Flower Power Trip

by James J Cudney

  “Agreed, but I will caution you not to disparage a Braxton police officer in the presence of others, Little Ayrwick,” April said. The officer had begun reading Helena her Miranda rights.

  “Kellan, please help. Contact Maggie for me. Call Finnigan Masters and let him know to meet us downtown,” Lucy Roarke begged, indicating she was going with her daughter to the sheriff's office, so she wasn't alone. Ben was going to keep things running at the inn until one of their other daughters arrived to watch the place and take care of any guests.

  As Detective Gilkrist went inside with a warrant to search the place, Helena was driven downtown by the arresting officer with Lucy following closely behind them. I turned to the sheriff. “We need to talk.”

  “Yes, I agree. It seems you have a few favors to do for the Roarkes. Why don't you make those calls? I'll keep your daughter company,” April said as she gently tapped Emma's window.

  “Wait, why are you being so nice right now?” I asked.

  April told me to do as I was told and began talking to Emma about her rabbit, Rodney. I stepped back onto the porch and quickly updated Maggie. She was leaving the library and would meet her mother at the sheriff's office. Connor was with her to help keep things under control for the time being. I also contacted Helena's lawyer, but Finnigan's assistant informed me he was still at court for a deposition. She assured me it would end in the next thirty minutes, so he could be there for Helena.

  As I descended the stairs back into the main driveway, the remaining cops carried a bag of evidence to a police van. I looked at my daughter, who was sitting on an outdoor bench with April, and listened to their conversation from a few feet away.

  “Rodney likes you, Emma,” April said while gently stroking the rabbit's ears. The rabbit seemed content in her arms as if he had no concerns in the world.

  “He's a good boy. I hope he doesn't get scared at home. There are lots of other animals on the farm who are bigger than him,” Emma said with a growing look of panic in her eyes.

  “He might get worried, but that's where you come in. He's gonna depend on you to be his caretaker. You'll have to ensure he's loved, fed, and cared for. Don't let the other animals near him until they've calmed down. And maybe only the smaller ones. You're a big girl, I'm sure your Daddy will help you,” April said before looking up at me as she handed the rabbit to Emma. “As I get to know him a little more, I can see how good of a parent he is. I'm sure that's rubbing off on you, so you can be a good parent to little Rodney.”

  Just when April did something foolish like arresting Helena Roarke for a murder she would never commit, the self-righteous sheriff paid me a compliment. Now, I had to be nice to her even though I wanted to lock her in a closet until… never mind… whoa, that was going somewhere I hadn't intended it to go. “Hey Emma, why don't you run inside and get a cookie from the parlor. I'll watch Rodney for you.”

  Emma put Rodney in the cage, then handed it to the sheriff. “You're not so bad even if Daddy complains about you all the time. He complains about everyone.” She hugged April and started jogging toward the front steps. “Nana D says he's a tool. I'm not sure if he's a hammer or a screwdriver.”

  I closed my eyes and leaned against the SUV's passenger door. “Don't have children, April. They know how to make you love someone unconditionally and then rip out your heart and stomp on it!”

  “At the risk of sounding sappy, I meant what I said. You're a damn fine father, Little Ayrwick,” April said patting my shoulder twice. “You should also know I don't believe Helena Roarke had anything to do with George Braun's murder, but I've got a few pieces of evidence I can't deny at the moment. There is a lot of pressure from Mayor Grosvalet and Councilman Stanton to make this arrest.”

  “He's trying to make a point here, isn't he? The Roarke family is close to my family. This will be bad news for my nana, huh?”

  April nodded. “Listen, I shouldn't be telling you this. I'm not sure why I am either, but you're starting to whittle me to the bone. I'm investigating a few other leads, but maybe the killer will let down his or her guard now that we've arrested Helena.”

  “Finnigan will get her out. She's not a flight risk,” I added checking the time on my watch. “I'm guessing you have to hold her until Monday. No judge is gonna take her case at five o'clock on a Friday.”

  “I'm afraid you're right. I should drive downtown to process Helena and be sure she gets adequate accommodations for the extended stay. I'm sure she could use a visitor this weekend, that is, if you're around,” April said, stepping away from me.

  “Why Sheriff Montague, are you trying to help Helena, or do you want to see me again tomorrow?” I snickered. Laughter was sometimes the best way to handle an awkward situation. I didn't know how to behave around April if we weren't enemies anymore. We weren't quite friends, but that in-between, middle ground often caused more problems than necessary.

  “For one thing, I'm not working tomorrow. You can spend all day in a jail cell talking to your former girlfriend's sister, buddy. For another, I do believe I've had my fill of Kellan Ayrwick for the month. I'm perfectly happy to wait until Braxton's next murder to deal with the likes of you,” April taunted with an evil grin.

  “Before you head out,” I said, pulling my thoughts together. “I overheard a peculiar conversation between Doug and Karen Stoddard. Not only has their son, Cheney, been in some trouble in the past, but it occurred in Chicago. There also seems to be a different explanation between the two of them on how they ended up deciding to move to Braxton.” I told the sheriff everything I'd learned from Doug about his wife's thirty-minute disappearance.

  “I'll do some investigating about their arrival in Braxton. I already know about Cheney Stoddard's stint in prison. It makes him look guiltier, but Helena swears she saw Cheney back away from George in the courtyard. She's either covering for Cheney, or he left after his argument with the victim. Helena's case is growing stronger by the minute, even if my gut says she's not guilty.” When the sky began to turn gray and mist, April blinked. Her vibrant green eyes glowed like an LED light.

  “But you'll check into where Karen was during those thirty minutes?” I asked.

  “Of course. Unfortunately, they backed one another up that neither had left each other's side most of the night, so I'll need to figure out how to introduce this topic. If I catch Doug and Karen separately, tripping one or both up should be relatively easy.” The sheriff warned me not to talk to them again, as it could make her own investigation more difficult. I promised I'd do my best, but I knew if given the chance, I'd poke around. I couldn't help it. Two of my friends were in trouble, and the sheriff hadn't yet proved her dependability to me. I'd been essential to solving the earlier two murder cases, and if I hadn't kept my nose away from where it might not belong, a killer could've gone unpunished.

  “Anything else you learned about the phone call Yuri overheard the day of George's murder?”

  “I thought you agreed to stay out of it,” April grunted. She crossed both arms and stood next to her motorcycle, glaring at me before putting on her helmet.

  “Just following up on a lead I provided, that's all. Closing the item out, so I don't have to think about it ever again once I know you've got it under control,” I said, hoping to appease her concerns.

  “In that case, yes, Yuri's information was helpful. I followed up on what you were told, but let's just say… I'm not convinced she was being truthful. Yuri Sato is currently in trouble with Dean Mulligan over something she did at Braxton.”

  “Did the dean actually meet with George that afternoon, or did she make the whole thing up?”

  “I can't comment on it right now. I need to finish my investigation. Don't push me on this.” April clenched her jaw indicating she was nearing her boiling point over my persistence. “I will tell you that based on some of the documents left behind in his room at the inn, we confirmed George Braun was married. However, we do not yet know her full identity nor her location. She is a person
of interest, and as soon as we can track her down, we'll have another possible suspect.” April verified the bike was in neutral, pulled the clutch on the handlebar, started the engine, and roared out of the driveway.

  I needed to find out why Anita Singh wouldn't talk about who she married. Now that Yuri was involved in a peculiar lie, I worried how she fit into the whole puzzle. If we couldn't produce another legitimate suspect, Helena might be in more trouble than I realized.

  Emma bounded down the steps with two cookies in her hand. “She's so cool, Daddy. Here, have a gingersnap. Mr. Roarke said he was counting on you to help Helena.”

  “Thank you, baby. Let's head to dinner with Grandma, Grandpa, and Nana D. I promised them we'd stop by.” Someone needed to stop Marcus Stanton for trying to push the sheriff around. Grosvalet would be out of a job soon enough, but I had to do everything to stop Stanton from becoming the next mayor.

  Chapter 15

  Emma and I got Rodney settled in for the night. Once we were sure he had enough food and water and fell asleep in his cage, we prepared to meet the rest of the family for dinner. Emma begged for a piggyback ride, so I pretended to be a farm animal and raced around Danby Landing snorting and squealing. I wasn't sure if making that awful noise or the actual running had worn me out first. Before driving to the Royal Chic-Shack, I called Ursula to let her know Helena had been arrested and that I suspected she might recognize who'd been recently consorting with George Braun. I explained who Karen and Doug Stoddard were without talking about their son's jail experience in Chicago. Ursula couldn't remember the assistant's first name and had still thought the person who worked in the lab was named Lambertson. It may or may not be the same person, I reminded myself.

  “Myriam has a dinner this evening with all the other department chairs from neighboring colleges. Since I'm on my own, perhaps I should try the new Stoddard restaurant to see if I recognize Karen,” Ursula suggested on the phone. “Care to participate in the fun?”

  “I think it's a good idea. I'd join if I could, but I'm pulling up to my parents for some family time with Eleanor, Nana D, and Emma. Be careful, I don't exactly trust the Stoddard family right now,” I cautioned as I parked the SUV and unbuckled my seatbelt. “Don't push her if she's combative or difficult. And be warned, Cheney's got a bit of a temper.”

  When we arrived, Emma placed a My Little Pony page holder in her book and waited for me to unlock the back door. My precocious daughter jumped into my arms saying, “What did we bring for dinner?” As I shut the door, I realized I hadn't asked my parents if they needed anything nor volunteered to bring part of the meal. I was a bad son.

  “Well, honey, Daddy's had a busy day, and—”

  Emma interrupted and said, “Auntie Eleanor just pulled up. She'll save the day.” She jumped back down and ran to my sister's car once it parked behind us. When Eleanor stepped out of the driver side, she and Emma whispered like gossipy schoolgirls. I heard a second car door slam shut and watched Nana D exit the passenger side.

  “Really? Your daddy forgot to bring something, how unusual,” Eleanor teased.

  “Oh, brilliant one, if the women in your life weren't on top of things, you'd be the worst sort of mess,” Nana D reprimanded me as she walked between the two vehicles. “Take this,” she said, handing me a fragrant bouquet of white daisies and yellow solidago. “Harness some flower power.”

  Since I'd been back in Braxton for three months, I could count on one hand the number of times we had dinner together as a family. When Eleanor, Nana D, and my parents congregated in a room, the zingers flew so fast they bounced off the walls and nipped you in the rear before you could get the next one out. As sarcastic as I could be, keeping up was not an option. I knew my place in that viper pit. Would it change now that Gabriel was back? I worried about keeping his secret from everyone tonight as I had only just found him again. Now I had to purposely not mention his name or risk a new world war.

  “For me? You shouldn't have.” I kissed Nana D on her cheek and took the bouquet and a cake plate she'd been carrying. “Far out. Were you ever a hippie, Nana D? Lay it on me.” I thought I'd flavor up the evening with a little slang she might remember.

  “You bet your sweet bippy I was, now don't bogart my stash! Does that answer your question?” Using her now-free hand, Nana D smacked me with a large canvas bag. “That's what I'm bringing. German chocolate cake made with the cocoa beans Deirdre sent me from her travels to Brazil. Supposedly doing research for her next romance novel, my bippy.”

  “What is in that tote, a thousand roles of quarters?” I said, switching the bouquet of flowers to my other hand so I could rub my shoulder. “Nana D's got her freak flag on and is repeating herself,” I said in a drawn-out slur as if I were intoxicated. “She must be like way high on the grass!”

  “Stop. No one finds you funny. Emma is probably ashamed to be your daughter,” Nana D said.

  “She's been carrying them around for a week and threatening to knock the councilman out if he keeps spreading rumors about her,” Eleanor chimed in and grabbed Emma's hand to walk inside. In her other hand was a bag with at least four bottles of wine poking out the top. Good, one for each of us. My father drank scotch, but the rest of us would need a bottle to get through the night.

  “That scoundrel told a group of downtown merchants that I wanted to knock over their stores to build a puppy mill. He's an arrogant son-of-a…” Nana D raised her voice until I leaned my head in Emma's direction. “Poop head! Anyway, you can give the flowers to your mother, so you don't look like a creep who forgot to bring something.”

  “Thank you, Nana D. I love you.” I followed everyone inside and prepared for battle.

  My father studied his formidable mother-in-law, searching for his best opening line. Then it arrived like a twister. “Mommie Dearest, it's wonderful to see you without your broom this evening. All out of gas? Or did you give the little monkeys the night off, I see?”

  He reached for the cake, but she swatted his hand away. “Make yourself useful and disappear.” Nana D pushed past him with a shoulder check and went looking for my mother in the kitchen.

  Eleanor dropped off the wine on the dining room sidebar and immediately slid out the top drawer in search of a bottle opener. While Emma told my father all about her day at school, I approached my sister and whispered, “Should you be drinking if you're trying to get pregnant?”

  “I'm not pregnant now. I'll stop if and when it happens, but until then I consider this special grape juice a necessary coat of armor for the evening,” she replied and uncorked the first bottle of white. “A French Sancerre ought to get us started in the right mood.”

  Emma hopped to the kitchen making rabbit noises to help her grandmother and nana. My father opened the lower liquor cabinet, grabbed a shiny new bottle, and poured himself a scotch. “What's new in your life, son? Ever since you abandoned ship, I hardly ever see you anymore.”

  “I've been busy planning the next theatre show at Paddington's Play House. Sunset Boulevard should bring in extra folks while there are fewer students this summer,” I replied, hoping to avoid a few topics he'd undoubtedly bring up. “Last year's Broadway revival caused quite the stir.”

  “Excellent choice. Ursula and Myriam are treating you well, I presume.” He swirled the half a glass of liquor and breathed in its heavy, oaky scent. “How's that dirty old farm shed of Nana D's working out for you? Your mother definitely misses seeing you and Emma around the house. She's been sulking more than usual lately.”

  Nana D chose that moment to enter through the other side of the room. “That's because Violet's stuck spending all day with you, Wesley. There's only so many cantankerous, old academic scholarly bowel movements she can take at once.” And just as quickly as she entered the room, she grabbed the freshly poured wine glass Eleanor had handed to me and strolled back into the kitchen. “Who picked this dry dud? We should only be buying American wine. And scotch, Wesley. Don't think I didn't notice your fancy schmancy liq
uor on the sidebar. Entire villages in Africa could eat for a month with what you spent on that bottle.”

  “Who invited that wet blanket?” my father asked as he refilled his tumbler. “Doesn't she have a campaign to lose?” Although they often traded ruthless barbs with one another, it was all in jest. They'd never genuinely liked each other, but our family supported their own when it counted in public.

  “Actually, Dad, she's picked up a few points based on the latest news reports this morning. Nana D is currently ahead of Councilman Stanton,” Eleanor added as she poured another glass for me.

  “Speaking of Councilman Stanton, I ran into him today. He mentioned an arrest in the George Braun murder but wouldn't tell me who it was until it became official. Anyone I know?” my father said.

  “Five more minutes until dinner,” my mother cheerfully noted when she poked her head in the dining room. “Hello, my son. It's been so quiet without you here lately. I know you needed your privacy, but if you ever want to come back home, you are welcome.” She stepped to the bar on the side of the room and poured herself a glass of wine, then cupped my cheek with her hand. “I love this face.”

  I knew the order of things around the Ayrwick household. “Of course, Mom. I appreciate it,” I said and handed her the bouquet of flowers.

  “These look just like the ones I saw at Nana D's house last week. You two must shop in the same florist,” Mom teased before making a complete circle in the room and heading back to the kitchen to finalize our meal.

  Eleanor shrugged her shoulders. “Kellan knows about the arrest, Dad. He was there when it happened.”

  How did she know? I hadn't had a moment of peace to tell anyone. I cocked my head at her and gave a confused look at her words. “Dish.”

  “Emma told me that you and April Montague wanted to be alone at the Roarke & Daughters Inn,” Eleanor said, purposely and playfully throwing me under the bus with our father. “I'm not sure what she meant. What about it, Kellan? What's going on in your love life these days?”