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“It’s not the first career you’d associate with a pole dancing instructor. When she was young, she had a promising career as a ballerina, but she suffered a terrible fall and had to quit. She told me once she took up pole dancing for stress relief. Working the stock exchange must be nerve wracking. When she retired, she decided to turn her hobby into a career and teach.”
“Have you taken one of her classes?”
“I tried but kept falling. Not enough upper body strength, she said. She suggested I lift weights. I wasn’t excited enough about it to do that.”
“It might be fun to see you twirling around on a pole.”
“I know most see pole dancing as a sexy thing, but it’s hard work. It takes a lot of strength, coordination, and balance. I’m more of a walking-for-exercise kind of girl.” I twirled my empty wine glass between my fingers. “Hazel managed the money my dad left me, and when I moved back to town, I used most of it to open Creature Cones. I don’t have a lot left; even used equipment is expensive. Thankfully, I had some left. I’ll use it if something breaks, I’m injured and can’t work, or my business slumps, which it’s currently doing.”
How long would it be before I’d have to tap into my savings to keep Creature Cones open?
This had to get better. Please.
“Tell me what you discovered on the town forum,” I said as a distraction from my worry.
“Alfred didn’t outright name it, but someone was asking about Sterling in general, and he said they were a great company, that he had a friend who’d been paying into a policy for years and she’d saved millions. I realize I’m adding two to three and coming up with six, but I bet he meant Sue.”
“They were friends for a long time before they married.” Frowning, I tried to remember everything I could about him and their relationship. “She must’ve mentioned it to him. He talked her into getting married—”
“At the hospital, he said she was the one who peeked into the Elvis chapel and suggested they get married.”
“People can be manipulated into doing things like that,” I said. “How do you know it was Alfred posting on the forum about Sue’s insurance policy?”
“His full name is Alfred Brightmore. Who else would use the screen name, Bright Alfie?”
“Ah.” There was a good chance it was him, then. “Do you think Alfred put the Xylitol in the punch to ruin Sue’s kidneys? As a pharmacist, he’d know it could be toxic if taken in large enough doses. Ironically, he called me awhile back and told me he was worried about Grannie. He thought she might have some early dementia. I shrugged it off, though I suspected he could be right. She was slowing down, forgetting things.”
“Which could be dementia but also just a normal sign of aging. I forget things all the time myself.”
“Me too. However, when she fell and broke her hip and was in the hospital, they did a full screening and said she’s as sharp as a twenty-year-old. Not one hint of dementia yet. If Alfred had been planning this for some time, it would make sense for him to frame Grannie for the crime.”
“He suggested something like that at the hospital.”
“If Detective Carter could be convinced this was an accident and due to her supposed dementia, the case might be dismissed. The local DA is sharp but not one to lock someone up over an accident.”
“They’d let it slide?”
“Oh, they’d handle it in a legal way, but everyone knows everyone here, and the DA’s parents were good friends of Grannie’s for years. They might suggest Grannie wanted to make a punch with less sugar this time and added Xylitol instead, but messed up and dumped in too much.”
“Is anyone in the club a diabetic?”
“I don’t know. It would be a simple thing to suggest and even simpler to believe. Grannie’s case would be dismissed. Her rep here in town would suffer, and she’d be horrified and embarrassed. You know how much she values her standing in this community. But nothing more would come of it but a slap on her wrist and a stern warning to me to take better care of her.”
“If Alfred’s involved, he could be hoping Sue goes into full kidney failure and dies since she’s refusing dialysis. He’d collect the insurance money and while some mightbe surprised to find out the two had secretly married, he’d probably have a ready excuse everyone would believe. If it even came out.”
“Marrying her could be a ploy on his part to make sure no one else comes forward to claim the insurance payout.”
“Does Sue have children or family?” he asked.
“She never married. I think she had a sister.” I frowned, trying to remember. “I believe she died a few years ago. There are probably nieces or nephews, but a spouse would have a stronger claim, especially a spouse named as the beneficiary.”
“You’re right. No one would question him inheriting and if your grandmother is blamed for the Xylitol poisoning, no one would bother questioning Alfred. I read more about kidney failure online earlier. If her solitary kidney is as bad as she says, she probably won’t live more than a few months.”
My throat choked off with pain. I couldn’t insist she do dialysis, not when she was making her wishes plain, but it hurt to think I’d soon lose the woman I considered a second grandmother.
“Someone needs to screenshot Bright Alfie’s posts,” I croaked.
“I already did, though they’re not incriminating.” Elrik took my hand and squeezed it. “I’m sorry. Sue’s a sweet lady.”
