The Accidental Florist jj-16

by Jill Churchill

  You could buy a pompom kit at a craft store with instructions. If you can't find one, find something the size of a paperback book.

  Leave several long strings of yarn along the top of

  the book, then wrap very lightly about forty times. Then pull the ends of yarn tight, and cut through the whole back half of wound yarn. Pull the yarns more tightly and double knot around the wad of yarn. Secure the pompom's long strings to the handle. Use bright colors of yarn; mix colors if you want to.

  The next travel hints weren't about safety, but practical suggestions. Take ordinary wire, or better, plastic hangers, in a side pocket of the suitcase. Most hotels have hangers too small to hang over the shower rod, preventing you from hanging something wrinkled over the rod and running hot water to shake out the wrinkles.

  If you have clothing along prone to wrinkling, wrap it lightly in plastic covers from the dry cleaners.

  Then she went on to describe locking the suitcase. Get a couple locks with all the keys in the package the same. Every good hardware store has these. But don't lock the bag if you're checking it through. It's likely that if the airline wants to search your bag that they'll break the lock. Carry extra locks and keys inside the bag or in your carry-on or purse. That way if you leave your bag in a hotel room, you can lock the bag every time you leave the room. Cleaning staff aren't all honest people.

  Before you go through the security gates, take off your shoes and use Purell on your feet and inside your shoes. Many people are going barefoot and some of them have athlete's foot. It's highly infectious. If you're checking through your luggage, put the bottle back inside it. You can't carry on gels. If you're not checking baggage, buya very small bottle of Purell and throw it away and buy another little bottle for your return trip.

  Put your ID and boarding pass in your front pocket, so they are easy to show at check-in (if you are checking any luggage) and later when you go through the security gates. The rest of the trip, keep your schedule in your locked suitcase at the hotel.

  If you feel you absolutely must take along a laptop computer, save all your e-mail and your tax information on discs. Homeland Security might seize the laptop to examine whom you've been e-mailing, how much money you make, business relationships. This should be illegal, but don't take the risk if you don't have to.

  Also find a small local phone company instead of the big ones who are sharing information about whom you've called and who has called you. Almost every large city has a small local telephone exchange. Make sure your phone produces digital signals. And be aware that anybody can listen to what you're saying on a cell phone.

  "I wish Miss Welbourne had lived to tell us this. It's all useful, practical information," Shelley said.

  "I had no idea that people could listen to you talk on a cell phone,"Jane remarked.

  "I think I've heard that before. All you need is a certain kind of listening device. I can't think off the top of my head what it's called."

  "I'll be sure that my phones are all digital, whatever that means. And I'll be careful what I say on my cell phone from now on."

  * *

  While Shelley and Jane were talking this over, Mel was on the phone with the Australian reporter.

  "Say, mate, how am I to cope with all the loonies who call to report having seen these people, or claim to be one of them?"

  "Easy," Mel said. "Here are the relevant dates they were in Chicago. So dismiss anybody who saw them earlier. As for those people stupid enough to try to claim that they are one of the people who are being looked for, make them spell out the name of their mother exactly. I'll spell it out for you. It's an unusual spelling. And you are welcome to hint carefully about a large estate. Even though it's not being left to them. But if you hear from someone who has seen or heard where they are since the date they left Chicago, question them, and if you think they are telling the truth, let me know."

  "You're a canny bloke, I gotta admit. This is going to be a bit of fun after all. Give me your number so I can report back to you if the right one turns up."

  Mel did so, and hung up smiling, then called the reporter from the New York Times and repeated all the same information. That reporter responded as positively as the Australian reporter. Mel gave him his phone number.

  "I already have it. I saw it on the caller ID. I'll get back to you as soon as I can if I get a result."

  Chapter

  EIGHTEEN

  T

  ime seemed to Jane to be racing along. She heard from her mother via e-mail, that the Danes and Americans had worked things out earlier than expected and they could be in Chicago in three weeks. Instead of six weeks.

  There was suddenly a rush to make firm plans. She called three or four hotels to make reservations to walk through the set up for wedding, food, and a dance floor for four hundred guests at most.

  Two of them were already too booked up. So she called another two and they agreed to meet her this week.

  She called Shelley to ask her to come along to look at hotels.

  "Why not just go with the one Paul owns along with

  several other investors? The one where the mystery conference was held."

  "Duh! Why didn't I think of that fIrst? Of course."

  "They can be trusted to keep tabs on Addie. Keep the guest list down to four hundred and if she tries to add additional bridesmaids and groomsmen, they'll seat them in the audience, instead of with the wedding party."

  "Let's go over now and set this up."

  Shelley unearthed the correct planner for this meeting and they were both glad to know she immediately recognized how important the name Nowack was.

  Jane explained that her future mother-in-law was a bulldozer, and wanted to do the wedding. "She wants to invite four hundred of her best friends and stuff in a lot of extra people as bridesmaids and groomsmen. You'll have to work with her and keep it to four hundred and no extra people at the front of the ceremony. Can you do that?"

  Miss Tarlington's eyes went wide with pleasure. "I can and will. I've dealt with women like this before and know how to keep them in their proper places. In fact, your timing is excellent. We were fully booked up for other weddings until yesterday when the bride changed her mind. Her plan was for three hundred guests. I'll have to check this to make sure we can use the same space, however, for four hundred."

  Shelley interrupted.

  "Jane, think about this: These people Addie wants to invite are clients, not personal friends or family. Theymight be grateful to her for getting them a good price for a house they wanted. But that's all. First, not one of them has probably ever met Mel in person. And forgive me for saying this, but they've probably never heard of you, either. Second, maybe some of them don't even like her because the plumbing on the second floor flooded the living room the day they moved in, or the hot water tank blew up the next week because she hired a bad inspector."

  Shelley went on, "Why would any of them want to come to a wedding for Mel, whom most of them have never even met? Why would clients of hers endure the horror of the Atlanta airport, paying for tickets, an expensive hotel for the sake of one free meal when they're here? Wouldn't it be easier for them to just contribute to one of the charities you've listed instead of wedding gifts?"

  Miss Tarlington was grinning. "Given what you've just said, Mrs. Nowack, I'd bet at least seventy-five or even a hundred won't show up? We don't like wasting good food on no-shows. I'll make a point of contacting her every couple days to learn her numbers of responses. How many guests have you invited, Ms. Jeffry?"

  "Forty-five at the very most, including my family, my new husband's best friends in the police department and their spouses, if they have one."

  "That's great. I'll be in touch with you about regrets as well."

  Jane said, "Mrs. Nowack is right. We really might be lucky." And then went on to say, "The groom's mother is

  allowed to determine the catering, since she's paying for it. She can't determine the flowers. I'm dealing with t
hat myself."

  "I'll make a note about this."

  "Do I need to make a down payment on the rental of the space?"

  "No. You're a friend of Mrs. Nowack. Let the future mother-in-law do that. Give me the date so I can reserve the right room. Will you be booking rooms for your own guests?"

  "Just my mother, dad, and the best man. Plus me and my new husband."

  "What about me?" Shelley asked.

  "You and Paul have a suite that you need to reserve today."

  "I'll do that right now," Miss Tarlington said.

  When they got home, Jane called Addie. She had her office number and her cell phone number, but Addie had never given Jane her home number. Mel knew it, of course, and there was no way she would ask for it.

  Addie wasn't at her office, so Jane called the cell phone number. Addie picked up. "Addie VanDyne. Who is this?"

  "Jane."

  "Jane who?"

  Jane gritted her teeth and said, "Jane Jeffry."

  "What do you need?"

  "It's something you need to know. The timing of the wedding has been moved up by three weeks."

  "That's unacceptable."

  "Does that mean you're not coming for either wedding?"

  Jane asked, hoping desperately for Addie to say yes. "I'll talk to you later. I have a client in my car."

  The client was obviously more important than Jane

  and even her only son.

  Jane hung up and went outside to smoke one cigarette. She had only two left in the pack she'd bought two weeks ago. The way things were going, she feared she'd soon be buying them by the carton.

  Jane hadn't even been able to tell Mel yet about the date changing. She'd left several messages for him earlier and been told his line had been in use for quite a long time.

  "It's not vital," Jane said. "Just ask him to call Jane when he's free."

  He finally called two hours later. "I've taken some of your advice and contacted the press to help find Miss Welbourne's children, if in fact they really are her children." ‑

  "Is there any doubt of that?"

  "Not much. But anything's possible. Sorry I had the phone line tied up so long. What's up?"

  "The date of the wedding has been moved to three weeks earlier. My dad worked things out in Denmark quicker than he thought it would take."

  "The sooner the better," he replied. Jane could tell from the tone of his voice that he was smiling.

  "You need to talk to your mother about this." "Haven't you told her yet?"

  She hated to rat on Addie. After all, he was her only son, and he might actually care what she thought. Mel knew his mother's flaws, but in spite of them, she'd produced and raised a very good man.

  "I tried," Jane said. "But she was riding around with a client and said she'd get back to me later. I've also booked rooms for the fake wedding at that hotel where the mystery conference was. You, me, Shelley and Paul, and my parents and Uncle Jim will be staying there, too. I don't know if your mother wants to book one as well. You might want to ask her. She also needs to confirm to a Miss Tarlington to make a down payment to hold the room for the wedding and the dinner and dancing. Here is the telephone number."

  When he'd written it down, she could hear in the background, "Some reporter is waiting on line two."

  Jane said, "I'll let you hang up and answer that. Call me back after you talk to your mother."

  She'll blame it on me, Jane thought. And I hope he'll object.

  At least it was a good reason to get back to planning her book about Sally. Shelley had found the right hotel. And the right person to work with there, who could cope with Addie without involving herself. All she had to do was wait for her hat to be made, give the new dates tothe florist, and look forward to spending time with her parents. She'd been in touch with them through e-mail and phone calls, but hadn't seen and visited with them at leisure for several years.

  "Shelley, I need to call Katie and Mike to let them know the changed date. Then we have to go to the hat shop with my dress."

  Katie was upset. "Mom, this is on a Friday and Saturday, right? I can't be gone long. Could you get me a plane ticket for early Thursday morning and another early one on Monday morning? I really wanted to spend time with Grump and Nana."

  "I've booked them in a suite at the hotel. They don't need the second bedroom. You can stay there. And I'll tell you the flight and send a car service for you both ways."

  "Thanks, Mom. That'll be perfect."

  Mike didn't care. "It's only a short drive from here. I hadn't even told my boss when I'd be gone. So any time suits me."

  When she'd booked the flight for Katie and made a copy of both sides of the credit card to send along for the e-ticket, and when she'd dropped it off at the FedEx box at the corner of the block, she called Shelley. "I have all the travel plans lined up. Let's take my emerald suit to the hatmaker."

  Jane had the rest of the roll of quarters along and fed them into the parking meter and then went back to the shop.

  "Here's the suit I'm wearing," she told Madelyn. "I

  hope you can match the color. And we're shorter on time than I thought. The wedding is only three weeks from now, instead of six weeks."

  The milliner held up the dress and said, "I think I already have a good match. I'll hunt through the greens and we'll take a look."

  She returned ten minutes later with a length of perfectly matching matte silk fabric. "I usually use this as liner but I'll line it with something a little sturdier."

  "How do I make sure it doesn't slip right off my head?" Jane asked

  The milliner picked up another beret and turned it inside out. "There are three little combs that hold it. Let me show you right now how to use them."

  She put Jane in front of the three-way mirrors and showed her how to adjust the combs so they wouldn't slip, or make her hair look odd.

  Next Shelley tried out the black one she'd chosen. She looked fabulous in it.

  "I can have this green one done by the end of the week," she said.

  "I'll be back on Friday then,"Jane said. "What time do you open?"

  "At nine, but wait until ten or you'll never get a parking place. There are so many deliveries to shops around here that you'd have to park blocks away."

  This time Shelley had driven and refused to wait to see if someone pulled into the place they'd vacated and the meter showed another five hours.

  "When we pick up my hat and dress, we're almost done." "Except for dealing with Addie. Didn't she say she'd get back to you about the dates?"

  "I'm keeping a close eye on the caller ID. Mel is going to have to deal with her from here on out."

  "But will he?"

  "He's been coping with her bossiness all his life. He must know by now how to control her."

  Chapter

  NINETEEN

  W

  ith almost everything Jane needed to do for the weddings done, she was eager to get back to Sally's story. She wasn't going to actually write another scene until she'd made her list of twenty or thirty things that might or might not happen in the story. She enjoyed this process. They were in no particular order, and could be deleted or added to whenever she thought up something new.

  This had been suggested to her at the mystery conference she and Shelley had attended. A well-known writer who had befriended Jane had mentioned it. "That way you never sit down at the computer and say to yourself, `Where on earth do I go in the next chapter? You have many choices.'"

  Jane, following this excellent idea, sat down to think and make notes. In no time at all, she had thirteen good suggestions of scenes and clues, and characterizations. She'd think about them and add more later as her mind threw out new plot twists.

  One important scene was calling out to her though.

  Maud comes back, walks into Sally's room, and tries to smother Sally with a pillow. Maud doesn't even notice that Sally's eyes are open. Sally swings her right arm and smacks Maud right in the nose. Maud screams. L
acy, who is napping on the cot, tosses away the pillow and grabs a towel, and rubs the blood off of Sally's hand. And a good thing that she does. A moment later, the doctor arrives for his routine afternoon visit, bursting into the room.

  "What's going on here?"

  Maud, her fingers bloody, pinching her nose shut, is screaming and pointing at Sally. "That woman hit me! She's broken my nose."

  The doctor hands Maud a small towel and says, "You foolish woman. Sally can't even move her fingers. You're making this up."

  "I did it," Lacy says. "I saw her trying to smother Sally and I ran around the bed and hit her in the nose."

  The doctor looks at Lacy and asks, "Why don't you have blood on your hand then?"

  "Because I wiped it off," Lacy says, showing him the towel.

  Jane could hardly wait to write and expand this scene. But she didn't want to write it now. She'd just jot it down

  and save it for later. It would have to be more dramatic after she'd brooded over it.

  Meanwhile, she reverted to her chronology book. She liked to make the story brisk and not take months or years. She paper-clipped the notes in order and put them in her filing drawer with her other research.

  While she was doing this, the phone rang. She recognized Addie's cell phone number and just let it ring. When it quit, she called up the stairway to Todd, "If the phone rings again, don't answer it."

  "Why not?"

  "Because it's Mel's mother, trying to harass me about her extravagant ideas for the wedding. I want Mel to calm her down before I speak to her."