Lyndsey Cole - Lily Bloom 03 - Roses are Dead

by Lyndsey Cole

  Iris woke up Poppy, attached her red leash and they walked into the building, through a metal detector. There were six other women waiting with puppies the same age as Poppy and Iris was directed to that group. Lily joined a handful of people sitting on chairs away from the training area. A quick survey and she decided to sit next to an attractive woman in her forties who actually made eye contact with Lily.

  Lily sat down and introduced herself. She was rewarded with a warm smile. “I’m Joanne Shaw. My daughter, Lana, is in the group. The one with the pigtails. How about you? Do you have someone in the group too?”

  “My mom is here but she’s not a prisoner.”

  Joanne looked shocked. “Why is she coming to this session?”

  Lily had to think up an answer quickly. “Convenience.”

  “Well, it might be interesting too. I come so I can see my daughter and she can see that I’m still interested in her life. She was pretty depressed when she found out she’d be spending time in jail.”

  Lily put her hand on Joanne’s arm. “Do you mind if I ask why she’s in jail?”

  Joanne shrugged. “No. I’m past being embarrassed about it. She got arrested for drug possession. She said it wasn’t hers. She’s still adamant that someone planted it on her.”

  Lily watched as the seven women walked around the training area with their puppies.

  Joanne’s eyes followed the parade. “Your mom must be the one in jeans and a t-shirt. She kinda sticks out like a sore thumb.”

  Lily laughed. “That pretty much sums up my mom. What happened with your daughter?”

  Joanne closed her eyes and her body sagged a little. “Oh. The usual.” Her voice was choked with tears. “Lana’s young and impressionable, fell in with the wrong crowd. We all learn by making mistakes but she got caught and is learning a tougher lesson than most kids her age.”

  Lily slid her chair closer, softening her voice. “Does she have any idea who might have planted the drugs?”

  Joanne laughed. “Definitely. She bumped into a dynamic girl, a little older than she is, and they seemed to hit it off right from the start. Carla—”

  Lily felt her pulse quicken as she interrupted. “Carla? What’s her last name?”

  “Sullivan. Do you know her?”

  Lily’s heart was racing. She couldn’t believe her luck bumping into someone who knew Carla. “I only met her once, the morning before she was found dead.”

  Joanne’s voice got excited. “I saw it on the news. She died from an allergic reaction to a bee sting?”

  “That’s what I heard too, but also that it looks suspicious.”

  Joanne chuckled. “Sorry for seeing humor in this but she got what she deserved. She pulled Lana into a sketchy group including a lot of cops. Most were nice but I think there were a few bad apples in the bunch. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone killed her and made it look like an accidental death.”

  “The problem with that is someone seems to be trying to make me look guilty. I’m trying to find out more about Carla to figure out what happened.”

  Joanne looked horrified. “Be careful. Really careful. If that’s true, you don’t know who you can trust.”

  Lily scooched closer to Joanne so she could talk very quietly. “Do you know the names Adam May, Chris Pierce, Larry Burke or Vinnie Stewart?”

  Joanne patted Lily’s leg. “Honey? We need to have a good chat but this isn’t the place for that. Want to get a bite to eat when this is over?”

  Lily nodded and started counting the minutes until they could leave. She sat back and tried to relax but felt jittery and extremely lucky that she bumped into Joanne. Lily slyly looked at the others watching the training, trying to assess if they might be of help. One woman looked away quickly when Lily made eye contact. She decided to stick with Joanne for now. It was probably best not to let too many people know she was snooping around for information.

  The forty five minute training looked like it was wrapping up. The puppies were allowed to play with each other, tumbling in fur balls around the rectangle. The women watched and Lily noticed they also kept glancing at Iris. Iris was happily chatting to the woman standing close to her. She even managed to get a smile from the woman. Another activity for Iris—befriending these women and trying to help them. She was the perpetual fixer of anyone who came into her orbit.

  Joanne tapped Lily’s shoulder. “It’s time to go.” She waved to her daughter and blew her a kiss. Iris and Poppy joined them as they walked out of the one story, windowless building.

  Lily introduced Joanne and Iris. “We’re going with Joanne to get a bite to eat. Is that okay with you?”

  “Of course. I’m starved. That was so much fun.” She scooped up Poppy. “Did you have fun too with all those new friends?” She put Poppy in the crate. “I’ll follow you Joanne.”

  Joanne drove to a small diner about fifteen minutes away from the prison. It was Sunday evening, past the normal dinner hour, so it was mostly deserted.

  Joanne led the way. “I hope this is okay?”

  Iris replied, “If they have food, it’s perfect.”

  Joanne smiled. She waved to the cook when they entered. “That’s my cousin. Let’s sit at the end booth. It looks quiet there.”

  Lily got Iris up to speed about Joanne and Lana. Iris was bubbling with adrenaline. “I noticed your daughter. The one with pigtails, right? Lana?”

  Joanne smiled and nodded.

  “What a cute girl. I could tell she’s completely in love with her puppy. She stroked her and talk calmly and so quietly but the puppy was completely tuned into her already.”

  Joanne’s cousin came over and took their orders for fish sandwich baskets and iced tea.

  Lily absentmindedly tapped her water glass, anxious to hear what Joanne knew. “You were going to tell me about those cops.”

  Joanne fiddled with the packs of sugar on the table. “I’m not sure where to start.”

  “How did Lana meet Carla?”

  “Lana signed up for a 5k charity run to benefit the families of injured or killed policemen. She got invited to a pre-run dinner. Lots of cops participate in the run and they all go to the dinner. That’s where Carla got her talons in Lana; introduced her to those cops you asked me about, and a bunch more. Lana fell for one cop in particular, Chris Pierce. I met him, seemed like a decent guy.”

  The smell of their dinner reached the table before the food did. Iris looked around. Her stomach was growling so loud she was afraid she might faint if it didn’t arrive soon. “Finally. Here comes dinner. I worked up quite an appetite.”

  Each basket was overflowing with crispy fries and a roll stuffed with fried haddock, lettuce, tomato and mayo. Iris opened wide and took a big bite. “Delicious.”

  Joanne took a bite, then continued. “Lana, Chris, Carla and Larry always seemed to be together. Lana was the happiest I’d ever seen her. It worried me a little, thinking if something happened to that relationship she would crash really hard.”

  Lily asked Joanne, “What about Adam May?”

  “Adam? Seemed okay. But he seemed to be on the outside looking in. I had the feeling he and Carla had something going on at one time and he wanted to get her back. Lana told me there were a few heated arguments and then she didn’t see much of Adam anymore.”

  “Did you ever hear the name Ryan Steele mentioned?”

  Joanne laughed. “That upset Lana a little. She told me that Carla joked about how she had been engaged to that guy and ran out on him. She was flippant about it and told Lana that she could get him back any time she wanted.”

  Iris was almost finished with her food. She wiped her mouth. “Carla sounds like the kind of girl you shouldn’t turn your back on.”

  Joanne agreed. “That’s exactly right. Lana started hanging out with Chris without telling Carla. That’s when everything got ugly. Carla started trying to make Lana try drugs. She said she wasn’t interested. At some big get together, with lots of cops around, Carla made a big scen
e. Screaming at Lana, accusing her of all kinds of stuff. Lana backed off and was trying to leave when a detective came over and said he needed to check her backpack.” Joanne took a deep breath. “This is when the nightmare started. That detective found, so he said, a bag of cocaine in Lana’s backpack. She insisted it wasn’t hers but her fingerprints were all over it. She remembered that when Carla tried to get her to try it, she handed the bag to Lana. For some reason, Carla’s prints weren’t on the bag. Everything just crashed around Lana, we couldn’t afford a good lawyer, and now she’s in jail for something she didn’t do.”

  Lily was spellbound. “Who was that detective?”

  “Adam May.”

  Both Lily and Iris gasped. “Are you sure?”

  “Sure as anything. It was Adam May. He wanted Carla back and Lana thinks Carla used him after she planted the drugs in Lana’s backpack.”

  “Did they get back together?”

  “That’s the funny part. Carla didn’t care about Adam anymore. She wanted Chris and she had to get Lana out of the way.”

  Lily leaned back and started to breathe again. “What a love mess. Let me get this straight. Chris liked Lana. Adam liked Carla. Larry liked Carla. But Carla wanted who she couldn’t have—Chris.”

  “That pretty much sums it up. It was all fun and games to Carla. She didn’t care who she hurt to get what she wanted. Everyone seemed to be disposable. So, yeah, I can completely see how someone might have murdered her and tried to make it look like an accident.”

  “What about Vinnie Stewart? Did you ever meet him?”

  “Once. He’s older than the others. Lana mentioned his name a few times. He was always at the big events they attended, flirting with the younger women. Lana said she tried to keep her distance from him. He was there when the drugs were found, stepped right in after Adam found the bag. I met him when Lana called me from the police station. He was kinda nasty to me. Wondered what kind of mother I was letting such a young girl get involved with drugs. He obviously doesn’t have kids.”

  It was Lily’s turn to fill Joanne in on some details. “Adam May is staying at the hotel where Carla was found dead and Vinnie Stewart is leading the investigation. I’ve wondered about Adam all along but no one else seems to think it’s odd.”

  Iris took the bill and put money down to cover it all. “Joanne, it’s been a pleasure to meet you and I’m looking forward to seeing your daughter again. Now, Lily and I need to find out more about Adam May.”

  They chatted like they had known each other for longer than the last couple of hours. Lily said she would keep in touch and Iris said she was going to keep coming to this training session. Joanne headed north as Iris opened her car door. She quickly checked in the back seat to make sure Poppy was okay and gasped as her hand flew to her chest. “Lily. The crate is gone. Poppy is gone.”

  Chapter 10

  Lily puller out her phone and tried to hit Ryan’s phone number with her trembling fingers. Finally, she got it right and she relaxed a tiny bit when she heard his voice.

  “We need your help. Someone stole Poppy from Iris’ car.”

  “Lily? Where are you?”

  She took a deep breath and blurted it all out at once. “We stopped for a bite to eat after the training session and were just leaving Waterfield and Poppy’s gone from Iris’ car.”

  “Slow down. Take a breath. Does Iris have the number for the program? A contact person? They should be notified. Did you see anyone lingering around?”

  “No. We were inside having dinner with a mom I met at the session. I’ll tell you about it later.”

  “Lily? Be careful.”

  Lily ended the call and asked Iris, “Do you have a contact person for the program?”

  Iris was stomping around, mumbling to herself, eyes blazing. “Good idea. I have the information in my bag.” She called Darlene Bowman and explained what happened. Darlene tried to be reassuring and said as soon as the puppy was brought to a vet, they could trace it by the implanted microchip. She would notify all the vets in the area to be on the lookout.

  Lily hugged Iris. “We’ll find her. Maybe someone wants us to stop coming to this training session. I think Lana and maybe her mother could be important connections to Carla. I bet Lana knows something, or someone thinks she knows something. Hop in. I’ll drive.”

  The thirty minute drive back to Misty Valley dragged on to feel like hours. Lily wanted to be home with Rosie. Ryan was waiting at Lily’s house, pacing back and forth on her back porch. He ran to her car when she pulled into the driveway.

  Ryan grabbed Lily’s arms and stared into her eyes. “What took so long? I was worried. Who was at that training session?”

  Lily let herself melt into his arms for a few seconds, then she stepped back. “Let’s go inside. Mom, do you want to come in or are you going home?”

  Iris looked form Lily to Ryan in a daze. “I’ll come in for a few minutes.”

  Rosie was all over Lily and especially Iris, sniffing all the other puppy smells. She looked up at Iris as if to say, where’s Poppy? Iris stroked her soft fur. “We’ll find her, don’t worry.”

  They made themselves comfortable in the living room. Ryan broke the silence. “Care to tell me what happened?”

  Lily hesitated before she began retelling about Joanne and Lana. Ryan listened, without interrupting, nodding his head occasionally.

  “Well, it sounds like Adam was doing his job when he found the drugs in Lana’s backpack. The question is, how did they get there? It could be that Lana is lying. It’s hard for someone to admit the truth when it’s a bad truth for them. And Joanne would want to believe that Lana is innocent.”

  Lily stood up, pacing around. “I thought of that too. But it just seems that Adam’s name keeps popping up whenever Carla was around and something bad happened. And those other two cops, what about them?”

  “I’ll check if they were in Misty Valley when Carla died. They might have been part of the investigating team. I’ll look into that. Was there anyone else sitting near you who might have heard your conversation with Joanne?”

  Lily wracked her brain. “Maybe. One other woman was watching me but looked away when I made eye contact. I suppose she could have heard something. We were talking very quietly though.”

  “Did she leave when you left?”

  “Everyone left at the same time. We followed Joanne to the restaurant but I was thinking more about what she told me than watching if anyone followed us.”

  Ryan stood up. “Stealing Poppy might not be connected but you need to assume it is and pay attention to everybody and every detail.” He looked at Iris. “You too. Was your car locked?”

  Iris sighed. “I usually lock it, but now I’m not one hundred percent sure. There wasn’t any damage from someone breaking in.”

  Ryan stifled a yawn. “Let’s all get some sleep. Maybe you’ll think of something else tomorrow.”

  ***

  Lily tossed and turned all night, sleeping fitfully. It was barely light out when she decided to get up and give up on getting any quality sleep. Rosie was all for that. She hadn’t gotten enough exercise the day before and she looked eagerly at Lily.

  “I can’t help but feel better seeing your happy face. Let’s see what’s out in the world today.”

  Walking helped Lily sort through this mess and try to get it into some kind of order. The birds were singing at the top of their lungs, especially a male cardinal that was always the first bird Lily would hear in the morning. She pulled her sweatshirt tighter against the chilly morning air, letting Rosie choose the direction and speed they would take.

  How did Adam May fit into all this, she wondered. Was it all coincidence, or was he the killer? He certainly didn’t fit the scary criminal stereotype but she knew that was just a myth anyway. Anyone, even the guy next door, could be something more than he seemed. Which made her shudder after she thought of who was living next door to her. Ryan? Involved? No, that was impossible. Or was it? Carla showin
g up, basically stalking him; could he have decided to take matters into his own hands? He would have known about her allergy.

  Lily shook off those thoughts. Everyone who knew Carla would know about the allergy. For crying out loud, Lily knew after meeting her for five minutes. Lily could think of logical explanations for everything but when she looked at the whole big picture, something smelled rotten.

  Rosie was heading toward the small park. They walked slowly around the pond, watching the ducks and a great blue heron at the edge of the water. Suddenly, Rosie pulled Lily toward a lone car parked in the parking area. “Slow down. What’s the hurry?” Rosie circled the car, then jumped up on the back door on the driver side, whining and pawing at the window which was cracked about an inch.

  Lily felt the hairs on her neck prickle. Her legs felt shaky as images of what could be inside flashed through her imagination. She took a step closer as Rosie whined louder. Something was wrong here. She hesitated, trying to decide if she wanted to take a look in the back seat, nervous about what she might find. Rosie was relentless and getting more agitated.

  Finally, Lily cupped her hands around her face to shield the reflection so she could see inside. A dog crate. With Poppy curled up inside. She almost collapsed with relief.

  Lily texted Ryan, not caring that it was early. “I found Poppy. Meet me at the park.”

  She tried to open the doors but they were all locked. Poppy was yipping now that she knew she had company. Dog poop smell wafted through the window opening. “Poor thing,” Lily said to Rosie. “I wonder whose car this is.”

  Ryan drove in sending gravel flying every which way. “This is Adam’s car. He’s got some explaining to do.” Ryan jimmied the door open and Lily pulled a wiggly Poppy out, putting her down to sniff Rosie and piddle in the grass. She looked no worse for the experience.

  Lily texted Iris, telling her to come over to get Poppy. It only took her about fifteen minutes to pull in looking completely disheveled from a night of no sleep.