“Let me know when you need a little pick-me-up. I couldn’t decide what to buy, so I got one of everything.” She laughed and I couldn’t help but smile. Just being around Dee Dee lifted my spirits.

“How’s the patient?” Dee Dee pulled out a bear with its arm in a sling. “I found this for Nana.”

“Oh how cute. Nana will love it. She’s doing fine – look for yourself.” We entered the enclosed area. Nana held out her arm while a male nurse signed her cast. She flashed him a big smile.

“Oh, there you are Dee Dee. Come look at my cast. Isn’t it the coolest color?” Nana stuck out her arm so Dee Dee could get a good look. The hospital smell suddenly triggered memories of my knee replacement surgery. I was devastated when I realized I couldn’t put the procedure off any longer. My years of participating in sports and my fall precipitated the surgery at such a young age. All recipients of knee replacements have to attend a class to learn about the operation – I was the youngest in attendance.

“Trixie!” Nana’s voice brought me back to reality. “Want to sign my cast?”

“Sure.” She handed me a Sharpie the nurses had provided. Nana’s doctor came in and explained her care. Keeping her arm elevated was going to be a challenge. She possessed more energy than Dee Dee and me together. I eyed her laughing and joking with the nurses, but I wondered how she’d feel after the pain medicine wore off.

“She’s eating up the attention isn’t she?” Dee Dee pulled out a pack of peanut butter crackers and offered them to me.

“Yep, she’s a ham for sure. I’m just concerned when the drugs wear off she’s going to be in for a rude awakening.” I grasped the offered snack and quickly ate one of the crackers.

“Yeah, we need to keep her on a four hour schedule so that won’t happen. I guess we’d better get her back to the hotel and elevate that arm. The doc says it’ll keep the swelling down.” She grabbed the crackers from my hand and stuffed one in her mouth.

“Hey, get your own. Don’t you have something else you can eat in that suitcase of yours?”

She rummaged around and brought out a package of pretzels. “Here, you can have these. And don’t make fun of my purse. How many times have I come to the rescue when you needed something?”

I feigned contrition. “Touché. Sorry for making fun of it.” My phone rang, jarring my nerves. Dee Dee said she’d get Nana ready to go while I talked on the phone. I didn’t recognize the number.

“Hello.”

“Ms. Beaumont? Trixie?” The familiar voice came through loud and clear.

“Hello, Detective Sams. Is there something I can do for you?” My stomach churned like an old timey washing machine.

“Yes, I need to talk with you tonight. Some things have turned up changing the direction of this case quite a bit. Could you come down to the precinct now?”

I told her about Nana’s fall. “Let me take her back to the hotel first.” Once again, I was glad Dee Dee had tagged along to help with Nana. Lord knows I needed all the help I could get. I offered a quick prayer. Thank you, God, for good friends.

CHAPTER TWELVE

I left Nana in Dee Dee’s care while I went to see what Detective Sams wanted. During the drive downtown my thoughts swirled like the leaves in a whirlwind. Being unfamiliar with the streets, I circled around twice before I turned on the right road. The station was located at the bottom of The Bluff, so it didn’t take but a few minutes to arrive.

The station was small with sparse furnishings. I assumed it was a satellite to a bigger facility. A young lady in uniform sat behind a battered desk talking on a two-way radio giving instructions to someone on the other end. She offered me a genuine smile.

“Hi, I’m Trixie Beaumont, and I’m here to see Detective Sams,” I said when she was finished.

A look of sympathy quickly replaced her smile.

“Detective Sams is expecting you.” She jumped up from her chair and opened the office door, stuck her head in and announced my arrival. The detective indicated for me to enter. My heart rate quickened as I entered her sanctuary.

“What did you call me in for, Detective?” I noticed Sergeant Gary Sargent sitting in front of a desk that took up most of the room.

“I’m afraid it’s not good news.” Detective Sams pointed toward a chair. “Would you take a seat please?”

Grateful for the offer, I sat down before I fell down. The air crackled with tension while I waited for her to tell me the fateful news.

“Please tell me why I’m here.”

“Annie’s death is officially a murder.”

Duh, that was a no-brainer. She didn’t jump into the freezer herself.

She placed her arms on the desk-top and leaned in. “We know Annie was poisoned and we know it was in her tea, we just haven’t narrowed it down to the particular poison. But that will come out in due time.”

“Why are you telling me all of this?”

“It seems she had a liking for a very unusual tea. One she special ordered.” The detective gave another pregnant pause. Why in the world couldn’t she talk faster? My bottled blonde hair was going to turn gray if she didn’t wrap this up.

“What does any of this have to do with me?”

“Trixie, we found a bag of Rose Petal Green Tea in your room. They’re running tests on it now. We also found your fingerprints on her teacup and teapot.”

“But we had tea together, and I was helping her serve. Of course my prints were on the teacup.” Oh – my – goodness, my breaths came erratically. The room began to spin, and the detective’s voice sounded far away.

“Put your head between your legs.” It wasn’t an easy feat to accomplish, but I managed. My breathing slowed and the room stopped spinning. I righted myself and braced for the rest of Detective Sam’s speech.

“I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it doesn’t look good for you. It’s important that you not leave the area until we give you the go ahead.”

“I don’t understand. I didn’t have any reason to kill Annie.”

“That’s one thing we haven’t figured out yet,” Sergeant Gary Sargent said. “But we’re working on it.” He actually had the audacity to smile. Maybe it was payback for me laughing at his name. He seemed to be enjoying my discomfort way too much.

What was I going to do? Would I have to find the killer myself? My mind flashed back to the conversation I’d had with Dee Dee earlier. I knew she’d do anything she could to help.

“Trixie,” Detective Sams stared at me with a look of concern, “are you all right? I was talking to you, but you didn’t seem to be hearing me.”

“I’m sorry. This has been a shock to me.”

“As a person of interest I’ll be questioning you again, soon.” The detective shuffled through a file. “Let’s see, you’re staying at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Be sure and let us know if you decide to stay somewhere else.”

I nodded my head and hoped the end of this conversation was near. I didn’t believe the discussion could get any worse. It did. Detective Sams wasn’t through with me yet.

“Oh, one more thing. Your reputation precedes you. I’m aware of your amateur sleuthing skills. However, I do not want you to even think about getting involved like that with this case. I assure you my department will do everything in our power to treat you fairly. If you’re not guilty, then you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.”

Easy for you to say when it’s not your freedom on the line.

“That’s all for tonight. You are free to go.”

I left the station wondering what hit me. I didn’t see that one coming. I knew I’d discovered the body, but I had no reason to be worried about being a person of interest or more plainly put – a suspect. How and why did the tea end up in my room? The word framed popped into my mind.