The Poppy Drop

by C L Bauer

  “Honestly, Mrs. Stanley, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just me and I don’t understand how you came to that conclusion.”

  She grabbed Lily’s hand and softly petted the top of it.

  “Honey, that’s the beauty of it. That’s the way it should be. Let it take time and with your profession in mind, allow it to bloom, don’t rush it, let it open up on its own. I mean let him open up but don’t let him take too long or the boy will never be ready for delivery.”

  Lily’s voice lowered. “What are you seeing that I’m not? I mean, I really like him, what he’s allowed me to know and maybe that’s all an act too. We’re friends right now but I can’t see us together. I mean, look at him.” She motioned as he walked by.

  “Oh he’s got lots of scars, Lily and most of those are not pretty. I’m not talking the physical ones. Don’t sell yourself short. Did you see how he touched your shoulder? Did you notice he wanted to make sure you were comfortable? He didn’t want to just know if you needed a beer or some chips, he was making sure you were safe here with me. Oh, and that the two of you were ok.”

  Lily quickly understood. “Oh.” There was no other answer for this wise woman beside her. Something was there between them but for something to be there both of them were going to have to embrace the unknown and it was always frightening jumping into a black hole. That’s why she’d never done it. It was one thing to be hurt over and over by people you thought you were in love with but once they were gone and out of your life, you survived and you went on. She couldn’t think of him gone now that he was here.

  After the other night, she knew for sure that the case would soon be over. Her busy fall season would begin. Flowers would be delivered all over town every week until Halloween and it would slow down a bit. The holidays would begin.

  She had weddings over Thanksgiving so she wouldn’t be flying back east to visit her brother or her sister. She had cousins in town she could share a turkey with but with a wedding on Friday night that meant she’d have to leave early to work. Christmas and New Year’s would be just around the corner. She had several events over the holidays so she wouldn’t be with family again.

  The new year would bring Valentine’s Day…she was tired just thinking about it. There was no room for anyone except her brides. Besides, he’d be gone as soon as it was all over. Soon.

  “Lily, let’s join them up there and enjoy tonight. What do you say?” Maureen patted her hand again. “Just enjoy the time you have.”

  Lily nodded, the lump in her throat forming to stop the tears from falling. The woman was a mind reader. She smiled slightly as they moved up beside the men. Dev looked down at her and mouthed “are you ok?” She nodded and began talking to her female companion about the catcher for the home team. They both thought he was cute.

  Several innings later, Dev and the Judge had been invited into the press box. Lily had managed to put herself together again and wanted to know more, as delicately as she could, about the Stanleys’ relationship with Devlin Pierce.

  “Our son Michael and Devlin were at West Point together. He came a couple of times to Kansas City during break time, besides he has family here. An uncle, aunt, yes, his mother’s sister lives here. The boys were the best of friends, anyway, they both deployed together a couple of times and it was the third rotation, a bad mission, something went very wrong. Michael was shot and Dev kept him alive until a chopper got them out of there. Dev brought him back to us. He insisted. He has stayed in touch ever since.” She stopped abruptly, tightening her lips and clenching her fists.

  “You know,” Maureen continued, “the Army wasn’t going to allow him to bring Michael home; he was too important for the work over there but Dev would’ve gone AWOL if he had to. I’m not sure how but he would’ve. I can still remember him standing at attention as the casket came out of the airplane.” Her voice trailed off to another time.

  “But then,” she continued, “when his mother died, well, he couldn’t get back in time. It was so very sad. I think he’s still holding it in, never made peace with it. They were so close, Lily.”

  “That’s awful.” Lily now knew a secret about Devlin Pierce. Lily now knew she and the agent that protected her shared more than just friendship.

  “He’s a good guy, Lily. He has a good heart but he’s been hurt and I bet you have too.” She lightly touched Lily’s leg. “Sorry, sorry, not going to talk about that. Um, our favorite player is up to bat.”

  They both smiled and at the same time said, “He has the nicest back end.”

  All the two men heard as they entered the room was hysterical laughter. Both women were in tears, assuring them that everything was perfectly fine.

  It was nearing midnight before they headed back across the river after delivering the couple to their home north of the city. As they were coming across the bridge, a backup of traffic had developed.

  “Is it a wreck? I see police lights.” Lily was leaning out of her passenger window. “We could be sitting here for hours if that’s the case.”

  “No early Mass for you,” Dev joked. “No, it seems to be moving, slowly, but moving.”

  He leaned out and saw the police on the side. He knew exactly what it was on a Saturday night.

  “It’s a DUI check.”

  Suddenly she was afraid. Why? She’d only had a beer and she wasn’t driving. “Are you all right?” she stammered.

  “Of course. I’m more worried if they make me get out of the car.”

  Lily couldn’t figure that one out. One more car and they’d be in the spotlight. Dev had already reached for the rental car registration and paperwork in the glove compartment. He’d also pulled out his driver’s license. One officer motioned for him to pull forward.

  His window already down, he handed out his information.

  “Virginia?”

  “Yes, officer. Visiting.”

  “Please step out of the vehicle.”

  She’d never seen Dev so quiet and official. He closed the car door and stood beside it as another officer moved a flashlight around the interior. She smiled but he just continued. She heard Dev say he wanted to speak to whoever was in charge. What was going on? He said he was fine.

  A few minutes later another officer was standing in front of him.

  “You want to explain, Mr. Pierce?”

  “Your officer wanted to search me for some reason. I’m carrying. If you allow me to reach for my billfold I’ll show you my permit and my badge.”

  “Your badge?”

  “Yes, sir. I’m working undercover and I’d rather not have every cop in the world know.”

  “Get it out. You one of us?”

  “No, I’m out of state, federal.”

  As soon as a badge was presented it was handed back immediately as he motioned for their car to be sent through.

  They crossed the bridge and were soon on their way.

  “I have been wondering, do you have a gun?” Lily had to ask after all these months.

  “Yes.”

  “Elaborate please.”

  “No.”

  “Yes. Where do you have it? It’ll make me feel safer and after the other night, you owe me, remember?”

  He laughed out loud. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you. I have been waiting so long to use that line. I just had to keep you going.”

  She hit his shoulder, less than playfully for the second time in a week. “You still haven’t told me where it is.”

  “On my leg.”

  “Crud, I thought it might be in the heel of your shoe.”

  “No, that’s where my secret phone is.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You know Jessica Fletcher didn’t need all that stuff to solve cases. That’s why she’s my hero.”

  “Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, Lily. Maxwell Smart is mine.”

  They were both laughing by now. They seemed to be the best together when they were laughing or eating. She wasn’t sure where those two shared talents w
ould land them but it was fun finding out. Until he left.

  “Bucko, you might have to give up on Agent 86. No more telephone booths, so you’re no Agent 86.”

  “And you, madam are no Agent 99.” He was still laughing but she suddenly went quiet. “I mean, you’re not tall enough. You’d have to be seven feet tall to loom over me.”

  “I can’t be her or any woman with you.” She wasn’t sure if she had said it out loud or only in her thoughts but the car became very quiet the rest of the trip to her house.

  He phoned ahead to the detail and her protection was sitting there as he walked her in, checked the house and walked back to the front door to go.

  “I won’t be at church tomorrow, early meeting but I’ll check in. It was a good time tonight and I’m happy you got to know those two. They are wonderful people.”

  She was holding onto the door for support, tired and disgusted again on a Saturday night.

  “We can agree on that. They are very special and they have something so special. All those years they’ve been together. Do you know they knew each other just one month before they were married? Can you imagine?”

  “No, not really, not nowadays. Things are so different.”

  “Don’t I know it.” Another Saturday night and she wanted him out of her house and away from her. Her tone was clipped. She’d decided very quickly that laughing and eating was not enough!

  He was stalling, trying to think of something witty to say to her, to make her like him again. It was important to him. She hadn’t appreciated the kidding about their physical differences and her dislike of him in this moment was palpable.

  “Lily, I wasn’t making fun of you. I’m sorry if you thought I was.” Her eyes were downcast as he apologized. He couldn’t stand this. She was trying to close the door on him but his foot was wedged in the way.

  He closed the distance between them to mere inches, touching her cheek and lifting it so he could see her water-filled eyes.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “I’m tired. Long day and night, long few months.”

  “I’m going to say it one more time,” he was still holding her chin gently in his hand. “I’m so sorry if I hurt your feelings. It wasn’t my intention.” He paused slightly and lowered his head. “I guess I missed it by that much.”

  She threw her head back as she laughed into his face. He’d used an old gag line from the “Get Smart” television show and movie.

  “Get out of here.”

  “You’re throwing me out again on a Saturday night? We good now?” He wanted to make sure his joke, Maxwell Smart’s coined phrase, had hit its mark.

  “Yes, get out of here. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  She was pushing his back out of her way. “Lock up behind me.”

  “Yes, mother.”

  As he bounded down the sidewalk, he glared back at her. “I mean it. Yell if you need anything. Goodnight.”

  His headlights were showing as she locked the door and turned to go to bed. It had been a long, informative day. Her feelings were in a tumult with no direction or appropriate path in the horizon.

  As she entered her bedroom, she whispered out loud.

  “I need you.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Lily was rushing around this morning. She’d gone back to sleep after the alarm went off and just couldn’t get moving today, and she had so much to do! She didn’t make coffee, instead pulling through the local coffee shop drive thru. Not only did she need caffeine, she needed sugar and opted for a caramel macchiato, no sugar free.

  She coded in the security numbers once she got to the door of the shop. Today it was 5-6-7.

  She balanced her files and coffee in one hand. The red button still showed on the pad. She began the process over… 5-6-7 and still no green light. One more time and she’d be locked out for an hour until the security company or some tech from some government agency came.

  She really didn’t need this today. Those were the correct numbers. There was no doubt in her mind as she laid her folders, bag and coffee on the cement and reached inside her purse for her cell.

  As she waited for someone on the other end of the line, she waved at Big John across the street. He smiled but kept walking. Wow, he was early today. Maybe he had something planned with his family since his daughter and granddaughter were still in town.

  “Yes, I have a problem with my system. Lily Schmidt, yes, I’m that Lily Schmidt with the special problem.” She hated being the one with the alphabet problem…FBI, DEA…oh and don’t forget the most important Cartel. Next they asked her a series of security questions. Of course she had the right answers.

  “Look, I put in the proper code for today 5-6- 7 and the system isn’t allowing me access. The button is still red and I’ve tried twice. Maybe we had an electrical outage overnight?”

  She was grasping at any sort of a solution or answer to her difficulty. She looked through the shop’s window to see if anything was thrown around but everything seemed to be in order. She wouldn’t really be able to tell until she entered and had a good look around.

  Lily punched in 8-9-10 and a green button showed immediately.

  “Thank you, it’s open now. I’ll call you back immediately if I need anything else but please notify Agent Pierce.”

  She knew that something wasn’t right with that code. Had someone been in the shop again?

  But the security company hadn’t said anything but try the next sequence. Maybe there had been a power outage. Gathering her things, she hurried into the shop, surveying as she hurried along. The phone was already ringing. After handling that call there was another and another. She appreciated the business but it was almost ten by now and her caramel macchiato was certainly cold. She’d need to micro zap it now. As she picked it up she saw the note she’d left last night before she’d closed the shop. It reminded her that Mrs. Notte’s orchid she had ordered was ready for pickup and supposedly she was coming in at one. If Abby wasn’t on time this morning, she’d have to cut her lunch date short and she really didn’t want to do that. Big John was the only constant in her life and they hadn’t had lunch alfresco in several weeks.

  Actually, it was easier not to see Big John, to not lie to him about what had been going on. It was frightening to think that Abby was the only other person trusted with her secrets. It was equally amazing that Abby hadn’t told a soul. Even Neal and the flower wholesale group didn’t know the full extent of the subterfuge.

  She took the top off her cup and saw the murky separated mess. It was a lost cause, one for the sink and trash. She moved to the back work area and heard the knock on the back door.

  “Lily, it’s Danny.” She immediately opened to see her usual flower delivery man. Neal had sent him out early with the remainder of her flowers for Saturday’s wedding. He was a welcome sight, normal and that’s what she needed right now.

  “Hey pretty lady, how’s it going?”

  “Better now that you’re here and early.”

  He handed off two boxes, she signed the invoice and he was on his way. She began to cut the first bunch of flowers when she heard the buzzer on the front door. Thank God, the day was getting better and Abby was miraculously early.

  “Boss, I’m here. I’m supposed to remind you that Mrs. Notte is coming in to pick up that plant.”

  “Yes, got it. She’ll be in at one. I’m back here and I’ve got the rest of the flowers for Saturday. They’ll all fit in the cooler.”

  Abby was humming some tune Lily couldn’t place. Maybe it was Gavin DeGraw? She knew Abby had gone to his concert last week. But Lily didn’t know his music very well. Or maybe it was Counting Crows? Abby had gone to that concert Sunday night. That girl sounded so carefree without a worry in the world, and her life was like that too. A concert one night, drinks with the girls another and stringing poor Jeremy along while doing it all.

  She thought Abby really cared about the little idiot but in the past Abby had cared for a lot of little
idiots, most of them were a lot like Jeremy. Wouldn’t that be nice to have a string of boys, men who’d take her to the movies, concerts or dinners? Lily never really had that in her life, such a carefree lifestyle of noncommittal delight void of any responsibility. Nope, she’d come out of the womb with the responsibility gene and now the weight of the shop and her life were on her shoulders alone. She was living to work most of the time and her outings with Dev were her only time off. When she was with him she could almost give up the worrying, the wondering, the fear. Of course, they’d have a lovely time, an awkward goodbye at the door (now an unsure hug) and she’d walk inside her house to all those fears once more. Most people had blood in their veins but she had fear coursing through every part of her body, pooling in her brain and heart.

  Finishing her work, she cleaned up and made sure all the flowers were cool and happy, ready for the work to come Thursday and Friday. She looked up at the clock to notice she had five minutes to meet Big John. After lunch she would call Dev and make sure he’d been notified about the goof up this morning. She had the nagging thought that someone had known the code system, had used the code in the middle of the night and the security company just wasn’t telling her. She hoped she wasn’t being used as bait again or she’d be telling the alphabet soup of government agents her own particular words with a couple of letters.

  Truthfully, she wanted to talk to Dev. He hadn’t been around the last couple of weeks.

  Instead, she had her detail outside the house and Agent Fullerton had dropped by occasionally. He actually bought flowers for his wife, becoming a regular customer.

  By the time she reached the corner of the block she saw Big John sitting at a table outside the bistro, two sandwiches and two drinks laid out in front of him.

  “Sorry I’m a little late. This morning has been insane. First I turned off the alarm and went back to sleep which made me late, then I had a hard time with the security system and couldn’t get into the shop so I had to call them, then the phone was ringing off the hook, the flowers came and I didn’t even get to drink my blasted coffee.” She was exhausted just telling the story of her morning.