It was almost midnight when Deena dropped me off at Flower House. Stifling a yawn, she promised to come back the next day to help with flower orders. Given the late hour, I told her to feel free to sleep in.
Oak Street was blessedly quiet. The way things had been going, I always half expected to see the red and blue flashing lights of emergency vehicles on the street. Tonight, however, the block was as peaceful as a graveyard. Even the rain had diminished to a light sprinkle.
I let myself in the front door and took off my damp shoes. I had texted Calvin from Deena’s car, to let him know I’d be arriving soon. He had said to come on up to his apartment. I padded down the hallway and found the door to the upstairs standing ajar. At the top of the stairs was a small landing and another door, also standing open. I tapped on it anyway before stepping inside.
“Hello?” I called quietly.
“Hey,” said Calvin, giving a start. He was sitting in a brown recliner, with Gus on his lap. I gathered that they’d both been dozing. Gus hopped down and ran over to jump on my legs and lick my hands.
“Hey, buddy,” I said, petting the top of Gus’s head. Glancing around the apartment, I was struck with how bare it looked, with minimal furnishings and no decorations. I’d seen hotel rooms that looked homier than this. I started to tease Calvin for living like a Spartan, but I stopped myself. I was the one who kept telling him this arrangement was probably temporary.
He stood up and raked his fingers through his messy hair. “How was ‘girls’ night out’?” he asked, which reminded me that was what I’d told him.
“It was, uh, fun. I didn’t expect to be gone so long. I’m really sorry it’s so late.”
“That’s okay. It’s been a stressful week. You deserve a night out.”
Standing near Calvin, with Gus sniffing my legs and feet, I felt a faint rush of wooziness. I was sure it was just nerves and tiredness. But something about Calvin’s proximity, and the way he was looking at me, took me off guard. In that moment, he somehow seemed taller and more masculine; more relaxed and less awkward than I’d ever seen him. We locked eyes and, for a split second, something seemed to pass between us.
I looked away and took a deep breath. “Thanks,” I said, reaching for Gus’s leash, which was coiled on a stool by the door.
“Let me guess,” said Calvin, putting on a crooked smile. “Did you go to an art opening? Or was it a poetry reading?”
“Huh?” His comment seemed out of the blue, until I realized he was referring to my attire: black skinny jeans and a turtleneck sweater. “Oh. Not quite.” Casting for a change of subject, I asked him how the flower deliveries went.
“No problems,” he said. “I found all the addresses and was able to deliver all the flowers in person. I even chatted with some of the customers. Folks in Aerieville are so friendly.”
“Yeah, they do like to talk. Did they try to pump you for gossip?”
“Just a little. I could tell people really like Felix. Everyone seemed to agree he’s kind of eccentric but really knowledgeable about orchids and other plants.”
Felix. Of course. Calvin’s favorite subject. It figured that that’s what Calvin would wind up talking about.
“It’s funny,” Calvin continued. “Everyone I spoke with said they never knew Felix to travel anyplace. They said he never even talked about traveling. All he talked about was flowers, fishing, and geocache hunting.”
“That sounds about right,” I said, as I tried to attach Gus’s leash to his collar. He wouldn’t hold still, making it impossible to find the metal ring.
“Of course, it makes sense for him to hunt farther afield, like if he already found all the hidden caches in this area. But how far could he have gone?”
Gus pulled away from me and jumped up onto Calvin’s recliner. I sighed. “Look, I know you’re disappointed Felix left, after he said you could live here. But I honestly don’t know where he is.”
Calvin twisted the hem of his untucked shirt. “It’s not just that. I was looking forward to meeting him so we could talk shop. We met online on this forum for, um, all things botany. He seemed like an expert on rare plants. I thought I might learn a thing or two from him.”
I walked over to Gus and scratched his head and neck, lulling him into complacency. Then I deftly found the ring on his collar and attached the leash. “Gotcha,” I said.
Calvin chuckled, and I looked up at him with a grin. The guy really had been a big help over the past few days. A huge help. I knew I ought to do something nice for him.
“Calvin, you’re welcome to look through the books in Felix’s office downstairs.”
“Cool. Thanks.”
“And, I suppose I ought to check on things at his cabin. He has lots of books there too. If you’d like, you can come along.”
“Awesome! I’d like that.”
“I don’t think there will be time tomorrow, but we can drive out there on Saturday morning.”
Calvin clapped his hands together, like a kid at a birthday party. “It’s a date! I mean, not a date. An appointment. A plan. You know what I mean.”
And gawky Calvin was back.
I tried to sleep in on Friday morning, but I had way too much on my mind. The strange dreams didn’t help—especially the last one, in which I was sharing a bed with Calvin. Or was it Calvin? Maybe it was my cheating ex-boyfriend, Josh, who only looked like Calvin in the dream. Either way, I woke up feeling confused and slightly embarrassed.
To shake off the cobwebs, I threw on a jacket and took Gus for a brisk sunrise walk around the block. My sleepy neighborhood consisted mainly of other small homes, housing a mix of childless young couples and widowed senior citizens. Another dog walker, one of the latter, tipped his hat at me from across the street. Our dogs barked their greetings.
Back home, I started my coffeepot and hopped in the shower. A vague sense of guilt was starting to set in, becoming hard to ignore. After last night, I now knew things I wasn’t supposed to know—and I had no good way of explaining how I knew them. What was I going to do?
I got out of the shower and toweled off, then stared at my reflection in the mirror. I looked paler than usual, my brown eyes big and dark … like some kind of sickly Victorian maiden. Laughing at myself, I combed my hair. That was another thing. My bangs had grown to an annoying length—long enough to fall in my eyes, but too short to pull back. At least that was one problem I could fix. I found a pair of scissors and gave myself a trim, catching the clippings in a towel draped over the sink. I’d shake it out later.
That done, I applied a bit of makeup in an attempt to bring some color to my face. Then I dressed in blue jeans and a rainbow T-shirt.
“It’s called ‘fake it ’til you make it,’” I said to Gus, who was lying in the center of my bed. “Or is it ‘dress for the part you want’? Either way, sometimes you gotta start with the external if you want to change your internal state.” At the moment, my internal state was verging on anxious and worried. “I’d rather be calm and happy, so that’s what I’ll project.”
For added oomph, I dipped into my collection of essential oils, which I kept in a carved wooden box on my vanity. I perused the little bottles, then selected a “tranquility” blend. I unscrewed the bottle and took a deep inhale. Ahhh.
I was feeling better already when I went into the kitchen for breakfast. Making a concerted effort not to rush, I ate my banana-topped cereal and sipped my coffee. I am calm and collected. I am filled with joy and peace.
I cleaned up my breakfast dishes and was pulling on my boots when my cell phone rang. It was Byron. Just seeing his name made my calmness level slip a few notches.
“Hello, Mr. Atterly,” I said.
“Sierra. Good morning. I know it’s early, but I wanted to let you know as soon as possible.”
My mind raced with possibilities, each one worse than the last. The insurance company denied our claim; he was retiring; there had been another break-in …
“I received a visit yesterday evening from Bill Morrison. He and his wife would like to buy Flower House.”
I dropped into the nearest chair and slumped my shoulders. “Really?”
“Yes. They want the building, the property, and all appurtenances. Everything. And they made quite a decent offer. I need to run the numbers, but I believe you would still make a nice little profit even after all debts are paid. We can simply transfer title to you, per Felix’s instructions, and then transfer it, in turn, to the Morrisons. Shall I start drawing up the paperwork?”
“Um. Can I get back to you?”
There was a pause at the end of the line, then Byron cleared his throat. “Of course. Think it over. Talk to your parents. I’ll check in with you later.”
“Thanks, Mr. Atterly.”
And just like that, my anxiety was right back where it started. Sensing my change in mood, Gus placed his paws on my knees and tried to cheer me up with his avid attention. I couldn’t help but smile.
“You’re right, Augustus,” I said, sitting up straight and patting his head. “Let’s try this again.”
I am calm and collected. I feel peace and joy. It’s going to be a great day.
Gus and I arrived at Flower House just a few minutes past opening time. Not that it mattered. It wasn’t like customers were beating down the door.
I didn’t expect Calvin to be up yet, so I was surprised to find him ensconced in the office, surrounded by piles of books and papers.
“Hello,” I said, corralling Gus on a doorknob in the hallway. “Is it just me, or are you making a bigger mess than the intruder did?”
“I’m organizing the books by subject and size first, and then alphabetically in each category. And don’t worry. I don’t need any help. I can do it all by my shelf.”
“Great,” I said half-heartedly, stepping over a pile of books to get to the desk. “I need to check for online orders.”
“Too early for humor?” he asked.
“Sorry.” I sat down and turned on the computer. “I’m just a little distracted. Someone offered to buy Flower House.”
“Whoa! Really? Think they’ll let me stay? Maybe if you and I sign a long-term lease, they’ll have to let me stay.”
“I didn’t say I was accepting the offer. There are some things I need to figure out. It’s complicated.”
“Yeah, sure. Okay.” Calvin returned to his sorting, wisely perceiving that I didn’t want to talk.
I pulled up the Flower House website and printed out the recent orders—five in all. Then I moved to the kitchen to get to work. Gus followed me with his eyes, before reclining in the hallway. He made sure to pick a spot where he could keep an eye on both me and Calvin.
I started out on automatic pilot. My body went through the motions of gathering supplies and prepping flowers, while my mind wandered to the night before. The biggest bombshell, as far as I was concerned, was the revelation that Richard had something going on with Abe. Of course, it might have been innocent. Perhaps, as Deena wanted to believe, Richard had borrowed money from Abe, and Abe was pressing him to pay it back. But I suspected it was more than that. To me, it sounded like Abe was holding something over Richard, maybe even blackmailing him for some reason. In a way, it didn’t really matter. Whatever was going on, the fact remained that Richard had lied. And, worse, it appeared he could have a motive for murder.
I arranged salal greenery in a vase, forming a base for a bunch of fluffy pink peonies and blush ranunculus. As I fed the stems into place, one by one, I tried to look on the bright side. The police undoubtedly already knew about the email exchange between Abe and Richard. Since Richard hadn’t been arrested, maybe the messages were no big deal after all.
On the other hand, for all I knew, the cops might still be watching him. Maybe they were in the process of obtaining a search warrant, or gathering evidence, or doing whatever it is police professionals do. As Chief Walden keeps telling me, he supposedly knows what he’s doing.
“Who knows?” I muttered to myself. “Maybe they’ll actually wrap up this investigation sooner rather than later. That would be a good thing.”
Only I didn’t feel at all good about it. I liked Richard. And I felt crummy for even imagining him as the culprit. Plus, I still had a ton of outstanding questions. Like, why did someone keep trashing Flower House? And why was a product containing strychnine planted in the shed out back? Was it meant to cast suspicion on Felix? Or on me?
I put the finishing touches on the peony bouquet, poking in sprigs of sweet pea for an extra-romantic effect. Then I stashed it in the cooler and began the next arrangement: a basket of chrysanthemums, asters, and lilies. For this one, I needed to make a base of chicken wire to fit in the bottom of the basket. As I worked, my thoughts again ran their own course, landing on the other big discovery yesterday: Bill and Flo’s theme restaurant idea. Ugh.
Of course, poor taste hardly made them murderers, but I wasn’t ready to rule them out. They’d started acting weird, all sneaky and secretive and opportunistic, the morning after Abe died. Did that mean he had been blocking their plans? More likely, from what I’d learned about Abe, he was probably demanding a bribe. Maybe he wanted a stake in their business.
Hillbilly Hootenanny. Of all things. The Morrisons must believe there’s money to be made in the venture. Abe was evidently in their way … and now he’s gone. Flower House is in their way … and now Felix is gone, and we’re having one calamity after another. With Bill and Flo right next door, it wouldn’t take much for them to pop over here under cover of darkness. One of them could stand guard while the other wreaked havoc.
I finished the flower basket, then peeled off my gloves and washed my hands. Before starting on the next order, I checked my phone. It was almost eleven and still no word from Deena. I’d told her to sleep in, but I didn’t really expect her to be this late. I could have used her help. I was debating whether I should text her when there was a sharp rap on the back door. I jumped and Gus yipped.
With the boards over the window, I couldn’t see who it was, but since Deena had just crossed my mind, I figured it was probably her. I unlocked the door and pulled it open to reveal … Richard.
“Whew!” he said, examining the lock on the door. “I’m glad to see my handiwork is still intact. When I heard about the second break-in here, I was worried they’d busted right through the lock again. I don’t want you thinking I do shoddy work!”
“Um, of course not. They broke the window this time, as you can see.” I was so taken off guard by Richard’s sudden appearance, I had to bite my lip to keep from babbling.
He came inside and looked around, his eyes sweeping the room. He had a habit of doing that, I realized. What was he looking for?
He walked past me and out to the hallway, where he leaned down to pet Gus. “Hey, little guy. Have you been falling asleep on the job? Neglecting your watch-dog duties?”
“He wasn’t here when the break-in happened,” I said, moving to the doorway. “It must’ve been sometime between five and eight thirty on Wednesday evening.” I wanted to ask Richard where he was during that time, but I didn’t have the nerve.
“I ran into Deena at the coffee shop this morning,” he said. “She told me everything.”
“She what?” If I had been drinking, I would’ve done a spit take. Surely, Deena wouldn’t have told Richard about what we did last night.
“It was a pretty big mess, huh? Lots of damage?”
I let out a breath of relief. Of course, Deena didn’t say anything about last night. I never doubted her for a minute.… Not much anyway.
Richard poked his head in the office and raised an eyebrow. “Wow.”
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” said Calvin.
Gus was sniffing Richard’s legs, probably hoping for more attention. I gently pulled him back. “So, uh, did Deena say anything else?”
Now Richard directed his raised eyebrow at me. “Why? Is there something else to tell?”
“No! I just mean … I wonder what she’s up to this morning. She’s been helping me out, and I thought she’d be in by now.”
Richard shrugged. “She was getting her coffee to go. Maybe she had shopping to do.”
Calvin came out of the office and handed me a piece of paper. “Another order popped up on the computer, so I printed it out for you.”
“Thanks.” I looked at the paper, then handed it back to him. “This is for Mother’s Day. Can you just put it on the desk, please?”
Richard took a few steps up the hall and peeked in the orchid room. “Do you need help with any repairs?”
“Well, I need new glass for the window in the back door.”
He pulled a tape measure from his pocket and came back toward the kitchen. “I can get that for you.”
Just then, the front door jingled and Gus let out a bark of warning. Or of welcome. It was hard to tell. Calvin was still standing in the hallway, so he said he’d greet the customer. As Richard and I turned our attention to the back door, we could hear Calvin calling out, “Good morning!” A second later, we heard him say, “Oh, hello, Officer. How can I help you?”
Richard snapped to attention and retracted his tape measure with the press of a button. “Look at the time,” he said, without looking at a watch, clock, or phone. “I have to get back to work. I’ll come back later.”
With that, he dashed out the door and was gone.