Smoked (The Alex Harris Mystery Series) by Elaine Macko Read Free Book Online

and Ellery both nodded. “Ellery told me you were diligent about pulling the stuff up.
    “Of course. It was so dangerous for Maria. When we first met, she got it all over her, she was in the hospital because of it. Lots of things. Mangoes. Did you know mangoes are part of the same family as poison ivy? No mangoes. No cashews. No bees.”
    “So there is no way she would have raked up the ivy with the leaves?”
    “No. Never. I cleaned up everything at the end of the summer. We have those woods behind our house. The stuff likes to grow there but close to the edge. Right at the end of our yard.”
    “And what do you do with it when you pull it up?” I asked, wondering if Sergei had been stockpiling the stuff somewhere waiting for just the right moment.
    “I put it in bags and dump it at the shop. My butcher shop. Alex, it is not a problem. What I mean to say,” Sergei leaned toward me, “is that it is a big deal now, yes, because Maria is dead, but I would just pull the stuff up when I got around to it and then I would toss it in the big container behind my shop. A small bag. Not tons. It wasn’t like we talked about it or Maria would freak out about it. No. If I saw it creeping into the yard I pulled it up. Done. We didn’t think about it.”
    I couldn’t think of any other questions to ask about poison ivy. It was probably exactly as Sergei said—he pulled it, threw it away, end of story.
    “Alex, if this is all for now, I have to make some phone calls. Call my shop. Make…arrangements.” Sergei suddenly looked old and tired.
    He excused himself and I turned to Ellery.
    “Ellery, could you give me a list of people I should be speaking with? Your mother’s colleagues, friends, etc., would be helpful.”
    “Of course.” She began writing names and numbers from a small phone book she pulled out of a kitchen drawer onto a sheet of paper. “Do you think my father has a chance? Will they arrest him?” She looked at me with pleading eyes.
    I didn’t have an answer for her so I just shrugged. But I did wonder if Sergei had really tossed all the ivy and exactly how long did the urushiol oil stay active.

 
     
     
Chapter Twelve
     
     
    As it turned out the urushiol oil stayed active for quite a while. A couple of years in fact, even after the plant was dead. So it was conceivable Sergei had been quietly building a neat little pile of the stuff just waiting for his chance and what better time than when he was out of town with an ironclad alibi.
    In cases such as this it did seem the guilty party was the spouse and maybe it would turn out that way in the end here as well. But I had to keep an open mind. Sergei was attractive and charming so I needed to be on guard at all times. Ellery had supplied me with quite a few names and after I got some work done at my actual job, I planned on paying a few people an unannounced visit.
    I suddenly heard a commotion out in our reception area and went to see what was going on. My mother, Mable Harris, was stooped down, fussing about something. Millie stood next to her with a big smile on her face and then my sister walked in.
    “What on earth is that?” Samantha asked.
    My mother stood up to her full height, which was about an inch taller than me. “I believe it’s called a dog, Samantha. A Welsh Terrier, to be exact.”
    I walked around my mother to get a better look and sure enough it was a small dog. An adorable small dog with soulful brown eyes and the cutest little Teddy bear legs. “Oh my goodness,” I said as I got down on the floor. “Can we keep him?” I asked looking up at my mom.
    “No. I’m dog sitting.”
    “For who?”
    “For whom , Alex. And no one, actually. Someone in the seniors group inherited him and they can’t keep him. So I took him. He’s just a puppy, really. And now I need to find him a home.”
    “Gran’s allergic or else I would take him,” Millie piped up.
    Sam reached down and rubbed the dog’s head. “I’d take him but we