Murder at the Flower Shop

by P. Thompson

  “Sure, I’ll lead the way and use the new plow on the truck when we get to where we need it. Just stay close.”

  So I followed Max home and we started a fresh fire in the fireplace. Ming was dancing around the kitchen till I got her food going and then made hot chocolates for Max and me. I put a little Butterscotch Schnapps in each cup and we settled down in front of the fire. The storm blew and the snow piled up knee high. The only good thing about it was no one wanted to come out in it to commit a crime.

  Max was up before me. I heard him start up his truck and pull out. I was thinking he must have got a call and headed to town, which would leave me stranded out here with no way to plow through the snow. By the time I had showered and put the coffee on, he was back.

  “Hey Babe,” he called as he came through the front door and removed his boots.

  “The sun is shining and I cleared the road to the highway. You can get out, but follow me just in case.”

  I gave him a big hug and kiss and thanked him. We made waffles together and ate at the kitchen counter, and then we were off to our respective jobs. The road was clean and clear all the way to the highway and from there the county had taken over.

  Chapter 9

  By the time I finished at the bar I was really wiped. Max had left earlier to do a few things before going home, so I was on my own. Being tired but still pumped from the day I decided to make a pass around all those who had had their lives disrupted. First I went by Anna's shop. There were lights on, but no one was inside. Guess she was playing it smart so all could see inside. From there I went to Dave and Ryan's shop. Again lights were streaming out the windows but no sign of anyone working inside. Now I headed back to the other side of town to Ms. Miller's flower shop. No lights were on and it was dark inside. That worried me some, but then not everyone wants a large electric bill. I parked across the street and sat with the engine running. No cars were around so the Miller's weren't working late, maybe no need for lights. Then I saw it, a flashlight was moving around the back counter. I grabbed my cell phone and called Cindy at the sheriff's office.

  “Cindy, I need an officer out here at Ms. Miller's shop ASAP. There's someone inside moving around with a flashlight.”

  “I'm on it,” she said and I could hear her sending a patrol car my way.

  “Cindy, tell him no sirens or this dude will be out the backdoor and gone. I'm going around back, so have backup come to the front.”

  “Got it!” Then I heard her tell Officer Austin Cross not to run his siren.

  I pulled my Glock out and checked to make sure the clip was full and then pulled the slide and headed to the back of the shop. The snow was deep back there and I could see footprints moving up to the back door. The door was a little ajar. I moved up closer and stayed close to the wall. I needed to wait till Austin got there to make a move, but my heart was pumping like crazy and it was cold as a coal miners backside out here. I heard the crunch of tires on the snow and was hoping it was Austin and not more bad guys. Show time!! There was a mop sitting outside the door and I grabbed the handle. Just as Austin tapped on the front door, a skinny guy came flying out the back door. I dropped the mop handle in front of him and he was eating snow!!

  “Don't move and put your hands on the top of your head.” He moved to run and I whipped the mop handle up and caught him under the chin. He flew back and was looking up at me and the 380 Glock in my hand. He raised his hands above his head as Austin slipped around the side of the building with a flashlight.

  “Got your man, I see,” Austin said.

  “More like a skinny white boy to be exact. Stand up and keep your hands where I can see them.” He placed his hands on the top of his head and moved a little shaky-like to stand. Austin called for another patrol car to come get him and I called Bo.

  “Bo, I caught a kid breaking into Ms. Miller's shop. Austin is here with me and he's called for another patrol car to take him in. Can you meet me in interrogation and take over? You are so much better at this than me.”

  “Let me pull on my boots and get a coat. Be right there,” he said.

  Next call was to Max. “Hey, hon, I'm going to be a bit late. Caught a perp in Ms. Miller's shop and Bo is going to interrogate him for me. Did you feed Ming?”

  “Now you know there would be no peace if Ming was not fed! Be careful driving. There are some slick spots on the way home. Love you.”

  “Love you, too. Don't wait up. I might be late depending on how this goes.”

  From there Austin and I went inside and checked for damage. There was a mess where he had pulled out drawers and opened cabinets. I called Ms. Miller at home and told her about the break in and that as far as I could see nothing was messed up but some drawers. Told her I would lock up so she could stay home out of the weather. She was happy to let me do that and said, “Thanks.”

  ~~~

  When I got to the interrogation room, Bo was already there with the perp. I looked at him and thought to myself, “This is a kid who’s maybe in high school. What the hell?”

  I listened for a bit and found Bo was getting nowhere. The kid wasn't even looking at Bo, but he sat there with such arrogance he made me want to march in and slap him up alongside of his head. Where were his parents? They should have been called and been here by now. I stepped out of the booth and found Manny Cortez in receiving. He was thumbing through a ski magazine. Hell, he could go skiing right here in town with weather like this.

  “Hey, Manny, has the kid’s parents been called in yet?”

  “He won't tell us anything. Not a word. Smart ass punk, they all think they have the right to do as they please. This one’s got a swastika tat on his arm. Thinks he's a bad MF. Sorry for the language. No disrespect.”

  “Okay, Manny, not a problem. Did he say anything at all when he was brought in?”

  “Not out here he didn't, just spat on the floor and looked all Billy Bad Ass. Good thing Bo hadn't got here yet. Spitting is one thing he doesn’t put up with.”

  “Better call Juvie and get them alerted. He looks to be about seventeen. Maybe a night sleeping on a cot over there will soften him up.”

  “He needs a night in jail with the rest of the punks. Juvie's too soft. At seventeen he should be put in with the older crowd so he gets a taste of the real life.”

  Bo came out about that time and shook his head. “I'm getting nowhere with this kid. Manny, call juvie and let’s get him put down somewhere beside here. I've got a photo of him and tomorrow I'll go by the school and see if someone there can put a name to the face.”

  We waited for the juvie guards to arrive and take control of his wiseass, and then we split for home. Long day and now it was past one o'clock in the morning. All I wanted to do was lay my head on my pillow and sleep. But it wasn't to be.

  Just as we hit the door to leave a call came in about a fire at the Lucky Kricket Restaurant. A place Max and I eat from time to time, and the owner is such a sweet man, Yan Lee. I looked at Bo and he said, “Come on. I have a feeling this is part of your 'hate crime' theory.”

  ~~~

  When we got there the place was in full blaze and the firemen were hard at it. We waited till the fire chief came over, and he said, “I can take one look at this and tell you it was arson. We haven't been able to get hold of Yan Lee. Can you see if he's at home and just not answering his phone?”

  “You don't think he was inside at this hour do you?”

  “I've been by here later than this and found him doing the day’s receipts at a table near the back. I'm just praying you find him sound asleep at home.”

  Bo and I left for Yan Lee's house. He lives in a neighborhood where other Asians live. They have a beautiful community with well-kept lawns, streets, and houses. I've never had to come to a call out there. The snow was starting to come down fast and furious. The storm was coming in and I was going to be stuck in town. Bo found the address, a lovely white cottage home. I bet in summer his place is full of flowers and birds sit in his trees, sin
ging.

  There was a light on the porch and another small one just inside the door. Oh shit, this doesn't look good at all. Bo looked at me and I could see he was thinking the same thing.

  Bo rang the doorbell and we stepped aside to wait. He rang again, but no footsteps came our way. Bo pounded on the door and yelled Police. Still nothing here, but the next door neighbor opened her door to look at us. Bo lifted his badge and called over, “Police. I need to find Mr. Lee.”

  The neighbor grabbed a coat and threw it over her shoulders. She started across the snowy lawn, sinking with every step almost up to her knees. She couldn't be more than four foot nine, if that. Bo and I met her halfway and in broken English she said that Mr. Lee was most likely still at the restaurant. Bo thanked and told her to get back inside.

  I was freezing as I didn't grab a coat when we got out, so we turned the heater up on high and sat there in the driveway realizing what this most likely meant.

  Chapter 10

  Bo and I rode back to the fire scene to find the fire chief. They were still battling flames from the back of the building, most likely the kitchen area. Bo found the fire chief walking around with a flashlight, hoping to find something to tell us how this all got started. I found nothing but wet and melting snow and lots of foot prints from the firefighters. Maybe in the light of day there might be something left to see, but right now it was too messed up.

  Bo came back and said, “The fire chief figured as much. Tomorrow fire investigators from Nashville will come help locate the cause of the fire. My best guess is Doc Simpson will be called upon to identify the remains of Yan Lee. Let’s go home; you're spending the night at mom's tonight. I don't want you driving back out to the country with all this snow on the roads. I called mom and she's got the guestroom ready for you. Plus, she's excited to have you there again.”

  “You called her at this hour? Are you nuts? I could have slept at the office. I have a change of clothes and a toothbrush in the Jeep.”

  “Mom doesn't go to bed till I'm home so she is always up till then. Besides, when I saw the fire I knew we were going to be up half the night and I gave her a call. When I’m fifty she'll still be waiting up for me. You can bet on that!”

  Bo and his mom are from Miami and from the Cuban community there. In Bedford County, there are mostly Mexicans. Bo’s mom cooks Cuban not Mexican dishes and they are to die for. I spent some time with her and Bo a while back and I think I gained five pounds. I don't eat breakfast, but you do with her. About now I could use one of her breakfasts.

  Bo took me back to get the Jeep and I checked in with Cindy. She wanted to know about the fire and I had to tell her there was a possibility that Yan Lee had been inside at the time. Everything seemed quiet so Bo and I left for his mom's house. On the way I called Max to fill him in on the fire as he might be part of the investigation. He was asleep on the couch with Ming on his chest. I told him I would be staying at Bo's place if he needed me for anything. He said good and went back to sleep, I'm sure.

  ~~~

  The morning brought sunshine and the reflection off the snow was my worst nightmare. No sleep but a lot of glare. Bo's mom, Maria, had food on the table, enough for us and the fire department. We ate and chatted while sucking down wonderful Cuban coffee. On the way to the office Bo wanted to cruise by the Lucky Kricket for a look. I got my snow boots on and followed him. Outside it was nothing but slush and mud. No one was here yet, so we had time to poke around a bit. The sun may be out, but the wind was cold and biting. We just got started for the building when a vehicle pulled up and honked its horn. Billy, doc Simpson's right-hand man and nurse, got out and walked over.

  “Hey, I was on my way in to help with Yan Lee's autopsy and I saw you guys. Awful what happened here last night. They found him bound and gagged, strapped to a chair near the buffet. The only thing that kept him from burning up was all the ice they keep under the food was still in the buffet. Nashville investigators are on their way I was told. They are going to want a full page report on old Yan Lee, ASAP.”

  “Thanks, Billy, for the info. Tell Doc I'll be around to see him later. I need to make a run by the hospital and check on everyone.”

  Billy left and Bo started digging around in the wet mess left behind from last night.

  “We'll never find a thing in all this that's on the outside. We'll have to wait for the investigator's report on what they find inside. I'm headed over to the high school with the picture of that kid to see if anyone can identify him.” With that he climbed into his truck and roared away, leaving me standing there to reflect on what had happened here.

  From there I went on to the hospital to check on Sophie and then Scott. When I got to Sophie's room the curtain was pulled and James was pacing outside. He looked like he had been sleeping in his clothes for the past 24 hours.

  “Hey, good morning. How is she doing?”

  “She's got a small brain bleed. They think they've got it taken care of. Loraine was here for a while, but she's gone in to work. Doctors are with her now, but it looks pretty good.” He looked down at his clothes and said, “I need to go home and shower and get a change. Do you know anyone that knows Sophie who will sit with her till I can get back?'

  I had to think a minute and remembered Ralph's wife, Trena. “Let me see if Trena is home this morning. I'm sure she would.”

  “Who is Trena? Sorry to ask, I just don't know very many of Sophie's friend.”

  “Trena is Ralph's wife and she sometimes work at The Table. I'll give her call and see if she can.”

  Trena came right away, even before I left, and James was on his way to a warm shower and fresh clothes. From there I went to Scott’s room where I found him dressed and ready to leave as soon as the doctor gave the okay.

  “Hey, Scott, looks like you're ready to get moving this morning. How's the shoulder doing?”

  “Much better, but sore as hell. I'm just glad to be able to leave today. My brother is on his way to get me. Hope I can talk him into giving me some help for the next 6 weeks.”

  “What kind of work does he do?” I asked.

  “He's a cabinet maker by trade, but can do most anything you want with wood.”

  “Good to know. Well, I had better be getting to the office. If you can get him to help, can you order another piece of glass for the door? Then maybe Loraine can see out again.”

  “I already did that yesterday as I was laying here doing nothing. Should be in next week and I'll get him to help even if he doesn't want to.”

  With that I left the hospital. I called Loraine and told her I was headed out to Ms. Miller's flower shop before coming in. I asked if there were any messages and she said Bo had called and found out who the kid was and would get with me later.

  ~~~

  Ms. Miller was hard at work behind the counter when I walked in and she waved for me to come join her. She poured a cup of tea in a flowered teacup and set out sugar and milk on the counter, all before I even got there.

  “Good morning, Detective Jordan. Help yourself to some pastries. Anna brought them over early this morning.”

  Well, that was a shocker. “I didn't know you two knew each other,” I said, adding sugar to the tea.

  “Oh, we didn't till all this came about. She's a nice lady and one hell of a good cook,” she said licking icing off her fingers and laughing.

  I tasted a cinnamon roll and shook my head yes. “Oh my, that is good!” I said and Ms. Miller began to laugh again.

  “I just came by to make sure nothing was missing from last night. The kid is at Juvie and I think Bo, my partner, has found out who he is. I'll be talking with him later today. So, was there anything missing that I can put in my report?”

  “No, just a mess where he searched through the drawers and all. Can't imagine what he was looking for because I don't leave any money here, not even a penny.”

  I pulled out a picture of the kid from my case, and asked, “Have you ever seen this kid around here before?”


  She looked and took her time before answering. “Well, he looks like that kid who does lawn work for that elderly couple about three houses down and across the street. I can't be sure because he's never been up here close enough for me to see his face well.”

  “Okay, that gives me a lead. I can ask that couple about him and see if they are one in the same. Thanks for all your help and the goodies, made my morning.”

  I walked down the block to where Ms. Miller had said he worked and rang the bell. An elderly black man came to the door and I held up my ID for him to see. He opened the door with a quizzical look on his face.

  “How may help you, detective?” he asked.

  I showed him the picture of the kid and asked, “Is this the young man who does your lawn work?”

  He took the picture and brought it close to his face and said, “For a while he work here, but I had to let him go.”

  “And why was that?' I asked

  “One day he took off his shirt and I saw the tattoo of a swastika on is arm. I fought for the freedom of people under that government so I can't be holding to such. I haven't seen him since summer and don't expect to see him at all this coming summer.” He handed me back the photo of the kid.

  “So why do you think he won't be back asking to mow your lawn when summer comes?”

  He patted is pocket and said, “Because I showed him what I carry right here.”

  I nodded my head to let him understand I knew what was in his pocket, got his name and his address and told him to have a good day. So it was the same kid, but what made him hit Ms. Miller's shop? She didn't show him a gun. I was about to walk away when the screen door opened and he said, “I think he tried to break in here about a month ago when I was at the VA. The car was gone, but my son had come to help my wife put up some shelves when he heard the back door being rattled. He said it was some white kid.”