Page 74 of A Poisonous Plot

Since she didn’t seem to be in imminent danger, Lily crouched beside Flynn and took his hand, partly for comfort and partly to keep the wad of tissues pressed against his cut.

While she listened to Arthur on the phone, she closed her eyes, trying to figure out what on earth was going on.

“He already knew,” Arthur said when he ended the call. “The ambulance is already on the way.” He frowned, looking as confused as Lily. “Why did you poison him and then call the police?”

“I didn’t poison him!” Lily said. “You did. It’s your plant.”

“It’s not mine.” He peered at the plant. “They’re illegal and Sergeant Proctor said I couldn’t have one.”

“But it’s in your greenhouse,” Lily said. “Along with all these other poisonous plants, and the dried herbs and teas, which were in the welcome baskets. You’ve been poisoning people. The evidence is right here.”

“They’re not mine,” he said flatly. “I don’t know where they came from, but they weren’t here this morning…” He drummed his fingers against his thigh. “I don’t think they were here anyway, but I wasn’t paying as much attention as usual because Sally came over yesterday evening and told me not to come to work until Monday. Usually I’d work today and tomorrow. Also, before Gordon got injured she’d said that we could visit the ice cream shop together tomorrow. I don’t know if we’ll still do that…” He trailed off and scratched his head. “I was quite distracted, but I didn’t notice them this morning.”

Lily’s gaze locked with Arthur’s as the sound of sirens reached them, faintly at first, then getting louder.

“You really didn’t poison anyone?” she asked.

He shook his head and she was certain he was telling the truth. “I know all about the plants,” he said. “It interests me. But I wouldn’t hurt anyone. I really wouldn’t.”

Lily turned her attention to Flynn, continuing to clutch his hand.

“He will be okay,” Arthur said. “He’ll be fine again in a day or two, just like Gordon.”

“I know,” she whispered while Arthur muttered about going to meet the paramedics.

She knew in her head that Flynn would be okay, but she also knew she wasn’t going to fully relax until she saw him up and about.

Reluctantly, she moved out of the greenhouse when the ambulance arrived, leaving the paramedics to deal with Flynn.Not that there was much they could do, except get him to the hospital and monitor him until he came round. Hopefully that wouldn’t take long since Lily wasn’t sure her nerves could take it.

“Everyone’s going to think it was me,” Arthur said, eyeing Lily intently. “Everyone will think I’ve been poisoning people, but I don’t understand how that stuff got into my greenhouse.”

“I suspect someone wanted everyone to think it was you,” Lily told him. “Someone is worried about being caught, so they wanted to get rid of the evidence and shift the blame to someone else.”

“I don’t know anyone who would do that,” Arthur said. “Everyone I know is so kind.”

“I suspect someone isn’t,” she said softly. “We just need to figure out who.”

Her first thought was Gordon, since he was the one who’d pointed her in Arthur’s direction. But Gordon had been poisoned too. She also couldn’t see how he could have left evidence in Arthur’s greenhouse. Surely it couldn’t have been there long without Arthur noticing it, but Gordon had been in the hospital.

Arthur stared at her. “We need to figure it out quickly so they don’t hurt anyone else. And so I don’t get into trouble. I don’t want to go to prison.”

“You won’t,” she said. “I’ll figure this out.” There was no way whoever was responsible for Flynn lying unconscious was going to get away with it.

“Some people say you’re a private investigator,” Arthur said.

“Not officially,” Lily replied. “But I keep getting caught up in things recently.”

“Can you be my private investigator and catch whoever is doing this so I don’t have to go to prison?”

She gave him a gentle smile. “I’m already on the case.”

“Do you need a sidekick like Sherlock Holmes has? I could be Dr Watson.”

That drew a proper smile from her, even if it was only a brief one. She looked over at the greenhouse. “I already have a sidekick,” she said sadly.

The sound of cars approaching made her breathe easier.

“What the hell has happened now?” Sergeant Proctor boomed as he stepped out of the police Land Rover. “And why was a civilian using PC Grainger’s radio?”

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