Page 93 of For Your Own Good

“You too, Teddy.”

She walks out feeling like she’d made a mistake. The whole point was to check his reaction after she left, on the video, and now she’s pretty sure there won’t be any. He’ll probably sit right back down at his desk and go back to work. Like she was never there.

That’s how he gets away with everything. By appearing so normal.

57

NO MORE SCHOOL.

That’s what Zach’s parents had said. While he was out at the coffee shop, neither receiving nor returning their calls, they’d made use of the time. The decision was made to pull Zach out of Belmont and have him homeschooled for the remainder of the semester.

No discussion. No questions. No negotiation.

His mom, in all her efficiency, had already hired a tutor. No chance she would stay home and teach him herself. First thing in the morning, she notified the school and arranged for his lessons to be sent over. When she moves, she moves fast. And she spends whatever is necessary to get it done.

“After classes begin,” she said, “Ms.Marsha will meet you at the front of the school so you can clean out your locker.”

Zach nodded, trying to look more upset than he was.

By nine o’clock in the morning, he has collected his things, walked outof Belmont, and he heads straight to Starbucks. His first meeting with the new tutor isn’t until noon. Mom must have paid a lot to make that happen.

Until then, he’s free.

Back to the list of poisons. Narrowing them down isn’t difficult. First, he eliminates any that cause symptoms neither Courtney’s mom nor Mrs.B had. Next, he eliminates anything that takes days, rather than hours, to kill someone. Last, he removes anything that someone would have to eat too much of. The amount had to be small enough that they wouldn’t have known it was there. And if the police were right about Courtney’s mom, it had to be something that could be added to coffee.

Many of the poisonous plants—like hemlock, snakeroot, and castor bean—cause nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea long before someone dies. Nightshade leads to paralysis. No one had those symptoms.

Only a few of the poisons can be absorbed through the skin. Just touching them can be dangerous. Oleander is one; touching it can cause skin irritations. Another is the inside of a rosary pea seed; it can actually be deadly, especially if it gets into the bloodstream.

But whatever killed Ingrid and Mrs.B was ingested, and Ingrid had a heart attack before she died. Not many plants cause that.

One isCerbera odollam, otherwise known as the “suicide tree.” It’s found in India and Southeast Asia, Colombia, and Costa Rica. North America, not so much.

The other isActaea pachypoda,also called white baneberry or doll’s-eyes. The plant is found in Canada, and in the midwestern and eastern United States. The berries are the most poisonous part, and the toxins in them can have a sedative effect on the heart. Eating them can lead to cardiac arrest. There it is.

Zach packs up his things and sends a text to his mom.Got my things from school. Waiting for tutor.

Her answer comes quickly.Great. I love you.

Too bad his parents didn’t think of this homeschooling thing earlier. It’s almost too easy.

Except for that whole felony business.

He heads back into the freezing cold to find out where this plant grows around here. His first stop is the closest nursery on Google Maps. Rare Earth is on the posh side of town, the kind of place where Zach’s mom would buy plants.Ifshe bought plants.

He greets the woman at the desk with a big smile. She’s older, maybe his grandmother’s age, with long grey hair braided down her back.

“Good morning,” she says. “You surprised me. I didn’t think anyone would be out in this cold.”

“I’m actually looking for a gift. It’s for my mom.” Another smile. “I bet you can help me.”

She smiles back at him. Even the corners of her eyes turn up. “I bet I can, too.”

Off they go, into the greenhouse, where Zach keeps an eye out for those doll’s-eyes berries.

“Are you looking for flowers?” the woman asks.

“A plant, actually. Maybe something that can stay inside until winter is over, then be planted out in the yard?”