Page 15 of Death on a Scottish Train

“We Scots are tough,” he said, and then smiled. “It is probably different if you’ve grown up playing in the sea since you were a wee one.”

I grinned. “Maybe so.”

The storefront had a sign that read Kiara’s Lotions and Potions hanging over the sidewalk. I had visited the store many times. Her natural products were amazing for the skin. And she’d staged the place tolook like an old-timey apothecary. With lots of wood and glass, and the walls painted navy, it was a cozy place to shop.

What I loved most of all were the scents of the products. She had everything from chocolate to strawberry smells.

When Ewan opened the door, the bell rang over it like a cheery hello.

“Morning, Doc,” she said when I walked through. Then she frowned when she saw Ewan. “Is everything OK, ACC? Are you two out shopping on this fine day?”

Scottish people said that sort of thing even when it was raining.

“Morning,” Ewan and I said at the same time.

“Everything is fine,” he said. “I have a few questions about your products and one of your customers.”

She’d been filling out paperwork on the counter, but she put down her pen.

The store was filled with glass jars, flowers, herbs, and various products for every kind of skin and hair. The place smelled like a lovely garden and was one of the most relaxing stores I’d ever been in.

With her maxi dress, Kiara looked like some kind of bohemian princess. Her son, Max, was eight. He was seated at a small desk behind the counter, working on some kind of word puzzle. He was a quiet boy who did well in school and had an intellect far beyond his years. I tried to never pick favorites when it came to my patients, but he was one.

We had the most interesting conversations about everything from dinosaurs to airplanes when he came in for his appointments. He always had a different book, which made broaching those topics a bit easier on my part. His wisdom went far beyond his young years. And he was very even tempered.

“Kiara and Max, it is good to see you,” I said.

Max glanced up and gave me a short wave. Then he went right back to working on his puzzle.

“I’m guessing that you aren’t here for more product since you just bought some a few weeks ago,” she said appearing worried.

I shook my head and motioned toward the front of the store. “Let’s talk up front,” I said so that her son didn’t have to hear any unsavory details. Not that Ewan would share that much.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

Ewan nodded toward me.

“Right. I don’t know if you heard, but there was a death last night at the train station.”

Her brows drew together. “I’m sorry. I’ve missed the town gossip, I suppose. We were running late this morning. Like most kids, Max doesn’t like getting up early in the summer.” She smiled. “He’s always a bit slow getting out of bed. So, what happened?”

“Well, we discovered something quite odd when I was doing the autopsy last night.”

She frowned again. “Oh?”

“Was Donald Jacks a customer of yours?”

She pursed her lips. “The name sounds familiar. I can check my records.”

“I’ll ask you to do that in a moment,” I said. “We will need to know if you sell any products with bee venom?”

“Bee venom? No. It does have healing properties, but too many people are allergic. I try to keep my products simple, so they can be used by as many people as possible.”

I pulled out the evidence bag with the lip balm.

“Can you give me an idea of the ingredients in this?”

Her eyes went wide. “Oh. No. It’s in one of those baggies you see on television. What happened?”