Page 36 of Cadaver Lab: Mind Over Murder

“Will that hold up in court?” Agnes asked.

Dee, seated on the sofa next to Agnes, wobbled her head. “Possibly. It would help if I had an expert medical witness.”

“The prosecution would definitely make sure the jury knew my girlfriend is one of the defendant’s closest friends,” Liam pointed out.

Natalie cringed at that and glanced at Harper. “Sorry.”

Harper reached out and squeezed her hand. “Never be sorry for being my friend.”

“Aww.” Natalie’s eyes misted.

“All right, you two. I’m sorry I said anything. We don’t know it will even get to a jury trial,” Liam said.

“But if it does, we’ll have Margaret’s testimony that she saw something on that sidewalk,” Agnes said.

“Something she can’t describe, can’t identify, but that she is somehow convinced wanted to kill her.” Leave it to Liam to introduce reality into the conversation and bring down the mood.

“But not Harper,” Natalie reminded.

“Not Harper,” Liam conceded with a patient nod.

The front bell jangled and they all sat, waiting as the sound of quick footsteps grew closer.

Finally, Alice rushed through the door between the shop and the meeting room. She took in the group gathered with one quick sweep then announced, “Margaret’s home.”

“Really? That’s fast. No?” Natalie pivoted to Liam for an answer.

He lifted one shoulder. “Not if she takes it easy and follow’s up with her doctor.”

“So that means she can give a statement to the sheriff and tell them something, not Harper, terrified her on the sidewalk and then her heart stopped,” Natalie suggested.

“Where’d you hear that?” Alice frowned.

“Margaret told us at the hospital.”

“Nope.” Alice’s insistent swing of her head and that single word stopped Natalie’s hope in its tracks. “I wouldn’t count on it.”

“What? Why? And how do you know?” Harper demanded of Alice.

“Buck was in the hardware store. He heard from Chris behind the counter that Margaret’s husband had come in to buy a grab bar for the toilet.”

“And?” Natalie prompted what would no doubt be a long, roundabout Mudville-style answer to a simple question.

“Well, Mary saw Buck at the diner and he told her Margaret was home. So Mary called the Trout’s house and talked to Margaret directly, who told her there was nothing to talk about. It was just a heart attack.”

“What? That lying, sneaky, b⁠—”

Liam’s hand on Natalie’s arm stopped the rest of the rampage.

“That’s not what she told us in the hospital,” Natalie said in defense of her outburst.

Alice shrugged. “I don’t know. Wasn’t there. But it’s what she’s saying now.”

“Why is she lying?” Harper was back to looking miserable and more than a little panicked.

“I’m guessing she’s worried she’ll look crazy,” Liam answered.

“But without another explanation for that heart attack that happened directly after Harper’s heated interaction with Margaret at the bakery, Margaret’s heart attack becomes evidence in court for Doug’s widow’s lawsuit,” Agnes said.