poisoner revealed, thief still on the loose

We hurried through the gate, trying to stop it slamming behind us. We were going to miss the bus, and the film was starting in ten minutes. Stepping around the leads of our neighbour's dogs, we exchanged a quick hello with their owner. A neighbour we know by sight rather than name, she surprised us by calling out to us.

'Excuse me' she said, 'are you the ones with the plants?' My thoughts turned to our balcony and the recent conversation we'd had, wondering whether we were breaking some kind of unwritten flat rule, watering them so much the water dripped down onto neighbouring balconies. I confirmed that we were indeed the ones with the plants.

'I wanted to talk to you,' she said, while I prepared my apologies in my head in my best Polish.

'One day, I saw this bottle of water in the stairwell. I didn't know whose it was, but I poured some in the plant pot. I thought it was looking a bit dry... I meant well!'

I suddenly clicked and realised she was talking about those plants. She went on. 'I noticed it smelt funny, so I took it back to my flat to empty it out. When I poured it down the toilet, it got it ever so clean. I don't know what the chemicals were but they were strong.'

I looked at Marek and smiles crept across both our faces.

'We were sure someone really didn't like our plants and was determined to get rid of them,' Marek said.

'Well yes, that's what I thought you might think, after the stolen one, which is why I thought I'd better own up. I know nothing about the one that went missing, but I'm sorry about the one that died.'

'It's nothing,' I smiled, 'at least we know what happened now.'

'Yes, but who would leave such strong stuff just lying about?' she asked. 'A plant can be replaced, but what if a child had taken a sip? It could have been awful!'

I hope kids aren't silly enough to drink cloudy, foul smelling liquid, but if their mothers are happy to water plants with it, who knows?