Page 40 of A Flower for Angus

They hurried up the steps where Darro said, “Ye have a phone call in my study, Poppy, from yer daughter Andrea. She’s verra upset and insists on talking to ye. We held the call until ye could get here.”

Poppy suddenly felt cold as a premonition of bad news raced down her spine. Without a word she brushed past Lucerne and ran for the study, the rest of them right behind her. Why would Andrea be calling at 3:00 a.m. Chicago time? Was one of her grandchildren hurt? Had Morgan been hurt? Or God forbid killed in the line of duty? In the study she picked up the phone where it lay on the desk with trembling fingers.

“Andrea? What’s going on?”

“Mom? I’m afraid I have some bad news. Are you sitting down?”

“No, I’m standing.”

“You might want to sit down. Are you alone?”

“Andrea, just tell me what’s going on,” she snapped. “Are you all okay?”

Poppy could feel the color draining from her face as she tried to take in what Andrea was telling her. “Yes, yes of course. I’ll let you know what I decide to do. I-I need to think.” She hung up the phone and stared at the three concerned people in front of her.

“I-It’s Adrian,” she whispered in a daze. “He’s dead.” She dropped into the office chair behind her and pinched her nose. This was about as close to fainting as she’d ever felt as points of light danced in front of her closed eyes. Her chest was heavy and she could barely breathe.

Lucerne gasped in shock. “Oh my God, Poppy.”

Angus hurried to her side where he pulled her up and into his arms. “Easy lass, take a few deep breaths, ye look like yer about to pass out.”

When her legs refused to hold her, Angus swept her up in his strong arms and took her to the loveseat in front of the fireplace where he sat down with her on his lap.

“Lucerne, can we get some hot tea for Poppy?” Darro asked. He took Lucerne’s hands in his. “Are ye all right, lass? Ye’re looking pale yerself.”

Lucerne nodded her head. “Aye, I-I’ll be all right.”

“I’ll come with ye,” Darro decided firmly, and they both left the room.

Poppy’s primary feeling was numbness now that the first horror of what she’d heard was past. Greedily she hung onto Angus, his solid body warm and comforting.

When Lucerne and Darro returned, Darro sat the tray on the coffee table and Lucerne sat and poured a cup for them all. Poppy took a grateful sip, feeling the warm liquid soothing her jangled nerves.

“Can ye tell us what Andrea said?” Darro asked gently.

“The police are saying it was murder,” Poppy replied slowly. “I’m sure my son-in-law knows a lot more that he isn’t saying. He has asked me to stay here until they know more. He doesn’t think I would be in danger if I returned, but he said it’s better to be careful at this point.”

“I agree with him,” Angus said slowly. “Until we know why yer stepson was murdered, considerin’ the connections ye mentioned, ye are probably better off here.”

“That’s truly awful,” Lucerne replied, shaking her head. “I’m so sorry, Poppy. I know ye weren’t close to yer stepson, but that’s a terrible thing to happen to anyone, let alone a member of yer family.”

“What do I do now though?” Poppy asked woefully. “I can’t hide here, I need to go home...I need to make funeral arrangements,” she gestured helplessly at the air. “Julian’s mother, Edna, will be devastated. Her heart is weak and this will be a huge shock. I know she didn’t like me, but I don’t want anything bad to happen to her.”

“I’m sure the police will have notified her by now,” Darro replied firmly. “Was Adrian married?”

“No, he’s only 27 and hadn’t married yet. He liked to date, but he didn’t seem interested in anything permanent and has no children that I know of. Edna lives in one wing of the family home. It was one of the reasons Julian made sure Adrian got the house. I wouldn’t have wanted it anyway, it’s too big. It always reminded me of a museum or a mausoleum.” She shuddered.

“Ye do realize that it’s yers now whether ye wanted it or not,” Angus remarked, squeezing her hands in his. “Eventually, ye will have to decide what to do with it.”

Poppy suddenly sat straight up. “I need to talk to Mack. Do you mind if I call him, Mr. MacCandish?”

Darro’s eyebrow shot up. “Is there anything he can do at 3:00 a.m. in Chicago?”

“Darro’s right. Besides, ye need to get some rest,” Angus added firmly. “There’s nothing more ye can do tonight. Ye should call him first thing in the morning.”

“How about if I send him an email cancelling the DocuSign papers? That way he’ll have it when he first gets up and won’t waste time drawing up papers,” she replied.

Darro nodded. “Great idea.”

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