The Poison Garden

If Amber/Jane/Kelan chooses your neighborhood, it is because there is work to do. She will rent a house and be the perfect neighbor for a year, where she will tell you all about an aunt who raised her and passed along a lot of fabulous recipes that she will use to make friends with the other neighbors. She might look a little dowdy. But don't suggest a makeover as she will not find the offer welcoming.She will show up at the neighborhood picnic with her famous chocolate cake in her heirloom cake holder. It will be delicious, and you will want the recipe. All the while, she will observe the neighbors and how they treat their spouses, especially the men. If she finds out through observation or good old neighborhood gossip that someone is abusive to their wife or Amber/Jane/Kelan suspects it, she will make a note in her little black book-a place you never want to find yourself mentioned.Of course, the aunt does not exist. Everything about her is a lie. And it is different than the lie she told last year when she was in a different neighborhood acting as judge, jury, and executioner. She has been doing it a long time and she doesn't make mistakes.In the community garden, your new neighbor will hide the Poison Hemlock among Queen Anne Lace. Foxglove among the marigolds. Daffodil bulbs among the garlic. Her special tea is something to be avoided as it will be filled with lovely flower and root and herbs that might stop your heart. If she gives you orange marmalade for your abusive husband that has a bitter flavor that has nothing to do with the orange rind and everything to do with the dried Yew berries, ensure only he eats it. And later, if the police ask you if you want an autopsy, say no because your new neighbor has given you the gift of freedom. Make the most of it.And when it comes to love, Amber/Jane/Kelan doesn't fall easily. But when she does, she dates her own kind: Murderers.