by Vikki Walton
Peony again. Of course, lots of people loved peonies. But who had taken the ones from Billie’s house?
Billie had wanted Anne’s help with a mystery. Maybe even advice on how to confront someone. Had the knowledge led to her death?
“Hello!” The man from the garden group waved and joined them as they all made their way to the Whitmans’. “Hi, I’m Tom. I’m on the board of the garden club.”
“Yes. I remember you. Nice seeing you again.” Anne smiled.
There was no way Anne could speak to Jennifer with so many people around, so she’d see about coming up with an excuse to visit her later. As the group gathered and enjoyed the catered appetizers and drinks, Anne mingled in the crowd, receiving accolades over the new garden renovation. Finally, Ben clinked his glass, and Anne noted that a large boulder sat on a carrier with wheels. He’d removed his jacket, and with help from James, set the engraved boulder in place. Billie’s family joined him as flutes of champagne were passed to all the other guests.
“To Billie.” He raised his glass, and everyone chimed in before drinking.
As the crowd dispersed after saying their condolences to Ben and Billie’s family, Anne read the quote etched in the stone.
Not just the lovely budding of spring, the warmth of summer blossoms, the harvest of fall, but even as winter approaches, the gardener is grateful to have partaken of every season and while battling with winter’s barren view, dreams of what is yet to break forth.
Mercy joined Anne. “Billie wrote those words down in her journal. I can’t recall the poet or author. I picked it up when I was gathering the garden club items. I told Ben about it, and he told me to keep the journal, that Billie would have wanted me to have it. I found that quote inside that she’d written, and he agreed it should be part of the garden.” She pushed sunglasses onto her nose. “I’m leaving now, I just wanted to tell you thank you for everything.”
Mercy retreated swiftly across the yard, stopping a few times to say goodbye to others in the club but not before Kim caught up to her. Anne watched as the pair became animated.
“Oh, no.”
Mercy continued to shake her head no while Kim pleaded with her, even grabbing Mercy’s arm. After Mercy wrestled it away, Kim stood in what appeared to be a daze. After she came back to herself, she went to find Ben to say goodbye. Whatever had transpired between the two women, Kim was not getting what she wanted.
Kandi and Anne dropped Hope at her shop before heading home. Anne went over and checked in at the Brandywine Inn, as the manager had taken off for the afternoon. All was well with the guests, all out and about exploring Carolan Spring’s main street or off hiking around the lake.
At home, Anne found the items she needed for dinner and was working on prep by the time Kandi and Aly showed up. As she worked, Aly paced up and down the floor like a caged animal. What was she planning to reveal to them that was causing so much angst?
Hope arrived, and Anne advised Kandi to keep the conversation at dinner light-hearted, to allow Aly to take her time. They chatted about books they were reading, Kandi shared about some new recipes, and Hope regaled them with some funny stories about a stray cat that had found its way into the shop. The table cleared, Anne set out a lemon curd cake and poured coffee for the group.
Hope patted her stomach. “That was delicious. Thanks, Anne. I loved that cake. It was light and airy, but that lemon curd took it over the top. I may need to jog extra miles after that.”
Anne finally decided the time had come. “Aly, Kandi says you’ve been unhappy. If there’s something you need to say, I can let you know that you’re safe here. Even if you feel guilty—”
Her face bore a shocked expression. “Guilty? Why would I feel guilty? If anything, he should be the one who feels guilty.”
“It takes two to have an affair,” Anne responded. “Unless Ben—”
“Affair? What are you talking about? Ben is my father!”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Your father!” they chimed.
The dam broke, and tears spilled from Aly’s eyes. Hope had come around to sit in the chair next to her, and no one said anything while the young woman wept. Anne retrieved a box of tissues and a wet washcloth for her face. Aly accepted the items with a tight smile and a polite, “Thank you.”
Kandi, who had a tender heart, had teared up in unison with Aly. She wiped her face with tissues and reached over and squeezed Aly’s hand.
“We’re here for you. You don’t need to explain or say anything to us. We’ve been, like, led to believe something that isn’t true. I’m sorry. We all are.”
She glanced over at Anne, who nodded agreement.
“Yes, I apologize. I really got the wrong idea here, and I shouldn’t have made that type of judgement. I was wrong, and I hope you’ll forgive me.”
Anne cradled her coffee cup and waited for Aly to reply.
“It’s okay. But, like, he’s old. I mean, gross.” Aly made a face and laughter erupted, which broke the tension in the room. “I guess I should begin at the start if that’s okay.”
“Certainly.”
Anne stood and refreshed everyone’s cups with more coffee before Aly took a deep breath and, with a sigh and a long pause, began her story. “I’d been adopted. I never knew it, and I guess my parents didn’t want to tell me for whatever reason. I grew up an only child, and my parents doted on me. They said they’d been blessed when I came into their life.”
Hope interjected, “I’m sure that’s true. I perceive you to be a bright young woman with lots of potential from what I hear from Kandi.”
Aly wiped her reddened eyes with the washcloth. “My father died a few years ago, and it was my mom and me. I sensed she was struggling with something. It could’ve been that they’d agree to tell me once I reached a certain age. Maybe she meant to but coming home one night, she was killed by a drunk driver.” She broke down, sobbing. “I miss her so much.”
Hope and Anne exchanged a glance. It was exactly as they’d discussed about why Aly had reacted the way she had in the past. It also made sense about her grilling Autumn about keeping her baby. She’d felt abandoned by her biological mother and now, through death, the mother she’d known all her life. She was simply going through the various stages of grief.
“I had to go through everything, and that’s when I discovered my birth certificate and adoption papers. My biological mother had died many years before, but I found Ben’s name on there. I wanted to find him, so I put our house up for rent and came here. I finally got up the courage to talk to Ben and tell him I was his daughter. At first, he seemed happy to connect after all these years, but he kept putting off telling his wife. He told me he’d been unfaithful early in their marriage, and it still haunted him. Now with Billie so ill, and the fact they’d never been able to have children, he kept telling me to wait. That he needed more time to figure out how to break the news. He was so worried about how it would affect her. So, we’ve been meeting in secret. Sometimes for coffee or a meal. Sometimes just at the park.”
“The park?” Anne’s mind went to the day she’d overheard the argument. “Did you and Ben have a fight?”
“I was getting frustrated, but he told me that his wife had received more bad news, and he simply couldn’t add any issues by hitting her with an emotional bombshell.” She wiped her nose with the tissue. “That’s when I found out about the garden club. I figured if Billie got to know me first, then maybe it would be easier. But I could see she was really ill. She looks—um, looked, like a skeleton. But she was so nice to me. So, I agreed to wait for a bit as long as I could hang out with him through the garden club.” She stopped, and her brows knit together. “Wait, what day do you mean? I was to meet Ben at the park, but when I got there, he was arguing with another lady. Um, what’s her name…Jennifer, yes, that’s it. They were really going at it too. So, I turned around and left.”
“Do you know if Ben was having an affair with Jennifer? That may be where we got m
ixed up that he and you were—”
Aly shook her head. “He loved Billie. No way would he cheat on her. He—”
“Sometimes we think we know someone, but they can fool us. Plus, you’ve only been here a short while. It could be possible. And he did it with your mother.”
“Yes, but he was very young then. He admits that it was the worst thing he’s ever done in his life. Basically, I’m the result of a one-night stand. So, is it possible? Yes. But no. You should have seen how he looked when he talked about Billie. He could barely speak when he thought of losing her. Nope, don’t believe it. Now, that other lady, what a flirt. I can definitely see her cheating on her husband. It’s too bad. He’s a nice guy, too.”
“So, if Ben wasn’t having an affair with you or with Jennifer, then who is having an affair?”
Hope replied, “Maybe someone is simply making up false accusations against others. Think about it. All you have to do is say something to someone, and they share it with someone, and pretty soon what started out as false is accepted as fact.”
Anne set her cup down on the table. “That’s horrible. Plus, it’s an easy way to ruin someone’s reputation. Who would want to do that?”
Kandi flipped her hair over her shoulder. “What about, like, that Mercy lady? If you ask me, she’s kind of mean. I don’t think she likes Ben all that much, so maybe she did it.”
Anne replied, “That’s a good point. I think she’s implied something to that effect twice that I can recall. She could have seen you with Ben and just assumed—”
“That’s horrible. I wouldn’t have done anything to hurt Billie. She seemed like a nice lady.” Aly rose. “I really need to head home. I have a splitting headache and am opening the bookstore tomorrow morning.”
They took turns hugging the young woman, who appeared as if a burden had been lifted off her shoulders.
“I really appreciate that you all listened to me. It means a lot.”
“I’m glad you felt safe enough to trust us with your story, and again, I’m sorry we thought there was anything untoward going on between you and Ben.”
“It’s okay. Well, see you later.”
Aly left with Kandi following after her.
Anne picked up the plates and took them over to the sink. “Whoa. What do you think of that, Hope?”
“It makes sense why she’s been so on-edge with everyone. She’s hurting, and as they say, hurt people hurt people. I’m sure she didn’t even realize some ways she’s responded in the past. Hopefully, this will allow her to start the next phase of her healing journey. I may see about making her a tea with hawthorn and some healing herbs.”
“That’s a great idea. If Ben loved Billie like she said, then I can’t see him killing her. Yet, I’m not as convinced that something wasn’t going on. Supposedly, Billie wanted me to solve a mystery. Unfortunately, we never had time to talk about it before she was killed. From what I’ve heard from a few people, it was something to do with money.” She retrieved the used cups from the table and brought them over to the sink.
“So, what’s the next move?”
“Well, if there was an issue with money, maybe I should speak to the person who could give me some insights about money. Tomorrow, I’m going over to Kim’s.”
After they’d put the kitchen items away, Anne bid Hope good night. She glanced at the clock. It was too late to call Kim, so she’d give her a ring in the morning. Or she could stop by as she wanted to make sure the plants at Billie’s were watered since Ben may not think about it.
A clammer of feet let her know Spencer was heading down to the kitchen.
“Any more of that cake left? I’m starving.”
“Yes, it’s in the fridge. How’d it go today?”
She waited as he cut off a healthy slice of the lemon cake and set it on a plate.
“Great. We have a few more jobs to do this week. I’ve got Mercy’s schematic done, and I’ll go over it with her tomorrow night, and we’ll start laying out the drip irrigation in a few days. By the way, you seen Mouser?”
“Come to think of it, no. But when people are over, he often retreats upstairs.” She took out a bag of kitty treats and shook the bag, expecting to hear the tinkle of a little bell, but heard nothing. “Hmm, I hope he didn’t get stuck in a room.”
They explored the downstairs and when they didn’t find him, made their way upstairs. A big ball of black fur curled up next to her bed pillows let them know Mouser was safe.
“Well, that’s a first. He’s usually right there when treats are to be had.”
Spencer shrugged his shoulders. “Um, well. When the guys were over here, he may have gotten a few treats from their sandwiches.”
“Ahhh, so he’s comatose from earlier snacks. Makes more sense, then.”
She set the bag down on the dresser top.
Spencer raced down to his room with a quick, “Night.”
Anne took a shower and then scooted a mewling Mouser over on the bed. She propped the pillows up and opened her book to the next chapter as her phone rang.
“Is this the most beautiful woman in my world?”
Anne grinned, stuck a bookmark between the pages, and settled into the pillows. “I hope so. How is the most handsome man in my world doing? Did you make it back yet?”
“Tomorrow. You up for a night out on the town, or more aptly, dinner out at the diner?”
She laughed. “Sounds good. I can see what Spencer has planned for tomorrow night and order in pizza or something.”
“I think that boy will eat us out of house and home if he doesn’t stop growing.” He chuckled.
Us. Such a simple word but one with so much meaning. She’d have to decide soon about when they’d get married. “I’m looking forward to you being back.”
“Solve your latest case yet?”
“No. But there has been an interesting twist to it.” She absently stroked Mouser, who stretched out across the bedspread.
“Do tell.”
“Remember that girl I told you about? She’s a bit younger than Kandi. Anyway, turns out Ben is her father.”
“That is interesting. So, what does that have to do with Billie’s death?”
“I’m not really sure if it’s connected at all. It may have nothing to do with it. But it’s another thing that could have had some implications in it.” She transferred the phone while she repositioned herself on the pillows. “All I know is that Billie had hired me to do her yard, but it also sounds like she wanted to talk to me about a mystery she wanted solved. Something to do with money.”
Carson cleared his throat. “I’m not liking the sound of this. Greed can make people do terrible things. Let’s talk about it when I get home tomorrow, okay?”
She wasn’t going to tell him that she planned to visit Kim in the morning before he got back. “Sure.”
“Oh, wow.” The phone went quiet.
“Carson. Carson? What is it? Is everything okay?”
He came back on the line. “A bull moose just walked past us. Probably only seventy yards across the creek.”
“I’m jealous. I’ve always wanted to see a moose in the wild.”
“I’ll bring you up here sometime, and we can make that happen. Well, until tomorrow. Love you.”
“Love you.” Anne ended the call and set the phone by her bed. She tried to read but after going over the same two sentences in her mind, gave up. No one knew if there would be a tomorrow. Billie certainly had no guarantee of any tomorrows, but someone had taken the rest of the tomorrows she could have had. Anne was determined that she would discover who that person had been and ensure their tomorrow was spent in jail.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The following morning, Anne took her time getting ready for the day. She’d been in such a rush lately she needed time to slow down. After making her coffee, she took it out to the back deck. Beyond the stand of lilacs, the noises of people loading their cars and voices calling to one another carried on the breeze to her.<
br />
Going into business and starting the Brandywine Inn had been a good idea. Even better had been the hiring of the manager, which allowed them to not be as involved with the day-to-day running of the establishment. This year, it looked like they would break even after all the updates and initial investment she, Hope, and Kandi had placed in it.
As the business had taken off, the need to expand had also been a consideration, and the third floor of Anne’s house had been considered for conversion to accommodate a group. But the idea of people tromping through her house wasn’t appealing, and this hadn’t been necessary. Plus, they had to be a bit careful, as Kandi had heard from a few neighbors about the increased traffic flow and how it was destroying the neighborhood.
Anne had to admit they hadn’t taken their feelings into account, so she’d need to figure out something that could be done for them. She took another sip of the coffee and watched as the sun’s rays moved across her back lawn. The gardens she’d planted were coming to life, and small fruits dotted the trees. One thing that had been smart was putting up a high brick wall with her other neighbor. Not only had this offered her neighbor more privacy when Anne held gardening classes, but it had also created a nice heat sink and a walled garden like she’d seen while traveling in England. It was hard enough to grow anything up in the mountains, but the wall provided just enough protection and warmth that the plants she’d selected had, mostly, done very well.
She stood and stretched before heading out to the garden to peek at the plants. After a tour of the yard, she headed into her office to make some notes on progress. Her own garden was useful in seeing which plants thrived and which didn’t so that she could tell clients about items that might work for them. At the thought of clients, Billie came to mind. If only she’d told Anne what was bothering her. It may not have prevented her murder but may have possibly helped catch her killer.
She’d just poured another cup of coffee when she heard shuffling feet behind her. Spencer wore an old shirt with a picture of Link on it, and he’d grown so it was getting tighter on him. Gray, baggy sweats completed his ensemble.