Read Online Killing Weeds by Jim Lavene, Joyce - Free Book Online Page A

accused of working with Paul to kill Nita Honohan was enough to close all doors to her working with other botanists around the world. They needed a viable answer that would take the blame away from Paul. That would change everything back to the way it was. That was what she had to focus on for all their sakes.
    They put Selena in the dining room with paper and pencil, away from the pizza and conversation. Millie sent Sam in first to make sure his description of Mary Hood wasn’t tainted by Paul’s description.
    Peggy called Walter to let him know that there would be a noisy early morning delivery the next day. She didn’t answer his questions, telling him she had company at her house.
    “If this woman has a criminal background, we should be able to ID her in the FBI database.” Millie carefully made sure her lipstick wasn’t smeared by the pizza.
    “She must have some knowledge of botany,” Hunter said. “Otherwise how could she know to use this hogweed poison?”
    “You could pick it up from Google,” Peggy answered. “I’m afraid making botanical poison isn’t that difficult. If you have a rudimentary intelligence, you could figure it out. It’s gruesome. I wouldn’t have thought of it as a way to kill someone. And I hope other people who read about it don’t try it.”
    Mai came back in the kitchen as Selena was done working with Sam on the sketch.
    “I’m sorry. I guess I just lost it.”
    “Don’t worry about it.” Al squeezed her shoulder. “You just take care of you and that baby. Let us do this.”
    Mai pushed herself up to her full height and faced him proudly. “I have twelve years’ experience with the medical examiner’s office. I can be a valuable member of this team. And since I have more to lose than anyone else here, I plan to take care of Rosie and make sure Paul doesn’t end up in prison.”
    Al held up his hands in surrender. “You are absolutely right. I apologize.”
    Sam grabbed some pizza. “Don’t ask me about the sketch. Millie says I shouldn’t talk about it.”
    Millie had gone into the dining room with Paul so she could witness the procedure and make sure it was done correctly.
    “Good,” Hunter said. “That’s what we need. Anything less won’t hold up in court.”
    Everyone ate at least one slice of pizza, and Mai fed Rosie. Shakespeare looked so despondently at the empty pizza boxes, that Peggy gave him a dog treat. He carried it into the other part of the house, satisfied.
    Conversation lagged as they waited for the outcome of the two sketches. What their next move would be hinged on what Selena drew.
    It was a surprise, and a disappointment, when the two versions of Mary Hood didn’t match.
    “How’s that possible?” Sam asked. “There are two women named Mary Hood living in Charlotte and trying to ruin our lives? I don’t believe it.”
    Selena held up the sketch she’d done of Sam’s version of Mary Hood. She had long brown hair and had been wearing sunglasses the whole time because they’d been outside.
    Paul’s version of the woman had short blond hair and blue eyes.
    Peggy stared at both of them. “Let’s skip the face and ask another question—how tall was she? Small? Medium? Large? It’s hard to hide your height.”
    “She was pretty short.” Sam held his hand at mid-chest level. “Petite, I guess, and thin.”
    Paul mostly agreed with that. “Not thin. She had large hips and breasts.”
    “But short, right?” Al asked. “You can add padding and change wigs, but it’s hard to hide height.”
    “So we assume she’s short and thin—you can’t make yourself thinner—and she probably has short hair,” Peggy said. “Maybe she has blue eyes. It’s hard to say with contacts.”
    “What about her age?” Millie asked. “Young? Old? Middle-aged?”
    Sam glanced at Paul. “I think fifties. What about you?”
    “Late forties or early fifties. She was wearing a lot of make-up.”
    “Yeah. I’d say that too,” Sam agreed.
    “It