He nodded and continued, “When I confronted her and said I would divorce her and protect you, she pushed me over the railing.”
I covered my mouth while he explained that he had struck rocks and lost consciousness, and that a retired fishing couple named Walter and Judith Hayes had found him and taken him in.
He told me he had suffered memory loss for nearly two years and worked with them on their small fishing boat until one day he saw a yacht that triggered his memory and brought everything back.
“Vanessa is still trying to harm you,” he said firmly, “and we need proof.”
He handed me a small glass vial and said, “Take a sample of that tea she gives you and pretend to drink it.”
I returned home feeling as if every hallway in my house concealed a trap, and Vanessa greeted me with a cheerful question about my meeting.
That night she brought me chamomile tea again, and I smiled and said, “Thank you, sweetheart,” while excusing myself to fetch my reading glasses.
In the kitchen I poured a small amount of the tea into the vial and then emptied the rest down the sink with the water running loudly.