The flower stand in Halluzanation, Bridget's Blooms, has become the scene of a crime. When she arrived at work, Bridget found Martin Hershey crumpled in front of the entrance to her flower stand, a coffee cup broken next to him.
Martin Hershey lived alone after his wife Maggie left him for a job as cruise director on a world cruise. He suspected the drummer from Shakey's had something to do with it. His two grown children never visited much anymore. Martin spent time walking and reading about flower breeding. Roses and lilies were his specialty. He could be found drinking coffee and eating a grilled cheese sandwich at Mariner's.
Once a week he would visit Bridget and advise her about horticulture. He'd noticed brown leaves on several diffenbachia and the sheffelara drooped more than normal the past month. Bridget's father, Abbott, wasn't crazy about Martin hanging around the shop. Abbott had just returned from a prison term and felt protective of his daughter.
Sue Ellen's poodle had wandered into Martin's yard and never came out alive. Maybe the mulch or had the pup eaten a lily, Sue Ellen would never discover.
Amanda Harrington suspected Martin had been the reason for her parents' divorce but never could prove her sister, Elmira, was Martin's daughter. Her mother stayed away from him after the birth since her husband died suddenly with a seisure of some type.
Everyone in Halluzanation shared the rumor that Martin's house contained gold stolen from a pirate ship. He rolled his eyes and said, "Reallly?" when a newcomer questioned him.
The coroner discovered that Martin had ingested poison.
Who dun it?
No comments:
Post a Comment