Read Online Of Merlot & Murder (A Tangled Vines Mystery) by Joni Folger - Free Book Online

both worried.
    “Jax?” Elise began the moment he closed the door. “What did you find?”
    Abigail gave a grunt. “He found Divia Larson’s dead body, that’s what he found.”
    “Gram. That’s not helping.”
    “Well, he did. What else did you find, Jackson?”
    His gaze locked onto Abigail’s, and there he saw understanding. “I figure you know what else I found, Miss Abby. I’ve called it in and Deputy Stockton has a team on the way.”
    Abigail nodded, but Elise was obviously confused and impatient. “I’m glad you two seem to be on the same page, but could one of you fill me in?”
    “Sweetheart, what Jackson found is a probable crime scene. Poison, if I’m not mistaken.”
    “ What? ” Elise gasped. “How do you know that, Gram?”
    “Ha! From all those damn mysteries I read. That and the smell.”
    Elise shook her head. “Smell? What smell?”
    Again, Jackson’s gaze met Abigail’s. “The smell of bitter almonds.”
    “You could smell it, too?” Abigail’s eyebrows shot up. “I wondered if you would. Not everyone can, you know.”
    “Yeah, I could smell it, but there were other clues. Like the brigh t red blood and pink skin tone. I’m thinking cyanide, but we’ll wait for the tox screen.”
    “Oh my God!” Elise cried. “Are you kidding me? Cyanide? You think someone murdered Divia?”
    “I don’t know what happened yet, El. All I’ve got is first impressions, but I’ve tagged it as a suspicious death. From here, I’ll have to follow the evidence.”
    “I guess you’re gonna want my statement,” Abigail said with a nod.
    “Yes, ma’am, I do.” Stepping over to the truck, he pulled off his gloves and got a notepad and pen out of the glove compartment. “Miss Abby, some of the questions are going to be hard. But you understand I have to ask, right?”
    Abigail gave him a grim look before nodding again. “I know. Ask your questions, Jackson. Let’s get this over with.”
    “Jax, what are you talking about? You make it sound like Gram is a suspect when you don’t even know for certain there was foul play.”
    “Elise, I have to make sure Miss Abby is in the clear before this becomes a murder investigation.”
    “And you think that’s where this is going?”
    The frightened look on her face went straight to his heart. He didn’t want to scare either of them any more than he had to, but his gut was telling him murder was exactly where this scenario was going to end up.
    “Let’s just get Miss Abby’s statement out of the way before Toby or Mr. Larson get here. Then we’ll wait for the CSI team’s findings, okay? Now, Miss Abby, what were you doing out here in the first place?”
    “I got a text from Divia in the late afternoon, which I ignored.” Abigail heaved a beleaguered sigh. “It’s no secret that we weren’t the best of friends, to say the least.”
    Jackson made some notes. “And what time did you get the text?”
    “I left the festival for home about half past five, so it must have been closer to five, maybe just before.”
    “That would have been thirty or forty minutes after we saw Divia and Toby having that argument in the parking lot,” Elise said. “Remember, Jax?”
    “Yes, that would fit the timeline so far. Go on, Miss Abby. You ignored the text. So, how did you end up coming out here anyway?”
    “Well, she called me a couple hours later. Must have been a little after seven. Said she knew I didn’t think much of her and that we’d never be friends, but could I come over right away.”
    Abigail ran a hand through her hair and shut her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, her sorrow was evident. “Jackson, she begged me to come. She said she was afraid and needed to talk to somebody.”
    “How did she get your cell number? Like she said, it’s not like you were friends.”
    “I don’t know how she got my personal number.” Abigail sighed and shook her head. “Perhaps she got it from Garrett, or maybe from one of the festival