Read Between the Tines (15 page)

I paused, pruners poised to snip, to study her face. This dejected, insecure attitude was not like Uma at all. Olivia must have done a number on her. I smiled in an effort to cheer her up. "No one would ever call you a frump, Uma." Brazen, voluptuous, or vacuum packed in your clothes, but not a frump.

"Thanks, but no offense, Paige. You really don't know a whole lot about fashion so I can't take your word for it."

"Ouch." I feigned a knife to the chest.

She swatted her hand at me. "Oh, you. You know what I mean." She slid forward on the chair and peered at me with narrowing eyes. "I'm really am sorry for being such a jerk. Even if Olivia makes me feel bad, no need to take it out on you. I want to make it up to you."

"Speaking of Olivia, didn't you think it was kind of odd she wouldn't say if her husband was with her when
Gary
was killed?"

"Odd, not really? She does as she pleases. It must not have pleased her to answer you. That's how she keeps people under her thumb. Makes you beg for every little thing. That's why I was so mean. I really am sorry, you know? I'd never treat you like that on purpose." She grabbed my free hand and turned it so my fingertips were facing her. "How about I make up for this morning with a free manicure? These nails are disgusting."

Hmm, what was the saying, 'with one hand she giveth the other taketh away.' Is there one that says with one sentence she complementeth and with another one she stabbeth in the back?

I snatched my hand back and curled my fingers to hide the ratty nails. "No thanks on the manicure. I'd just ruin it before the day was over. You could tell me what you've heard about Gary Buzzy's death, and I'd say we were even." To hide my enthusiasm, I started clipping off yellowed leaves. It would be better for the
Dieffenbachia
if I could subject it to a rushing stream of water before treatment. I turned to ask Uma, but kept quiet, as I knew the self-styled beauty queen would never let me use her hair-washing sink.

"That all you want? To hear what I heard? You sure?" She issued a toothy smile, revealing crimson lipstick on one of her incisors.

I stuffed a buggy leaf into a plastic bag. "Positive."

"Shoot, don't hardly seem fair, but here goes. Right before I opened this morning, I found out
Gary
was having an affair."

This wasn't news. Mitch already asked Karen about the affair, and Uma freely talked to Olivia about it. I needed to find out where this accusation was coming from. I kept my head down and to my task. "Who told you?"

"Can't reveal my source. He'd lose his job."

I twisted the bag closed and stuffed it into my tote then flipped my mental rolodex of Uma's contacts through my mind. Who would lose their job from telling Uma about this? And who could have the information in the first place?

Only one place it could come from. The police department and her friend, Officer Eddie Olsen. I peered at Uma, my eagerness hopefully at bay. "Eddie's identity is safe with me."

Her mouth popped open then snapped shut. "Don't go jumping to conclusions, Paige. You don't have proof it was Eddie." Her words said I was wrong but her tone asked how did you guess?

I smiled over my victory. "Don't worry. I won't get Eddie in trouble. So what else do you know?"

"The woman's name is Jackie Morris." Uma looked around as if she expected someone to be eavesdropping. "That's all I'm saying." She mimed locking her mouth and tossing the key over her shoulder.

Fortunately, I owned the universal key for opening Uma's locked jaw. "Earlier you mentioned emails? Were there emails from Jackie Morris on
Gary
's computer?"

"I told you that's all I'm saying." Classic Uma. She couldn't quit until she finished the tale, but she had to be prompted as if it eased her conscience for gossiping. She was going to make me fish for the information.

Fine, I'd play. I tossed out the bait. "I suppose Eddie couldn't trust you with the real details."

"Hah. Fat lot you know."

A little more line from the reel. "Oh, really. He told you more?"

"Of course he did."

Hook set, I jerked on the line and turned away as if no longer interested. "Sure, Uma. Whatever you say."

"I'll prove it." Eureka, I caught my first fish. "He said
Gary
was meeting this Jackie woman every week for the last two months. They met at the Courtyard in
Beaverton
."

"Interesting." I sprayed the plant with a final blast of chemicals. Normally, I wouldn't use chemicals first thing, but Uma wouldn't want these bugs hanging around long. I was sure she'd pitch the plant if they did.

She sat back in her chair and seemed to relax. "Poor Karen. Finding out her fella is stepping out after he croaks and all."

Oh no, Karen. It was bad enough Mitch asked her about the affair, but I hadn't thought of how she would react to rumors spreading all over town about her husband's infidelity. Filled with grief, she'd step outside and see the questions in peoples' eyes. Maybe Uma hadn't told too many people. Right and maybe rain never fell in
Oregon
.

Preparing to memorize a long list, I asked, "So who have you told besides Olivia?"

"I didn't tell Olivia nothing. She brought it up. Said she heard
Gary
was having an affair."

I sat back on my haunches. Olivia knew about the affair, but how? I made a mental note to follow up but still needed to see if Karen was going to hear this on the Serendipity grapevine. "So have you told anyone but me, then?"

"Uh-uh. Didn't think it was fitting passing this on. What with
Gary
being dead and all. Only told you 'cause I know you're working with Karen."

"Will you keep it that way? She has enough to deal with right now. I don't want her to worry about what people are thinking."

Uma gave a hesitant nod.

"Seriously, Uma. Tell no one. Got it? No one." I reached for her arm to squeeze it for emphasis, but she drew back and mocked a huge shiver.

"Ugh, bugs." She stood. "You act like I can't keep a secret."

If it were anyone else, I might be gentle but Uma needed plain talking. "You know you can't keep things to yourself. In this case you have to."

"Fine." She rolled her eyes. "So are you almost done? It's time for my next appointment, and I don't want anyone to see you spraying for bugs."

"Nearly done. I'll put double stick tape around the pot so if any of the mites try to get out, they'll stick."

"Ooh, gross."

"Relax. It's just a few mites." I stowed the chemical pump in my bag and pointed to the door. "There's your customer now."

"Great, she's early. Don't say a word. Just leave quietly when you're done." Uma spun around, placing her spandexed lower half in front of me so the customer couldn't spot my work. I won't mention what I spotted.

"Faith, on time as usual. Let's get you shampooed." Hand tucked under her customer's elbow, Uma clipped across the room, and I finished placing tape around the rim. I gathered up my belongings and, as Uma had asked, I exited quietly. But my mind wasn't quiet. It was racing with thoughts of my next stop, the police station.

Head down so no one stopped me to chat, I hurried down
Main Street
organizing my buggy plan as I went. The best location for the transfer of mites was on the
Dieffenbachia
in the break room. While tending a plant in there, I could overhear the front desk conversations and the ones carried on in Mitch's office as well.

I shifted my bag out of the way and pushed open the door. The stout receptionist sat behind the raised counter. She wore a blue double-knit jacket over a patterned polyester blouse. Her wardrobe was straight out of the eighties disco era. I'd classified her as red valerian as she dressed as brightly as the vivid red blooms of the plant and she was easygoing just like the plant. A straight talker with a no nonsense approach to life, what you saw was what you got with both Sally and red valerian.

"Hey, Sally." I approached the counter.

She smiled, her upper lip catching on a crooked tooth. "Here to do the plants I see?"

I nodded. "You seem extra cheerful today."

"My daughter just had a baby. A boy, eight pounds twelve ounces. I can't believe I'm a grandparent." Her face radiated happiness.

"Congratulations, Sally." I smiled, but it was forced as the thought of a having a child of my own gave me the heebie-jeebies.

"I can't wait to get off work and hop on a plane. My daughter lives in
Phoenix
. I'll spend the next two weeks with her."

Was this good news or bad news? Would a substitute make my snooping harder or easier? Could depend on who it was. "So who's filling in while you're gone?"

"I'm surprised you don't know. Lisa Winkle has agreed to fill in when she can and one of the guys here will do the rest."

How could my very best friend in the whole wide world not tell me she was going to work for Mitch for two weeks? "Was this just decided today?"

Sally waved her hand. "Oh, no. We planned it months ago. Just didn't know what day the baby would be born."

Stunned, I mumbled something that passed for a goodbye then walked away. As soon as I was done here, I was going to call Lisa and give her a piece of my mind. Well, maybe not a piece, as I needed all of my mind to solve this murder, but I would let her see the hurt she inflicted by keeping this from me.

'Sort of the way you're keeping things from Adam, huh?' my mind whispered but I ignored it and rounded the corner to the break room.

On a stained yellow counter sat the requisite donut box, a white microwave and a Bunn coffee maker with two filled pots. The room smelled of burnt java and popcorn. A small table with four chairs sat in the middle of the space and a large refrigerator hugged the right wall. My target, a large lush
Dieffenbachia
, sat in a corner next to a silver trashcan. When I started caring for the plants here, I brought this one in to brighten up the dismal break area.

I set my gardening tote on the table and pulled out the bag of infected leaves. Even if Lisa worked here for the next few weeks, I was certain she wouldn't divulge anything she heard so I still needed to bug the plants. Bag in hand, I stared at the
Dieffenbachia
. Now where was the best spot to put the leaves for maximum infestation?

"Paige," Mitch called from behind me.

I spun around and thrust my hand with the bag behind my back.

"What's going on?" He set his coffee mug on the counter and turned on the faucet.

"Hmm, what?" I asked all innocent.

"What's in the bag that you're trying to hide?"

A rush of warmth flooded my face. I slowly brought my hand around front and searched for a way to explain my mission that wouldn't end up with me incarcerated. "Spider mite infestation."

He laughed and put his hand into the running stream of water. "Embarrassed the plants got sick, huh? Can you treat it?"

"Wh-what?"

He tipped his head at the
Dieffenbachia
. "Can you fix it or will you have to replace it?"

Sweet. He thought I cut the leaves off this plant. I could play along. Tell the truth but not ever acknowledge this was the infected plant. "It will take extra work, but I can treat spider mites."

He picked up his mug and squirted a green glob of detergent inside. As he slipped the mug under the water, I looked at the slogan on the side, 'In God we trust, all others are suspects.' I wasn't at all sure Mitch wouldn't put God in the hot seat if he were given the chance.

Mitch swished his fingers in the mug, rinsed, and then hung it on a hook to dry. "You hinting you'll have to spend more time here, and I should start paying for your services?"

I waved my free hand. "Oh, no, no. Just thought you'd want to know ridding a plant of spider mites takes some work."

He studied me as if I were a shoplifter he'd caught downtown. "You all right? You're acting kinda strange."

"Fine, fine. Just don't like to see plants suffer." Okay, okay, I know. I was just about to make this one suffer, but my statement was true. I don't
like
for them to suffer.

"Well, I'm glad you're here."

Say what? I blinked hard. "You are?"

"Yeah. Since you know the Buzzys I wanted to see if you thought he might have had an affair."

Oh, he wanted to pump me for information. Well two could play at his game. "I don't know. I don't really think so, but I mean, I didn't know them all that well. Just from Bible class."

"He change in the last few months?"

"Not that I noticed." But now that you asked, I was sure to find out. "Do you think Karen had anything to do with
Gary
's death?"

"You know I can't comment on a police investigation."

"But you did call her and accuse her of killing
Gary
."

"All part of my job. Doesn't necessarily mean I really think she's guilty." He tugged at his collar as if the tie he rarely wore was choking him. "Guess you'll be around here more often what with the sick plants and all. Mind if I pick your brain if I have more questions?"