Alex Harris 00 - Poisoned

kill her? What’s the hurry? Couldn’t they just keep badgering her?”
    “Maybe it has something to do with the developer,” Millie said. “Maybe he works for a bunch of thugs and they told him he had better get the land now or else.”
    “Did you watch a gangster movie on TV last night?” Sam teased.
    “You know, she could be right,” I said. “The developer is kind of sleazy.” I momentarily let my mind drift to the business card that J.T. Smit gave me. It might be just the right time to go and check him out.
    “Alex, are you still with us?” Sam asked, waving her hand in front of my face.
    “Huh? Oh, yeah. Enough about murder.” My words drifted off as I took in the nice assortment of paper growing all around me. “I guess I should come in this weekend and get some of this stuff done, but my heart’s not in it, and besides, Mary-Beth called this morning and she’s at loose ends for the weekend so we’ve decided to go on a picnic. John and I planned on a nice weekend in the country, but he’ll be tied up for some time.”
    “Want some company?” Sam asked, as she picked through the remainder of our lunch and began to clean off the desk.
    “Sure. But what about Michael and the kids?” As much as I loved my extended family, I really wanted a weekend of girl-talk with Mary-Beth.
    “The kids have a school project to finish and after that Michael’s renting some videos and they’ll all get sick on popcorn and candy. Anyway, I planned on doing a bit of shopping. I need bras in the worse way.” Sam stuck her hand through the opening in her blouse and adjusted a strap as if to make her point. “But going off for a picnic sounds much better.”
    “Why don’t you come along, too, Millie? We can make it an all-girl day. I’m going to call Meme and see if she feels like getting out.”
    “Sure. Why not,” Millie shrugged. “Rueben’s working.”
    Sam turned her head slowly, looking at Millie with a do-tell look. “Rueben? Like in the sandwich?”
    “No, Rueben, as in Rueben Radford. I met him when I went on that ski trip last January. He felt sorry for me after I broke my leg and he ended up sitting in the lodge with me every day.”
    Last Christmas Sam and I gave Millie a ski trip for her present. She had a wonderful time but on the second day out broke her leg getting off the ski lift. No one could figure out how the heck she did it, but in the end, it didn’t matter. Rueben, another member of her ski club, thought sitting by the fire and drinking mulled wine with Millie was a far better way to spend a skiing holiday.
    “So how long have you two been going out? I never heard you mention him before.”
    “We just started dating a month ago. It took him a long time to get his courage up to ask me out.”
    “So what does he do, and why am I asking all the questions? Aren’t you in the least bit curious, Alex?”
    “Yes, but, number one, you’re doing a fine job of being nosy all by yourself, and number two, Millie already told me about Rueben, and he sounds like a great guy.” I reached for the M&M jar and poured a bunch into my hand.
    “Hmmm. I’ll put aside my hurt feelings for the moment at not hearing about this before and let you continue. Millie?”
    “He’s a funeral director.”
    “A what? Are you serious?”
    “Yes, I am,” Millie laughed.
    “So what do your mother and grandmother think of him?”
    “They love him. Granny’s hoping for a discount when she finally departs this world.”
    “That’s sick, Millie.” Sam put her hands down on the desk. “Okay, fine. I can take a hint when to shut up.”
    “Since when?” Millie and I asked in unison.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

    “Number seven twenty-one,” I mumbled to myself. “That must be it.”
    After lunch I excused myself and headed for a visit with June. I don’t think I fooled my sister one bit when I told her I had some errands to run, but she didn’t press the issue. Neither May nor June gave me much information at our last encounter. Besides, I wanted to find out about the ancient feud between June and Mrs. Brissart. If I was lucky J.T. Smit might even be underfoot. As long as he wasn’t under June. I didn’t think I could handle that. I pulled into a long driveway and parked my car by the front door.
    With the exception of its size, nothing about the house suggested big money. Three large columns supporting the front portico dominated a house of whitewashed wood with faded green trim. The front yard