Deadly Arrangements (Book Two in the Cozy Flower Shop Mystery Series) (The Flower Shop Mystery Series)

by Annie Adams

  I couldn’t understand how she’d remained out of the loop for this long. Unless there’d been a major catastrophe to distract the MLM when K.C. and I were being hauled in to the police station. But I did know that if she found out about that car ride or the cow pie pile-on, I would never be able to take off the disappointing daughter tiara.

  “Hello.” I tried to answer the phone without letting my voice shake.

  “Yes, Quincy, this is Jacqueline. I was just wondering if you would be available to meet at Bruce’s place this evening. I’ve got something urgent to speak with you about, and I think Bruce should be there too.”

  I thought for a moment, then cut my eyes to my mother who sat very still in her seat, trying—but failing—to disguise her eagerness to overhear the conversation.

  “Is this about the decorating job?” I asked, then immediately felt my mom’s excitement reverberating from her side of the car.

  “Well, yes, in a roundabout way,” Jacqueline said.

  “I have a meeting this afternoon, but I could probably come after that,” I said.

  “Alright. Seven o’clock?” she said.

  “Yes, that sounds fine.”

  Wow. That was one cold snake of a woman. She didn’t flinch. There was no hint in her voice that she had tried to seriously injure me and K.C.

  My plan was to call the police and tell them everything that had really happened. Then, I would go to Bruce’s condo with the police in tow and they could arrest her on the spot.

  There was only one flaw with that plan. Well, only one primary flaw.

  That plan assumed I could prove that a woman who no one would ever suspect of going near a farm, let alone a tractor, would climb on top of it, and know how to use it, and attempt to kill a florist and a delivery driver. Oh, and the only proof I had was that I thought I had smelled some perfume over the top of a full load of fresh, fragrant manure.

  Ideas, anyone?

  “Was that about the decorating job that I’m helping with?” Mom asked.

  “Um, yeah…she wants to meet at the condo.”

  “Really?” My mother looked as if she was just about to explode with glee. “Oh, Quincy, I just loved going and helping you with those measurements. When we left there, I felt like…a professional. Or maybe just a successful woman. I had actually been good at something. It was thrilling.”

  “Mom, you’re good at lots of things. You are a successful woman. You’ve raised us three, some of the time on your own, and we’re all still alive. You took care of Grandma McKay until she died. You taught me how to…well…you taught Allie and Sandy how to cook. You have a beautiful home.”

  Mom’s face grew rosy and she looked at the floor. “Oh, we’d better go…this food is getting cold.”

  I put Zombie Sue in reverse and looked at either side mirror to back out.

  “Quincy?”

  “Yeah, Mom,” I said, still looking at the side mirror.

  “Thank you.” I smiled as I put the van in drive. “Would you like to come with me to…?”

  What, was I insane? I had almost asked Mom to come to the meeting. She’d given me the puppy dog eyes. I wanted so much to make her feel good, and then she threw the puppy dog eyes.

  I cleared my throat. “The meeting with Jacqueline is just…about some paperwork. It’ll be really boring. But I was wondering…” Think of something, Quincy, or she’ll start asking questions! “If you’d like to come to a walk-through for K.C.’s wedding this afternoon?”

  “I would love to,” she said. “I’ll call your father and tell him he’s on his own for dinner.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  After lunch, Mom went home to take care of a few things and give instructions to my father for the dinner she’d already started. Most likely there was a roast in the slow cooker and all he would have to do is turn it off when the timer dinged. Somehow life always boils down to just managing the spaces in between meals, doesn’t it?

  Now, I just needed to get through the meeting with Danny and K.C., and keep up my nerve until it was time to face the cow dung hit-woman.

  I needed some police help for the soiree with Jacqueline and Bruce later that evening. I couldn’t go into her lair alone. It was time to call in for back-up.

  Eventually, I would have to come completely clean to Alex about The Manure Incident, but it didn’t feel like now was the time. Nor, maybe, would it ever. So, his police presence—despite how much it was missed for non-law enforcement reasons—was out for now. And it happened to work out really conveniently that he was out of town, anyway.

  I called John Davies, who was polite to me and K.C. despite seeing us wrapped up in paper towels in the city jail. I told him why he had seen me in that condition and who I thought had done it and why I had no solid proof. He sounded skeptical at first, but said that my instincts had been good on the Mangum case (I left out the part about it really being K.C.’s creepy crawly senses). He agreed to go with me to the meeting in plain clothes. I would say he was my brother and we were on our way to a family party or something, then we could get Jacqueline talking. She would incriminate herself or I would confront her. I was sure John would provide a bit of “blue courage” to back up my accusations. Hopefully after tonight this would all be over.

  I figured John was the one who’d alerted Alex about our jail stay, so I mentioned that maybe Alex would be too busy with his family to worry about my meeting with Jacqueline. John read between the lines and he reluctantly agreed not to leak anything this time.

  After the call, Allie and I went downstairs to the basement storage area, otherwise known as the dungeon. Old wedding props, unwanted containers, ribbon, holiday decorations, and ancient window displays sat in the dungeon in undiscernible piles, some reaching all the way to the ceiling. Since we had a couple of hours to kill, we thought we could begin the process of sorting and digging out.

  An hour later—or maybe a lifetime, it’s impossible to comprehend time in the dungeon—Daphne came downstairs. “Quincy, there’s someone here to see you. It’s that bride you’ve been meeting with—Jenny, I think?”

  As we walked into the design room and toward the front counter, Daphne reminded me her shift was over. “Oh, and your mom called. She wanted me to tell you not to forget the meeting with Jacqueline after you go to the marsh,” she said on her way out.

  Mother! Stop trying to be my mother all the time!

  Jenny stood at the cooler perusing the different arrangements on display. Her head snapped up at the mention of Jacqueline’s name.

  “Jenny, hi,” I said, wondering how to keep it all together, knowing what her mother had done. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

  Her face lit up with a huge smile. “I have great news. Brock just called me from Ohio. He said he’s okay.”

  I felt an immediate sense of relief and elation for Jenny. “What do you mean? He got away from his kidnappers?”

  Her face flushed and she wrung her hands. “Well…he wasn’t actually…kidnapped,” she said. “I’m so embarrassed.” She looked at the floor.

  “What happened?”

  “It’s just that…well, you know what it’s like to try and please my mother. I guess he just got so scared with the wedding coming. He felt…trapped. He said he knew he would never be able to live up to her expectations and the more he thought about it, the worse he felt. He just had to get out of here. So…” her voice grew soft, “he, um, staged the kidnapping.”

  My mind went blank. I couldn’t comprehend what I had just heard. I could totally understand feeling unable to live up to Jacqueline’s expectations, but that didn’t explain why Fred and Gordon got hurt.

  It’s not as if I knew Brock well from the few meetings we’d had to plan the wedding, but I just didn’t see him as someone capable of hurting the two men simply because he didn’t want to get married. But then, I’d probably been wrong about him taking the bribe money too.

  “So, he bashed Fred and Gordon’s heads in and left them for
dead because he didn’t want to put up with your mother?”

  “Oh, no! Brock didn’t do that. He had some friends come and pretend to be kidnappers. He said he’d told them it needed to look and sound real, but I guess they took it too far. He didn’t realize they’d actually hurt anyone until I told him. He felt so bad about it, Quincy. I feel terrible about it too.”

  “Sounds pretty extreme just to get rid of a future mother-in-law,” I said. Although I understood how Jacqueline could drive someone to extremes. Brock’s story didn’t make complete sense. He didn’t know his friends wacked Gordon and Fred on their heads hard enough to put them in the hospital? Of course, I didn’t know the exact details. Maybe it was just Jenny’s retelling of the story that made it hard to believe.

  “It’s too bad Brock didn’t feel like he could measure up to your mom’s standards,” I said. “That I understand. Boy, do I understand.”

  She smiled and nodded empathetically.

  “At least they’re both doing better now—I mean, Fred and Gordon,” I said.

  “Yes, we’re both so relieved,” she said.

  “What will you do now? I guess you’ve contacted the police?”

  She looked at me blankly. “Oh—yes. Well, I told him to call and tell them the whole story as soon as we hung up.”

  “Oh, good. K.C. will be so happy. I’m meeting with her soon. I can’t wait to tell her. Does your mother know he called you?”

  “No, I haven’t told her yet. I’ve been waiting for the right time. We’re not getting along too well ourselves right now. I honestly think I will go to Pennsylvania to meet Brock and not tell anyone.” She glanced around the shop. “Actually, I was hoping you wouldn’t tell anyone what I told you. At least not until I leave tonight.”

  “Jenny, I don’t know what to say. Why are you telling me about this if you don’t want me to share the news with K.C.?”

  “I just wanted to let you know that Brock’s okay. You’re the only one who showed any concern that he was gone. My mother just acted like she was glad he was out of the way.” Her eyes welled with tears. “You’re the only person in Hillside that’s been a friend to me. I don’t have any other friends. I have to pretend to get along with my mother, and until today, Brock was gone.”

  I took a box of tissues from the consultation area and handed it to her. I’d had no idea how lonely she was. Every time I’d met with her she seemed extremely friendly and happy. I guess she was a good actress.

  She cleared her throat and dabbed at her eyes. “I feel so silly. And I want you to know, I’m really sorry about your driver’s boyfriend and Gordon. Brock never wanted to hurt them.”

  “I’m sure he didn’t.” I sighed. “You don’t need to worry about me telling anyone. I’m sure the police have already contacted Fred and Gordon if Brock called them.”

  “Thank you. I got worried when the girl that just left said you had an appointment with my mother tonight.”

  Ugh. The appointment where I was going to have her mother arrested, if possible. Maybe it was a good thing Jenny would be on her way to be with Brock. She deserved a break from all the stress for at least one night.

  “It’s just a numbers meeting. I think I’ll just re-schedule, anyway. With K.C.’s wedding coming up so soon, I think that might be best. So what will you do next?”

  “I’m flying to meet up with him, and after we elope, we’ll try to find jobs while we stay with some of his family.” Now wasn’t the time to remind her that Brock and possibly she would soon be spending time in jail.

  “That will be great for you guys. I’m so glad you came in to tell me.”

  “I am too. I just wanted to say goodbye and thank you for all that you’ve done for me and Brock and for putting up with my mother.”

  “It was my pleasure. Good luck to both of you.”

  She left and I sat down at my desk to write down some thoughts about what I knew, given this new bombshell. Brock’s hands weren’t clean, but he and the police and probably Gordon’s lawyers could work all that out. It wasn’t my concern any longer. Apparently Brock wasn’t the cleverest of boys, and he and Jenny most likely had a rough life ahead with all the trouble he was in. But at least they had each other to get through it. And thankfully, everyone had come out of the false kidnapping alive. Now all I had to worry about was Jacqueline.

  I wished I had never agreed to take on Brock and Jenny’s wedding. What had first started as a sweet love story had turned into a nightmare for everyone involved, including me, K.C. and especially Fred and Gordon.

  Tonight I would go to Bruce’s condo, get Jacqueline to say something incriminating to the police, and be done with them forever. Before I left the shop, I would do an Internet search and arm myself with as much information as possible about Jacqueline and Bruce and everything I knew they were involved with. If Jacqueline wouldn’t admit what she’d done to us at the farm, I would bring up any dirt I could possibly have found to try and get a reaction. K.C. and I had found some hidden secrets at the farm the day she attacked us. But what was her connection to Clint Wheeler and his dairy farm?

  Hopefully, after tonight, we could all move on with our lives and finish at least one happily ever after story with K.C. and Fred’s wedding.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  "Where is everyone?" Mom asked.

  We stood in the parking lot at the bird refuge for the walk-through appointment with K.C. and Danny. We’d parked next to their cars, which were among four other vehicles in the lot. K.C.’s electric-blue rocket stood out in stark contrast to Danny’s Suburban, which he called the MAV—short for Mormon Assault Vehicle. There was also a Subaru wagon with a wire pet divider in the back, a mini-van full of child-safety seats, a beat up silver pick-up truck, and a cute little mini SUV.

  “They should be here. I’ll call Danny.” I reached to my back pocket, but found nothing. I checked my seat in the van and then realized I’d left my phone on the desk at work.

  "I forgot my cell,” I said. “They're probably already inside the building." We walked along the asphalt path leading to the visitor center entrance. I tried the front door. It was locked. "Maybe they walked around back." We made our way around and found no one.

  "Is there anywhere else they would be?" Mom said.

  "I guess they could be looking around. Danny mentioned wanting to put some small decorations along the boardwalk and on the tower, just to make that less of a bad memory for Fred."

  We walked down the main boardwalk, the same place Alex and I had walked when we had our major...misunderstanding. The reeds and grasses loomed above our heads and danced as the breeze occasionally disturbed them.

  A frazzled mom pushing a stroller containing a few-months-old baby, and loosely followed by four other little kids passed by. The older girl, probably about six or seven, tried to help wrangle her little sister and two younger boys, who looked like identical twins, down the boardwalk. One of the boys ventured to the side of the walk and kneeled at the edge.

  “Fishies!” he said and reached down in an attempt to touch those “fishies.”

  Mom stopped and made sure the boy didn’t fall in. He looked up at her and ran over to his mother’s leg. Mom laughed. “Looks like you’ve got your hands full,” she said.

  “Wyatt, say thank you to the nice lady,” the mother said.

  The little boy maintained his fierce frown then buried his head against his mother’s leg.

  “I’m sorry,” the woman said. “He’s going through such a stage right now.”

  “Don’t you worry about it. I know how difficult it is with small children, but five? I don’t know how you manage. I only had three and I was exhausted all the time.” Mom waived at the baby who looked up from the stroller with great interest. “You’re brave to come out here on your own with such an active brood.”

  The woman laughed. “I think I must be crazy at times, but we come out here and walk two or three times a week, huh kids?” Three little heads bobbed in agreement, while
one tucked deeper into his mom’s thigh.

  “Let us help you back to your car,” I said.

  “You’re so sweet to offer but…” I could tell she really wanted the help, despite the tone of voice suggesting she’d turn down the offer.

  “What a great idea,” Mom said. “Let us lighten your load for just a minute.”

  “Actually, that sounds great,” the woman said.

  I raced the kids back to the parking lot, assuming they belonged to the mini-van. We folded up the stroller while she buckled each child in, despite their squirming and protestations.

  “Phew,” Mom sighed as they drove away.

  I checked the doors of the visitor center one more time and they were still locked. We returned to the boardwalk to search for K.C. and Danny.

  My mother sighed. “It sure would be nice to have little feet running around the house again. Your father and I were just talking about it—”

  “Oh my gosh, Mom. You and Dad aren’t thinking you’re going to have more kids…are you? Shouldn’t you get married first?”

  “Very funny, Quincy. Don’t be ridiculous. We were talking about grandchildren. How it’s about time we had some.”

  “Um…I thought I might get married before I had kids, but if that’s what you want I’m sure Alex would agree we could work on that…” I hadn’t really teased my mother in quite a while and she was due.

  She did a sharp intake of breath. “Quinella McKay, don’t tell me that you and Alex…” she covered her mouth with her hands. “I meant after you get married. I meant Sandy, or Allie, once she finds someone.”

  I pursed my lips, trying to fight back the smile, but failed. “Mom…calm down. I was just joking.”

  “Oh, Quincy!” She shook her head. “You’re terrible. You’re a horrible tease…just like your father.”