| |
Wanda picked up Myrtle in the early afternoon for garden club. Myrtle was still grumbling about Miles. Wanda shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Mebbe he needs time.”
“I can’t imagine why. He’s retired. All he has is time. It’s all very irritating.”
But when they arrived at Tippy’s house for the garden club meeting, Myrtle managed to put Miles’s odd behavior behind her for the afternoon. Tippy, as usual, had gone all out. Her house was a picturesque white house with grand columns and a sprawling verandah dotted with rocking chairs. She had hanging baskets with vibrant flowers on the verandah, giving a splash of color against the white backdrop.
Tippy set up the meeting area under a large, shady magnolia. Either Tippy or someone who worked for her had set out folding chairs with floral cushions in two semi-circles facing a lectern where Ollie Spearman would speak. Most of the women were gathered around a long table with a crisp white tablecloth, which was adorned with small vases of fresh-cut flowers from Tippy’s garden. Refreshments, including pitchers of iced tea and lemonade and finger sandwiches and cookies, were laid out on the table.
Myrtle muttered to Wanda, “Trust Tippy to have picked the perfect day for an outdoor garden club meeting. I can’t imagine planning something like this for February. If I’d done that, it would have been sleeting or some such nonsense.”
“Yep,” agreed Wanda. She was eyeing the finger sandwiches hungrily. Myrtle wasn’t in the slightest bit hungry, but she knew Wanda well enough to realize she wouldn’t touch the food unless Myrtle was with her.
“Let’s eat,” said Myrtle. “I’m starving.”
Minutes later, Myrtle steered them to the seats, picked two, and sat down. If they milled around too much, Wanda would be pestered for fortunes from the garden club gaggle. They’d flutter around like a flock of over-dressed hens, clucking at Wanda as if she were a carnival sideshow. Everyone seemed to over-dress when Tippy was hosting. Myrtle looked at her plain pants and sweater with satisfaction. Wanda was dressed in similar garb.
“What’s up with this Ollie?” asked Wanda quietly.
“Well, I’m curious to hear him speak. Apparently, Teddy thought him too avant-garde for the town of Bradley. He’s supposed to talk about flower arranging. But the main reason I wanted to be here is to speak with him afterward. Teddy stole his girlfriend, then fired him. He can’t have been happy about that.”
“Mad enough to kill somebody?” asked Wanda.
“That’s what we need to find out.” Myrtle nibbled at her pimento cheese finger sandwich. She noticed Wanda had already finished a medley of chicken salad, egg salad, and tuna salad sandwiches. Fortunately, she had piled her plate, despite her lack of appetite. “My eyes were bigger than my stomach,” she said, loading Wanda’s plate surreptitiously with food.
Wanda gave her a knowing look, but happily took the food.
Tippy suddenly swooped down on them, playing the hostess. It was a role she was exceedingly good at. “Good to see you both here! Wanda, that color looks beautiful on you.”
Wanda looked down with surprise to see what she was wearing. It was a dark purple sweater. She gave Tippy a gap-toothed grin. “Thanks, Tippy.”
“Are y’all excited about the speaker?” asked Tippy.
Wanda nodded. Myrtle tilted her head to one side. “Is Ollie someone we should be excited about?”
Tippy frowned. “He has very impressive credentials, which I’ll be touching on when I introduce him.”
Myrtle raised her eyebrows. “Credentials? I didn’t really realize florists had them. They seem to be more for real estate agents, doctors, and stylists.”
“Well, they’re for florists, too. Ollie has his CFDA.”
Myrtle scowled at the acronym. She was never a fan of people using acronyms without explaining them first. It was all very annoying.
Tippy caught her look. “He’s a certified floral design associate. It’s from the National Career Certification Board. Not only that, but he completed an advanced program from the Floral Design Institute. Plus, he’s been published in several floral design magazines.”
“Mercy,” muttered Myrtle. “He certainly does have credentials.” She wondered why he’d chosen to live in a small town, which had little need for multiple florists.
“He does. But, as you know, he’s gone through a rather tough time lately. I thought he’d be the perfect person to speak at our February meeting. We’ll be a nice distraction for him.”
Myrtle said, “Yes, he’s had a rough time. What have you heard about him and Teddy?”
Tippy hesitated, her proper demeanor warring with her desire to share information. She glanced around, ensuring they were alone, then leaned in slightly. The temptation to be the source of coveted information, to hold court with the latest news, proved too strong for even her usual decorum. Her voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper, a hint of excitement gleaming in her eyes.
“Well, I normally don't indulge in idle gossip, you understand,” Tippy began, her tone suggesting she was about to do exactly that. “But given the circumstances, and since I know you’re trying to do a bit of sleuthing, I suppose it won’t do any harm. I understood from Ollie that he feels very guilty about not parting with Teddy on good terms. You just never know when a conversation with someone will end up being your last, do you? Something we should all keep in mind.” Tippy glanced over at the long table. “Excuse me, it looks like my refreshments might need refreshing.” She laughed at her turn of phrase. “See you later, ladies. Enjoy the speaker.”
A few minutes later, Tippy was introducing Ollie, repeating the acronyms, and generally giving a very obsequious introduction. The ladies applauded politely as a man in his mid-forties with a well-groomed salt-and-pepper beard stepped up to the lectern. Myrtle thought he looked a little tired. Tippy might be convinced garden club was just the distraction Ollie needed, but Myrtle wondered if the prep work for speaking might have been a little too much.
Ollie cleared his throat and seemed to consult some note cards. “Thanks so much for hosting me today. Thanks especially to Tippy.” He glanced around. “What a lovely yard you have. Just beautiful, even in February.” He cast his gaze around the yard. “Let’s see. I spot camellias, hellebores, winter jasmine, and pansies.” He gave Tippy a wry look. “I’m suddenly feeling like I need to spruce up my own yard.”
The ladies tittered at this. Ollie continued his talk, starting with “blooms and balance,” discussing the apparently delicate balance in floral arrangements where the colors, shapes, and textures must harmonize.
Myrtle might have grown just the tiniest bit sleepy when he moved onto “the language of petals” and the symbolism between different flowers. But Wanda was listening attentively when Ollie described daffodils as symbolizing new beginnings and forget-me-nots for memories. Ollie finished up his talk by saying, “Finally, I’d like to invite all of you to do one thing. You all clearly love flowers and nature. Go out in it. Do it every single day. I leave my house every morning at dawn, pull on my boots, and take a walk through the woods and out by the lake. I keep my muddy boots right outside the front door to make it easier for me. That’s my advice to you—make it easy to run out and enjoy nature. No matter what problems come up during my day, I know I’ve started it well and with serenity. Thank you.”
Then Ollie invited questions from the audience. The ladies seemed to be quite taken with him, and peppered him with questions involving budget-friendly arranging, the best tools to use, how best to transport arrangements without damaging them, and using unusual containers. Myrtle was antsy during this section of the talk. She had the feeling the garden club gaggle was just enjoying hearing their own voices. Or perhaps they were simply wanting to engage with the attractive Ollie.
Finally, things wrapped up, and the applause was very warm. Ollie gave a small bow and a smile and stepped away from the lectern. He was, of course, immediately surrounded by the ladies, who all appeared to have more questions.
“We might be here a while,” said Myrtle grimly.
“It’s okay,” said Wanda.
After about twenty minutes, the huddle around Ollie Spearman dissipated, and Myrtle and Wanda stepped up to talk. He smiled at them, fully expecting to be talking about flower arrangements or perhaps other floral topics. Myrtle introduced herself and Wanda, however, then jumped right into the topic at the forefront of her mind.
“We wanted to tell you how sorry we were about Teddy,” said Myrtle. “A friend of mine and I found him. Such a terrible tragedy.”
Ollie took a reflexive step back, as if wanting to disengage from them and their inconvenient interest in murder. “Yes. Yes, it was.”
“I understand that you might have left Blossom Serenade recently.” She paused, hoping he would fill in the blanks in his own words.
“That’s correct,” he said. He was giving Myrtle and Wanda somewhat leery looks, unsure where the conversation was heading.
Myrtle was making it up as she went along. But she thought she might have an approach that would work well with Ollie. “Actually, I was at Teddy's shop on assignment. I'm a reporter for the Bradley Bugle,” Myrtle explained, her tone casual yet professional. “It got me thinking that your new venture could make for an interesting story. Our readers would love to hear about a local entrepreneur like yourself.” She tilted her head, curiosity evident in her voice. “I'm not entirely clear on your current setup though. Have you opened a physical storefront, or are you operating from home?”
It had clearly been the right approach. Ollie brightened as soon as Myrtle mentioned the newspaper. Promo was always helpful for new businesses. “I don’t have a physical storefront right now, no. But I’m working on finding a place.”
Wanda drawled, “Seems like a place jest opened up.”
Ollie gave her a curious look. “Well, that’s certainly true. Although I’m not sure I’d want to move to the Blossoms and Serenade building. It’s full of a lot of memories, you know. Maybe it would be good to start a new place from scratch.”
“That makes sense,” said Myrtle. “Word on the street is that you and Teddy didn’t part under the most amicable terms. Working in a place with such negative memories wouldn’t be the right way to move forward.”
Ollie looked taken aback. “Oh, I don’t know that I’d say our parting wasn’t amicable. Business relationships, like any others, go through their ups and downs.” He frowned. “Is this off-the-record?”
“Naturally. I’ll take out my notepad if I’m jotting down quotes. My memory is excellent, but it’s not that good.”
“Okay,” said Ollie. “It’s true that I left Blossom Serenade before I probably should have. I didn’t have anything else lined up. I didn’t have a plan or a place to do my business. I didn’t even have any flowers,” he said ruefully.
Myrtle said, “Did Teddy let you go?” Because that’s what people had been saying.
“Absolutely not. I quit the shop voluntarily. Teddy and I had creative differences. I wanted exciting new arrangements, something that brought real artistry into the process. Teddy was more pedestrian, wanting to just make something small. Something commercial that would sell right away to some guy who just needed a bouquet to tell his wife he was sorry for not putting his dishes in the dishwasher for the millionth time.”
Wanda looked doubtful. Myrtle silently agreed with her. She didn’t believe Ollie was telling the truth. “I see,” said Myrtle. “I understood there was also friction because Teddy was dating someone who’d been your girlfriend.”
An undefinable look flashed over Ollie’s features for a moment. A mix of sadness and anger, perhaps? It was gone before Myrtle could properly analyze it. Then he said in an admiring tone, “You are a good reporter, aren’t you? But you’ve gotten the wrong end of the stick for that one. Linda and I parted amicably, then Teddy asked if he might invite her out to dinner.” He shrugged. “It wasn’t the big, romantic drama that the town of Bradley hoped it might be.”
Ollie frowned and added slowly, “But if the town of Bradley thinks that’s what happened, and they think I’m a murderer, I really do need to have a nice feature in the paper, don’t I?”
“I think a feature on you and your business would show the town you’re not hiding anything. That you’re utterly trustworthy. And it would help if we had some stunning pictures of your arrangements. And perhaps a nice photo of you looking completely innocuous.”
Ollie nodded eagerly. “Let’s do that. I originally was thinking the article should come out as soon as possible, but it would be better if we had good pictures. Could you come to my place another day for the photos of arrangements?”
“Of course.” Myrtle paused. “Although it might be nice to take a picture of you today. The weather is beautiful, Tippy’s garden is lovely, and you’re all dressed up for your speaking engagement.”
“Good point.” Ollie started looking around him through narrowed eyes, trying to determine a location with good light. “How about over there?”
Myrtle and Wanda followed him over to a tall, blooming camellia bush. While he posed, looking awkward, Myrtle carefully took pictures of him with her cell phone. She was a competent photographer, although not very confident in her abilities with the medium. Which would explain why she snapped photos for the next five minutes.
Finally, she decided she must have a good picture in the bunch. “I’m sure one of these will work well. I’ll call you later on to set up a date to take photos of your flowers.”
“Perfect.” Ollie looked a little worried. “I’m still concerned about the public’s reaction to Teddy’s death and how it might affect my business. I know that sounds petty.”
“That’s a completely valid concern. I believe this profile on you will have the desired effect.”
Ollie nodded. “This whole thing is sad in so many ways. I know I said Teddy created pedestrian arrangements, but he was extremely talented. He just didn’t care to showcase that talent. But he always seemed to know exactly what a customer was looking for. Teddy was very intuitive as a florist. I’m just sorry that we didn’t part on the best of terms. Now we don’t have the opportunity to bridge our differences and be friends again. That was stolen from us.”
“You was friends,” croaked Wanda.
Ollie looked at her with surprise, as if he’d forgotten she was there. “That’s right. We spent countless late nights at Blossom Serenade. We’d argue about designs, sip lukewarm coffee, and rearrange vases. I’m really struggling to grasp the fact he’s gone forever.”
Myrtle said, “You spent a lot of time with Teddy, so you must have known a lot about what was going on in his life. Who do you think might have done this to him?”
Ollie shrugged helplessly again. “I’d feel like I’d be throwing someone under the bus by saying anything.”
“This is still off-the-record.”
“Well, I don't like to speak ill of anyone, but since you're asking... Teddy had his share of conflicts. His sister Zoey, for instance—she's quite a handful. Always showing up unannounced, demanding money. Teddy was at his wit's end with her. The last time I saw her, I overheard them having a terrible row. Something about her 'ruining everything' again. Zoey treated Teddy as if he were her last lifeline. He'd been bailing her out for years, but lately, he'd started refusing. Said he couldn't enable her anymore. Zoey didn't take it well. She threatened to sell some old family heirlooms if Teddy didn't help her. It was getting ugly.”
Myrtle asked, “Did she? Sell the heirlooms, I mean?”
“Zoey sure did. Teddy wasn’t too happy about that, but what could he do?”
Ollie paused, as if reluctant to continue, but feeling compelled to do so.
“And then there's Nat Drake, the developer. He and Teddy were constantly butting heads over that land deal.”
Myrtle nodded. “The salamander.”
“Teddy was determined to save the salamander. But that wasn’t the only issue. You know that development was going to be abutting Teddy’s property. He was dead set against it, saying it would destroy the town's character. Nat didn't take kindly to the opposition. Nat looked furious, told Teddy he'd 'regret getting in his way.’”
Myrtle and Wanda glanced at each other. Myrtle said, “Do you think Nat did something about it?”
Ollie shrugged. “It’s not like Teddy’s death meant the development could move forward. The endangered animal is still in that stream. But Nat might have murdered Teddy out of revenge.” He shook his head sadly. “It's awful to think about, really. Teddy had his flaws, but he didn't deserve this. I just hope they find out who did it soon.”
Myrtle affected an innocent, merely nosy-old-lady expression. “Were Teddy and Linda happy together?”
“Teddy had actually broken things off with Linda a few weeks ago.”
Myrtle opened her eyes wide. “Mercy. Do you think Linda could possibly have been involved? That she might have been upset at Teddy and acted out?”
Ollie immediately shook his head. “No, no, that wouldn’t have been like Linda at all. She was always a very rational person. I mean, she owns her own business, so she can’t be the kind of person to fly off the handle. Besides, she and Teddy weren’t meant for each other. Their personalities were very different. I’m sure Linda sensed that. I can’t imagine Linda being devastated when her relationship with Teddy ended.”
“Teddy and Linda didn’t get along well?” asked Myrtle.
Ollie rubbed his forehead as if it were hurting. “Well, it seemed to me like they argued over just about everything. They were very different people in many ways. Teddy was more inclined to quiet evenings at home. Linda was a lot more outgoing and wanted them to hang out with friends. I mean, these were just silly, minor differences, but they tended to blow up into really big issues.”
“So they just weren’t very compatible.”
“Bingo,” said Ollie. “They’d argue over dumb things, too. Foods they liked, movie choices, even the type of coffee they’d drink. But you know, these little disagreements really rankled them. I think it was because they were such different people. Linda wanted to have these open conversations about any problems they had, while Teddy was more reserved and didn’t want to hash over relationship stuff.”
“It sounds like the two of them weren’t particularly suited to one another,” said Myrtle. “Although they do say opposites attract.”
Ollie was quiet for a moment. “Linda and I were actually a lot more compatible. We had a good deal in common, including our backgrounds. We were both from modest backgrounds, the first in our families to go to college. We liked a lot of the same things. When we had our amicable breakup I mentioned before, I always felt we would end up back together again. That maybe we just needed a break.”
Myrtle said, “Oh, isn’t that nice? How lovely that the two of you might be a couple again.”
Ollie gave her a wry look. “Well, it’s not a done deal yet. I’ve been trying to reach out to Linda, but I think she’s been busy. I wanted to tell her I was sorry about Teddy, of course. But I also wanted to invite her to a concert that’s being held at the community center soon. Something I thought we might both enjoy.”
“I hope it works out,” said Myrtle.
As Myrtle was about to continue her probing, a familiar voice suddenly cut through the air, causing her to stiffen. Those saccharine, affected tones could only belong to one person.
“Now, Myrtle! You and Wanda shouldn't monopolize poor Ollie's time,” Erma Sherman cooed from behind them, her words dripping with false sweetness. Myrtle had never heard Erma coo and hoped never to again. “I've been simply dying to ask him about my yard.”
Myrtle turned, barely suppressing a grimace. Erma stood there, beaming with self-importance, a stack of photographs clutched in her grubby hands.
At first, Ollie's face registered relief at the interruption, clearly grateful for a reprieve from Myrtle's relentless questioning about the murder. However, his expression quickly transformed as Erma launched into a detailed account of her landscaping woes, thrusting photo after photo of her ravaged garden under his nose.
Ollie's initial polite interest gave way to barely concealed horror. His eyes widened, and he recoiled slightly as he flipped through the images, each one seemingly worse than the last. It was as if he were watching a particularly gruesome scene in a horror film, unable to look away from the botanical carnage Erma had wrought.