Alex Harris 00 - Poisoned

end to please have the first one who returned contact me immediately. I gave her my home telephone number and hung up.
    “What do we do with the papers?”
    “I’ll take them home with me. John should be coming over tonight. Oh, my God,” I said as I glanced at my watch again. “I’ve got to get home. Sam will be bringing the kids over in their costumes.”
    Chantal went into the kitchen and brought out a brown paper lunch bag and slipped in all the letters. “Are you sure you should take them? Maybe we should put them back where we found them.”
    “No. John will want to see them immediately. They’ll be fine. I’ll hide them as soon as I get home. You know, something just occurred to me.”
    “What’s that?” Chantal asked.
    “Why did Bradley hide them? This isn’t his home. If someone knew about them and wanted them, they would search his house.”
    “Exactly. That’s why he hid them here.”
    “Oh, Chantal. Does this mean he knew he might be killed?” I couldn’t bear to think that Bradley felt threatened. He hadn’t seemed threatened when I met him. On the contrary, he seemed very upbeat and happy.
    “Maybe he just knew how valuable they were and didn’t want them getting tossed out with the trash or something when Mrs. Platz came in to clean,” Chantal offered with a shrug.
    “I guess so,” I said without much conviction.
    Chantal turned off the computer and went to get our coats from Bradley’s bedroom while I tried to call Sam. I got no answer and figured she was probably on her way to my house. Hopefully she would wait. I could call her on her cell but with the way she drove, I hated talking to her while she was driving—especially with the kids in the car.
    “Here we go,” Chantal said, returning with our coats.
    I put the papers into my purse and Chantal turned off the study lamps when a sound startled us.
    “Stuart! You scared the daylights out of us.”
    “Sorry, Chantal. I didn’t mean to.” Stuart stood in the hallway, his crooked smile playing at his lips.
    “Your grandmother’s not here. Can I help you with something?”
    “She’s with me.” Stuart said just as Mrs. Brissart walked up the steps.
    “Mrs. Brissart, we’ve been trying to call you,” Chantal gushed as she walked toward the older woman. “Mr. Kaminski was attacked last night.”
    “Yes, I know. Stuart called me. I asked him to come and get me.” Didn’t she have her own car? I asked myself silently. As if Mrs. Brissart could read my mind she added, “I left my car for Virginia.” She pointedly looked at me and I held my purse tighter.
    Chantal started to open her mouth, no doubt with the intention of telling Mrs. Brissart everything we discovered. I didn’t want her to say anything so I gave her a sharp jab in her back.
    She gave me a weird look and before she could open her mouth again, I looked at Mrs. Brissart and Stuart and said, “I just dropped by to pick Chantal up. Car problems. Well, Chantal, if you’re done for the day, we best get going.”
    “But Alex...” Chantal began.
    I raised my eyebrows and gave her a stern look. “Don’t you have to get ready for Halloween?”
    “Huh? Oh! Yes, I guess I better.”
    We said our good-byes and left the house.
    “What was that all about, Alex? You’re acting very weird.”
    “I think I know who killed Bradley. I’ve got to get hold of John but I promise I’ll tell you everything later.”
    I dropped off a very bewildered Chantal and then headed home hoping I hadn’t missed my niece and nephew.

CHAPTER FORTY

    “Oh, thank goodness you waited. I was afraid you would leave before I got here.” I got out of my car and walked up the front walk. Sam and two costumed children sat on my porch. “You look wonderful!” I said to Kendall and Henry. The Power Ranger costume Henry wore looked terrific on him and Kendall’s Pocahontas attire looked just like the real thing.
    “Well, come on in and let’s see what I have for you.”
    “So where have you been? I worry about you. Thought maybe you found another body,” Sam said.
    “In a way, I have.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “In a minute. Let me get the candy and take some pictures.” I had my camera ready, having charged it the night before. Kendall and Henry eagerly posed for several pictures before looking in the brightly decorated brown bags I had handed them. “One each is from me and John and the other two are from Grandma and Grandpa.”
    “Mom, they