Free Classic Revenge by Mitzi Kelly Page B

were laughing outright at the idea that Sam's gardener,
Charlie Simms, could have killed Susan Wiley.
    Millie climbed out of the car as soon as it stopped.
"Follow my lead," she whispered as she slammed the
door and waved at Charlie.
    Trish shook her head. "Lord, help us," she muttered
in sincere prayer.
    "And all His angels," Edna added fervently as they
followed Millie.
    Charlie turned off the riding lawn mower and climbed
down as he nodded respectfully at the three women.
"Good afternoon," he said as he pulled a handkerchief
from his back pocket and wiped his brow.
    "Hi, Charlie," Millie said as she approached. "Sam's
yard looks just wonderful"
    "Thank you, ma'am. I wasn't sure if Mr. Wiley wanted
the lawn done this week or not, since ... well, you know"
    "I'm sure he'll appreciate it," Edna said, patting Charlie's arm.
    The old gardener cleared his throat. "Well, he isn't
home right now, but I did it anyway. I sure hope you're
right."
    "Yes, I think Sam had to ... um, run an errand," Millie said. "He should be home soon. Charlie, the reason
we stopped is because Trish is thinking about having
her yard done on a regular basis. You know her house, the one three houses from the corner? Would you be interested in taking on another yard?"

    Trish fought to keep her smile in place even as her
hands itched to wrap themselves around Millie's neck.
A gardener was definitely not in her budget, and Millie
darn well knew it.
    "Sure, I'd be glad to. What exactly do you want done?"
    "Well, I'm not quite sure," Trish said truthfully with
a sideways look at Millie. "To start with, I'd probably
just need basic mowing and edging."
    Charlie rubbed the back of his neck. "Would you
want it weekly or monthly?"
    "What about once every two weeks?" she asked,
crossing her fingers that the expense wouldn't be too
bad. The choice between food and a beautiful lawn was
a given. Food would win hands down, regardless of
whether Charlie was a viable suspect in Susan's murder
or not.
    Charlie nodded. "If I'm still going to be doing Mr.
Wiley's yard, I can do yours the same day that his is
scheduled" When Charlie quoted a price, Trish
breathed a sigh of relief. She wouldn't starve after all.
    "That's wonderful," Millie said. "Does Trish need to
leave a key out for you somewhere, like Sam does if
he's not at home?"
    Trish exchanged a quick glance with Edna. So far,
Millie was surprisingly smooth at this questioning thing.
Unless Millie planned on hiring everybody they talked
with to do some work for Trish, they just might get
some important information, after all.
    Charlie shook his head. "No, that won't be necessary.
If all you need is mowing and edging, I can use my own equipment. Mr. Wiley uses special fertilizers and stuff
that he keeps in his garage. That's why he always leaves
a key out"

    "We all know that he trusts you completely," Edna
said. "How long have you been doing Sam's yard, five
years?"
    "That's right. I started out just mowing, but gradually
it progressed to more-detailed landscaping. I've helped
him transform his lawn from just a single flower bed to
this." Charlie waved his arm to indicate the beautiful
gardens and shrubs. "Mrs. Wiley did a lot of research
on what she wanted, and Mr. Wiley planted, trimmed,
dug out, and transplanted whatever she wanted until it
was just right."
    Sam's yard really was quite breathtaking, especially
at the time of year when the artfully decorated lawn
burst into color, proclaiming its majesty for anybody
who wanted to see it. A local newspaper had even featured the Wileys' yard a couple of years back in its special gardening section, causing quite a lot of traffic
through their quiet neighborhood.
    Realizing that Charlie thought Edna had been referring to Sam's trust in his gardening abilities instead of
his trust in leaving a key out, Trish angled for another
approach. "To be honest, I'm glad I don't have to leave
a key out like Sam does. Even though