by C Farren
Wren took another look at the woman’s purple jacket before living. She knew exactly who it belonged to. It belonged to someone who had seemingly vanished from town in the last few weeks – Veronica Van Clark.
FIONA WAS WAITING OUTSIDE the vet’s lobby, looking nervous. She was twiddling with her hair and glancing inside. She’d tried playing a game on her cellphone but she was sick of the thing. It was making her thumbs hurt.
“What’s the matter with you?” Wren asked.
“There’s a parrot in there,” said Fiona. “I hate parrots. My Aunt Petunia had this horrible parrot called Lesley and it tried to eat my ear. Horrible things.”
Wren laughed and put down Gracie’s cat basket. She was definitely getting heavier. It was pretty obvious her cat was pregnant.
Was I that preoccupied with everything else I never noticed that my own cat was changing?
“She’s pregnant,” said Wren.
“We’re going to have little kitties in the house!” Fiona exclaimed.
Guilt ate at Wren. She promised to spoil Gracie rotten from now on. Her little girl deserved some pampering.
As the two of them walked back home, Wren explained what she’d learned in Everett’s office. It was obvious the man despised his mother, but did he kill her? He certainly seemed to have the temperament for it. But did hating her count as a motive for killing her? Then there was Veronica’s coat. Why was it hanging on Everett’s chair? Did it have something to do with her shutting down her coffee shop?
“When was the last time anyone saw Veronica?” Fiona asked.
“I haven’t seen her in about five weeks,” Wren admitted. “I saw her in the grocery store. She ignored me. Wanda would probably know more. She knows everything that goes on in this town.”
“We could always check ourselves.”
Wren smiled. They would pass Veronica’s house on their way back home. They might as well knock on her door and see if she was in. What harm would it do? They’d be just two friendly neighbors, checking up on her. It was the holiday season after all.
Veronica’s house was sparsely decorated on the outside, though she had made a little bit of an effort. There was a small Christmas wreath hung on her front door which had seen better days, and a small Santa figurine on the porch steps. That was it.
It’s more than I have.
Wren had to remind herself she still hadn’t gotten a tree yet.
They knocked on the door. A pale looking Veronica answered a few moments later.
“Veronica!” Wren declared. “Happy holidays.”
“What’s so happy about it?” Veronica asked.
She didn’t seem her usual sassy, rude self. In fact, she seemed quite placid. Judging by her pale face and the fact she was still in her dressing gown Wren assumed she must be ill. She looked thinner too, and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Veronica had always looked so polished. To see her like this seemed wrong somehow.
“I saw your coffee place was all boarded up,” said Wren. She tried looking inside the house but Veronica blocked her. “I thought business was going well?”
“It was,” Veronica admitted. “I just got ill that’s all, and things sort of accumulated. I decided the best thing to do was to shut up shop.” She glared angrily at Wren. “It’s a good job I did. You’re reopening the Metropolitan. That place would’ve bankrupted me within the month anyway.”
“I’m sure we both could have coexisted.”
Veronica shook her head. “No. We couldn’t.”
An awkward silence enveloped between them. Wren didn’t know what else to say. How could she bring up the coat without it seeming forced?
“Doctor Rickard is such a wonderful vet,” said Fiona, breaking the silence. “He saw that Gracie was pregnant when none of us did.”
Veronica’s face twitched. “He is a good vet. How is he doing?”
“Surprisingly well considering,” said Wren. She looked down to see a small white tabby cat rubbing around Veronica’s legs. “He must take good care of your little guy like he does mine.”
“He takes good care of animals. Pity about the humans.”
Veronica picked up her cat and closed the door rudely in their faces. Wren considered knocking again to ask what she meant by that but it was best to leave Veronica be for now. The woman was definitely ill, or sad, or maybe both. Had Everett done something to her cat? Had he diagnosed it with something that she couldn’t accept and he’d just been rude to her instead of understanding?
No. This had nothing to do with her cat. Veronica was the ill one.
“What do you think?” Wren asked as they walked down the drive. Gracie’s cat basket was weighing heavily on her now. “Hmm?”
“I don’t know,” said Fiona.
When they were finally home Wren let Gracie out of her basket. Instead of running off to play she simply jumped onto the couch and went to sleep. Wren smiled, wishing her feline companion well.
“I’ll cook Gracie some fish for tonight,” said Wren. “She needs to keep her strength up.”
“You should be going out on a date or something,” said Fiona. “Not fussing over your cat.”
“I haven’t had any offers lately.” She thought about what a certain drag queen had said and smiled. “Of course, Benedict did ask me out but I kind of lied and said I was dating someone else.”
Fiona opened her mouth in shock. “What is wrong with you? Do you want to spend the rest of your life alone?”
“You’ve sure changed your tune. You tried to warn me off him.”
The angel crossed her arms. “He’s growing on me. Besides, you told me how he was with his daughter. He can’t be all bad. Plus, beggars can’t be choosers.”
“And he’s handsome.”
She couldn’t go out with Benedict. He was totally wrong for her. He was a single dad and a drag queen and he did questionable things (illegal card games, but possibly more). And what would her father think? What would her mother think? What would the town think?
What would Alex think?
Thinking about Alex was the final straw. It made up her mind for her.
“You really think I should go?” Wren asked. “The offer might have been rescinded by now for all I know. He did ask me days ago.”
“You go or I burn this house down,” Fiona threatened.
Wren smiled and immediately phoned Benedict. He couldn’t wait to take her out that night.
Chapter 15
Wren hadn’t been this nervous before going on a date in a long time. It was like she was going on a huge journey or getting ready for a job interview. Did the nerves mean this was going to be something good for her? Benedict was a nice person, and he made her feel things she’d thought she’d never feel again.
She stared at her hair in the mirror and grinned. It was perfect, or at least as perfect as it was ever going to get. Her brown hair looked almost human tonight.
“You look like a thousand bucks!” Fiona declared.
Wren blushed as she came down the stairs. “I feel it.”
There was a knock at the door. Wren’s stomach fluttered. This was the moment. This was it.
“I’ll get it,” said Fiona, rushing to open the door.
It was Aunt Jenny.
“Can we make this quick?” said Wren, hoping to stave off whatever argument was coming her way. “I have a date tonight.”
“My husband told me what he told you,” Jenny said, trying to keep her voice quiet. “I need to know that you’ll keep this between the family.”
“Do you even have to ask me that? Of course I won’t tell anyone.”
“Even if you think your uncle or myself killed Delia?”
Wren hesitated. “Aunt Jenny...”
“So much for family loyalty.”
Jenny stormed away, leaving Wren in such a foul mood all she wanted to do was crawl back in bed. The euphoria of her upcoming date had now been irrevocably washed away.
“How dare she,” Fiona said, slamming
the door. “How dare she! My grandson sure knows how to pick ‘em.”
Wren sighed. “I’m going back to bed.”
“Don’t let that woman spoil your evening. Take a deep breath and count to ten and imagine Jenny with clown make-up on.”
Wren couldn’t help but laugh.
“There,” said Fiona. “A smile.”
Wren did what the angel had instructed. She laughed again. It seemed to work.
“I’m ready now,” Wren declared.
There was another knock at the door. Wren’s stomach did a somersault. It better not be Jenny again, ready for round two. This time she wouldn’t just stand there and take it. Jenny may be family, but Wren wouldn’t put up with her aunt’s crap.
It was Benedict this time, and his appearance floored her. He was dressed in a classic tuxedo that hugged his frame. He’d shaved, but only slightly, giving him a just got of bed beard. He looked positively delicious.
“You look shocked to see me,” said Benedict.
Wren smiled and said, “I just had a run in with an angry relative. I thought she was back to have another go.”
He walked up to her and kissed her on the cheek. She shivered a little.
“You look beautiful,” he told her. “Like a slightly cheap princess.”
She playfully hit him on the arm. “The cheek of it – but I’ll take that compliment. Most princesses are too posh for me anyway.”
“You’d look good with a tiara. I’ll have to buy you one.”
Wren smiled, staring up into his eyes. He really did have pretty eyes. It looked like he was wearing eyeliner.
Do I care?
He held his hand out. “Would Princess Wren care to join me?”
“Why thank you kind sir,” she said.
She took his hand and he led her outside. There was a white stretch limo waiting for them.
“I feel like I’m going to my prom,” Wren admitted.
“This is going to be so much better than some prom,” Benedict told her.
She believed him. She knew she was going to have the time of her life.
Chapter 16
After driving into the city, the limo pulled up outside a large restaurant called “Kendo”. It was a Japanese place and looked incredibly exclusive and expensive. There was even a doorman dressed as a samurai. It seemed to be one of those dinner-and-show places. There was even a billboard announcing the next show.
“This is an odd place for a date,” said Wren, looking out the car window. There was a freezing cold wind trying to destroy any effort she’d achieved with her hair. “However did you find it?”
“The owner’s son, Reo, works for me,” Benedict explained. He pushed the door open and got out. “He’s the Dolly Parton you’ve seen in the bar.”
“And a very good Dolly Parton he is too.”
He cupped her face in her hands. “You have a nice smile.”
“So do you.”
“Are we flirting or just being polite?”
“I’m flirting. I don’t know about you.”
Wren grinned and said, “Yes. I suppose I am. I’m just not used to it.”
He took her hand and led her to the entrance. The samurai bowed and opened the doors for them. Wren felt like royalty. She liked it.
There was a tall Japanese man waiting for them inside. He was handsome and buff with slicked back hair. He opened his arms and pulled Benedict into a hug. When he was finished he did the same with her.
“I’ve got you the best table in front of the stage,” the man declared. “And tonight, we have a special Geisha show, just for you!”
“Thank you so much Itsuki,” said Benedict. “But we’d prefer to sit near the back. I think we have a lot to talk about.”
“It’s about time you found someone,” said Itsuki. “And she’s so gorgeous!”
Wren couldn’t cope with all the compliments. It wasn’t something she was used to.
The open area of the restaurant was enormous. There were dozens of tables, spaced evenly. The stage was adorned with a set made to look like feudal Japan. It was elegant and expertly detailed. It was simply stunning.
“This place is wonderful,” she said, looking around her. “It’s like I’m actually back in Japan.”
“You’ve been to Japan?” Itsuki asked.
“I spent a month travelling there about six years ago,” Wren explained. “I had the best time.”
“Did you try Ao Island?”
Wren laughed. “The cat island? Oh yes. I had trouble not taking any of its furry inhabitants back home with me.”
Once they were seated Itsuki left them to it. Suddenly it was just the two of them.
When did I become so shy?
“So, tell me about yourself,” Benedict asked. “Something you’ve never told anyone else.”
She thought for a moment. “Erm... My first crush was Keanu Reeves.”
“What do you know? So was mine.”
“It was Speed that did it for me. Keanu in that tight white t-shirt, running around, all sweaty.”
“And Sandra Bullock, running around, all sweaty.”
“I think that was just you who liked that part.”
“What can I say? I get the best of both worlds.”
A waiter brought them two glasses of water and a couple of menus. She couldn’t wait to order something. She loved Japanese food, and there wasn’t really much call for it in Snowflake Bay.
As they perused the elegantly calligraphed menus Wren said, “I really don’t understand you. When I first met you in the park, you were really intimidating.”
“Technically we first met on the pier,” he reminded her, a twinkle in his eye. “You thought I was enigmatic, right?”
She nodded. He was right. “I keep forgetting that was you. You’re like four different people; strange man on pier, threatening gangster, sassy drag queen, and flirty Romeo. You’re either the most complex man I’ve ever met or you you’re schizophrenic.”
“I’ve had my issues.”
“Me too.” She took a sip of her water, readying herself. She’d never said these words out loud before. There was activity on the stage, a couple of set hands readying things for the performance. “When I was ten I got really ill. I had a tumor in my ovaries.”
“I’m sorry.”
She had no idea why she was revealing such raw, painful memories to him. It just felt like the right thing to do. She could tell him anything. She trusted him.
“I can’t have children,” she went on. She rubbed her fingers around the rim of her glass of water, making a soft tinkling sound. “The surgeons had to remove my ovaries to get rid of the tumor.”
“Wren...”
“I resigned myself to the fact that I couldn’t have children a long time ago. Sometimes I think about it. Sometimes I wonder what my biological child would look like. Would they have my hair? Would they have my big eyebrows?” She wiped at her eyes. She’d cried so many tears over this for so long. “After the tumor was removed, I had a breakdown.”
Wren had lived through some very dark periods in her life. The breakdown was the worst of them. It was like she was living in someone else’s body, unable to control her own thoughts and feelings. Even thinking about it now made her want to scream.
“When Liz left I had a breakdown too,” Benedict admitted. “I didn’t think I could cope without her, having to look after a baby on my own. I even tried to kill myself. It was the hardest thing I ever did trying to get back to a semblance of normality. My daughter helped, but drag did too. In drag I can be the person I know I am.”
Benedict looked hot in and out of drag.
He took a sip of his water and said, “Woah. This date turned dark really quick. Let’s lighten things up again. Tell me your favorite movie.”
“Speed,” Wren said without hesitation.
Benedict laughed. “Snap.”
“I think we better order some food. I’m starving.”
It took them an hour to eat
their dinner, which consisted of several courses. The Geisha show was performed in Japanese and Wren had no idea what it was about, but Benedict seemed to understand. He said it was some type of love story but even he didn’t understand it, despite speaking Japanese fluently.
He speaks Japanese!
“That was the best meal I’ve had in ages,” she said. Her hands were still sticky from the barbeque ribs, and when she burped she could taste tuna. “At least I didn’t get shot by a serial killer.”
“I thought he wasn’t a serial killer?” asked Benedict.
“I shouldn’t have brought him up. Forget I said anything. That man can rot in his coma for the rest of his life for all I care.”
She still wasn’t at the stage yet where she could joke about Cedric and not care, but it was different with Benedict. He understood her more than anyone else.
“So, is this what you want to do with your life, running a coffee shop?” Benedict asked as a waiter brought them two cups of milky green tea. It was delicious. “You don’t seem the type to be in the service industry. No offence.”
“None taken.” She took another sip of green tea, savoring it. It was really good, bringing back such wonderful memories of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony she’d had while in Kyoto. “For now, I guess it is. I like making coffee. I like the smell. I like creating new flavors and seeing the looks on people’s faces when they love it. Plus, I found this little stage behind a blocked off wall. I’m thinking about having bands play or comedians or something. It should make the place more exciting. I hope, anyway. Besides, I like having something to do. For now, it’s what I want to do.” She thought about it a bit more and said, “I get bored easily. Who knows what I might be doing in five years?” She was fed up with talking about herself. “So, what made you want to be a drag queen?”
“Liz and I went to show when we were at college and it was love at first sight,” said Benedict, a huge smile on his face. “It was like I’d just discovered the love of my life and I just knew I had to do it. A month later I was in make-up, fake boobs, and a blonde wig. It was Liz who helped me buy the bar as well. Everything good with my life started with Liz.”