Marge looked at Decker, raised her brow. He knew what she was saying. Between the two chains, that was about twenty-five restaurants in the L.A. area alone. But neither one voiced the comment out loud. Annette kept talking.

“We’re marketed under Howard’s Honey Farms and Bakeries.”

“You have any competition from the other honey farms?” Decker asked.

Annette said, “Well, there are the bigger honey farms down near Lancaster…and up in Ventura. But here in Sagebrush, it’s just us and the Darcys now. They live ’bout two miles down the—”

“More cake, Mister Detective?” Darlene broke in. “You’re almost done.”

“Thank you, Darlene,” Decker said. “And some tea, if you don’t mind.”

“’Course,” Darlene said.

“The Darcys are good friends of yours?” Marge asked.

“No,” Darlene answered. “At least some of them aren’t.”

“Now, Darl—” Annette said.

“Let’s put it this way,” Darlene said. “Pappy Darcy is a fine man. But he’s had a lot of trouble from his children.”

Annette looked down. Darlene squeezed her lips together until they disappeared into white lines. A moment later, she blurted out, “Pappy D.’s son has a wife that is pure devil, and I don’t mean that lightly, I can tell you that.”

“In what way?” Marge asked.

Darlene went deep red. Decker saw it and asked, “How ’bout that tea, Darlene?”

Darlene nodded, her hands were shaking. “Right away.” She served them two frosted tumblers of tea. Decker drank his in six gulps.

“It sure is good tea, isn’t it, Detective Dunn?” Decker said. “What’s in here that makes it so special?”

“Honey,” Annette said.

“Well, I know there’s honey in it,” Decker said. “But there’s something else…ginger, maybe?”

“You’ve got a good palate, Mister Detective,” Darlene said. “We sell our tea, also.”

I bet you do, Decker thought. He said, “So you and Pappy Darcy are the only honey farms left, huh?”

“Only ’cause that greedy witch hasn’t had her way,” Darlene said. “She’s been trying to get Pappy D to sell out those builders.”

“Manfred?” Marge asked.

“Yeah,” Annette said. “Those are the ones.”

“They’ve been creating a lot of mischief around town,” Marge added.

“They’re building all over the place,” Decker said. “Making lots of people mad.”

“Well, I can tell you that Pappy H was fit to be tied when Pappy Willard sold out to them,” Annette said. “Pappy H and Pappy D tried to talk him out of it, even offered to buy up his land, but they couldn’t compete with the price that Manfred was offering them.”

“What are they planning to build on the land?” Decker asked.