“That makes sense,” I said. “And, after all, we didn’t even notice the substitution at the ceremony. It wasn’t until we were locked in the cooler that we even made the discovery.”
“I noticed there was no baby’s breath in the boutonnieres, if you remember right.”
After a few seconds of reflection, I did recall her telling me that, which was what had prompted us to run to the pantry, and in turn, discover the boutonnieres had gone missing. I nodded and motioned for her to finish her story.
“Lily also admitted to feeling concerned about the substitution when Bubba collapsed and fell into a coma. When Raven fainted, she panicked. Afraid the flower swap or the palm of Christ, which she admitted she had reservations about including, could have had something to do with it, she decided to come to the inn the following day while no one but your guests were there. She also admitted to Randy she knew taking the boutonnieres was wrong, and feels very bad about doing so.”
“I’ll bet. She must have talked to the Monaghans. They’re Andy’s aunt and uncle from his mother’s side of the family, and came from Thompsonville, Texas, for the wedding. ”
“Yes,” Sheila replied. “According to Lily, she told Nanette Monaghan she wanted to try and preserve the flowers so the young couple could reuse them when the rescheduled wedding ceremony took place. She said Nanette showed her to the pantry in the kitchen and then went back to packing her bags, leaving Lily alone with the flowers. She removed the boutonnieres and took them back to the floral shop, hoping no one would ever make the connection. Lily felt certain Nanette would have departed before you returned home and that you’d never be the wiser. She planned to replace the lily-of-the-valley sprigs with baby’s breath when the next order came in, and sneak the boutonnieres back into the pantry fridge somehow. She knew she couldn’t be held responsible for the palm of Christ since Wendy had insisted upon them.”
“She must have been tense enough to snap a crowbar in half. No wonder she was so uptight when we showed up at the floral shop two days in a row.”
“Yes,” Sheila said. “She also told Randy she’d never met anyone in the wedding party, besides Wendy, and had no reason whatsoever to want to harm Bubba or anyone else.”
“Did she mention anything about the abortion clinic?” I asked.
“No, but then the subject never came up. Randy didn’t know anything about us following her there. Remember? We were supposedly at the Urgent Care clinic to find out why I was suddenly having trouble breathing.”
“Of course,” I said with a rueful smile. “You seem to have made a habit of having breathing issues in the past several days. You should probably see a doctor about that, buddy.”
“No. What I should probably do is get on my horse and get the hell out of Dodge.” When Sheila noticed my expression of concern, she added, “Don’t worry. I was just kidding. I’m in this for the long haul—until we uncover the truth about Bubba’s illness, or you get me killed. Whichever comes first.”
I thought about shoving Sheila off the rolling-gurney bed. After all, she was already in the emergency room. Instead, I put my arm around her and gave her an appreciative hug. “I won’t let that happen, Sheila. We won’t be doing anything else that will place us in harm’s way as we investigate this situation. I promise.”
“Famous last words. Besides, Lexie, I’m beginning to believe the entire thing was an innocuous fluke. Perhaps a health issue Bubba has that has yet to be diagnosed. At this juncture, I don’t really think anyone intentionally tried to hurt him. Do you?”
I was saved by Nurse Rosalie from having to admit I still harbored suspicions the situation wasn’t as “innocuous” as Sheila wanted to believe it was. Rosalie arrived with my discharge papers, and I couldn’t get out of that cubicle fast enough. A notion had been flitting through my mind that I wanted to check out. I had a hunch who was behind Bubba’s sudden illness, and I could hardly wait to find out if my intuition had merit.
Thirty-Seven
I didn’t climb out of bed until ten o’clock, having not returned home from the hospital until almost three in the morning. The headache remained, although it wasn’t nearly as overpowering as it had been earlier.
I took a long hot shower and got dressed. When I made it downstairs at ten forty-five, Sheila, Randy, Stone, Wendy, Andy, Samantha Slippknott and the Ripples all sat in the parlor, as if in the midst of a symposium. Rip and Ripple had decided to hang around a few days in case any last-minute guests dropped in to book a suite at the Alexandria Inn. If that situation happened, they offered to watch over the guests so Stone and I would not be encumbered with duties involving our lodging facility. Also, the Ripples reasoned, if the wedding was rescheduled in the near future, they would still be around to attend the ceremony. I was very appreciative of their offer and already felt as if Sheila and I owed our lives to Rapella for her quick thinking the previous evening.
Stone motioned me toward a loveseat and poured me a cup of strong Columbian brew from an antique sideboard cabinet, on which I usually kept a pot of fresh coffee when the inn had guests on the premises. Stone must have brewed a pot that morning in my absence.
After inquiring about both Sheila and Bubba’s conditions, I asked what the group had been discussing. By the expression on Sheila’s face, I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear the answer to my inquiry.
With a reproachful scowl, Wendy had glanced from me to Sheila. “We’ve come to a mutual agreement that neither you nor Sheila should be involved with Bubba’s mysterious illness any longer. It’s just not worth taking the risk of either of you getting hurt or worse, as in the case of what almost happened with you two overnight.”
Stone took over from there. “The medical staff is baffled and is considering the possibility of transferring Bubba by life flight to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. It sounds as if his fate will soon be out of our hands, so there’s no reason to delve deeper into what put him in this condition to begin with.”
Bubba’s fate never was in our hands, I wanted to say. It’s been in God’s hands all along. But why would transferring Bubba to a better-equipped facility lessen the need to find out what actually happened to him? If his condition was due to foul play, wouldn’t we all want to see whoever was responsible brought to justice?
I looked around what was, for the most part, a disapproving group. After studying everyone’s expressions, I decided against voicing my true feelings. It was obvious only Sheila, and possibly Rapella, would back my desire to continue the investigation into the list of potential suspects. Therefore, rather than rattle everyone’s cage, I asked, “Am I correct in assuming we are all in agreement about having Bubba transferred?”
Following a chorus of “Yes”, “You bet”, and “Absolutely” responses, I turned to Andy. “Is Raven Kostaki the woman Bubba was dating before he decided to call off the engagement?”
Andy gave me a puzzled look. “No, but his ex’s first name, coincidentally, was Raven. Raven Hobbs. Why do you ask?”
Raven Hobbs? I thought. The letter Raven received was from a Carolyn Hobbs. Oddly, it was addressed to Raven “Kostaki”. If Raven Kostaki was actually Raven Hobbs, the sender was clearly in on the ruse. Who, if not Raven’s mother, would be most likely to support her daughter in an attempt to win back the love of her life? But would her mother condone a potentially lethal assault on the ex-fiancé? I highly doubt it. No mother wants to see her offspring pull a stunt that could land her son or daughter behind bars for the rest of their life.
“I don’t believe it’s a coincidence, Andy. Is his ex’s mother’s name Carolyn, by any chance?”
“Yes. Why? What are you saying?” Andy asked.
“The two Ravens are one and the same. It’s apparent now that Raven Kostaki’s real name is Raven Hobbs. What I can’t figure out is why neither you nor Bubba recognized her.” Although I didn’t mention my hair fiasco out loud, I thought about how Yvonne had dyed it pink. That’s when I realized anyone can change her physical appearance i
f she wanted to remain incognito. “I’ll bet Raven changed the color and style of her hair to disguise herself and perhaps altered other physical characteristics.”
“Raven Hobbs didn’t have breasts nearly as big as Raven Kostaki’s.” Andy looked at Wendy sheepishly. “Sorry. It was hard not to notice those big melons of hers.”
“Breast size is easily augmented,” I said.
“But Raven Hobbs had riveting light blue eyes. I don’t recall that Raven Kostaki did,” Andy said. After his remark, I thought back to the locket Sheila and I had found in Raven’s suitcase. I’d have bet anything the girl in the locket’s photo was Raven herself, before she altered her appearance. I vividly remembered her startling blue eyes in the photo. It had most likely been Bubba’s face that had been eradicated from the photo with a black marker.
“Maybe you don’t recall the color because you weren’t looking at her eyes,” Wendy said jokingly to her fiancé.
After everyone stopped chuckling, I said, “Raven’s eyes were dark brown at the wedding, but colored contacts could easily change her eye color from blue to brown.”
“Speaking of which,” Andy said, as if trying to convince me the two Ravens couldn’t possibly be the same individual, “Raven Hobbs wears large purple-framed eyeglasses.”
“We just talked about her wearing colored contacts, which would eliminate the need for eyeglasses.”
“Yeah, that’s true. But Raven Hobbs has long brown hair, straight as an arrow.” Before I could respond, Andy added, “I guess she could have had it cut, permed, and dyed blond with blue streaks. The problem with that theory, though, is that Raven Hobbs is extremely thin. Raven Kostaki, on the other hand, could stand to lose a few pounds.”
“Do I need to explain how comfort food like ice cream and potato chips can become a girl’s best friend after a heartbreaking end to her engagement?” I asked.
Wendy piped up then with a remark directed at her fiancé. “If you were to stand me up at the altar, I could be a spokesperson for Weight Watchers by January.”
Andy stood motionless, as if in deep thought. “You know, now that I think about it, you might be right. I can see where Raven Hobbs could have transformed herself into an entirely different looking woman and changed her last name in order to remain anonymous. You’d think she’d have changed her first name too, though, since Raven is such an unusual name.”
“Fooled you, didn’t it?” At Andy’s reluctant nod, I continued. “Besides, changing ‘Raven’ to a pseudonym might have been harder for her to do, since one’s first name is such a personal thing. What I don’t understand is, why did she move here, and what could she have hoped to gain by poisoning Bubba?”
Wendy gasped audibly. “You think Raven poisoned Bubba?”
“I think I can explain why she might have wanted to harm him,” Andy said. “Raven Hobbs is a calculating, crazy bitch. Her mood changes are epic, and terrifying!”
“Oh, come on, Andy,” Wendy said with a snort. “Tell us what you really think about her!”
After we all chuckled at Wendy’s wisecrack, Andy added, “It wasn’t just me who tried to talk Bubba out of marrying her. All of his buddies did. After Bubba broke up with her, she went berserk. She started stalking him, along with any girl he showed an interest in. It didn’t take those chicks long to realize dating Bubba wasn’t worth putting up with his unpredictable ex-fiancé.”
“Wow. Interesting,” I replied.
“I can honestly envision Raven moving here and getting a job she knew would bring her into close contact with Bubba in a place he’d never expect to run into her—whether to try to win him back or teach him a lesson. With Raven, either option is possible. I can also see where she might think she could win him back by completely modifying her appearance. She probably doesn’t understand that although attraction might begin here,” Andy said, pointing to his chest. “True love takes place in one’s heart. Raven might transform herself to look like a supermodel, but it wouldn’t have changed the way Bubba felt about her.”
Andy’s words were so poignant that my eyes grew misty, as did nearly everyone else’s in the room. Stone patted his nephew on the shoulder. “Well said, son.”
“I agree,” I added. “It appears as if Raven had a motive to hurt, or even kill, her ex-boyfriend. We now know it was she who put together the flower arrangements and created the boutonnieres, as well. I wonder if there’s something else she could have added to Bubba’s bouquet in hopes of harming him. I need to go speak to Lily right away and―”
“No!” The voices of multiple people resonated across the parlor.
“Forget Lily. I’ll go talk to Raven one-on-one,” Andy volunteered. “I know Raven better than anyone here, so I know best what to ask to get to the bottom of this. Bubba’s my best friend, after all, and was only here in Rockdale to be the best man at my wedding. Besides, Lexie, you need to take it easy today.”
“You’ll have to call her if you want to speak to her, Andy. Raven has gone back home to Surfside Beach. She flew out yesterday.”
“And you know this how?” Wendy asked. Her tone was scathing. She had always been my toughest critic when it came to the murder cases I’d gotten myself involved in.
“Doesn’t matter. The point is, something compelled the young woman to flee the area, which I think is incriminating all by itself.” I know I probably sounded full of myself as I spoke, but I was proud of the effort Sheila and I had put forth. It had led us to the discovery that our number-one suspect had left the area.
“You would find it incriminating,” Wendy began, but Andy interrupted, for which I was grateful.
“Then I’ll go talk to Lily,” Andy said. “Or, better yet, I’ll call Raven if someone can find her number online for me.”
Randy perked up suddenly. To this point the retired police officer from Merriam, Kansas, had only taken in the conversation without commenting. “If anyone speaks to Raven, it should be Detective Johnston or another detective in the local police department.”
“I think we need to talk to Lily before we confront Raven or speak to the police,” I suggested, to which Randy concurred.
Rip, who was also a retired law officer, offered his opinion. “I agree as well. Let’s wait until we have more evidence before we contact Rachael, Rayleen, or whatever this girl’s name is.”
“It’s Raven, dear.” Rapella corrected her husband, who was known for his inability to recall people’s names. He’d referred to me as Lisa, Lacy, Leslie, and even Melissa once―and that was just in the last couple of days.
Rapella then turned to Andy. “You need to be by your best friend’s side in case he awakens from his coma. Why not let Rip and me go have a talk with Lily? We’ve been involved with the investigation of several murders ourselves, and with the information you’ve just shared about Raven, we can easily take care of this matter with the florist.”
“Thanks Rapella. I would like to be there if Bubba…” Andy choked up and took a short pause to collect himself. “I mean, I want to be there when Bubba wakes up.”
“Rapella, I could always join―” Sheila began before Rip cut her off at the quick.
“No, Shelby. You need to take it easy today too.”
Rapella cast an exasperated look at Rip and shook her head. “Sheila, Rip’s right. You and Lexie both need to rest. Do you realize how close you came to dying in that cooler? Please, let the rest of us take care of things today. You girls have done more than enough already. With the information you’ve already gathered, we should be able to connect the dots without your assistance.”
“Thanks, Rapella.” I tried to sound sincere. She had likely saved my life and Sheila’s the previous night. I appreciated Rapella’s concern, but I hated to be forced to the sidelines just as the loose ends were about to be tied together. It would be like getting within spitting distance of the peak of Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro and having someone say, “You head on back down now. I’ll take the last leg of this journey alone and let you k
now how it goes.”
Just then, Stone’s phone rang. It was Detective Johnston. After a few short responses, Stone ended the call and placed another. At the conclusion of the second exchange, he said, “It looks as though the plot has thickened. Wyatt decided to turn the three boutonnieres Lily confiscated into the CSI lab. They showed not only traces of ricinolein and lily-of-the-valley plants, but also a heavy dusting of sulfur powder. And, Lexie, he told me to let you and Sheila know you can stand down now because they’d be taking over the investigation.”
Stone looked at me as he spoke. I knew he was waiting for a response, so I gave him an unenthusiastic nod. Stone then continued to speak. “I also just spoke with Dr. Schnuck. He told me he now believes Bubba’s acute allergy to sulfur is the main, but not sole, factor behind his current condition. He seems to think that between Bubba’s mild asthma condition, the toxic flowers in his boutonniere, his peanut and sulfur allergies, and the heat and excitement of the day, the perfect storm was created. The cumulative effect was powerful enough to overwhelm Bubba’s system and take him down. According to Dr. Schnuck, it doesn’t look particularly promising for his young patient, and he doesn’t anticipate Bubba ever regaining consciousness.”
There was a collective gasp in the room. This was not the news we’d hoped to get from the lead physician on Bubba’s case. With crestfallen expressions, we all focused on Stone’s words as he continued.
“Dr. Schnuck said it was very clever of you and Sheila to figure out the significance of Bubba’s boutonniere and insist it be tested. Knowing about the sulfur he inhaled could be the best shot they have at saving Bubba’s life. They’ve decided to hold off transporting him to the Mayo Clinic.”
Marriage and Mayhem (A Lexie Starr Mystery, Book 7) Page 23