Page 59 of A Flower for Angus

Edna lifted her aristocratic nose. “It’s his day off and he’s been helping me with the budget. Now again, what are you and these men doing here?”

Bracing herself for the onslaught of verbal abuse to come from her nemesis, Poppy replied with a firmness she didn’t feel inside. “I’ve come to find out what’s happened to Condoloro Enterprises and get it back on its financial feet if that’s possible.” She waved her hand at Angus and Vince. “These are my friends who are going to help.”

Even from ten feet away, Poppy could see the elderly dowager with her snow-white hair, patrician features, and slender figure open her mouth in an attempt to speak. The expected vitriol didn’t come. Instead, her mouth tightened in disbelief as she walked slowly towards them in a smart, cream-colored pantsuit and flat black sandals. “Why...why would you do that?” she finally croaked.

“Because it was Julian’s company,” Poppy replied simply. “And I’ll be blunt. If Adrian murdered Julian to pay off his gambling debts, then he’s left not only you high and dry, but a lot of stockholders who need their money. Not to mention the hundreds of employees who will be without a job if it goes completely under. Since I’m in charge now, I feel like I need to do something about it.”

“You got your cut and took off,” Ralston exclaimed bitterly. “I’m sorry if I can’t believe you are here on a charitable mission. I would be more inclined to believe you’re here to siphon the last dregs of a dying corporation, although there’s hardly anything left.”

“And how would ye know that? Ye are just the hired help,” Angus drawled.

Poppy’s eyes narrowed at Ralston. “I don’t care what you believe, Ralston,” she replied firmly, her fingers trembling in spite of herself. “I never wanted anything from Julian, it was his choice to leave me with my own work. After what Adrian did to me, I finally left to get away from him...and you, Edna.” Her eyes swiveled back to her mother-in-law. “I always believed you put him up to trying to have me charged with murder and contesting the will over and over. Did you put him up to tampering with the brakes on my car too?”

Edna gasped, her face turning pale. “What? No...no...I would never do something like that. And I didn’t put Adrian up to anything else either. You and I had our differences I admit. I was very upset to find out that Julian had negated the prenup when the will was read, but I never wished you harm.”

The ring of truth to Edna’s words had Poppy suddenly unsure of herself. She looked over at Angus, a question in her eyes. Did he hear it too?

Angus’s eyes narrowed when Ralston took Edna’s hand in his own. “Looks to me like Ralston’s been busy featherin’ his own nest,” he accused bluntly.

Ralston flushed, but Edna jumped to his defense. “Ralston and I have known each other for years; our relationship is nothing new. It’s just been...private,” she finished.

Poppy glanced at her watch. “I need to make some phone calls and let Mack know I’m in town. I plan to have a board meeting tomorrow morning. Nevil already knows and is notifying the board members to plan on being there.”

Edna nodded, then she reached out and put her trembling fingers on Poppy’s arm. “For what it’s worth, Poppy, I’m glad you are here. Julian always spoke highly of your business skills and it looks like my future may well depend on it,” she confessed dryly. “With all the changes, the will is a complete mess.”

Again, Poppy was surprised at the uncertainty Edna displayed in her words and actions.

“We will talk about that, Edna. I know I now own the mansion and the company, but Julian wanted you to live here and I respect that.”

Ralston growled. “Just know that if you try to evict Edna from her home, we will take you to court to enforce Julian’s requests for his mother.”

Poppy looked surprised at his outburst, then her eyes narrowed. “I have no intention of evicting my mother-in-law from her home, Ralston. I’m trying to make sure she can maintain the lifestyle she was promised. It was Julian’s wish for his mother to live here as long as she wanted, and I will honor that.”

Edna looked like she was about to pass out in relief. “If there is anything you need, Poppy, let me know if I can help. Will you require a meal this evening? I can’t cook, but we could order something in.”

Poppy shook her head. “No, I’m having dinner with Andrea and Morgan tonight. But I would like to interview any employees you still have besides Ralston.”

“I don’t have any employees,” Edna admitted ruefully. “And Ralston doesn’t get paid to stay here, he stays because it’s his home.”

“Are you married?” Poppy asked, her eyebrows searching for the ceiling.

“Not because I haven’t asked,” Ralston replied defensively. He ran a hand through his thinning hair. “What Edna and I do is our business anyway.”

“You can do me one favor, Edna,” Poppy decided impulsively. “If you want Martha and Molly back, call them and tell them they are hired. I’ll pay their back wages too if there are any. If they don’t, then can you take care of hiring someone you will like? With a house this size, I think you need them.”

Edna’s throat worked painfully again as if it were closing up. “T-That’s very generous of you, Poppy. I’ve been selling off a few valuables to take care of the most pressing needs and that hasn’t been pleasant. Martha was with me for years and still comes by now and then to prepare a nice meal for me. I hated to let her go, and I haven’t paid Ralston in months. Y-You have every right to gloat, my dear. I certainly gave you a hard enough time while you were here. I misjudged you—I’m sorry.”

Poppy cleared her throat, feeling a little embarrassed and a little bewildered. “I don’t understand. Before Julian died, everything seemed to be going well with the company. Of course, I had no influence or ability to look at anything except my own investments once Adrian took over. Do you know what happened?”

Edna’s face started to flush. “All I know is that Adrian said he’d had to pull money from household accounts and others to cover a multitude of debts that Julian had amassed for you and others he didn’t even know. He was frantic to contest the will because he needed the influx of the cash Julian had left you to keep the corporation solvent.”

Vince stepped forward. “That’s not entirely true, Mrs. Condoloro. I’m Vince Gallo. I’m a private detective and your grandson hired me to find Poppy. I did a little checking into his background and found that the cash he needed was for his gambling debts. It looks as if he was the one draining money from the corporation in huge amounts after his father died, but when it wasn’t enough to cover him, he went after his stepmother’s inheritance.”

Edna gasped in outrage. “That’s a bald-faced lie! I know Adrian had a gambling addiction; his father was well aware of it. But Julian always covered Adrian’s debts and left him well off. And for the record, there is no way Adrian would have killed his father. He loved him and respected him. He hadn’t gambled in over a year before he passed away. I don’t know why Julian’s bitch of a secretary implicated Adrian after he was dead, but she was lying too,” she denied hotly.

Poppy frowned at this unexpected revelation. What Edna said made sense. “Well, right now, I have a full audit taking place and we should know something soon.”

“There’s certainly somethin’ rotten in Denmark,” Angus observed.

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