by K E O'Connor
“Thanks, we’ll see if they know him.”
We ambled through the market, checking out other produce and sampling free goodies from the food stalls.
I stopped at a busy flower stall. A red-faced woman with a mass of curly dark hair smiled at me as she bunched up a bouquet of multi-colored roses. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“Do you know somebody called Luke Walsh? He might sell flowers around here. Maybe he uses your stall?”
“No, love. This is all mine. I pay for the plot.” Her gaze narrowed. “Why, did he tell you he worked for me?”
“No, but he sells unusual flowers. This would be a logical place to showcase them.”
“Unusual flowers? What kind of things are you talking about?” The woman handed over the roses and wiped her hands on a cloth.
“Rare plants. Orchids, unusual hybrids, that sort of thing.”
She shook her head. “Most people want the simple stuff. Roses and daffodils when they’re in season. I sell a lot of baskets and bouquets. I tend not to bother with orchids because they perish so easily in the cold weather. It’s hard to get the temperature right when you’re outside. Sorry, I can’t help.”
We tried the other flower stall and got the same response.
“Maybe Luke went to a different market to sell those flowers.” Helen wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck and tucked the ends around Milly.
“It could be that,” I said. “This is the closest big town, though.”
“I could do with a cup of tea to warm up before we pick up the printing,” Helen said. “Have we got time?”
I nodded. “So long as we’re back by lunchtime, I don’t see it being a problem.”
“I saw a cute tearoom down an alleyway. Let’s head there and see if we can figure out where Luke’s been selling his goods.”
“And what those goods are.”
As we got to the tearoom, I spotted an outside space at the back where dogs were welcome. Once we checked out the menu and ordered a pot of oolong tea and two slices of chocolate cake, I sat back in my seat and sighed. “Maybe there’s no mystery to solve. The police will get Luke to talk, eventually.”
“It would be nice not to have to chase after a murderer for once,” Helen said. “If all we had to worry about was soggy pastry around my sausage rolls and whether the guests will turn up for the party, I’d be happy.”
“I know, but Luke is a shady character. And with his criminal record, Felicity could have pushed him too far.”
The server came over with our order. She smiled warmly as she set the teapot on the table. “I’ve not seen you here before. Are you new to the town?”
“We’re here for a short stay,” I said. “Helping at Fleur de Bloom, the horticultural business, preparing for the launch of their new products.”
“I love that place,” the woman said. “There are so many weird and wonderful things that come out of there. I’ve got one of their everlasting orchids. I’ve had it for three years, and the thing is as beautiful as the day I got it. They know how to create lovely plants.”
“Do you know Luke Walsh who works there?” I asked. “I think he sells some of the more unusual plants. He might have tested them in the market.”
She laughed and shook her head. “I know who you’re talking about. He’s a rogue, that one. Luke always has a twinkle in his eye and looking out for a good deal. He never sold anything around here, though. I can’t see him hawking fancy flowers in the local market. If he was doing that, he’d go to one of the big cities or even as far as London. He might even sell them online. That’s where the niche stuff is sold. I know that because my sister’s in the trade. She makes a small fortune with her online store.”
“How do you know Luke?”
The woman smiled. “He caught my eye one day. I treated him to a few of my savory tarts when he came to town. After a while, I figured I was wasting my time. He accepted the freebies and even left a tip a few times. That man has money and a lot of it for someone who works maintenance on the Fleur estate. But he wasn’t making money from selling flowers here.”
That left me with a puzzle. Luke had to be making money from somewhere. If he wasn’t stealing from the family or selling their exotic plants for a marked-up price here, what was he up to?
“Enjoy your cake, ladies.” The woman walked away.
“What do we do now?” Helen cut off a piece of her chocolate cake.
“We widen our search. Maybe Luke wasn’t coming here to sell flowers. London isn’t so far away. He could have gotten there and back in a day.”
“It doesn’t make sense,” Helen said. “If Felicity knew he was selling these flowers, she’d also expect the money from him.”
“Luke could have decided to keep the money, and Felicity got angry. It’s another good reason he’s the murderer.”
“There’s definitely something wrong with him. Any man who turns down my brownies is not to be trusted.”
We tucked into our delicious, rich chocolate cake and drank tea to keep us warm as we sat outside with the dogs.
I pondered Luke’s guilt as I ate. He was up to something. He’d been making serious money, but I still hadn’t figured out how he was doing it. Maybe there was something to the online sales idea the café owner suggested.
“We should leave this to the police. They have Luke under arrest, and he won’t be getting away any time soon.”
Helen pointed her fork at me. “But you’re not going to. You’re not sure it was Luke who killed Felicity.”
“It’s her reaction that makes me wonder. Logically, it’s him. He’s a criminal. He had the opportunity, and if Felicity discovered him cheating her out of money, he’d want to keep her quiet. If she reported him to the police, his cover would be blown.”
“The police will discover the truth or get Luke to confess. Then we’ll have nothing to worry about.”
I nodded as I ate more cake. I couldn’t let this drop. Felicity had been so agitated when they’d arrested Luke it had planted a seed of doubt in my mind. But if it wasn’t him, the chances were I was around Felicity’s actual killer every day, and that needed to change.
“Come on, I’m getting cold sitting here, and we’ve got the printing to pick up.” Helen hopped up from her seat and tucked Milly under her arm.
“She does look comfortable there,” I said. “You’re made for each other.”
“Don’t say that. I still haven’t mentioned her to Gunner. He’s not going to be pleased if I arrive home with a dog. Three dogs in the family might be too much.”
“She’s so small she won’t be a problem.”
“What if Jessie doesn’t take to Milly? She could get jealous that Flipper has a new friend.”
“Jessie loves everyone. She won’t mind having Milly in the house. And Gunner will be pleased if she makes you happy.”
Helen ruffled the fur on Milly’s head. “I’m still thinking about that.”
It looked to me like she wouldn’t be thinking for long. Milly had decided Helen was her new owner. She just didn’t realize it.
We left the cafe and headed to the car to pick up the printing for Zara.
Once everything was in the trunk, we headed back to the house, winding through the chilly early afternoon, the sky threatening rain as Helen pulled the car up outside.
“We should do an online search,” Helen said. “That woman in the café suggested online sites were a good place to sell unusual plants. If that’s what Luke’s been doing, it shouldn’t be hard to track down.”
“We need to know what we’re looking for,” I said. “Zara keeps a list of the plants the business trials. I can grab a copy and see if we can find any information about them.”
“I’ll get my laptop and meet you in the kitchen,” Helen said as we walked toward the house with the printing. “Let’s see what we can find out about Luke. Then you can stop worrying about him and concentrate on Halloween.”
Five minutes later, we sat
at the table in the kitchen. Helen searched an online auction site, while I skimmed through expired listings of rare flowers for sale on my cell phone.
“This is interesting,” Helen said. “This page isn’t live, but the seller listed a hybrid Gold of Kinabalu Orchid. It sold for five thousand!”
“Wow! That’s a lot for a flower. There are other listings for the same flower on this site. People pay a lot for rare stuff like this.”
“Here’s another one!” Helen said. “This even mentions the Fleur estate. It’s in the listing, stating that this is a rare find, cultivated by the estate and guaranteeing its authenticity.”
“That has to be Luke. That’s how he made all that extra cash.” It made sense. He wasn’t stealing antiques or jewels. He was sneaking out flowers and selling them to the highest bidder.
“This one went for eight thousand.”
“We’re in the wrong business,” I said.
Helen shook her head. “Neither of us are any good at horticulture. That’s why you’re involved with Zach, so we can have a beautiful garden.”
“I might also be involved with Zach because I love him and he’s a great boyfriend.” I grinned at her. “But he does come with the bonus of being handy when it comes to making our garden lovely.”
“Here’s a contact for the flowers that were sold. There’s just a cell number, no name. I’m dialing it.” Helen waited a few seconds, her cell phone pressed to her ear. “It’s gone to voicemail.”
“If it’s Luke’s cell, the police might have taken it off him.”
Helen’s eyes widened. “That’s him on the voicemail. I’m sure that’s Luke’s grumpy voice.” She replayed the message for me.
“It does sound uncannily like Luke.”
“That’s it. That’s the proof we need. He was stealing rare flowers and making a fortune off them.”
I nodded. “The big question is, did Felicity know he was doing it? If she didn’t give him permission to sell these seeds and plants and discovered what he was doing, was Luke greedy enough and mean enough to silence her?”
“I reckon he is,” Helen said. “The police are right. This case is closed. Luke has a motive, and he was around on the night Felicity was killed. He also knows a lot about plants since he sold them. Felicity found out what he was doing, and he had to keep her quiet.”
“Luke has the strongest motive for wanting Felicity out of the way. Even if they were becoming close, his greed must have clouded his judgment.”
“I’m sending this information to Gunner,” Helen said. “He’ll pass it to the police investigating Luke. That will strengthen their case against him.”
I looked around, hoping to see Felicity and see what she thought about this, but she hadn’t appeared since Luke’s arrest. I wanted to check in with her and see what she thought. It was a loose end I’d like to tie up, but until she showed herself, there was nothing I could do.
“Happy now?” Helen asked. “Shall we focus on our fabulous spooky party?”
“Let’s do it.” Helen was right. We had a huge Halloween party to deal with and a lot of work to do before that happened. With Felicity’s mystery solved, I would have no more distractions.
Chapter 13
It had been a day since Luke’s arrest. Felicity had still not appeared, and I was increasingly convinced the police were right. Luke had skipped probation, stolen from Felicity, and killed her when she found out about it.
I was sitting at the kitchen table with Helen, Flipper, and Milly, when Helen’s cell phone rang.
She finished her coffee and grabbed it. “Hello, sweetie. I was just thinking about you.”
I grinned and shook my head. It had to be Gunner.
“Sure, Lorna’s right here. Hold on a second. I’ll put you on speaker phone, so we can both hear.” Helen put her cell on the table and pressed a button.
“Hi. I wanted to give you both a quick update on Luke.”
“Has he admitted to everything?” Helen asked.
“He’s talking and admitted to the theft. That information you passed on was gold. We traced back the records, and all the links go to him. Luke is not a genius when it comes to hiding his digital tracks. We’ve found fifty expired auctions selling rare produce from Fleur de Bloom. There’s over a hundred and fifty grand in the bank. That is one rich maintenance man.”
“What about Felicity’s murder?” I asked. “Has he come clean about that?”
“That’s the tricky thing. Once Luke realized we had evidence against him for stealing the plants, he opened up. He knew he was in trouble for breaking his probation, but when we showed him evidence of the auction sites, he gave in and talked. But he’s adamant he didn’t kill Felicity. All he keeps saying is it wasn’t him. He liked Felicity, and they got on. He had no reason for wanting her dead.”
“Luke had every reason if she caught him with his hand in the cookie jar,” Helen said. “He’ll crack. Are you interviewing him? You can be so stern when you want someone to do something for you.”
“It’s not my patch,” Gunner said. “The local boys are being good about keeping me informed. I’m sure they’ll get it sorted. They’re reviewing the case files. And there’s CCTV in the greenhouse. Did you notice that when you were looking around?”
I sat up straight in my seat. “I didn’t spot it. Why have CCTV in there?”
“Because of the expensive plants. People get light fingers when there’s money to be made, as Luke has proven.”
“Did the police review the footage when Felicity died?” I asked.
“Some of it. They have footage of her being stung and collapsing. There could be something that was missed if the bees didn’t kill her. We’re still waiting on the toxicology report.”
“Thanks for the update,” I said. “If they find anything, will you let us know?”
“No problem. Is your ghost happy with the result?” Gunner asked.
“She’s missing,” I said. “Felicity hasn’t been back since Luke’s arrest.”
“His arrest could have jogged her memory, and she’s already moved on,” Helen said.
“That’s possible. Seeing Luke arrested could have reminded her of what happened. Felicity vanished now she’s had her mystery solved.”
“It is unusual for a ghost simply to leave,” Helen said. “And a bit rude. We’ve been working hard to figure out what happened. The least she could do is stick around and say thank you.”
“Felicity was eccentric,” I said. “Maybe niceties weren’t her thing.”
“At least I won’t have Zach on my back worrying about you two getting in trouble with a killer. We’ve caught the guy before he can cause any more trouble,” Gunner said.
“Thanks, Gunner,” I said. “We appreciate the help.”
“Anytime.”
Helen swept up the cell phone and walked away to finish the conversation with her sweetie.
I sat back in my seat. I was glad this was over. I’d been tired since I started working in the house after the office flooded. Whenever there were too many ghosts around, my energy drained. Plus, I was working long hours to make sure everything was right for the Halloween party. Now Felicity’s murder was solved, I could focus my waning energy on work and making it through the party.
The big launch was two days away, and I needed all the time I could get to make sure it went smoothly.
I glanced out of the kitchen window and saw Horatio walk past. He looked miserable, with his shoulders slumped and head down.
The poor guy, no one seemed to be looking out for him. I hurried out of the kitchen doorway with Flipper and over to Horatio.
“I’m sorry to hear what’s going on with the investigation into Luke and Felicity,” I said as I approached him.
Horatio shrugged and scuffed his foot along the ground. “Why would Luke do such a thing? He got on with Felicity.”
“You’re surprised he could be involved?”
“Honestly, yes. He could be a blunt tool, and you�
��d never invite him to take tea with the Queen, but he was handy to have around. Luke was also one of the few people Felicity would give the time of day.”
“You never heard them arguing? I overheard the police suggest he’d been stealing from the family. I wondered if maybe Felicity had figured out what Luke was up to and he got mad.” That wasn’t strictly true, but I didn’t want to reveal our insider link to the police.
“They could have fought. I never heard them if they did.” Horatio stuffed his hands into his pants pockets. “The police must know something’s up. I had to consent to have them dig up my sister’s body. It gives me the creeps to think about it.”
“It’s not a nice thing to have done, but it’s important to find out what happened to Felicity. If the bee venom didn’t harm her, it must be something else.”
“Of course. Felicity always looked out for me. I need to do the same for her, even though she’s no longer alive.” He shook his head. “I’m still in shock. I was getting used to her not being around, and suddenly everything has been dragged up, and it’s all thrown in the air.”
“Try to be positive. You have your new business venture to focus on. That will help to take your mind off things.”
He scratched his chin. “My business venture?”
“Your inflatables business.”
Horatio shrugged again. “That’s never going to happen. I’ve clung to it, and I don’t even know why. In fact, I’ve been feeling a bit guilty. I argued with Felicity before she died. She said the idea was silly and no one would want to buy the inflatables. It was the first time she’d refused me a line of credit. She said I needed to be more thorough in my business plans. It was a stupid argument, and I regret it. I also regret not making up before she died. The night Felicity died, I was in the local pub drowning my sorrows and trying to think of a way to convince her to give me the money I needed.”
“You weren’t at home?”
“No. The pub manager got a phone call and told me I needed to get to the house. I staggered back, thinking it was going to be something and nothing and discovered an ambulance and the police here. That’s when I knew things were serious. Uncle Julius found her.”