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The Garden Girls gathered around Liz, watching as she placed Echo’s small ladder beneath the ceiling panel, the one that had popped out the previous day when Echo loaned her the stain stick.

She climbed to the top and gently pressed on the panel, causing balls of dust and debris to fall.

Liz sneezed loudly and coughed. “Gross. Decades of dust are probably up there.”

“You think Echo hid the evidence in her ceiling?” Lucy wrinkled her nose.

“The panel came loose yesterday. I told her Floyd could come over and adjust the runners, and she kept insisting it was fine. I can’t imagine it popping out on its own, which means someone must’ve been up here messing around with it.” Liz bounced onto the tips of her toes, struggling to slide the panel to the side. “This isn’t working.”

“Let me try. I don’t mind a little dirt and grit.” Ruth swapped places with her.

“You’re only a smidgen taller than me.”

“True. The problem is, you’re going about it all wrong.” Ruth reached the ladder’s top rung and crawled on top of the dryer.

Pop.

Liz cringed. “Don’t break her dryer.”

“It’ll be fine,” Ruth said. “Mine pops all the time when I climb on it.”

“Why are you climbing on your dryer?” Gloria waved dismissively. “Never mind. I’m sure I don’t want to know.”

Pop. It popped again as Ruth shifted to her knees. She reached above her head and carefully slid the ceiling panel to the side. Shifting her weight, she cautiously stuck her head inside the opening.

Gloria inched closer. “Do you see anything?”

“Yeah. Echo might want to set a few traps.” Ruth dangled a dead mouse pinched between her thumb and index finger.

“Gross.” Liz stumbled back, colliding with Lucy, who was standing right behind her.

“Ouch.”

“Sorry. That is disgusting,” Liz gasped.

“Country living at its finest,” Ruth quipped. “Do you want me to put it back where I found it?”

“Of course not.” Liz grabbed the garbage can and carried it back to the laundry area. “Please…dispose of it.” She turned her head as Ruth released her grip on the decomposing rodent, letting it fall squarely into the receptacle. “Are there anymore up there? ”

“Not that I can see, but…” Ruth let out a small whoop. She reached above her head again and this time when she pulled her hand back out, she was holding a vial with big black DPD letters on the side of it. “Jackpot.”

The others stood quietly, watching as Ruth slid the ceiling panel back in place. She scooched off the dryer and landed lightly on her feet. “I hope Brian can help us.”

“I’ll give him a buzz.” Gloria scrolled through her contact list until she found the number for Belhaven’s hardware store, Nails and Knobs.

“Nails and Knobs. Brian speaking.”

“Hey, Brian. It’s Gloria. I have you on speaker. I’m here with Dot, Margaret, Lucy, Liz and Ruth. We need a favor. Is it all right if we swing by?”

“Sure. I’ll be here all morning.”

“Sweet. We’re on our way.” Gloria ended the call and waved her phone in the air. “Let’s go. ”

“We should take one vehicle.” Ruth jangled her keys. “My vote is for the spymobile.”

The friends piled into Ruth’s van for the short drive to downtown Belhaven. Nails and Knobs was busy, forcing the friends to hang out until the coast was clear.

Brian’s eyes twinkled with mischief as the women approached the rear counter. “The Garden Girls in full force. I’m in trouble now,” he teased.

“Not you, but possibly Echo Quigley, Liz’s new tenant,” Gloria said. “Does the name Senator Appolina ring a bell?”

“Charles Appolina,” Brian said. “He was being investigated for taking bribes. If I recall correctly, the lead investigator committed suicide, and the case was closed.”

“Echo worked in Detroit as an evidence technician and was involved in the case. She and her colleague, who also mysteriously died, believed someone murdered the guy who was in charge of the investigation.”

Brian’s expression sobered. “No kidding. Appolina took the investigator and an evidence technician out?”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Liz said. “Mick Grotto, an ex-convict from Detroit, came by the farm a few days ago looking for Echo. He was attacked and has since died of his injuries.”

“I heard,” Brian said.

“An eyewitness helped create a composite sketch of a person seen in the area where Grotto was attacked, and that person looks a lot like Echo.”

Brian let out a low whistle. “Wow. The ex-con is dead. Someone claims Echo was in the vicinity of where he was attacked and you’re wondering how she’s involved.”

“Correct.” Ruth removed the vial from her purse and placed it on the counter. “Echo told Liz she had evidence, DNA evidence found beneath the lead investigator’s fingernails and we think this may be it.”

“She kept potential evidence?” Brian asked.

“Echo said her boss didn’t believe her, that Appolina was behind the death of the investigator and her colleague. She fled Detroit and came here.”

“Do you think she’s telling the truth?”

“We’re not sure,” Ruth said. “Sheriff Nelson picked her up earlier for questioning. If she is, and the DNA of the investigator’s killer is in this vial, then this could clear her name.”

“She gave it to you before she was picked up?” Brian asked.

Liz and Gloria exchanged a quick glance.

“You didn’t…” Brian briefly closed his eyes. “Please tell me you didn’t break into her home to get your hands on this.”

“We didn’t break into her home to get it,” Margaret said .

“I had a key. She told me to go get her insurance policy, which is this vial, so it’s all above board,” Liz insisted. “Although I’m not sure she would’ve been keen on having all of us search her place.”

“Someone cracked the glass in her back window last night and could be after her,” Liz said. “Do you think you’ll be able to help us?”

Brian wrapped a paper towel around the container and slid it off to the side. “I have a friend in forensics. I’ll get this over to him and ask him to put a rush on it. Who should I call when I have the results?”

“Me,” Liz said. “This is all on me. If Appolina’s DNA is found in this sample, will they reopen the case?”

“They’ll reopen the case, examine the evidence, possibly even hire a new investigator.”

The women thanked him. They exited the hardware store and gathered on the sidewalk out front. While the others discussed the sample, Ruth stepped off to the side, cell phone in hand.

She joined them a few minutes later. “Leonard has the results from Echo’s fingerprint sample.”