That’s not one you hear people talking about every day.”

“I’m sure you know that Doyle wrote a paper on its effects,” I continued in the tone of someone sharing an interesting historical tidbit. “He thought it could be used medicinally in small doses for neuralgia, asthma, things like that.”

“That’s true,” Rosalie said. “But in larger amounts, it’s deadly. Not the kind of thing you leave lying about.”

I gave a little laugh. “No, definitely not. But fascinating, right? The line between remedy and poison is thin.”

“Very thin,” she said softly. “I get the feeling you think that Delilah was poisoned.”

“It’s a possibility. Until the coroner can reach us and examine her properly, we won’t know for sure what caused her death.”

Rosalie’s posture stiffened. “I hope you’re not trying to imply that I had anything to do with her death.”

Doyle took an eager step closer. “That’s exactly what we’re implying!”

“No, of course not.” I sipped my tea to hide how uncomfortable I felt even hinting that she could have committed murder.

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