Three Can Keep a Secret by M. E. Hilliard

Author:M. E. Hilliard
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CROOKED LANE BOOKS

Chapter Thirteen

There was a collective silence in the small apartment. I looked into the kitchen and saw that Beau, Ben, and Henri had all stopped what they were doing and were staring into the living room. Jennie sighed and muttered, “Forgot they were there,” then plopped back into her chair. I made a face at the group in the kitchen as I took my own seat and they went back into action, appearing moments later with plates of dessert and coffee. Henri poured while Beau handed us our torte. No one said anything—which took some effort—until we were all seated. Jennie was frowning into her coffee cup. The rest of us exchanged looks, and I decided to wade in.

“So where does that leave us? I mean, does Sam think Anita killed Walters? Could she even have gone up there that night? Would someone have seen her?”

“We’re putting together a time line. And we’re going to have to go back over some things. This is—unexpected.” Jennie pulled out her notebook. “Sam wanted me to ask you—you mentioned wine, a gift basket, something like that. Something you overheard when Anita was talking to Richard.”

“Yes, she did say something about wine. That new shop that opened on Main.”

“That makes sense. From what Sam said, this bottle didn’t come from a strip mall liquor store. We’ll check it out.”

“Um, I think I can save you some time,” I said. She looked up. “I stopped in there the other night to pick up a few bottles since Ben and Beau were coming. That’s where the red I brought for Henri came from.”

“The one we drank tonight?” she asked.

“Yes,” I replied.

“Ewww,” Ben said.

Henri clucked. “It was fine. It did not taste even the tiniest bit off.”

Jennie added, “Don’t worry, if it were going to kill us, we’d already be dead, based on what the pathologist said. Besides, we know it wasn’t red. White, Sam said. The same as the broken bottle in Anita’s SUV. We’re not sure how the poison was introduced—Walters would have noticed if the bottle had been opened and recorked. Sam plans to get a bottle that hasn’t been opened and see if we can figure it out.”

“I may be able to help you there too,” I said. I told her about my conversation with Eric, the store proprietor. “I was being nosy, I admit it. I wanted to know if she’d hit him up for a donation. She really was shameless that way. Anyway, he told me Richard was in buying a gift. He said he’d recommended this white and sold me the last bottle he had. It’s upstairs. He said he’d be getting more in, but I’m not sure when. Do you want me to get it so you can see if it’s the same?”

“Please,” she said, pulling out her phone and starting to text.

I zipped up to my apartment and took the bottle of wine from the fridge. After turning on the bright light over the stove, I set the bottle down and took a closer look.

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