Secrets to Tell by Stacy M. Jones

Author:Stacy M. Jones [Jones, Stacy M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stacy M. Jones
Published: 2019-12-10T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Six

“Are you sure I’m not interrupting?” Det. Granger’s voice boomed from the porch.

“You’re fine. I had just started telling Hattie about the belladonna. Come on in.”

Harper returned to the kitchen with Det. Granger right behind her. Hattie stood at the cabinet, pulling out an extra plate, cup, and silverware. She carried them to the table and arranged the place setting on the table right next to Harper.

“I also seem to show up at your house at dinner time,” Det. Granger said, with embarrassment in his voice.

“Nonsense,” Hattie reassured. “Come on, sit down and eat with us. You’ve had a long day, I’m sure.”

Det. Granger took a seat next to Harper, directly across from Sarah and Jackson. He introduced himself. “I’m Tyson Granger, a detective with the Little Rock Police Department. Most people just call me Granger.”

Sarah reached her hand across the table and shook his hand. “I’m Jackson’s sister, Sarah. I’m visiting from Virginia.”

If Hattie had blinked, she would have missed it, but a spark passed between the two. Hattie passed Det. Granger his salad and chili. “You’re single, aren’t you, Det. Granger? No one at home to fix you a good meal.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m still fairly new in town, too, like Jackson and Harper. I moved from a police department in South Carolina, where I’m from. With the job, I haven’t even had much time to meet people let alone date.”

“Well, my door is always open if you need a homecooked meal. Now eat up. Then you can tell me about the belladonna. I know a little.”

Det. Granger took a few bites of his food and washed it down with the sweet tea that Harper had poured for him. He wiped his mouth with his napkin. “I told Harper earlier that the medical examiner found belladonna in Teddy Willow’s system. He said based on his examination, it looked like it had been ingested over time. I’m trying to figure out its purpose or if he was poisoned, which is what I suspect. What I really need to know is if it had other purposes. Are there legitimate reasons he might have been taking it?”

Hattie got up and went to a cabinet in the far corner of her kitchen. She pulled a small key from her pocket and unlocked the door. Hattie’s grimoire, her family’s book of spells, sat on the second shelf of the cabinet. Hattie’s hands barely fit around the large leather-bound book. The front cover had an engraved tree with deep roots reaching the bottom of the book and branches growing wildly on top. A Celtic trinity knot symbol graced the top middle of the book.

Hattie carried the book to the side counter and began gently turning the pages until she found what she sought. The four at the table watched her as she worked.

“This is my family’s book of knowledge, going back generations upon generations.” Hattie scanned the scrawling cursive on the page. “It says here that, yes, belladonna has been used throughout the centuries for medicinal purposes for various ailments with the right dosage.

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