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months ago. Oh, and Gary 's a client. I started a landscape renovation for them just this morning."
    "When was the last time you saw him?"
    "Sunday morning, at church. Adam and I both saw him then."
    "Sunday was the last time for me, too," Adam said.
    Mitch turned to Daisy. "And you, Ms. Plante? Did you know him?"
    A violent shake of her head sent blond ringlets into wild Slinky-like movements. "No, no, no."
    "You weren't at the shop when he came in to sign his contract?" I asked.
    Her head picked up speed. "No, I wasn't there. I've never even heard of him before."
    Mitch held out Gary 's wallet. "Take a good look at the picture on his license. Does he look familiar?"
    She quickly peered at the wallet then closed her eyes and shook her head again. She looked like Lisa's daughter, Lacy as I caught her eating cookies when I was babysitting. She figured if she closed her eyes, I would disappear and spare her from a punishment. Was Daisy wondering the same thing?
    Mitch cast a practiced eye over her, skepticism filling his gaze. I rarely agreed with him, but for some reason I felt like Daisy was lying. I thought back to Wednesday morning when Gary stopped in to sign his contract. Daisy was working, but she might have been outside or on a break. Or maybe she was just too stressed to remember, and she'd recall seeing him once she recovered from the incident.
    I shook off my concerns. "Anything else, Mitch, or can I go?"
    "You're free to go, but Ms. Plante will need to stay a little longer." His focus drifted to one of his men who summoned him with a jerk of his head. He motioned to Daisy. "Please wait here for now. Excuse me." He walked away.
    I turned to Adam. "Can you stay with Daisy so I can go to Karen?"
    Daisy clutched my hand with a stained glove. "No, Paige. Don't leave me. I need you here."
    "Adam can take care of you. He's the best. He'll make sure nothing bad happens to you, and he'll call to keep me updated on what's going on." I pried my hand free. "You can trust him. Okay?"
    She gave a weak nod, barely making her springy hair jiggle.
    Adam moved closer and laid his hand on her shoulder.
    I smiled. "Just remember, if you're innocent, nothing bad will happen."
    I strode toward my truck, glancing at Gary 's body half hidden with piles of leaves. I'd found Bud Picklemann's body buried in a mound of mulch and to this day, I couldn't look at mulch the same way again. Now leaves would lose their luster for me as well.
    Still, in an odd way, his lying in the shade was fitting. I'd thought of Gary as Allegheny spurge, a shade loving perennial grown for the dramatic gray-green leaves. During Bible class he sat in his chair, a striking man you wouldn't miss if you scanned the room, and yet he seemed to want to hide in the shade and rarely made a comment. Now he would be silent forever, and I would forever wonder what he'd failed to say.
    I climbed into my truck and glanced at Daisy one more time. I was too far away to see her expression, but her arms clasped around her middle and the rigid set of her back screamed apprehension, perhaps fear. Had she told the truth, or was she involved in Gary 's death? Sighing, I shifted into gear and wondered how long it would be before I knew the answer.

Chapter Four
    With the afternoon sun beating down and heating the interior of my battered truck, I pulled it to the curb outside the Buzzys' house. A fabulous white bungalow, it sat in the shade of towering pines surrounding the yard. The shade beckoned me out of the heat, yet the darkness seemed to reflect my mood. But my mood didn't matter. I could only imagine how Karen must be feeling.
    Hopefully, I could help. And so would Lisa. I'd called her on the drive over, and she readily agreed to drop everything and rush over here. Her first husband Ben died in an auto accident on their one-year anniversary, making her the perfect person to console Karen. Lisa, if anyone, could feel Karen's pain and loss, but I didn't want to leave Karen alone for