“Oh?” Skye hoped her mother would elaborate.

“Yeah, seems they figured out what the poison was.” May made a note in the log.

“And?” Skye tried to keep her voice even.

“Well, he didn’t tell me what it was.”

“But you peeked at the report, didn’t you?” Skye tried to sound as if she didn’t care about the answer.

“I might have noticed something when I was doing some other filing.”

“So?”

“Something like ‘jack trophy kirk’s ass.’ I can’t pronounce it.”

“Why did it take so long to find out the type of poison? The autopsy has been done for days.”

“It has something to do with how many kinds of poisons there are to check for, how long the tests themselves take, and how much of a priority our sample is-” May was interrupted once again by the phone.

Skye took the opportunity presented by May’s distraction to make a note of the toxin so she could try to look it up at the library later.

May hung up and turned back to Skye. “That was Gillian. The doctors have decided to keep Minnie in the hospital for a while.”

“But I thought she was okay after they pumped her stomach last night.”

“Minnie refuses to admit she took the pills. She says she did not try to commit suicide. So they’re keeping her for psychiatric observation.” May uttered the last two words with great difficulty.

The women were silent for a while. The only noise in the station was the static of the radios.

Finally, Skye said, “You know, Mom, it’s possible Aunt Minnie killed Grandma, and then couldn’t stand the guilt, so she tried to kill herself.”

Tears overflowed May’s eyes. “I’m afraid that’s what everyone is going to think, but I just can’t picture Minnie being able to do it.”

“I know what you mean. She’s usually so indecisive. But if she’s emotionally disturbed, who knows what she’s capable of doing?” Skye handed her mother a tissue.

“Going through the change has been real rough on her, ’cause she won’t take the medicine her doctor gave her. I’ve been begging her to at least take the capsules to help her sleep, but she refuses to take anything at all.” May paused, then added softly, “I guess she took those sleeping pills yesterday though.”

“The twins told me she didn’t want to take drugs.” Skye’s face took on a faraway expression.

“What are you thinking?” May asked. “You look as confused as a cow on AstroTurf.”

“If she wouldn’t take hormones for her menopausal symptoms, would she take pills to commit suicide?”

May stood up. “No. She’s always hated taking medicine. She usually wouldn’t even fill the prescriptions.”

“Mom, this could mean that Aunt Minnie is telling the truth. Maybe she didn’t try to kill herself. Maybe someone tried to kill her.”

“Who would want to kill Minnie?” May sat back down.

“The same person who murdered Grandma. The real killer could be trying to throw suspicion on Minnie.” Skye was scribbling furiously in her notebook. “Call Wally right now. He’s got to get Aunt Minnie some protection, or the next time she might not make it.”

Skye and May sat across from the police chief in the combination coffee and interrogation room. Both women had told their stories, and he was now asking questions.

“Let me get this straight. You think Minnie did not attempt suicide? Instead you think someone tried to kill her?”

“Well, either tried to kill her or make her look like Grandma’s murderer.” Skye flipped open her notebook. “I’ve tried to put my reasons in order.”

Wally made a go-ahead gesture with his hand.

“Okay. First, this is a woman who will not take medicine. She feels that all drugs are bad. Even ones her doctors tell her to take.” Wally opened his mouth, but Skye continued. “Also, she says she didn’t take them. I’ve heard of people claiming an attempt was an accident, but not denying any part of it.”

“Look, it’s just as possible she overcame her dislike of pills and is embarrassed to admit it.” Wally looked at each woman in turn. “Isn’t it?”

“Anything’s possible,” Skye answered for both of them. “Did they find the bottle when they searched the church bathroom?”

“No.” Wally looked through the file. “No container on the scene or on her person.”

“Don’t you find that odd?” Skye asked. “What did she do, carry the pills loose in her purse?”

He shrugged.

“Another thing, when they pumped her stomach, could they tell if she had swallowed the pills whole, or were they added to something she ate or drank?” Skye paused and thought. “Too bad all the dishes will have been washed or disposed of since yesterday.”

“Okay, I’ll check into it, but I can’t afford to have someone guard her door until we have more evidence.” Wally wrote in his own notebook. “The best I can do is let the hospital know to keep an eye out.”

Skye stopped herself from making a sarcastic comment about closing the barn door when it was too late to do any good. “One more thing.”

He was already walking down the hall.

“Could you make sure the hospital doesn’t let anyone visit her unaccompanied?” Skye yelled.

His voice floated back. “Yeah, fine, okay.”

Skye turned to her mom. “Do you still want me to quit bothering everyone with my questions?” When May didn’t answer, Skye added, “If the murderer isn’t found soon, he may go after Aunt Minnie again.”

“Maybe, but I’m worried that if you keep poking your nose in where it doesn’t belong, you might be next.”

Looking around at the chaos inside her cottage Skye could almost believe it had been vandalized again, except she knew she had done it all herself. Bingo didn’t seem to care. He was nestled among the dirty clothes spilling from the overfull hamper.

After changing to old jean shorts and a ragged T-shirt, Skye started in on the mess. First, she stripped the bed and dumped the sheets in the washer. Remaking the bed with fresh linens was a challenge due to Bingo’s desire to play hide-and-seek among the covers.

Next, she sorted laundry and cleaned the bathrooms. Bingo followed her every move, appearing to think she was a giant mouse he was stalking.

Since Skye rarely cooked, the kitchen took only a few minutes to wipe down. This left the great room. She was looking for the furniture polish when the doorbell rang.

Bingo beat her to the entry and was pacing impatiently when she arrived. Peeking through the side window, Skye groaned.

She reluctantly opened the door. “Hi, Simon. Sorry I’m such a mess. I was just cleaning. You look awfully spiffy for a Thursday afternoon.”

“Thanks, I’ve got a funeral at one. I thought maybe you’d be free for lunch now that school’s out.” Simon walked into the foyer.

“Gee, I’d love to but, as I said, I’m hardly dressed to go out.” Skye led the way into the great room.

“Well, I’m sure no one at McDonald’s would mind how you’re dressed.” Simon sat beside her on the couch.

“How about I make us salad and soup right here?”

“I’d really like to take you out, but if that’s your best offer, I accept.” Simon loosened his tie, took off his suit jacket, and scooted closer to her.

“Ah, good, just let me wash up a little, and I’ll get started on lunch.” Skye retreated into her bedroom and firmly closed the door.

She reemerged in ten minutes, having washed her face, changed tops, and combed her hair. Simon was in the kitchen, looking into an open cupboard. Bingo was twining around his legs, meowing.

“Looks like it’s time for a visit to the Super Value.” Simon gestured to the empty shelves.

“Yeah, I’ve gotten a little behind with my housekeeping chores.” She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bag of salad and a bottle of dressing. “Do you see any soup?”

Simon showed her two cans. “Tomato or chicken noodle?”

“You choose. The saucepans are to the left of the stove on the bottom.” Skye grabbed bowls, napkins, and flatware. “I hear the final tox screen came in on Grandma. What was used to poison her?”