Free Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 04 - Death by Dumplings by Hope Callaghan

been too busy trying to figure out who poisoned a customer at Dot’s restaurant.”
    “I heard!” Liz exclaimed.  “That’s just terrible. If anyone can figure out who did such an awful thing, it’ll be you!”
    Gloria grinned.  “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
    “Well, it is,” Liz said.
    Gloria’s brain switched gears.  “Oh, hey.  Before I hang up, I was wondering if you’d like to come over here for a cookout.  Next weekend.”
    “Just me?” Liz asked. 
    “No.  It’ll be Lucy and her boyfriend, Margaret and Ray.  And Paul so you can finally meet him,” she added.  Gloria didn’t mention inviting Al. 
    “Sure.  I’ll come.  Can’t wait to meet your beau,” Liz teased.
    Gloria grinned as she hung up the phone.  This was the first conversation in years that she could remember where she and Liz didn’t snip at each other. 
    Gloria picked up the phone again.  It was time to call Margaret with the good news.  No one answered at her place.
    She was on her way to the fridge when she heard a light tap on the porch door.  Gloria made her way around the table.  It was Margaret.  She opened the door and stepped aside.  “I just left a message on your answering machine at home.”
    “Why?” Mally heard Margaret’s voice and padded into the kitchen.
    Margaret reached down and patted her head.  “There’s our partner-in-crime!”
    Gloria grabbed the papers off the kitchen table and handed one of them to Margaret.  Margaret squinted at the words.  “What’s this?”
    “The waiver from Sandra McGee!”
    Margaret’s head shot up.  “You’re kidding!”  She squealed before she grabbed Gloria’s shoulders and danced around her.  “Woo Hoo!”
    She folded her waiver up and shoved it in her purse. “I stopped by to let you know what I found about some of the different investments.”
    “You’re way ahead of me, Margaret,” Gloria warned.  “I haven’t had a chance to talk to a lawyer yet.  The death at Dot’s has been keeping me busy.”
    Margaret nodded.  “I understand.  Friends come first.”
    Gloria looked at the clock on the wall.  “That’s another reason I called. Do you want to go over to the new restaurant in Lakeville? You know, scope it out.”
    “Hmm…” Margaret was only half-listening.  She was staring at the front page of the local paper.  “Did you see this?”
    “Uh-uh.  What?”  Gloria leaned over her shoulder.  Smack dab, front and center on the first page was a photo of Dot’s restaurant.  The caption underneath read:  “Poisoning at Local Restaurant Leads to Man’s Death.”
    The article was a few short paragraphs.  It told how Mike Foley from nearby Lakeville was eating lunch with his wife, Darla, at Dot’s when he was poisoned by her lunch special, the Chicken and Dumplings.  The story went on to say he died on the way to the hospital.  A brief mention at the end said a funeral would be held later that week. 
    “What are the chances someone he knew poisoned him?” Margaret wondered.
    “Not likely.  No.  I think it was someone else.  Someone who was trying to harm either Dot or Ray or ruin Dot’s business.”  She remembered the owner of Pasta Amore.
    “So do you want to run over to that restaurant in Lakeville with me?” Gloria asked.
    Margaret was still staring at the picture.  “Yeah, yeah.  Sure.  When?”
    “Paul’s coming over for dinner tonight.  How ‘bout tomorrow night?”
    Margaret headed for the door.  “Sounds good.  I think Don’s going fishing with his buddies tomorrow.”
    Gloria watched as Margaret made her way down the steps and to her car. “Oh, hey!  What about the investments?”  she yelled at Margaret’s back.
    Margaret whirled around.  “Oh my gosh!  Can you believe I forgot why I was even here?”
    Yes.  Gloria could believe it.  Stuff like that happened to her all the time.  She could walk from the living room to the kitchen and forget why she went