by CeeCee James
I arrived to find the store was quite busy. I hated when that happened because it always took me a while to find parking. Finally I did and was running up the sidewalk to the business. I rushed through the door, feeling breathless and still somehow sticky despite my quick clothing change.
Polly was behind the counter with a long line of waiting customers. I waved to her and hurried to the back to drop off my purse.
As I walked past the kitchen goods, I overheard one lady laugh. “Great minds think alike.” The woman held the flower teapot. “I saw one just like this over at Good Will and didn’t pick it up. I was kicking myself for letting that treasure go!”
Her friend insisted, “You need to get it then! It was meant to be yours!”
Their exchange made me smile. Shopping at thrift stores was a lot like treasure hunting. I loved my job when it made people happy like this. I dropped my stuff off in the locker and headed back out.
Polly called me as I walked over to the linens to refold a table that had been scattered. “Look what came for you!”
She reached under the counter and pulled out the one thing I least wanted to see.
A bouquet of flowers. Daisies to be exact.
How was this even happening? Slowly, I walked over and accepted them. My hand trembled. There was a note tucked away inside. I pulled it out to read.
The note said, “Will see you soon. I’m not kidding.”
I grabbed the counter for support.
“Everything okay?” Polly asked.
I nodded. “Did you see who brought these in?”
“No. Actually, they were leaning against the front door when I arrived this morning. Everything was bananas, what with Pammy not coming in.”
“Okay, thank you,” I said, taking the flowers to the back room. At least there wasn’t a creepy chrysanthemum in the mix of them. And the joke about kidding, wasn’t that something AJ had said to me at the house? He couldn’t have left it, could he?
Heat crept into my cheeks. Terrific. I was going to have to ask him, wasn’t I?
My face went through a tug-of-war between rolling my eyes and wincing at the same time. Could there be a more embarrassing question to ask? He’d given no indication at the restaurant that it was more than two friends meeting. Why would he leave flowers?
Maybe it wasn’t really for me. Maybe someone had left them for Polly. Or even Pam.
I picked out one white flower and held it between two fingers with distaste. It appeared like it had been sawed from the plant with something dull and its end was frayed and uneven. Sticky sap clung to the stem. It felt full of evil intent, if that was even possible.
I couldn’t wipe my fingers fast enough. I pulled out my phone. It was time to make the call I dreaded.
AJ answered on the third ring. “Hey there, how’s Daisy doing?”
“She’s doing good.”
“So the milking is going well?”
I gave a self-deprecating laugh. “I’m not saying I’m good at it, but we’ve got a system.”
He laughed. “Terrific. Soon you’ll be making goat cheese.”
The thought of it put a terrible picture in my imagination. Shivering, I shrugged it away. “Probably not. Anyway, I actually have something I need to ask you. It’s incredibly awkward, but did you leave flowers at my work today?”
My question was met with silence. I cringed. Longer pause, more squirming. My eyebrows were practically sitting on the bridge of my nose from wincing so hard.
Finally, he answered. “Sorry, I didn’t. That would have been a good idea though. Some other secret admirer?”
“Oh, that’s hilarious.” I laughed, feeling anything but funny and desperately trying to think of a way out of the conversation.
His voice changed to serious. “Wait a minute. Was it one of those chrysanthemums?”
“No, not this time. Just some daisies.”
“Did you ever talk to the cops about the one you found at the park? In your backpack, wasn’t it?”
“Emma’s pack. Yeah, the cop thought he knew how it got there, but it turns out he was wrong.” Quickly, I explained the situation.
“You serious? You need to talk to the police right now. This could be connected.”
“Okay, I will. Just needed to rule you out first so you didn’t have the whole police force knocking on your door.”
He chuckled, and I cringed again, wishing I’d never called him. We hung up, and I fanned my face, trying to regroup.
Back to business. I remembered how Officer Orville had mentioned looking into the security footage around the park for clues to who had left the flower. Maybe I could do something like that around here.
After a quick check around the front door, and not seeing any security, I found Polly at the counter. The customers had dispersed and she was back to putting together her puzzle on the counter. But she wasn’t her usual perky self. She looked tired. Exhausted even.
“Hey, Polly. Do we have any cameras pointing at the door?”
“A camera?” Polly’s eyebrows slowly lifted above her cat-eye frames.
“You know, like a security camera. In case anyone wanted to break into this place.”
She sniffed and snapped a piece into her puzzle. “I know everyone in this town. I’d like to see someone try and break into here. And what would they steal, anyway? A bunch of used towels and plastic containers?”
“Right. Okay. Well, I’m thinking of asking one of our neighbors.”
“Whatever for, Chelsea?”
“I’d like to find out if anyone saw who left these flowers this morning. After what happened out at the farm,” I dropped my voice dramatically, “I’d rather not have any secret admirers.”
“Ohh.” Polly nodded firmly. “Good point. Well, possibly. We’re kind of all old school on this street. Why, George has been in business ever since my father was alive, and I don’t think he even has an idea on how to work a cell phone, let alone a security system.”
I frowned. On my lunch break, I’d ask around anyway.
A couple of hours later, I walked across the street to talk with George at the old hardware store. It was a quick conversation that ended with him yanking out a hidden shotgun from under his counter and stating, “This is all the security I need!” I shied away while the male customers at the counter laughed.
The next business one over was a yarn store. The woman who worked there looked confused as I babbled on about security cameras. Finally, she said they didn’t have anything like that, there. After all, who would want to steal yarn?
Discouraged, I walked over to the store across from us. This really was my last hope. The bell dinged as I entered. There was no one in sight.
“Hello?” I called.
Rustling came from behind an old desk. Out popped a woman with messy gray hair. “Hello yourself! How are you today?”
“I’m good.” I walked over, taking in the stacks of books and chairs. “I’ve never been in here before.”
“Well, I’m Genevieve, and I do bookkeeping for many of these businesses in Cedar Falls. Don’t get very much foot traffic.”
“Really?” I smiled, wondering why she had an office space if she didn’t expect customers.
“You probably wonder why I rent. I need to get out of the house or I just curve right down into myself. Probably end up growing mushrooms.” She grinned. It was infectious.
“I had a question. It’s a long shot, but do you have any security. You know, camera’s and such.”
“Why are you asking?”
“Well, I work across the street. You know, In For A Penny?”
“Absolutely. Love shopping there.” Genevieve pulled on her shirt collar. “Got this there just last week.”
“It’s a great place. Anyway, someone left something at the business, and I wanted to see if I could figure out who it was.”
“You’re in luck.” She gave me a firm nod.
“Really?” I asked in surprise.
“I ac
tually do have a security system. Needed it so no one would break in and try to steal my clients’ private information. I have the camera aimed right at the door.” Genevieve walked over with funny, lurching steps. It was then I saw a brace on her foot that ran under her pants. She glanced out the glass inset of the door and squinted. “I can just see the thrift store. Want to check and see if anything was caught on video?”
“Yes. Definitely!” I rubbed my hands together.
“All right, then.” She limped back behind the thick wooden counter. As I followed, my hand trailed against its surface. Black marks scarred the surface in a series of tiger stripes.
“Used to be in a butcher’s shop,” she said, explaining. “I rescued it from a fire sale and had it brought here. Suits my needs real well.”
With that, she heaved herself up on a stool with a soft grunt. It took her a minute to adjust her leg, and when she was done she looked slightly breathless. She leaned forward and pulled out a slim laptop from a shelf under the counter. “Let’s see what we’ve got.”
It took a minute for the computer to boot up, and while it did, I used the opportunity to study the room. For not selling anything, I was surprised by how much stuff was in there. Shelves braced themselves against one wall, overfilled with African masks, wooden sculptures and pottery. Another wall had a red painted bookshelf crowded with an assortment of books of all different sizes. One especially caught my eye. It was hardbound in brown leather with a spine as thick as my fist. Gold letters tread down the length. I squinted to read it.
“There we are,” she said, surprising me. I turned back to look.
She’d pulled up some surveillance site and was just finishing typing her password. As I watched, she hit enter. A spinning wheel reminded us it would take just a second and then the page was there.
It was a series of blank screens, each one blank. Underneath was itty bitty typing.
“Let’s see here,” she mumbled, pulling up reading glasses from a chain around her neck. She leaned in close to read. “Aha. This is it.”
She chose one and clicked the screen. It blossomed into a full display, and I could read the words underneath, which turned out to be today’s date.
“Well, well. What have we here?” Genevieve asked.
Chapter 18
Genevieve pressed a key and the screen became lighter. The video was in black-and white, with no volume. A public bus pulled into the scene. It chugged and jiggled as it stopped. Moments later a figure appeared around the end of the bus. He wore a dark sweatshirt with the hood pulled up. His face was concealed with a bouquet of daisies. The sight of them made me feel all shivery as I recognized them. He glanced across the street toward the camera, and it caught a quick unfocused glimpse of a pale face. Then he ducked his head down and jogged up the steps for In For A Penny and placed the flowers on the stoop. With his head still lowered and his hands jammed into the hoody’s pockets, he walked away with a speed that made it almost obvious he did not want to be caught.
I pushed away from the counter in disappointment. There was nothing about the man that I recognized or could even identify.
“Want me to run it again?” Genevieve asked.
“Yeah. Go ahead. But this time, can you pause when he turns his face in this direction?”
“I can try,” she said and stuck her tongue out in determination. We watched the video again, the edges speckled with black-and-white static. This time I had my cell out so that I could snap a picture.
She managed to pause the video, and I took a photo. I’m not sure what good it would do. If anything, the face appeared even more blurred when paused. The flowers in his hand sure didn’t seem sweet or innocent in any way. No. The whole thing was ominous.
“Well, that’s the best I’ve got,” she said, a little sorrowfully. I could tell she’d really wanted to be the one to break this case wide open with some good information. A smudgy video was lackluster at best.
“I really appreciate it,” I said, standing up. “I have to get back to work. If you see anything—”
“I’ll let you know right away!” she finished with a confident head bob as I waved goodbye.
I walked briskly to the thrift store while leaving Officer Orville another message. In as few words as possible, I filled him in on the flowers I’d received, along with the security footage across the street. I was disappointed he hadn’t gotten back to me yet, but I remembered he said his partner was out sick and he was extra busy.
The rush of earlier was gone and the store was empty when I returned. Polly looked exhausted.
“You okay?” I asked.
“It’s not often I’m here without Pammy.” She sighed. “She’s still in the bedroom with a washcloth over her head. I hope she’s better by morning.”
“You want me to come in tomorrow morning?”
She tapped her bottom lip thoughtfully. “Maybe. You wouldn’t mind?”
“No, not at all. Emma is with her dad. I just have to get the animals started and then I’m good to go.”
“That would be great!” she answered brightly. “We just received some clothing from another thrift store. Poor thing is closing her doors and parceled out what little she had remaining. Anyway, there’s a lot to sort through. You feel like getting it ready?”
“Sure. Is it in the back room?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
That worked for me. I still had another phone call I wanted to make. Somehow it had gotten pushed to the back burner. Probably the dread from my initial run-in with the bartender.
The boxes Polly was referring too were stacked near the back door. I opened the lid and poked into it as I called the restaurant again.
Some guy answered. “Hello. We’re still open and we have a new cook. How can I help you?”
That was funny, he answered almost exactly like they answered last time. This time I couldn’t resist. “What happened to the last cook?”
“He disappeared a couple weeks ago. What do you want?”
“Well, I recently called because I’m trying to reach a customer that comes in there frequently. I’m… her sister.”
“Oh, her sister, huh?” The voice was jaded. Geez, what kinds of people searched at these places anyway?
“Yes, I’m her sister, and unfortunately I have some very bad news about her boyfriend. Like I said, I’ve been doing everything I can to track her down.”
“Her boyfriend huh? What happened?”
I might as go all in. “He died.”
“What’s her name?”
I was surprised the voice hadn’t softened. My fingers crossed as I said, “Nikki Campbell.”
He snorted. “Nikki doesn’t have a boyfriend.”
“What do you mean? Of course she has, and he….”
“Split. Yeah, that was Harry. They broke up a while back. Harry was our cook, and he took off on us. Left us high and dry. Who are you again?”
Wait. Harry? “Her boyfriend’s name was Corey.”
“Oh, Corey. That was her roommate. He died?” There were three solid seconds of silence before he broke it with a soft curse. “Shame. He was a good boy.” He hung up. I stood there for a moment, so confused. If Harry was her boyfriend, then who was Corey? I pulled open the box of donations and started to remove the clothing for the washing machine. Every single one of them had a stapled price tag that had to be unfastened. Finally, I had a pile of paper tags and staples, a sore finger, and a load of laundry chugging in the machine. The rest of the day was a repeat of the same, along with a lot of ironing and folding.
I was exhausted when the day was finally over. It was with great disdain that I gathered the flowers from under the work table. I really wanted to toss them, but what if they were evidence?
After saying goodbye to Polly, and more promises to come in early the next day, I headed to the car.
It was a beautiful summer evening. The sunlight had settled over the tops of the buildings like a blanket of lava and the air was warm and
welcoming. Pedestrians filled the sidewalk, people who were off work and hurrying to get home like kids released for recess.
One man bumped me with his shoulder. Scowling, I whirled around, ready to give him a piece of my mind. He blended in with a group of women emerging from a boutique.
Rude. Rude. Rude.
I walked determinedly toward the car, daring someone else to run me over. Where were people’s manners anymore? I opened the back passenger door to drop the bouquet. My fingers tightly clenched around the thin stalks. I didn’t even want it in the car with me, where its scent could remind me it was there. I popped the trunk and dumped it in there.
This time when I arrived home, I made sure to slam the car door. I pounded up the porch steps where Jasper bayed on the other side of the door in greeting. Yes! That’s how I wanted it. Let me know you’ve been guarding things. No more spooky soundless entrances for me.
I unlocked the door and immediately, albeit unwillingly, joined in a dance with Jasper. We staggered together for a moment while he barked in excitement. I let him outside to do his business and dumped my keys and purse on the end table.
And then I stood there. There was no sense of relaxing. The reality of the chores dropped onto my shoulders and pulled me in a million directions. Milk the goat? Feed the animals? Get dinner? It was driving me nuts that Officer Orville still hadn’t gotten back to me. Was it going to continue to be like this until his partner was back? Orville had said he’d been alone on the case this entire time. What if I really had some clues for him?
The thoughts kept spinning. I headed up to my room, which was a disaster and only piled more chores on the to-do list.
I knew myself well enough to know what was going on. I was too distracted with the news from the phone calls to focus on any one thing. I needed to pick a task to help me think.
My gaze landed on the clothing on the floor. I scooped that up, piling it in my arms with the intent of making it downstairs to the washing machine, only to dump it at the entrance of the bathroom when I noticed the scummy condition of the shower.