by Joyce Lavene
“I hope this is over before the holidays.” Selena tied her hair back with a white scarf. “I hate bad stuff happening over Christmas.”
Sam went out to get the blue spruce he bought for the shop. The roots were bundled in burlap so the tree could be planted after they were done with it. They decorated it with seed packages, bulbs, and miniature garden tools. Peggy put a row of red poinsettias around the base.
They stowed all the autumn decorations in the back and took out the giant snowflakes and bells from last year. Peggy had been forcing paper-white narcissus to bloom in the cooler storage area. Several of the purple Christmas cactus that grew in the front window near the counter were flowering.
They swept and mopped. Sam stocked the usual Christmas fare that traditionally sold. This year they added gift certificates as well. Peggy was working on the idea of a club that would send one potted plant a month to the recipient.
It was late when the store was finished. It smelled of lemon oil and spruce. The aisles were tidy for once and stocked almost to the ceiling. There was a little over a week until Thanksgiving and the start of the Christmas marathon.
“That’s it for me.” Selena sat down on the floor and refused to move.
“I think we’re done.” Peggy looked around the store with a smile. “Thanks, you two. I couldn’t have done it without you. How about some dinner? My treat.”
But Selena had to study for a makeup exam she was taking the next day. And Sam had a date.
“Don’t make a big deal out of it or anything.” He grinned. “But this guy is really hot.”
“Then what’s he see in you?” Selena laughed as she put on her coat.
“Some people think I’m hot.” Sam glanced at himself in the dark shop window.
“People on the Internet who’ve never seen you.” Selena slapped her hand on the counter. “I’m good tonight!”
“At least I have a date,” Sam scoffed. “At least I’m not a pathetic loser who has to go home and study for a makeup test.”
Selena opened the door to leave. “Snappy comeback. Good night, Peggy. You, too, Shakespeare.”
Sam looked at himself again in the window. He flicked his fingers through his golden hair. “You think I’m hot, don’t you, Peggy?”
“I’m sure I would if I didn’t think of you like Paul.” She laughed. “Don’t pay her any attention, Sam. She’s mad that you’re not interested in her.”
He made a face at himself. “Don’t say that! How can I work with her, knowing she’s longing for me?”
“Go home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He started to leave, then realized she’d be there alone. “I can wait. I don’t want to leave you here like this.”
“I’ll be fine. Someone would have to be pretty daring to take on Shakespeare. Don’t worry about it. I’ll be leaving in a few minutes anyway.”
He left, after calling a taxi to come and get her, insisting she shouldn’t ride home late at night, even with the dog. Peggy absently said good-bye as she put together a small train set. It was John’s. Each of the cars carried a package of seeds. She watched it race around on the track before she roused herself to go.
She looked up when the front door opened. She meant to lock it behind Sam. Now she might have to deal with a customer. “We’re closed.”
“I didn’t come to buy anything.”
Peggy got to her feet and faced Julie Warner.
16
Rose
Botanical: Rosa hybrida
Family: Rosaceae
The rose symbolizes completion, achievement, perfection, which is how it came to be so popular for anniversaries, after plays, and at other times of celebration. Meanings of the rose depend on the color, shape, and number of petals. For instance, the red rose means love, desire, respect, job well done. The white rose; innocence, silence, secrecy. The yellow rose; joy, gladness, friendship.
“I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS, Peggy.” Julie methodically took off her gloves. They were black leather like the long skirt and short jacket she wore.
Peggy felt threatened. She couldn’t help it. She was still holding a garden trowel. Her hand tightened on it. The menace was there in Julie’s stance and the dangerous look in her eyes. “Acquaintances.”
“All right. Acquaintances then. Why would a friendly acquaintance accuse me of murdering my husband?”
“I’m sorry, Julie. I believe you had good reason to hate the man. He made a fool of you, your family, and your marriage vows. But there’s never a good reason to kill someone.”
“What would you know about it?” Julie slapped her gloves against her thigh as she walked through the front of the shop. “When your husband died, did the papers say he was known to step out with other women? Did the police consider one his many mistresses to be his killer? Did he almost die in the arms of his pregnant lover?”
Peggy didn’t move. She watched the other woman, wondering how fast she could dial 911 on her cell phone. Shakespeare was growling behind the counter, but he didn’t move. What would it take for him to attack someone? Not that she wanted him to randomly go around attacking people in her shop. But maybe she could come up with a signal to let him know when she was in trouble.
“Well, Peggy?” Julie stopped walking and ranting. “Did any of those things happen to you? Or did they only say what a hero your husband was and how he was an honorable man?”
“I can’t pretend to know what you’ve been through,” Peggy said in a soft voice. “But why didn’t you divorce him? No one made you stay with him.”
Julie’s laughter bordered on hysteria. “Why didn’t I leave him? Let me see. I have two children who are in private school and hope to go to Harvard. I have a lifestyle I enjoy and a home I love. I wouldn’t have any of those things if I left him.”
“We all make choices, I guess.”
“Where’s the fairness in that, Peggy? We can shoot a mad dog, but a human being who doesn’t act civilized ninety percent of the time can ruin anyone’s life he wants. Why should I have given up everything because Mark was a bastard?”
“I don’t have the answer to those questions. I only know killing him wasn’t the best way to handle the problem.”
“I didn’t kill my husband. Or that little tramp from Columbia. God knows I would’ve liked to. She actually came to the house and threatened me. She just didn’t realize that Mark would never have left me. It’s not that he loved me so much as he loved to show off.” Julie seemed to get control of herself. “Stay away from me and my family. You don’t understand what we’ve gone through.”
Peggy’s fingers clutched at the trowel. Her Irish temper kicked in. It was all she could do not to use her good left hook on the other woman as she put her gloves on and prepared to leave the shop.
The door closed behind her. Peggy didn’t move until the taxi driver knocked at the window and pointed to his watch. Her muscles ached from clenching them so long. She looked at Shakespeare. He was asleep on the rug behind the counter. “Fat lot of help you were. Next time someone threatens me, you jump up and bite them.”
The dog wagged his tail. She sighed and put on his leash. She slipped on her purple cape and picked up her backpack. It wasn’t until she was in the taxi and close to home that she realized she was still holding the trowel.
It wasn’t that Julie was big or overpowering. But Peggy could feel the deadly anger and fear emanating from her. Her words were threatening.
“Thanks for waiting,” she said to the taxi driver as he helped her take her bike out of the trunk.
“No problem, Peggy. I look forward to seeing you and your dog now. That eucalyptus rub you gave me really did the trick on my arthritis. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Is this your last fare?”
“Yeah, I’m headed home.” He glanced at her house silhouetted against the faintly orange sky. “Nothin’ as grand as this, I’ll tell you. What does one little woman do rattling around alone in a big place like this?”
She gave him what she owed him for the trip plus her usual tip. “It doesn’t seem so big to me. Besides, where would I keep Shakespeare if I didn’t have a house this size?”
He laughed and got back in the taxi. Peggy put her bike away and shook her head at the Rolls that slept in the garage. Maybe since the shop was set for Christmas and she didn’t have any classes, she could get to the project again. She let Shakespeare run in the yard for a few minutes, but she felt very vulnerable being outside. She finally dragged him into the house and locked the door.
She was able to lose herself in her work, as always. The eighth graft from the night-blooming lily seemed to be taking on the rose. It would be a few weeks before she knew if the experiment was successful or if she’d have to start over. Many of her colleagues preferred the newer bio-genetics, changing the plant on a cellular level. But she preferred the old ways. Plants had been propagated and changed for thousands of years. She didn’t see any reason to alter her technique. She got good results, and she was happy with her work.
At two-thirty, she climbed wearily up the stairs with Shakespeare. Luckily, she didn’t have to get up for an early class that day. She had a tendency to forget the time when she was with her plants. At least ten alarm clocks were in the basement. All she had to do was remember to set them.
The phone was ringing when she got out of the shower. Shakespeare barked and whined, startled by the sound. His floppy ears almost managed to stand up. “It’s okay.” She stroked his head and neck.
But she didn’t answer the phone. When the answering machine picked up, there was only silence on the line. Shivering, she turned out the light and climbed into bed. For once, she was glad to have the big dog beside her. He was the only reason she went to sleep that night.
PEGGY WAS MAKING chocolate mint tea when there was a knock at her back door. It was Al and Jonas. “I’m making some tea. Would you like some?”
“This isn’t a social call,” Jonas explained. “We’re looking for Keeley Prinz. Do you know where she is?”
“No.” Peggy didn’t mind lying to them. Especially after her visit from Julie last night. “Have you checked her apartment?”
“Yes,” Al told her. “And her mother’s house. We thought maybe she was out on a job for you.”
“No, she can’t work yet. She had the miscarriage. Her doctor won’t release her for six weeks. Her work is pretty strenuous, you know.”
Al ran his hand over his face. “Peggy, don’t you think it’s kind of weird that you knew the DA was going to issue an arrest warrant for your friend, and now she’s vanished?”
She managed to look surprised and upset. “I wouldn’t tell her to hide from the police. I believe in the system. You know that, Al.”
“What about hiding her here?” Jonas glanced into the kitchen. “This is a big house. A girl could feel safe here. Especially since she knows her friend who owns the house is buddies with the police.”
“If you’re suggesting you’d like to search the house, go right ahead. I wouldn’t hide a fugitive here. That’s illegal.”
“We might take a look around.” He strolled into the kitchen and sniffed the air. “What’s that smell?”
“Chocolate mint tea. It should be ready by the time you finish. Ignore the mess. I always do massive cleaning over the holidays when I don’t have classes.”
He took a cookie she offered him and walked into the dining room.
Al shook his head. “That was too easy. I know you, Peggy. You wouldn’t let us in if she was here. You would’ve had some contagious fungus or something that would keep us out until you found another place for her.”
“I didn’t realize I had such a devious reputation.” She held up the plate. “Cookie?”
He refused. “Not devious. Just too smart for your own damn good. Someday you might be sorry you played us along this way. Your friend could really be a killer, and she could turn on you.”
“That’s the least of my worries.” She took a bite of a cookie and told him about Julie’s visit to the Potting Shed. “Unfortunately, I didn’t have my digital camcorder set up to catch all of it. But I won’t leave home without it again.”
“What she said couldn’t really be construed as a threat, Peggy.”
“You weren’t there, Al.” The kettle began to whistle, and she turned off the stove.
“Have I mentioned how stubborn you are?” He picked up a cookie and followed Jonas into the house.
Thirty minutes later, they were gone; a cup of tea in their hands and cookies in their pockets. Peggy fed Shakespeare and went upstairs to get dressed.
SAM, SELENA, AND HUNTER were already at the shop when Peggy arrived. Sofia and Emil hurried over with tea and bagels when they saw her. Everyone had visits from the police looking for Keeley.
“We didn’t know what to say,” Sofia exclaimed. “You should tell us when something like this happens. What’s the story?”
Peggy explained a little, leaving out the part about Keeley going to her aunt’s house. The Balduccis didn’t need to know, and she didn’t want to ask them to lie.
“It’s only a matter of time,” Hunter said when they were gone. “She can only hide for a few days, then Janice will advise her to turn herself in.”
“Do we have any other leads proving Mrs. Warner did the deed?” Sam asked as he moved back and forth in the rocking chair.
“Not as far as I know.” Peggy turned on the computer. “The videotape was my last idea. We’ve got everything except the proof. Who’d have thought two people I know would be charged with the same murder.”
“It’s weird, I suppose.” Hunter picked up her jacket. “Except when you consider the DB was found right here.”
“DB?” Selena asked.
“Dead body,” Hunter explained. “I have to go. I have a drunk driver in court this morning. Whatever you do, don’t contact Keeley. The chances are all of our phones are bugged. Hopefully, they didn’t get one in here, too.”
Selena and Sam glanced around the shop, looking for listening devices.
Peggy laughed. “Like they have the budget for that! I’ll talk to you later. Thanks, Hunter.”
Sam left right after his sister. The twin of the blue spruce in the shop was scheduled to be planted in Claire Drummond’s front yard that morning. “Let me know if you hear anything. Or if you think of anything else we can do.”
Peggy promised she would, but she knew she was out of plans. Everything she’d tried worked, but it wasn’t enough. Julie stayed one step ahead. And now that she was aware the police could be looking for evidence, she was bound to make sure there was nothing for them to find.
Keeley’s mother called and thanked Peggy for her help. From her tone and her carefully stilted words, Peggy knew Hunter already warned her about wiretaps.
“Don’t worry, Lenore,” Peggy said, mindful of her friend’s paranoia about her daughter. “We’ll think of something. Take care of yourself.”
The shopping crowd was brisk all morning. Peggy didn’t know if it was early Christmas shoppers or people happy to see the warm, sunny weather. Whatever, she was glad to take in the extra money. She thought again about another assistant to help at the shop. It would be nice to have someone she could call if there was an emergency.
Al called her after lunch. She’d been dreading the call all day. It meant they’d found Keeley and taken her into custody. “Can you meet me at Carolinas Medical?”
That surprised her. Was Keeley injured? Surely she wouldn’t resist arrest. What if she was shot? “Of course. How is she?”
“She? Oh, you mean Ms. Prinz. She’s not here. We haven’t found her yet. This is something else. Can you come?”
Peggy agreed to be there as soon as she could. She hung up the phone and looked around the crowded shop. What could she do? Sam and Selena were both busy. Dawn was out of town, and Brenda was taking Keeley’s place cleaning and watering plants at the Overstreet Mall.
If there wasn’t so much traffic, she might
be able to get Sofia or Emil to watch the shop for a while. But she knew they were busy, too. She racked her brain to come up with an alternative. Without letting herself stop to question the wisdom of her actions, she dialed Steve’s number.
Twenty minutes later he was there, putting on an apron. “I take the money and give them a receipt, right?”
“Yes. If they have any questions, refer them to the gardening encyclopedia at the end of the counter. If that doesn’t work, get their name and number. I’ll call them back as soon as I can.”
“Okay. Would you like to take my car? I know you’re in a hurry.”
Peggy wrestled with her conscience. She swore she wouldn’t drive another internal combustion engine machine again. But letting people drive her around in them was just as bad. She took his keys and promised herself she was going to work on the Rolls. “Thanks, Steve. You’re a lifesaver.”