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Gordon ignored her and instead fixed his eyes on Lily. “Realistically, there are only a handful of people who can wander into the office unnoticed.”
“I wanted to ask about that,” Lily said, leaning forwards. “Where was the plant when you arrived?”
“Just sitting on my desk.”
“There was no note or anything? It was only the plant?”
He nodded. “I didn’t think much of it. Sometimes Arthur brings in plants he’s either grown or ordered. He likes to tell me all about them and will leave them in my office if he arrives at work before me.”
“And he arrived before you yesterday?”
“Yes. He was out watering plants when I arrived.”
“Was anyone else around?”
“No. We weren’t open yet and no one else was working.”
“What about deliveries? The food for the cafe?”
“They hadn’t arrived yet,” Gordon said.
“So what happened exactly when you arrived at the garden centre?”
He paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. “I said hello to Arthur, then went into the office. I noticed the plant straightaway, but like I said, I didn’t think it overly unusual so I sat down to drink my coffee and check my emails. But the plant was taking up too much space on the desk so I stood up, intending to move it to the floor. My arm snagged on a branch, or so I thought. I remember a sharp pain and I looked down to see blood on my arm.” He shrugged. “Next thing I knew I was waking up in hospital feeling as though someone had sucked every ounce of energy from me.”
“When I found you,” Lily said slowly. “I called Arthur into the office and he seemed genuinely surprised by the plant.”
“He would, wouldn’t he? It was all an act. He must have put it there. Who else could have done it? And after all the researchhe does for his blog, it makes some sense that he’d get it into his head to try out some of these poisons.”
“Dad!” Sally chastised. “You’re being unfair.”
He held his hand up to silence her and kept talking. “I realise no one wants to say it, but everyone was concerned about how Arthur would manage after his mum died. We all wondered if he could cope with living alone.”
“He’s fine,” Sally muttered. “He’s perfectly competent. Maybe people were concerned about him, but he’s surprised everyone.”
“I’ve noticed changes in him recently,” Gordon told Lily. “It’s hit him hard to think that Sally will move to the mainland permanently. He was always very fond of her, but he’s become a little obsessed. I think he’s infatuated with her. He was upset that she couldn’t find a job and stay on the island.”
“No, he wasn’t,” Sally retorted. “He’s happy for me because he knows moving to Bristol is what I want.” She smiled at Lily. “He jokes about coming to visit me if I don’t come back often enough. Not that he would – he never leaves the islands.”
“I’m telling you,” Gordon said. “Something’s been off with him recently.”
Sally glared at him. “And I’m telling you that you’re being ridiculous.”
“Can you talk to him again?” Gordon said, eyes fixed on Lily. “If he is behind all of this, I’m sure you can figure it out.”
“That’s actually not a terrible idea,” Sally said wearily. “You could talk to him so you can rule him out of your investigation.”
“I’m definitely going to keep looking into it.” Lily slapped her palms on her thighs and stood up. “I’ll leave you to rest,” she said, noticing that Gordon had sunk back into his chair and looked wiped out.
He thanked her for visiting and Sally walked her to the door.
“I can’t believe what he’s saying about Arthur,” she whispered on the doorstep. “I don’t understand where it’s all coming from. He’s also talking about firing him. It’d crush Arthur if he lost his job.”
“What did he mean about people being unsure if Arthur could cope with living alone?”
Sally’s eyes narrowed. “Arthur is autistic,” she said plainly. “I guess some people thought that meant he wouldn’t manage to live independently.” She gave a lopsided smile. “He has his foibles, but don’t we all? And I’m not saying it was an easy adjustment for him when his mum passed away, but losing a parent is difficult for anyone.”
“His dad isn’t around?” Lily asked.