Roses are Dead My Love

by Penny Clover Petersen

  As they came up the steps Bill said, “Daisy. I’m glad you’re here. Do you think you can get Rose to go to the hospital?”

  “I tried, but she says no. And I think she’s okay. The headache’s almost gone. She says you were very nice to her. Thanks.”

  “Helloooo,” Rose trilled. “I’m right here. I can tell you about my head myself, thank you very much. It’s okay. Really. And I add my thanks to Daisy’s. Now, what did you find out? Did anyone see anything?”

  “No. Nobody saw anything. Nobody heard anything. Everybody was at home enjoying their air conditioning. Ron Tucker did say his dog started acting up and woke him about seven-thirty.”

  “Woke him?”

  “He nodded off watching Wheel of Fortune. Anyway he let the dog out, but says it started howling, so he brought it back in. I’m thinking that might be when Malcolm was tied up.”

  “Did you talk to Mrs. Hudson and Abby? And Peter?”

  “I talked to Mrs. Hudson. She didn’t notice anything. She ate and watched TV until I knocked on her door. She told me her niece was out for the evening. But I didn’t see Fleming. The book store was dark. Why?”

  “Daisy saw his car when she came home.”

  “Where?”

  “Right across the street.”

  Bill looked out the front window and said, “Well, it’s not there now.” He opened his notepad and jotted something down. “All right. Who could have taped the door without being seen?”

  “I guess anyone really,” said Daisy. “The shop was open until six and things got a pretty busy this afternoon. The problem is we always keep that door locked. I don’t see how anyone could have rigged it without the key.”

  Rose sat up. “I had to search for my keys when I ran out to Macy’s this evening. I was sure I left them next to the register when we got back from lunch. But Daisy found them on the hall table. Somebody moved them.”

  “So you’re saying that there was enough confusion this afternoon that someone could have picked up your keys, unlocked and taped the door, and tossed the keys on the table before he left without anyone noticing,” said Bill. “Is that about right?”

  “Yes. That’s about right.”

  “And you think that someone was here specifically looking for this baseball card.”

  Rose nodded, then winced. “I guess so. Nothing else is missing.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Pretty sure. The jewelry in our bedrooms is just cheap stuff and it’s all there. And the bathroom wasn’t touched. The toothpaste was fine.”

  Bill looked at Daisy and said, “Maybe she should see a doctor.”

  Daisy laughed. “We keep our good pieces in a Crest box in the bathroom with the soap and stuff. This guy didn’t even think to look there!”

  “Or maybe I came home before he could get that far,” said Rose.

  Bill said, “Well, who was here this afternoon?”

  “Let’s see.” Rose and Daisy thought back through the afternoon.

  Rose said, “We didn’t get back from lunch until about two-thirty. Tonya was here, of course. Mary came by to talk. That’s not unusual.”

  Daisy chirped, “Marc dropped in to firm up plans for tonight. And Sally brought some flowers over.”

  Rose said, “Then Abby came by, looking for a gift for Mrs. Hudson. Brad dropped in for no discernible reason. I think he was hoping to run into Abby. Walt came in with the fireworks committee to talk about the Fourth.”

  “Who’s on this committee?”

  “Kelly and Anne Talbot. They own the Maryland Store. And Seth Morris, Morris Antiques. I mean it was Grand Central Station.”

  Rose added, “And we had a lot of customers. Even Peter came by to say hi and ask if I liked seafood.”

  Bill stood up and sighed, “So anyone could have rigged the door. But why would they? Who would have known you had this baseball card?”

  Rose said, “I don’t know.”

  “I’ll look into this other PO Box and see if I can find out who owns it. And, tomorrow I’ll make the rounds of the shops across the street and see if anyone saw anything at all. Right now, I think you’d better get some rest. I’m going to check your locks before I go. Make sure you set the alarm.”

  Rose stood and put a hand on Bill’s arm. “Thanks, Bill.”

  Daisy stood, too, and said, “Yes, thank you. This does not mean that I have forgiven or forgotten anything.”

  “Understood. How was your date?”

  “Oh, don’t even go there. Not your business, in any way, shape or form!”

  Bill said, “Fair enough. Good night.”

  Daisy followed him downstairs and watched as he checked all the doors and windows. Then she closed the door behind him, made sure it was locked and set the alarm.

  Very early Saturday morning Daisy took Malcolm on a short walk through Old Towne. She had stuck her head in Rose’s room to see if she wanted to come, but Rose grumbled that she hadn’t fallen to sleep until after three and to leave her the hell alone. Oddly, Daisy had fallen asleep right away, slept soundly and had awakened before the alarm.

  She sat in the little park and watched as Malcolm happily humped the truly hideous statue of a top-hatted penguin that welcomed one and all to Old Towne.

  A car pulled to a stop in front of the penguin and Angela Forrest trilled, “Hop in, you two. I need to check on Rose.”

  Daisy got into the white Lexus RS and put Malcolm on her lap. Percy popped his head over the seat and yipped a happy good morning.

  Daisy rubbed his head and said, “Mother, it’s barely seven o’clock! And how do you know about Rose? Did Bill call you?”

  “Bill? No. I had a dream that she needed me. You should have called me.”

  “A dream? Really? Well, everything’s okay. Rose got a little bump on the head, but she’s fine. I didn’t call because it was late and there was nothing you could have done last night.”

  Angela parked the car in front of The Elms and looked at Daisy. “And how did she get a little bump?”

  Daisy took a deep breath and told her mother about the evening.

  “I see. Strangers are ransacking your home and beaning your sister. That is not good, not good at all.” She held up a finger and continued, “On the plus side, Rose wasn’t badly injured and Malcolm’s okay. Undoubtedly, there are superior powers protecting you!” She patted the dog’s head. “And how was your date?”

  “A bit of a wash out. Marc got sick and brought me home early which turned out to be a good thing.”

  “You see! Superior powers at work!”

  “She and Angela walked down the driveway with Malcolm and Percy in tow. When they got to the gate they both gasped in horror and Daisy shouted, “Roscoe!”

  A bundle of orange fur was hanging from a noose draped over the lowest limb of a cherry tree next to the garage. Daisy sobbed as she ran to the tree and grabbed the cat. Then she screamed and threw it on the ground and thundered, “Someone around here is nuts!”

  Malcolm and Percy bounded over to the furball and started playing tug-o-war with it.

  Angela cried, “Stop that. Put poor Roscoe down right now!” and then shrieked as poor Roscoe sauntered out of the pet door and into the yard to see what all the fuss was about.

  Daisy clutched her mother’s shoulder and said, “It’s a stuffed animal, Mother. Some jackass wanted to scare us.”

  “Well, they did a fine job of it.”

  The door opened and Rose came out yawning. “What is all the commotion? I was really hoping for a quiet morning, but all hell seems to be breaking loose. What are those dogs doing? And, Mother, much as I love seeing you, what are you doing here?”

  Daisy grabbed what was left of the stuffed cat from the dogs and said, “Inside you two. Come on, everyone. I need caffeine.”

  Angela picked up Roscoe and they all trooped up to the kitchen. Daisy threw the remains of Roscoe’s effigy onto the table and told Rose how they had found it hanging in the tree.

  Da
isy made a pot of tea. Rose took an aspirin. Angela stroked Roscoe. They stared at each other in silence.

  Finally Daisy said, “Okay ladies, time to figure out just what’s going on here.”

  Chapter Twelve

  The shop didn’t open until noon on Saturdays so when Bill got there at ten-thirty, Rose was painting her nails, Daisy was at her computer, and Angela was baking, her go-to stress reliever.

  Bill saw the furry, orange mess on the table and said, “Do I want to know?”

  Daisy shook her head and said, “Probably not. But you should.” She told him about finding the effigy.

  “You know, everybody I’ve talked to looks perfectly sane. Well, almost everybody,” he said as he glanced at Angela as she came out of the kitchen wearing a bright orange chef’s toque and a neon green apron with a huge pink flamingo in rhinestone sunglasses saying, ‘Bring on the cabana boys’.

  “At any rate, none of your neighbors saw anyone take the keys or go in your front door. That girl Abby’s a strange one. She kept staring at me and giggling. Then she started grabbing my arm and telling me how scared she is.”

  Daisy laughed, “We’ve seen her in action. She’s annoying, but I don’t think she bites.”

  A timer dinged in the kitchen and Angela went to turn it off. She came back a moment later with a plate of coffee cake and a pot of coffee.

  Angela said, “Bill, sit. Have some cake and coffee.”

  Bill looked a little confused. “Thanks. It looks good. Not poisoned or anything, is it?”

  “No. No poison. We’re calling a truce until these mysteries are solved. We even put the dogs in the basement because you know what they say about dogs and policeman.”

  “What?”

  Angela replied, “They make strange bedfellows. Without a doubt. Now, what can you tell us about the investigation into that woman’s murder?”

  “Angela, you know I can’t talk about that, except to say it’s an on-going investigation.”

  “For crying out loud, Bill,” said Daisy, “we’re not reporters. We live here and someone is trying to terrorize us. A woman’s dead, Rose has been attacked and we can’t let the pets out. Do you have a suspect or not?”

  “No. No one that we feel strongly about. We haven’t found the murder weapon. There are way too many prints at the post office to narrow anything down. So we’re looking at motive and opportunity. Unfortunately, that list is growing. I even had to put you on it, Rose.”

  “What in God’s name are you talking about, Bill?” shouted Daisy. “You know good and well Rose wouldn’t kill anyone. She’s non-violent. I mean she wouldn’t even let me slash your tires or key your car.”

  Bill put his hands out in front of him. “Whoa. Daisy, I didn’t say I think Rose killed her. I just had to put her on the list of the many people who had argued with Peggy Merritt.

  “Who else is on the list?”

  “A lot of people, but Peter Fleming was topping it. No alibi and it’s a little too coincidental that this guy moves in here just when all this starts happening. But I couldn’t find a real motive.”

  Rose and Daisy looked at each other and Daisy gave an imperceptible shake of her head.

  Bill continued, “But now I’ve got Brad Douglas taking the top spot. After all, I understand that card could be worth nearly a quarter of a million dollars. Maybe he sends it to the blackmailer in a panic, but decides that was a really stupid thing to do. Maybe he thinks Peggy Merritt was the blackmailer and tries to get it back from her.”

  Rose said, “Or she just got in the way when he was breaking into the post office to steal it back from Box 768.”

  Daisy said, “I think it makes more sense that the blackmailer was looking for it. How would Brad know we might have it? And what about the rest of the crap that’s been going on? The fire and the kitty-cat lynching?”

  “I don’t know if those incidents have anything to do with the murder. It seems unlikely. I’m going to talk to Brad Douglas right now. Keep your doors locked and the alarm on.”

  Angela picked up her squirt gun from the sideboard and said, “Not to worry. I’m planning on staying here until this villain is caught. If that so-and-so tries anything again, I’m ready for him.”

  Bill grimaced and said, “Right. Just make sure your doors are locked.” He turned to leave, but paused for a moment as a stream of cold water ran down his back. He shook his head slightly, then just went on down the stairs.

  Rose said, “Mother, put that thing away. We have a truce, remember.”

  “I know. It just goes off sometimes.”

  “Works for me,” laughed Daisy. “Besides it’s a hot day. He should thank you for cooling him off.”

  Rose checked her watch and said, “Time to open. Let’s go Daisy. What are you doing this afternoon, Mother?”

  “I think I’ll take the dogs out for a bit of a walk. And Lenore Albert invited me for tea later on.”

  “Just be careful, please.”

  “Oh, I will. I’ve got the dogs and my gun. I’ll be fine. What time is your big date?”

  “Not a big date. Just dinner and he’s picking me up at seven thirty.”

  “Good. I’ll have some nibbles ready.”

  Daisy had been looking out the window at Peter’s shop. “Are you sure you’ll be safe with him, Rose?”

  “What do you mean? He’s a little repressed, but I think deep down there’s a nice guy waiting to get out.”

  “I’m thinking about what Bill said. What if Peter has something to do with the murder? Or the blackmail? Peggy was murdered after he got here.”

  “So? The blackmail started years ago - which is something we probably will have to tell Bill at some point.”

  “Well, Peter certainly knew the value of that baseball card. Maybe I should go with you.”

  “Me, too,” chirped Angela. “We could double date!”

  “Really? You don’t think he’d find this a bit odd? I’ll be fine. I’ve got my phone and my hairspray if I feel threatened. But I won’t. So don’t worry.”

  “I don’t think hairspray really works all that well,” said Daisy.

  “It stings like crazy if you get it in your eyes. And makes your face all sticky. And pepper spray is illegal. Now, let’s go to work.”

  At seven-fifteen Rose came into the living room wearing a sapphire blue, silk tank dress. She had pulled her auburn curls into an elegant chignon and wore a chunky gold necklace with matching earrings and bracelet.

  Daisy looked up from the crossword puzzle she was working on and said, “Oh my! That’s definitely a twirler.”

  “Not too much, is it?”

  Angela walked in from the kitchen with a tray of hors d’oeuvre and said, “Absolutely not! You look lovely, dear. Where is he taking you?”

  “I don’t know. He said to dress for dinner. I hope we’re not going too haute cuisine. Maybe I should eat something before we go.”

  Daisy said, “Oh just drink a lot. Everything tastes the same when you’re a little looped.”

  “It doesn’t really, you know. Besides, you’re the one who said I need to keep my wits about me–just in case he’s a lunatic head basher.”

  “You’re right. Keep the old wits sharp. Have a glass of water and some salad. You’ll have a grand time.”

  “In your ear, Daisy.” Rose walked over to the window and looked out. Then she paced around the room looking at her watch. “This is silly. I’m actually a little nervous. What are you two going to do tonight?”

  Daisy said, “Mother made a plan. We’re going to the Tavern for dinner and then we’re playing Scrabble while we watch the entire first and second seasons of Downton Abbey.”

  “Without me? Humph. Well, if you want something to read, Mother, I’ve got Murder Gets a Life on my night table. I know you like Anne George.”

  There was a quiet knock on the door. “That must be Peter.” The knocking turned to pounding as Angela went down to let him in.

  “Anxious, isn’t he,”
commented Daisy.

  Rose looked irritated. “Well, that’s just annoying!”

  Angela came back up trailed by Peter and Bill Greene. Daisy frowned and said, “Ah, I see. Bill, you never could just knock, could you?”

  Bill looked at Daisy and said, “What?”

  “Oh never mind. Peter, how are you? You look quite dashing.” Peter was impressive in a blue blazer, striped tie and grey slacks.

  Bill whispered under his breath, “All he needs is a straw hat and rowboat.” Angela kicked him in the shin.

  “Thank you, Daisy. Rose, you’re lovely. Blue suits you.”

  “Thank you. Maybe we should go.”

  “Don’t you have a few minutes for a cocktail and some shrimp?” asked Angela.

  Bill was helping himself to the shrimp. “Yeah, you should try some. They’re good.”

  “I’m afraid we can’t stay. Our reservation is for eight-fifteen. Are you ready Rose?”

  “I am.” She picked up her purse and said, “See you later. Have fun with Scrabble.”

  They left and Bill said, “I don’t like that guy. What do you know about him?”

  “Bill, just why are you here?” asked Daisy. “You have nothing better to do on a Saturday evening?”

  “Of course I do, but I wanted to tell you about my interview with Brad Douglas. I thought you’d want to know.”

  Angela said, “We certainly do. Sit down, Bill, and have some more shrimp. Can I get you a drink? I’ve made frozen Daiquiris.”

  “I’m sure Bill needs to be elsewhere, Mother.”

  Angela was pouring the slushy drink into cocktail glasses. “Daisy, we have a truce and we’re civilized people. We can have a drinkie-poo together while Bill tells us what he’s found out.”

  “No thanks, Angela. I’m driving.”

  “One little nip wouldn’t hurt.”

  “Angela, I’ve had your cocktails.”

  “He’s right, Mother. One drink and he’d be forced to stay here at least an hour. And we’d need to feed him. Truce or no truce, I’m not eating with him. Okay, what did Brad say? Did you mention us? Did you tell him we had the card? Did you accuse him of stealing it back?”