Roses and Daisies and Death Oh My!

by Penny Clover Petersen

  “Just in case,” said Rose as she put the bag in her desk.

  The Shop Owners of Old Towne met early the next morning. This time the meeting was held at the Tavern and all of the owners were able to make it. They were discussing the upcoming Christmas Days weekend that they had been advertising.

  On the second weekend in December each year Old Towne hosted Christmas Days. A group of carolers who looked like they were right out of A Christmas Carol strolled up and down Azalea and Market collecting for the Bostwick Food Pantry. Cider and peanut stands were on street corners. The bakery held a gingerbread house workshop and contest for the kids. And most of the shops offered cookies, eggnog, and fruit breads to their customers.

  After the business discussion was through, Tom Willis took the floor. He went over the plans for a traffic control and parking. Then he asked, “Are there any questions?”

  Mary Newhart and Hazel both spoke at once. “What’s going on with the murder investigation?”

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t know anything new. If the state police have leads, they aren’t telling us. Maybe you’ve noticed we have stepped up patrols in the neighborhood. And we’re still asking you to report anything out of the ordinary.

  “Apparently someone was loitering behind the Tavern on Thanksgiving night. Malcolm spotted him, or her. I found evidence the next morning that someone stood there for quite a while in the cold that evening.

  “Of course, it could have been a restaurant employee who was on a smoke break or someone waiting for a ride.”

  “Oh, my goodness,” said Mattie Clover, “I’ve just remembered, I saw someone, too. We only served Thanksgiving lunch, so we closed early and I was in a hurry to get home.

  “But I did see someone smoking in the woods in the back when I took the last of the garbage out. I couldn’t make out who it was, just a shadow near the trees.

  “It certainly wasn’t one of my people. Only a couple of the servers smoke and they go to the upstairs balcony where it’s sheltered from the wind. Besides they had all left by that time.”

  She paused for a moment. “It didn’t really register. I was in such a rush. Let’s see, I heard Malcolm barking at something just a little earlier and, of course, I saw Hazel go into her shop. But that must have been nearly an hour earlier.”

  “Yes, I came over to feed Roscoe. I didn’t see anyone else,” said Hazel.

  “Thanks. I’ll make a note of that.” Tom took out a small pad and jotted down the information. “That is the kind of thing we’d like to know about. Until we know more about this murder and whether or not it has any connection with the break-in at Ms. Monroe’s shop and the other places, anything suspicious should be looked into.”

  Chapter Six

  As Daisy and Rose got to their door after the meeting they saw Bill Greene pull up in front of Marc’s shop. A few minutes later Marc went off in the car with Bill.

  “What’s he doing with Marc, do you think?” asked Daisy.

  “Marc said he used to talk with Ted Williamson. I guess Bill has to check all that out.”

  “But why did Marc have to go with him? He can’t just talk to him at the shop? He’s just doing this to irritate me, I know it. He wants to make sure Marc can’t make our date tonight!” hissed Daisy. She noticed the mailbox was full. “Mailman’s been here already. Wow.”

  Rose grabbed the mail and went upstairs.

  “That’s yesterday’s mail,” said Rose. “I forgot to pick it up last night.”

  Daisy and Malcolm sat on the couch looking out the window watching for Marc to come back. Rose took the mail into the office and started going through it.

  “Daisy. There’s another one.”

  “Another one what?”

  Rose walked back to the living room and holding a sheet of paper by the corner. “Another creepy letter. For you.” Daisy moved to take it, but Rose said, “Wait, I’ll get a plastic bag to put it in so we won’t have to touch it.”

  Daisy looked at another computer typed greeting card lying in the bag. This time the picture was a little, black dog hanging from a tree and the words “THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU” were printed inside.

  “Good God! This isn’t funny. Who is doing this?” asked Daisy.

  “Daisy, we have to take this to someone. A man’s dead, someone may be looking in our windows, and now we have two nasty letters. I know you don’t want to hear this, but we need to give this to Bill. He may have been a lousy husband, but he is a pretty good cop.”

  Daisy sat on the couch petting Malcolm and staring at the threatening message in her hand for a long time. Finally she took a deep breath and said, “Okay. Okay. I will swallow my pride and tell him about this.”

  Malcolm jumped up and started scratching the door, his sign that he needed to go out. Rose said, “That’s a good boy. Come on.” She ran downstairs and let him into the backyard.

  When she came back Daisy handed her the note and said, “On second thought, I think you should talk to Bill. And have Malcolm with you for protection.”

  “Knock, knock, anyone home?” came a voice from the stairway.

  “Yes, Mother, we’re home.” Rose put the letters in her desk as Angela came breezing in dressed to the nines in red wool and white faux fur. “You could pass for one of Santa’s little helpers,” noted Rose.

  “Well, I hope so. I’m going to be Santa’s little helper this afternoon at Doggie Day Camp. Lolita and I are giving out gifts to unfortunate puppies in the area. It’s the least we can do. Lolita says doing good works helps one’s karma.”

  “You betcher! Who runs this Doggie Day Camp?” asked Rose.

  “Well, it’s not really a camp so much as it’s the pound. I just call it a camp.”

  “So you’re going to go to the pound to give dog treats to homeless canines with a death sentence?”

  “Exactly. If those poor creatures are going to meet their maker, I’d like them to be happy when they do it. Besides, I think they will all be adopted. It’s Christmas!

  “I only came by to see Malcolm because I have a treat for him, too. Where is my little wooly ball? He wasn’t in the yard when I came in.”

  “He must be in his igloo. He likes to hunker down in there when it’s chilly,” said Rose. “We’d better open the shop and then we’ll check on him.”

  Daisy, Rose and Angela got to the shop just as Tonya was coming in. “Good morning, Mrs. Forrest. You look absolutely festive today.”

  “She’s on her way to give treats to condemned dogs. It helps to look festive. Speaking of dogs, I’ll just go and find our little bundle of hormones,” said Daisy as she went out the sunroom door to the back yard.

  “Daisy’s being morbid,” said Angela. “I’m going to the pound to bring some Christmas cheer to little homeless animals. ‘Tis the season, you know. And I’d really better get going. Lolita is waiting for me to pick her up. Say ‘bye’ to Daisy for me and give Malcolm a big hug from Nana. Tell him I’ll be back with his treat a little later.”

  “Absolutely, Mother,” called Rose as her mother swept through the shop door. “She is such a nut!”

  “Maybe,” said Tonya. “But she’s a good-hearted nut.” The shop door opened and customers started coming in. Tonya and Rose were both handling sales when Daisy came back a few minutes later.

  “I can’t find him,” she whispered to Rose. “And the back gate is open.”

  “Open? How did he manage that?”

  “I don’t think he could have. Lord knows our little Malcolm is not the brightest bulb in the chandelier. And he hasn’t got opposable thumbs. I guess a raccoon might have gotten the bungee cord unwrapped. But what would be the sense?”

  Another couple of customers walked in. “Well, we can’t stop to look right now. He’ll probably come wandering in soon. If not, I’ll go out at lunch and check around the neighborhood,” said Daisy. “Did you notice if Marc has come back, yet?”

  “I haven’t had a chance,” said Rose as she looked out the front window
. “No, his shop’s still closed.”

  The morning sailed by. Rose took a few minutes to empty the cash register and smiled broadly. “We’re definitely going to see a profit if the whole season is this good. I’m running over to the bank to make a deposit and stopping by the post office. Tonya, you can take your break as soon as I get back.”

  “Looks like Marc’s back,” Rose said as she came into the shop carrying a bag of sandwiches. “I just saw Bill drop him off.”

  “That’s good. I was worried. However, Malcolm is still among the missing. I’ll go look for him right after I eat.”

  They had finished lunch and Tonya was back in the shop, so Daisy went out to look for Malcolm. “I’ll be back in half an hour. He can’t have gone far.”

  An hour later Bill pulled up in front of the store. He ran into Rose just as she was going out.

  “Is Daisy inside? I want to talk to her.”

  “We have to talk to you, too. But right now I’m off to see if I can find her. She went to look for Malcolm and she should have been back a while ago.”

  “Hardly cause for concern. She’s probably talking to someone.”

  “I have a bad feeling,” said Rose and told him very briefly about the notes Daisy had received.

  “For Christ’s sake, why didn’t you tell me about this? Where do you think she was going?”

  “I’m not sure. Malcolm doesn’t usually go off on his own. He humps a good game, but he’s quite the coward really.”

  “I’ll start across the bridge, you work your way around this side. Have you got you cell phone with you? Good. Put my number in. Call me when you find her.”

  The afternoon was already getting dim. The sky was overcast and evening was coming early as Rose walked behind their house and up to the bike trail. She walked a short way on their regular route whistling for Malcolm, but got no response.

  She turned back, walked up Azalea, then back, crossed over and started down the alley that ran between Lost Treasures and Newhart’s Antiques calling Malcolm and Daisy’s names as she went. Everything looked normal. She certainly couldn’t see anyone. She called Malcolm again and was just turning back when she heard a noise at the far end of the alley.

  In the dusky light she could just make out a little body struggling to its feet.

  “Malcolm? Malcolm, what’s wrong?” she called as she ran toward him. Then she saw a body lying on the ground that Malcolm was struggling to guard. She phoned Bill as she ran and shouted, “Bill, I’ve found her. Hurry! Down the alley next to Marc’s place.”

  Daisy was lying in a heap next to Malcolm who was alternately whining and licking her face. His little head was matted with blood.

  Daisy started groaning and trying to sit up. She touched the back of her head and let out a yelp. Malcolm whined even louder as Bill rushed up. Rose knelt beside her and started to call 911.

  Bill said, “Let me call it in. They may get here faster.” He took his phone out and dialed and spoke to the dispatcher. Then he turned to Daisy. “Are you all right? What the hell happened?”

  “I’m all right. Really. I don’t need an ambulance. I don’t know what happened. I was looking down here for Malcolm and was just about to give up and head home when I thought I heard him whimpering.

  “When I got to him the poor little guy was lying here. I bent down to lift him up and ‘Pow! Right on the kisser’. Only it was the back of my head. I guess I blacked out for a minute or so. Then Rose got here. Boy, my head hurts!”

  “You must have been out for more than a minute. You’ve been gone over an hour.”

  “Have I? Well, I don’t think I’ve been here that long, though. I checked everywhere else first. Then I talked to Walt for quite a while. The alley was my last stop.”

  Marc ran up followed by an ambulance and a squad car. “Rose, what’s going on? Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine, Marc. Daisy and Malcolm are hurt. Someone attacked them.”

  Hazel, Mary Newhart and several others came to see what was happening. The paramedics had a blood pressure cuff on Daisy and were checking her pupils. Malcolm started growling.

  Hazel started screeching, “This is too much. We aren’t safe in our own homes!”

  She saw Bill Greene standing there and turned on him. “What are you doing about this? I see you driving around here all the time, but where are you when some maniac is attacking innocent people?”

  Mary grabbed Hazel’s arm and said, “Hazel, get a grip. You don’t know what happened and hysteria certainly won’t help anything.” She turned to Bill and asked, “What is going on?”

  “Ladies, please go back to your shops and let the medics do their job. I’ll be around to speak to you all shortly. That means you, too, Proctor.”

  Daisy looked up and said, “No, I’d like Marc to stay. I’m okay, except for a really crappy headache. I don’t want a trip to the hospital. I’ll take a couple of Tylenol and a nap. That’s all I need. Really.”

  Rose looked at the EMT and raised an eyebrow in question. As he was closing his kit he said, “Well, I would like a doctor to look you over, but I don’t see symptoms of a major concussion and the blow didn’t break the skin. Some acetaminophen and sleep probably should do it. But you should check with your own doctor tomorrow.

  “Unfortunately, I think your dog might need stitches. He has a nasty gash. Here’s my card if you need me for the police report or your insurance. Sorry this happened to you.” He got in and the ambulance backed its way up the alley.

  Bill said he’d be over to get a statement as soon as he had finished at the scene. Marc helped Daisy to her feet. “Let me get my car and I’ll drive you home.”

  “That’s silly. I can walk, if you can carry Malcolm. Rose, we need to call the vet and get him in right away.

  “Poor Tonya’s in the shop alone. She must be going crazy. Maybe we should close for the day.”

  As they were walking up the steps of the shop, a vision in red and white came dashing out. “Oh, my lord, what happened to you?” asked Angela as she grabbed Daisy and hugged her.

  “Mother, why are you here? I thought you were at the pound,” asked Rose.

  “I was. We were giving out little treats when Lolita said to me ‘Angela, your daughters need you.’ Well, I just got in the car and came back to find Tonya overwhelmed by customers and worried sick about the two of you. What in the world happened?”

  Rose explained as she and Marc helped Daisy up the stairs. Angela cried, “Malcolm, my little buddy,” and took the dog into the bathroom to wash his wound.

  She came out saying, “What a mess. I do think he needs stitches. What vet do you use?”

  “Some date this is,” Daisy moaned as she sat propped up on the couch with an icepack on her head.

  Marc said, “It’s okay. We’ll go out another time. But we can still watch a movie. I’ll make you some popcorn.”

  “That would be nice.” A short while later she fell asleep with her head on Marc’s shoulder right in the middle of When Harry Met Sally.

  By nine o’clock Marc had gone home. Malcolm was making the most of his injury, whimpering and looking pitiful until Angela put him on her lap and held an ice pack on his little head. The three women had just finished eating when Bill Forrest finally stopped by to get a formal statement.

  He went over the entire afternoon, starting with missing Malcolm, the open gate and Daisy’s search. There really wasn’t much to tell.

  “We found this in the alley about fifteen feet from where you found Malcolm.” He held out a piece of old wooden fence post. “There is some blood on it. I think this is what was used on you and the dog. Luckily it was rotted inside so the blows weren’t as damaging as they could have been.” He looked at Daisy. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded and said, “A hard head comes in handy sometimes.”

  Bill examined the fence post. “It’s an odd choice of weapon. It doesn’t look premeditated, does it? More like maybe someone spooked by the dog or somet
hing. I don’t know.”

  As he was getting up to go, Rose slapped her forehead. “Good golly, Miss Molly! Premature senility is setting in. The letters! We forgot to give you the letters.” She got them from the desk and handed them to Bill. She also told him about the person smoking across the street Thanksgiving night.

  Daisy said, “We really thought the first letter was a joke. Kids. But the second was just sick. What kind of sick bastard would threaten our little Malcolm?”

  Bill looked down at the dog and wondered. He had removed little Malcolm from his leg three times already.

  “These came to Daisy? Not to both of you?”

  They nodded.

  “Daisy, have you been snooping into Ted Williamson’s murder? Could these be connected with that?”

  “Well, you know, people talk and I listen. And if they don’t talk, I ask questions. But I haven’t discovered any hot juice. I don’t know any more than anyone else. No one even knows who was breaking into our shops, yet, much less who murdered that man.”

  Bill stood up holding the letters. “Hmm. I guess the papers will have this soon, so I’ll tell you. Ted Williamson was apparently responsible for the break-ins. The fingerprints the Bostwick police lifted from Hazel’s shop were his.”

  “For crying out loud, why didn’t you tell us?” shouted Daisy. “When did you find this out? Do you think the robberies had anything to do with his murder? Honestly, Bill, this is our home, our life, and we have the right to know what’s going on!”

  “We have no proof the murder had anything to do with the break-ins. But I have a gut instinct about this whole mess. I think all of it goes back to that missing diamond. Look, Daisy. Rose. I know you won’t want to hear this, but there’s a lot of circumstantial evidence tying Marc Proctor to Ted Williamson. They both worked for Worthington at about the same time. Our theory is that they were involved in something together here. I don’t trust Proctor. I think he’s hiding something.