Seed No Evil by Kate Collins Page A

year, and before that she was in college. She’s single, an only child, and has an apartment here in town.
    â€œAlso, I spoke with Reilly about the police investigation. So far they’ve done basic interviews but are waiting for more autopsy and tox results before they go any further.”
    â€œTox results? Do they think Bev might have been drugged?”
    â€œToxicology reports are standard police practice. The main thing is that we’re ahead of them, which is exactly what we want. How’s your mom doing?”
    â€œStill nervous but relieved that we’re investigating. On a different topic, we never finished our discussion on how all my clothes are going to fit in your apartment.”
    â€œThey’ll fit. I’m cleaning out drawers and my closet is half empty.”
    As though that would be enough room. Marco had so much to learn.
    He checked his watch. “If you want to freshen up before Emma gets here, you’d better go now. I’ll go get the notepad and pen.”
    When I returned from the washroom, Emma had already arrived. She looked curvy and cute in an aqua off-the-shoulder knit top. Taking in her glistening, wavy golden brown hair falling onto her bare shoulders and her peaches-and-cream complexion, I suddenly felt every freckle on my face and, but for my hair, totally colorless in my drab shirt and khaki pants. It made me wish I’d brought a change of clothing to work. And maybe a mask.
    I slid in next to Marco and reached out my hand to Emma as he introduced me.
    â€œEmma Hardy, this is Abby Knight,” he said, putting his arm around me. “She’s my assistant and my fiancée and owns Bloomers Flower Shop.”
    He said that with so much pride, I didn’t feel quite so colorless. Still freckled, though, especially when I shook Emma’s creamy-skinned hand.
    We exchanged the normal pleasantries; then Gert came to take our drink orders, which Marco said were on the house. “A peach margarita for me,” Emma said in a way that made the drink sound exhilarating.
    â€œI’ll just finish my beer,” I said. Boring, colorless Abby.
    â€œI
love
your mother, Abby,” Emma gushed. “I got to know her at one of our rallies. She is
so
sweet. You’re
so
lucky to have her. My mom is bor-
ing.
”
    That was one thing I couldn’t say about my mom. Anyone who could create a Dancing Naked Monkeys Table was definitely not boring.
    Emma gazed at me with twinkling blue eyes, waiting for my bright, bubbly response. I had a feeling she’d been a cheerleader in high school.
    â€œThanks.” That was all I had. Super-exuberant women like Emma stunned my system.
    â€œLet’s get started,” Marco said, sensing that I was not on my game. “We appreciate your meeting with us, Emma. As I told you on the phone, we want to make sure Abby’s mom isn’t considered a suspect, so we’re taking precautions by running our own investigation.”
    â€œAll my mother did was find a body and call it in,” I felt compelled to add.
    â€œOh, for sure,” Emma said. Her hands were folded on the table in front of her. I was sitting on mine. “I
totally
get it. I’m just relieved you’re not looking at me as if I had something to do with Bev’s death. I mean, me? Really?” She held out her arms. Apparently that was so we could see she wasn’t carrying any weapons in her armpits.
    â€œBev was my boss,” she continued, “and we had a solid working relationship. I did everything she asked and more. Isn’t that the kind of employee everyone wants?”
    She focused her smiling face and twinkling eyes first on Marco, until she got his nod of agreement, then on me. I quickly obliged, though a red flag went up. Why was she trying to convince us that she was a wonderful employee? Could it have anything to do with what Stacy had told us about Bev wanting to fire her? Was Emma laying