by Ella White
Lydia stretched out her hands and took the cat from her mother. His paws immediately stretched out to claw Lydia’s face.
“You guys just wished you had the investigative powers of Melvin over here,” she snickered.
Chapter 5
The next morning Lydia hopped out of bed exhausted. It had been two days since Tim’s murder, and there were still no arrests. She went into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee before taking up the paper. The front page had Gwen’s story of a killer at large.
“How you doing, baby girl?”
Lydia turned to see her mother walking into the kitchen. Their house occupied the third floor of the building they owned and had converted to a flower shop.
They moved to the upper floors in order to facilitate Barbara’s insistence that she had always wanted to be around plants in her old age. There were times Lydia would wake up in the night and find her mother in the store crafting away new floral arrangements. She had a skill that had impressed many people, which pushed their business to the top of the floral arrangement food chain.
“I’m all right, Mom. Just thinking about this murder.”
“Have any idea who did it yet?”
“Not really. I have a clear picture of the three main suspects committing the crime. The why, the how, and the opportunities are all clear to me, but there’s still no clarity on who was around at the time of the murder.”
“Well, have you spoken to all the suspects?” asked Barbara as she made herself busy in the kitchen.
“Not Jason,” Lydia sighed wearily. They haven't had another rehearsal since that night, so people are wondering if the director is planning to pack it up and head out or if they’re delaying the premier until the killer is found.”
“So why not carve out some time to visit Jason?”
“He’s hard to get in touch with, not to mention that I can’t keep leaving you and Charles alone so often.”
“We do have Melvin to look after us,” Barbara said jokingly.
“You want protection from a scaredy cat?” Lydia chuckled.
Barbara laughed. “Well, better to have a scaredy cat than a killer on the loose.”
“Maybe I should get back to the drawing board,” said Lydia, suddenly feeling a surge of renewed inspiration.
* * *
Lydia walked into the flower shop just as Mrs. Tillman was leaving with her rose arrangement. When she saw Lydia she turned to greet her with a bright smile on her face.
“My word. You have grown, Little Lydia.”
Lydia cringed at the mention of her childhood nickname. Mrs. Tillman had been her childhood caretaker whenever her parents were unable to care for her.
“Thanks, Mrs. Tillman,” Lydia replied blushing.
“Well, I hope you stay just as beautiful. Try not to go running around trying to catch any killers,” she said with a wink before walking out.
Lydia stood stunned.
“How?” Lydia asked, glaring at her mother.
“If you’ll remember, she took care of you as a child. You didn’t become a sleuth overnight. It took years of Mrs. Tillman trying to hide her pets from you for your talents to become so well developed,” responded Barbara as she came up behind her daughter.
“Oh yeah. I remember now. The dogs, the cats, the court cases,” Lydia giggled. “I was a pretty amazing child. That, you have to admit.”
“I admit nothing. Next thing I know, you’ll have me in your frilly bracelets for catnapping.”
Lydia spent the rest of the day organizing the store for the upcoming week and ordering flowers for clients. By the time the work day had ended, she was exhausted and ready to go for a drink.
“Hey, Lydia. You have a moment?”
Lydia looked up to see Charles leaning against her office door frame.
“Yeah, I have a moment.”
Charles’s body language informed Lydia that he was about to say something he was uncomfortable with. She hoped to God it was not another conversation about dating.
“I was thinking you might want to head down to Tony’s to get a drink,” he suggested.
Her stomach dropped. It wasn’t that she didn’t think he was a good man; she just didn’t have any romantic attractions to him. He was always far too nervous. Besides, he would have been better off with Gwen than with her.
“I don’t think that would be a good idea. I have so much work to do,” Lydia replied. She hated the look of disappointment that always crossed his face when she said no, yet it always surprised her that no matter how often she said no, he always asked. His face brightened up again.
“What about tomorrow?”
“I have plans with Gwen,” she lied, making a mental note that she would have to hurry and make those plans once this conversation ended. “I think we should talk about this though.”
“Talk about what?”
“I think we work great together, Charles. You’re excellent at managing the store and you get along with everyone so well…”
“But?”
“But, I don’t believe I’m attracted to you in that way.”
“Oh,” Charles mumbled.
Lydia almost wished she hadn't said it, but she was resolute that she couldn't let him continue to wait for her if she was never going to come around.
“I’ll give you time,” he said.
Lydia shook her head as he walked away from her office.
* * *
“Gwen!” Gwen turned to find her coworker Carey walking briskly towards her.
“Careful, Carey,” she said cheerfully. “Don't break your neck trying to get over here.”
Carey laughed as she came closer to Gwen.
“I wanted to catch you before you left.” She handed Gwen a folder.
“What's this?”
“It's those documents you asked us to dig up on Jason Smythe and Jenny.”
“I already got one from Meagan.”
“I know, but I checked a few friends who had more to say. I thought it might be a helpful addition to what you already had.”
Gwen flipped through the pages and suddenly stopped.
“Are you trying to tell me that Jenny and Jason had an affair?”
“That's not the weirdest part,” Carey said, pointing to a sheet of paper at the very back of the folder.
Gwen took it out and examined it.
“He filed a restraining order?” Gwen gasped. “I talked to both of them and neither one said anything about a restraining order.”
“Turns out he had it revoked it a week later. He told the police he must have made a mistake, but what are the chances someone can make a mistake in filing a restraining order?” Carey said incredulously.
“That's very strange indeed.” Gwen contemplated the matter for a second. “Did you find out anything else about the case?”
“No, that's it, but I can tell you this.” The entire thing didn't go over well with the director. Most of the actors said she was on the verge of firing them both. She has a no hook up policy for her actors.”
Gwen placed the folder in her briefcase. Her contacts were proving to be much more resourceful than she could have hoped.
Just then her phone rang. She looked down to realize it was Kent, her long time long distance flame. He had grown distant over the past few weeks, and she was a little apprehensive about possibly joining the dating game again after this conversation.
“Hey, Kent,” she answered as neutrally as possible.
“Hey. I won't be coming again this weekend. The drive out will take too much time, and I wouldn't be able to get off work in time to catch an early train back.”
Gwen felt a sense of release. She liked Kent and was grateful for the distraction he provided, but there were times when she felt she would rather date someone local.
“Wow, I guess I’ll have to figure something out,” she said, forcing a sigh.
“About us now. I think it’s best we call our relationship off,” he stated blankly. Gwen
assumed this was because he had possibly already found her replacement.
“I think that's a good idea too,” she replied bluntly before hanging up. She had no intentions of mourning over Kent when she was sure he had already replaced her.
She picked up her phone and dialed Lydia to see if she had any time for a girl’s night out.
“Hey, Gwen,” Lydia answered. “Are you up for a hang out tonight?”
“You read my mind,” smiled Gwen.
She drove the few blocks to their favorite girls night club and found Lydia at the bar already ordering drinks. Gwen embraced her friend heartily before taking a seat beside her.
“You won't believe what happened to me today,” they both exclaimed simultaneously
Gwen laughed and Lydia shook her head.
“You go first,” insisted Lydia.
“Well, I got new info on the case,” Gwen began, enjoying the way Lydia perked up at the news.
“What is it?” she asked eagerly.
“Well, it turns out that Jason and Jenny had a brief affair which lead to a restraining order being filed against her.”
“You're lying,” Lydia said, sipping her cocktail.
“That's not all,” Gwen continued, relishing in her moment in the spotlight.
“There can't be more,” Lydia replied, setting her drink aside.
“But there is. Apparently the restraining order was retracted only days later.”
“That's ridiculous!” Lydia basically shouted. “Why would he go through all the trouble of filing a restraining order only to retract it after a few days?”
“That's exactly what I said. I think we need to pay Jason a visit sooner rather than later.”
“Wow,” Lydia said, shaking her head. “Is that all?”
Gwen took her drink and nodded, mumbling under her breath.
“What was that?” Lydia asked.
“Kent broke up with me,” Gwen said softly.
“You must be kidding me! The jerk!”
“It's fine. I saw this coming ages ago. I was surprised he hadn't done it earlier. I just think he's finally found someone else.”
“That's terrible,” Lydia said, wrapping an arm around her friend.
“It's not so bad,” Gwen said. “I wanted more for the relationship anyway, and I knew he couldn't have given it to me being so far away, so I think I might be just as relieved as he is.”
“Well, that leads me into my news.”
“Does it have anything to do with Charles?” Gwen asked.
“Am I so transparent?”
“Nope, it's just that we were taking about relationships, and since I assume it had nothing to do with your cat, it must have something to do with poor old Charles.”
“Whatever,” Lydia said, nudging Gwen. “He made another drink proposal for today after work. The weirdest thing is that I told him the two of us would never work, but he insisted he would wait.”
This information sent Gwen into a fit of laughter.
“Yes, please laugh at my distress,” Lydia groaned.
Gwen tried to calm herself.
“It's just that I can picture it all going down. Him asking you out, you telling him you two won't work and him telling you that he will wait.” She burst into another fit of giggles.
“Well, I'm happy my problem can amuse you.”
“Oh, come on. Here I am freshly dumped, and there you are the fresh dumper,” Gwen chuckled, motioning the bartender to bring them another round. “If I didn't know any better, I'd tell you to set me up with Charles just to save him from you and myself from them other boys.”
Lydia initially laughed at how ridiculous the suggestion sounded, but the more she looked at Gwen, the more the idea began to make sense. Gwen was a ray of sunshine wherever she went, and Charles was the most committed and relationship oriented man she had ever met, not to mention the fact that his good looks did him a lot of good. Maybe there was a match to be made here.
“Stranger things have happened,” Lydia said, raising her glass to Gwen, who had yet to catch on to her plan.
They stayed there for another hour talking about the case. They decided that they needed to talk to Jason after all, and maybe he could lead them to a clue they had overlooked or maybe he would prove himself to have killer intentions. All in all, they wanted to catch the killer… soon. The production had a lifetime of a month before the actors would pack up and go to the next town, so they needed to catch the killer before there was nothing else they could do.
The next morning Lydia walked into the store to find a cheerful Barbara humming away as she cut the stems of the latest flower delivery.
“What's going on, Mom?” Lydia asked suspiciously. She knew her mom, and she knew that humming was the most suspicious of her tendencies.
“Oh, nothing, darling. Just feeling cheerful today,” she chirped.
Lydia's warning signals went off. Her mother’s sole goal in life was to marry her off, so when she became cheerful, it was pretty much a given that she was most likely conceiving plans along those lines.
“I'm not interested in Charles, Mom!” she exclaimed in hopes of dissuading her mother from any idea of the sort.
“Oh, you won't even give him a chance!”
Her mother’s frustration strengthened her suspicions.
“What are you planning?”
Her mother merely shifted her head and shrugged.
“He almost had a heart attack trying to ask me out. Either he likes me too much or he's afraid of me.”
Barbara laughed. “He's just nervous. Cut him some slack”
Lydia rolled her eyes and began walking away. Before she could get far, an idea popped into her mind. Her mom needed another preoccupation.
“Did you know Kent broke up with Gwen?”
Barbara's face fell. “That poor girl,” she whispered. “After everything they went through and all the plans he had made. How could he just up and leave her?”
“It's not so bad,” Lydia assured her mother. “She says she always wanted to settle down with someone more local. Don't you think SHE would be perfect for Charles?”
Lydia watched in anticipation as the wheels began to turn in her mother’s head.
“Oh my. Yes, that's a splendid idea. She's so full of light and fun, and he's such a sweet boy. They would be perfect for each other.”
Lydia almost fell to the floor thanking her lucky stars that her mother fell for the trap.
“But don't you think that means I won't be looking for someone for you,” her mother warned, staring her down. “You need to fall in love, get married, and have me some grandchildren.”
“I'll do my very best,” Lydia sighed.
“It would help if you wore proper woman clothes. Those straight shirts and jeans might be convincing men that you have other intentions, if you know what I mean,” Barbara said with a cocked eyebrow.
“Mom!” Lydia screeched
“Well, if that's what you're into, I guess you could still have me some grand babies at least.”
“We are not having this conversation, Mom.”
“You better get used to it. Until I have you happily married off, I will have no rest and neither will you. Now go on. I have some planning to do.”
Lydia walked into her office and leaned against the door, letting out a sigh of exasperation. She walked over to the story board devising a plan for the next step. She needed to visit Jason to get some answers, but the new information she had gotten from Gwen reinforced her theory that there had to be some collaboration between either two or all three main suspects.
Lydia pulled out her phone and called Gwen.
“Hey, I thought I told you to stop by,” she said.
“I’ve been held up at the office in meetings for hours. Must have been the food. You feed these people, and they never want to leave.”
“Did the tape ever get to your office?” Gwen asked. “I could come and pick it up and watch it until you get here.”
&
nbsp; “I never got the tape,” Gwen said. “I think that guy played me.”
“That’s strange. He didn’t seem the type,” Lydia remarked. “I think I’m going to call him to see what happened.
Lydia searched for a number for the restaurant. When she finally found one, she called and was pleased to get the manager.
“Vietnamese Delights,” he recited. “How may I help you?”
“Hi, it’s Lydia. I was there not too long ago and asked you to send us a security tape of your restaurant over the course of the past few days.”
“I sent the videos already. Had them delivered personally,” he said cheerfully.
“I spoke to Gwen. She says she never got it.”
“There must be a problem then. I only made one copy. To make any more, I’d need to talk to my boss, and I’m not sure they would want any of us giving out their videos without permission.”
“So it’s safe to say the video got lost somewhere in translation,” sighed Lydia. “I’m sure it will show up.” Once they hung up, Lydia texted Gwen reminding her to double check for the package.
Lydia was both exhausted and annoyed. Anything else would have to wait for the next day.
Chapter 6
Barbara walked up the steps of the police station with a flower arrangement tucked under her arm. Her billowy floral dress flowed gracefully behind her. She had a dual purpose for her current trip to the station. She was going to deliver the basket as well as catch up with her old friend Eugene.
“Well, look who decided to finally show her face.”
Barbara walked up to the front desk to greet Eugene, who was already standing to greet her with a hug. She had grown fond of Eugene when they taught together at the local high school before she had gone off to study business.
“Good to see you too, stranger,” Barbara said, leaning against Eugene’s receptionist counter. “Brought you some flowers.”
Eugene took the arrangement and began her usual cooing, smelling and touching the delicate petals.
“Barbara, you shouldn't have.” Eugene loved flowers, but working at the station all day didn't allow her to tend to her usually well-kept gardens.