Death of a Batty Genius (Stormy Day Mystery #3) by Angela Pepper Page A
Authors: Angela Pepper
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down. This is how you’re always getting yourself in trouble.”
I answered him by quoting Shakespeare. “ Thou poisonous, bunch-back’d toad .”
He had no response for that.
Behind me, Benji let out an exasperated sigh.
“Fine,” he said. “Everyone wants to see what’s in my pocket? Here you go. Take a good look.”
He pulled a zipper-sealed plastic bag, sandwich-sized, from his jacket pocket and dropped it in the center of the table. The bag contained about a quarter of a cup’s worth of fine, white powder.
Chapter 13
Dion lunged forward and grabbed the bag from the center of the table. His effort caused a button to pop off the chest of his too-tight purple shirt.
Grinning, he said, “Benji, you sly dog. Cocaine? The Peruvian Marching Powder has been the downfall of many. Since when did you take up the booger sugar?”
As everyone else looked around in confusion, Dion opened the seal on the bag, licked his finger, and stuck it into the white powder.
Benji let out a startled cry and ran around the table. He grabbed Dion by the wrist before he could lick all the dust from his finger, then plunged Dion’s hand into a nearby pitcher of ice water. Dion howled and yanked his hand free, their movements knocking over the pitcher.
Dion lunged for the plastic bag again, and Benji tackled him bodily. The two wrestled, rolling around on the gleaming new hardwood until Butch and Christopher separated them.
Franco didn’t bother getting up from his chair until the end of the scuffle, to take a photo.
Meanwhile, Marie had seized the plastic bag, using two cloth napkins as gloves. She re-sealed the bag, then held it gingerly.
She scolded Benji. “How dare you bring a bag of coke to my beautiful resort?”
“That’s not coke,” he said.
“Then what is it? And why did you jump all over Dion for trying to taste it?”
“Because he could have died.” Benji pulled himself away from Christopher’s hold on him.
“That’s the contaminant,” I said.
Everyone turned to face me. I almost laughed at the trusting looks on their faces. Suddenly, I was the expert on whatever Benji had in his pockets, all because of a few keen observations I’d made earlier.
Since I had the stage, so to speak, I stood and continued, “That’s the same substance that poisoned a batch of Rainforest Delight. Marie, you hang onto that bag. Make sure it’s sealed and don’t inhale any of the dust. Benji, we’ll give it back to you, but first you need to answer a few questions. First of all, why did you bring the powder here?”
“For safekeeping.”
I nodded. “Fair enough. Second question: How did the powder get into the Rainforest Delight?”
Benji circled around the table and took his seat again, next to me. “By accident,” he said. “One of the workers at the plant spilled a bag of vitamin mix and decided to replace it with one of the bags in my office, rather than get in trouble with the shift supervisor.” He put his face in his hands. “I was so stupid, leaving my office unlocked.”
I glanced around at the others, who looked stunned and curious, as well as more than happy to let me continue the questioning.
“Third question: What is it?”
Benji crossed his arms. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Try me.”
He held out his hand and gestured for Marie to return the bag. She looked to me for guidance.
Benji said, “I’ll answer your third question, but that’s all, and only if you give it back to me for safekeeping.”
Christopher jumped in. “Speaking of safekeeping, we could call the police and get them up here.”
“No,” Marie said. “Benji’s too soft for prison. I’ll dump this whole bag down the sink if anyone so much as dials the number nine.”
Butch walked over to stand next to his wife. “We don’t want any controversy associated with the resort. Do you have any idea what a scandal would do to our opening?”
Christopher made a face. He looked as if he had a
I answered him by quoting Shakespeare. “ Thou poisonous, bunch-back’d toad .”
He had no response for that.
Behind me, Benji let out an exasperated sigh.
“Fine,” he said. “Everyone wants to see what’s in my pocket? Here you go. Take a good look.”
He pulled a zipper-sealed plastic bag, sandwich-sized, from his jacket pocket and dropped it in the center of the table. The bag contained about a quarter of a cup’s worth of fine, white powder.
Chapter 13
Dion lunged forward and grabbed the bag from the center of the table. His effort caused a button to pop off the chest of his too-tight purple shirt.
Grinning, he said, “Benji, you sly dog. Cocaine? The Peruvian Marching Powder has been the downfall of many. Since when did you take up the booger sugar?”
As everyone else looked around in confusion, Dion opened the seal on the bag, licked his finger, and stuck it into the white powder.
Benji let out a startled cry and ran around the table. He grabbed Dion by the wrist before he could lick all the dust from his finger, then plunged Dion’s hand into a nearby pitcher of ice water. Dion howled and yanked his hand free, their movements knocking over the pitcher.
Dion lunged for the plastic bag again, and Benji tackled him bodily. The two wrestled, rolling around on the gleaming new hardwood until Butch and Christopher separated them.
Franco didn’t bother getting up from his chair until the end of the scuffle, to take a photo.
Meanwhile, Marie had seized the plastic bag, using two cloth napkins as gloves. She re-sealed the bag, then held it gingerly.
She scolded Benji. “How dare you bring a bag of coke to my beautiful resort?”
“That’s not coke,” he said.
“Then what is it? And why did you jump all over Dion for trying to taste it?”
“Because he could have died.” Benji pulled himself away from Christopher’s hold on him.
“That’s the contaminant,” I said.
Everyone turned to face me. I almost laughed at the trusting looks on their faces. Suddenly, I was the expert on whatever Benji had in his pockets, all because of a few keen observations I’d made earlier.
Since I had the stage, so to speak, I stood and continued, “That’s the same substance that poisoned a batch of Rainforest Delight. Marie, you hang onto that bag. Make sure it’s sealed and don’t inhale any of the dust. Benji, we’ll give it back to you, but first you need to answer a few questions. First of all, why did you bring the powder here?”
“For safekeeping.”
I nodded. “Fair enough. Second question: How did the powder get into the Rainforest Delight?”
Benji circled around the table and took his seat again, next to me. “By accident,” he said. “One of the workers at the plant spilled a bag of vitamin mix and decided to replace it with one of the bags in my office, rather than get in trouble with the shift supervisor.” He put his face in his hands. “I was so stupid, leaving my office unlocked.”
I glanced around at the others, who looked stunned and curious, as well as more than happy to let me continue the questioning.
“Third question: What is it?”
Benji crossed his arms. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Try me.”
He held out his hand and gestured for Marie to return the bag. She looked to me for guidance.
Benji said, “I’ll answer your third question, but that’s all, and only if you give it back to me for safekeeping.”
Christopher jumped in. “Speaking of safekeeping, we could call the police and get them up here.”
“No,” Marie said. “Benji’s too soft for prison. I’ll dump this whole bag down the sink if anyone so much as dials the number nine.”
Butch walked over to stand next to his wife. “We don’t want any controversy associated with the resort. Do you have any idea what a scandal would do to our opening?”
Christopher made a face. He looked as if he had a
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