Free Lyndsey Cole - Lily Bloom 02 - Queen of Poison by Lyndsey Cole

the counter. With muffin, coffee and tote in hand, she checked that Marigold was all set and she headed out for the shop.
    Lily kicked her door closed and heard a voice. “Hi neighbor.”
    Her juggling act failed as coffee splashed on to her formerly clean, yellow t-shirt. “Ryan. We never got a chance to talk last night. What was the deal with Ruth?” she asked as she looked down at the stain.
    “Do you need some help?”
    “Only if you have a clean t-shirt in your pocket,” she said as she tried to mop up the stain only to make it worse. “Wait here, I have to change.”
    “Do you need help with that?” he teased.
    Lily was right back looking fresh as a daisy and they walked down the driveway together. “Ruth claims someone tried to run her off the road. She got a few scrapes when her car hit the guardrail but she didn’t get the plate number. She said it might be a Honda. Do you know how many Hondas are out there?”
    “She told me something interesting.”
    Ryan waited patiently. “Oh?”
    “She said Marion Barry was going to change her will and give the museum to the town of Misty Valley with a trust fund for overhead expenses.”
    “Really? That might upset someone.”
    “Exactly what I was thinking . Probably Evelyn. By the way, how’s Katie?”
    Ryan opened the minivan door for Lily. “She’s fine. She has a cast, but it was a clean break so it should heal quickly. What happened with Jennifer’s ex?”
    “What a creep. He pounded on my door looking for Katie. Was Jennifer worried?”
    “Very. He is unpredictable. It was nice of Iris to let them stay with her.”
    Lily slid into the seat of her minivan. “Another busy day. See you tonight at the museum?”
    “I’ll be there.”
    Lily was happy to hear that. She was hoping to spend more than five minutes with Ryan. There was something about him that made her feel different. A good kind of different. Lily backed out and drove to the shop.
    Evelyn was already outside Beautiful Blooms waiting for Lily.
    “Good morning, Evelyn. What can I do for you?” Lily unlocked the front door and held it open for Evelyn to walk in.
    “Nothing good about this morning. I can’t believe it.”
    “Believe what?”
    Evelyn was beside herself. “My sister. She changed her will. She left the museum to the town. I think Ruth Walsh was behind this. I need your help.”
    Lily moved flowers from the cooler to the front of the shop. “I don’t know how I can help.”
    “Watch her like a hawk tonight at the memorial. See if she tries to sneak into the office.”
    Lily stopped and looked at Evelyn. “How can you be sure she will even come?”
    “She’ll be there. I told her there was something for her in the will and I would give it to her tonight.”
    “Maybe you should have the police come.”
    Evelyn shook her head. “I don’t want to be that obvious.
    Lily finished the bouquet she had been working on. “How is this for the entryway? Colorful enough?”
    “Yes. Beautiful. What is that green flower?”
    “Bells of Ireland. Green is popular now. When will you be at the museum for the delivery?”
    “I’ll be there all day. Come anytime.”
    A siren broke into the peacefulness of the shop. Daisy ran in looking terrified.  “Have you heard?”
    Lily got worried. “Heard what?”
    “Jennifer’s ex-husband tried to break into Mom’s house. Rosie knocked him down and guarded him while Mom called 911.”
    Evelyn looked horrified. “Who is Jennifer?”
    Lily was barely able to reply. “Ryan Steele’s sister. Her ex-husband came to my house yesterday looking for her and her daughter, Katie. We thought they would be safe at Iris’ house.”
    Daisy was pacing arou nd. “Come on. We need to go to Mom’s house.”
    Lily stared out the car window. “I can’t believe this.” She looked back at Daisy. “Good thing Mom took Rosie.”
    Daisy pulled into Iris’ driveway. There were police cars everywhere. The normally quiet street was anything but at the