Alex Harris 00 - Poisoned

didn’t forget!” Kendall yelled, peering into her bag and pulling out a solid chocolate witch from the best chocolate store in town.
    “Of course Grandma wouldn’t forget. She was very sorry she couldn’t be here. Speaking of which,” Sam turned to me after she took a piece of chocolate from Henry’s bag, “have you heard from our two world travelers?”
    “Yeah, I did, but the connection was pretty bad. All I got was that they are having a great time and are a bit jet lagged.” I turned my attention to Kendall and Henry. “Now listen you two, Mrs. Connolly across the street wants you to come by and show her your costumes. I’ll bet she’s got something good for you, too. Do you remember which house is hers?”
    “Yeah, it’s the blue one with the big scarecrow in the front,” volunteered Pocahontas.
    “That’s right. Now watch for cars.” The kids took off. Sam watched from the window to make sure they went to the right house. Having followed through with her parental duties, she turned to me. “Okay, they’re fine. Now what did you mean about finding another body?”
    “Well, not a body, really, but a lot of very interesting stuff.” I filled Samantha in on the contents of the letters.
    “So where are they?”
    “Here in my purse.” I took them out and placed them in the drawer of one of the end tables.
    “Don’t I get to look?”
    “No. They’re very old and besides, we’re not wearing gloves. I don’t want John yelling that I’ve tampered with evidence. I’ll probably be in deep doodoo just having taken them as it is.” I might even go to jail, I thought fleetingly, and wondered if John would put in a good word for me or pull the cell door closed himself.
    “So you think this clinches the case?”
    “Don’t you? Who else would be so determined to make sure nothing stood in the way of the land deal?”
    “Yeah, but if your theory is right, it’s not their land.”
    “True, but without those letters, no one would ever know that.”
    “That poor, poor family.” Sam shook her head in true sorrow for the Brissarts. “Well, Nancy Drew, it looks like you’ve solved another one.”
    “Mom! Look what Mrs. Connolly gave us.” Kendall raced into the house carrying a large, expertly decorated cookie and interrupting my thoughts of a stint on the Today Show as I explained how I solved the murder.
    “I hope you remembered to thank her,” Sam said to her daughter as she wrapped her arm around the young girl’s waist.
    “We did.”
    “Well, I guess we better be getting home. Daddy should be there by now and he’s going to want to take you guys out.”
    “Aunt Alex, Susan’s parents decorated their garage just like a cemetery. We’re going there first!” Henry said full of anticipation.
    I was amused by their excitement and glad to see they enjoyed it so much. I wanted to do something special with my own house for Halloween, maybe turn the garage into a witch’s castle complete with spider webs and scary music. Maybe when John moved in we could do it together with help from Henry and Kendall.
    “Well, have fun, you two. And don’t eat all that stuff in one night.”
    I walked everyone outside. After my sister drove away, I pulled my car into the garage and lit the pumpkins on my front porch. One pumpkin was a bit soft, and one side of its mouth drooped but the cold weather had helped in keeping them fresh. I turned on my porch light and waited for the first trick-or-treaters.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

    At the sound of the doorbell, I picked up the two baskets piled high with candy and went to the front door. Maybe I should be passing out apples and carrots sticks but I knew only too well from my own childhood that those healthy treats would not go over with the kids.
    I opened the door to find a trio of fairy princesses along with a protective parent standing out by the street. It was a sad fact that parents hesitated to let their little ones go off by themselves. I could remember a time when my parents wouldn’t even begin to worry about Sam and me until ten o’clock rolled around.
    There weren’t any other children approaching for the moment so I adjusted the cardboard witch on my front door and closed it. I walked to the big picture window and untangled the two skeletons hanging from the window latch. With the streets quiet for the moment, I headed for the kitchen to make a sandwich.
    Armed with a salami sandwich on Italian bread and a small bag of chips, I went back