Murdering the Roses (A Heavenly Highland Inn Cozy Mystery)

by Bell, Cindy

  Chapter Two

  "Have you seen Mitchell today?" Sarah asked, attempting to disguise her nosiness as casual curiosity.

  "No, why would I?" Vicky replied, gritting her teeth. She had had one date with the deputy sheriff, and Aunt Ida and Sarah had been on top of her about it ever since. Vicky liked Mitchell just fine, but she was gun shy about relationships. It wasn't that she had ever been scarred, it was that she wasn't sure she was ready to share her life with anyone else. Watching the way Sarah and Phil were together could be very beautiful at times, but sometimes it seemed very limiting. Sarah and Phil didn't often argue, but they did give up a lot in order to maintain their marriage, raise their children, and keep the inn afloat. It all seemed as if it might be a little too much of a struggle than it was worth. Vicky figured if the time was right she would know it. For now, Mitchell was a good companion and she was interested in getting to know him better, but she wasn't in any rush.

  As she stepped out of the elevator with her sister beside her, she checked her phone. It didn't seem to her that Mitchell was interested in rushing things either, considering she hadn't heard from him in three days. Vicky wondered if her feisty personality had frightened the homegrown deputy sheriff. Maybe her excursions into college life and the wild times she recounted to him had made him think twice about whether Vicky was the down- to-earth woman he was looking for. Or it could have been the fact that she had ordered a double dessert.

  Vicky was always herself, whether the person she was with liked it or not. Her thoughts were distracted by a striking gentleman who was waiting at the counter to be checked in. Sarah walked over to the counter and began to set him up with a room. Vicky overheard him volunteering to pay in cash, and leave a generous security deposit to cover any potential damages. It was not unusual to have well off clients at the inn but it was a little strange to have them pay in cash. As the man walked away Vicky wandered over to her sister.

  "What was that about?" she asked with interest, it had been a while since they had such a handsome young guest.

  "His name is Timothy," Sarah said in a hushed tone, her eyes wide with intrigue. "I think he must be trying to hide out from the press, or maybe even on the run, because he didn't even want to give me his last name! He paid for everything in cash,” she tapped a few keys on the keyboard as she spoke.

  "You don't think he's dangerous, do you?" Vicky asked with a frown as she studied the man who was heading for the elevator.

  "No, I don't think so. He's probably one of those celebrities that gets hounded everywhere he goes, that, or maybe he is just trying to evade his wife or mistress," she pointed out with a distasteful grimace.

  "I think you've been reading too many romance novels," Vicky giggled and Sarah shot her a glare.

  "There's nothing wrong with believing in a little romance Vicky. Maybe you should try it some time," she arched a brow knowingly. It was a bone of contention between the sisters that Vicky was so casual about being single, while Sarah seemed convinced that her sister needed to be more open to being swept off her feet.

  "Ha ha," Vicky stuck out her tongue at her sister.

  "Don't you have some romantic weddings to work on?" Sarah reminded her with a mischievous smile as she turned back to the list of guests she was reviewing.

  "Yes, actually, I do," Vicky nodded and walked off towards the banquet hall. The banquet hall was huge and took up one half of the inn. It had a ballroom dance floor that could be converted into just about anything to satisfy their guests. They had once even created an indoor ice skating rink for a woman who wanted a winter wedding in the middle of July. It really had been a beautiful ceremony, Vicky had to admit. Not exactly her taste, but amazing just the same. There was something very special about being the driving force behind someone having their fantasy wedding come true.

  As she settled down with the information for the latest wedding she thought about the gardens. She really was going to have to do something before Bob destroyed them. The inn had a lot to offer but the gardens were a big part of its allure especially for spring weddings. The blooms were in every shade imaginable and were huge, and with full and normally unbruised petals.

  As her mind drifted through the plans and requests that the current bride had made for her wedding on the following weekend, Vicky's mind slipped into an imaginative world. She had a knack for visualizing things, and then bringing them to life. She could see the trail of rose petals that the woman wanted to walk across, as well as hear the violins that she wanted to have playing. The ceremony would be perfect, Vicky would make sure of it. She might not believe so strongly in romance, but she did believe that anything could be accomplished with the right amount of focus and determination.

  As she was in this peaceful state she was suddenly disrupted by what sounded like two men arguing. She stood up from the table and listened more closely. The flying insults seemed to be coming from the kitchen which was attached to the banquet hall. She frowned and walked towards the kitchen to see what the argument was about. That was another thing that neither she nor Sarah tolerated around guests. It was important that those who paid such high dollars to stay there were treated to an escape from their daily lives not an immersion in conflict between employees. When she stepped into the kitchen she found Henry, the head chef, and Bob going head to head. Both men looked so angry that they might be ready to deliver blows.

  "What's going on in here?" Vicky demanded as she looked between the two of them incredulously. Henry had worked for them for years, and she had never seen him so riled up. Bob on the other hand, she recalled, had a temper even in high school.

  "Why don't you ask Bob?" Henry said sharply as he turned back towards the counter. "Ask him why I have to put up with visits and phone calls from his brother!" Vicky sighed as she realized that this was yet another consequence of her choice to hire Bob.

  "Why is that?" Vicky asked as she looked towards Bob. "Are you in some kind of trouble?"

  "No," Bob said with a deepening frown. "I just owe him a little bit of money, and I've been trying to duck him. But this genius told him I work here," Bob growled at Henry as if the entire situation was his fault.

  "Listen, how was I supposed to know that you would steal from your own family?" Henry hissed back. "I mean I knew that you were pathetic, but I didn't know that you would sink that low,” his eyes were flashing with fury as he slung his insults.

  Henry had pulled Vicky aside a few times to warn her about Bob. He had told Vicky time and time again not to trust the man, as he felt that Bob was hiding something. Vicky had attempted to defend Bob, but all of Henry's warnings were turning out to be true.

  "Listen, I don't want you bringing any of this trouble here," Vicky said sharply as she glared at Bob. "You should have told me about this before I hired you Bob! I can't have family members stalking our employees.”

  "If I had told you, then you wouldn't have hired me, and I need the money Vicky," he whined with such an annoying tone that Vicky had to look away to keep from glaring more fiercely. She was very tempted to fire him right then, but Vicky was not an impulsive person. She liked to think things through before taking action.

  "Well, no matter the reason, if he comes here again, I'm going to have to take action," Vicky warned. "I don't want any of my employees to be harassed."

  "I'm sorry," Bob said with a sigh and scratched at the back of his neck. "I'll make sure he stays away, I promise."

  "You do that," Henry snapped with annoyance at Bob.

  Bob looked as if he might punch Henry right in the nose, which Vicky couldn't let happen, as who would cook the fancy meals for their customers then? She stepped between the two of them.

  "Enough," she said sharply. "You're both trying my patience. Now break it up. I don't want to see the two of you anywhere near each other anymore, understand?"

  Both men nodded reluctantly and Bob stepped out through the kitchen door and into the garden that backed up to the staff's quarters behind the inn. It was a simp
le building but still very beautiful and gave the staff plenty of room to live in.

  "Henry, are you okay?" Vicky asked as she looked over at the man. He was a bit older than Bob, in his forties, and he had a great reputation for being an amazing chef. So far Vicky had never heard a single complaint about his food. She didn't want to lose him over a bad gardener.

  "Yes I'm fine," Henry sighed and turned back to the pot of sauce he had been stirring. "But you really shouldn't let riff raff like that work here, it brings down the morale!"

  Vicky frowned as she was once again reminded that it was her mistake in the first place that had brought Bob on as a member of staff. She spent the rest of the day finishing the final preparations for the wedding coming up on the weekend, and listing over and over in her mind just why she needed to fire Bob. It amazed her that he could be so different from his mother, who had been a kind and warm person who always made an effort to be there for those she knew. That was why she had tried to help Bob out.

  When she finished with all she could do that day for the wedding she went off in search of Sarah. They always said goodbye to each other each night before Sarah would head home to the house she shared with her husband and two sons. The boys would sometimes come to the inn to play. When they did it reminded Vicky so much of growing up together with Sarah in the inn. It could really be a fun and interesting place to spend your childhood. As she walked up the stairs to the second floor in search of her sister she noticed Timothy standing in the hallway. He didn't seem to be heading in any particular direction, he was just wandering.

  “Hello there,” Vicky smiled at him in a friendly manner. “Is there anything I can help you with?'

  When his eyes settled on Vicky there was nothing friendly about them. In fact they were extremely cold to the point that it made Vicky's skin crawl.

  “No thanks, just checking the place out,” he finally said, his tone as cold as his eyes.

  “All right, well if you need anything at all please feel free to ask,” she smiled again, hoping to gain some kind of warmth in response from him. But he only nodded and continued to walk past her. Vicky turned and watched him walk away, still feeling a little puzzled about his behavior. Didn't he have anything better to do than wander around the inn?

  Vicky found Sarah speaking to one of the maids at the end of the second floor.

  “I just want to make sure that all the rooms are prepared for our guests this weekend, so if we need to give the week night maids some overtime to get that done, then just let me know,” Sarah was explaining to Martha. Martha was white-haired and in her seventies. She was in charge of the maids and had just about as much say about what happened in the inn as Vicky and Sarah did. She wasn't an owner, but she had been there longer than the two of them had been alive, so they gave her respect where respect was due.

  “I think the day staff should be able to handle it,” Martha said thoughtfully. “But I'll let you know.”

  “Thanks Martha,” Sarah said with a smile. Vicky smiled at her too as she walked up behind Sarah.

  “Just wanted to say goodnight,” she said to her sister as she paused beside her.

  “I can't believe how fast the day has gone by,” Sarah shook her head and glanced at her watch. “Guess it is wedding season!”

  “It sure is,” Vicky sighed with a laugh. Wedding season was solidly booked with guests, weddings, parties and receptions. It was their busiest time of year. “Get home safe, okay?” Vicky gave her sister a quick hug.

  “Do you want to come for dinner?” Sarah suggested. Vicky considered the idea of being splattered with spinach by Rory, the two year old with fantastic aim, and then shook her head slightly.

  “Not tonight, I need to do a little extra work on the wedding,” she mumbled. She loved her nephews dearly but did not relish the idea of sharing the dinner table with them tonight.

  ***

  That night as she settled into her apartment on the first floor of the inn, she considered Sarah and Henry's words regarding firing Bob. She knew that they were both right. Bob wasn't contributing anything positive to the inn, in fact she spent more time cleaning up after the mistakes he made. The decision had to be made, and she would have to fire him. But how?

  She lay awake that night, thinking of just how to tell Bob that he would have to find a new job. She didn't like the idea of having to do it, but she knew that it was her responsibility. It was at times like that, when she had so much on her mind, that she did kind of wish she had someone in her life that she could turn to. She was sure Mitchell would understand her conflict, since working as a deputy sheriff was not exactly a glorious career. But he had not called her. That caused her to run through the date for the thousandth time in her mind. She just couldn't place where things might have gone sour. She had thought they enjoyed each other’s company. Having said that, she had not called him either. That was one of those relationship games that she couldn't grasp the concept of. Who was supposed to call who?

  Vicky sighed and nestled her head deeper into her pillow. She thought of her parents and how their lives had been cut short so suddenly. She didn't want the same to happen to her, before she even had the chance to truly live. Aunt Ida had become very eccentric after Vicky's parents’ death, and one late evening when just she and Vicky were still awake sharing memories, she admitted that it was because she wanted to live her life to the fullest. She no longer wanted to let her fears or hesitations limit her. After all, no one ever knew how much time they would have left.

  At some point during the night Vicky must have fallen asleep, because she woke up to sunlight pouring in through her window. Her apartment which was in its own section of the inn faced the back gardens, and it was always a beautiful sight to see first thing in the morning. She awoke with the certainty of what she had to do. There was no putting it off any longer. She would have to find a replacement for Bob, but even before she did the gardens would be better off if they had no gardener at all than to have Bob poisoning all of the plants by over watering them or clipping the wrong things. She showered and dressed in a simple business suit, then paused in front of the mirror and looked herself straight in the eye.

  "You can do this," she said to herself with forced confidence. "You are a professional, and Bob is not living up to his promise to do a good job. Firing someone does not make you a bad person," Vicky nodded at her own reflection as if she agreed. Then she marched down the hall to the door that led out to the back gardens. First she went to the staff quarters, fully expecting that Bob would still be sleeping. But he did not answer the door. She knocked a few more times before deciding he really wasn't there. Then she began wandering through the gardens on the off chance that he might actually be working. She saw his handiwork all right, from beheaded flowers to trampled grass. She was sure he had no idea how to actually be a gardener, yet another thing that he had lied to her about.

  As she walked through one of the largest gardens which featured a beautiful rose garden, she caught her foot on something. As she stumbled she first assumed it might be a root or a stone. But when she looked down it was not a root or a stone. It was a shoe. Her gaze followed the shoe right up a pant leg, and across a plaid shirt, to the face of the man that she had intended to fire that very morning. It looked as if she would not be dealing with that problem after all, but something much worse.

  When the blood curdling scream carried through the air, Vicky thought at first that Aunt Ida must have found another spider, until she realized that it was pouring from her own lips. Bob was dead, that much was clear, and it had been no accident, that was very obvious by the splashed blood which was clinging to roses, leaves and flower blossoms. Sarah and Aunt Ida came rushing out of the inn when they heard the scream. When they ran up to her, Vicky was still screaming and didn't even realize it, she was in such shock. Aunt Ida wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close, turning her head away from the gruesome discovery.

  “Don't look at it, don't look,” Aunt Ida insisted as she
rocked her niece slightly in her arms. Sarah whipped out her cell phone with trembling hands and began dialing the police.

  "Is that Bob?" she asked anxiously. “How did this happen?”

  "Yes," Vicky managed to choke out. “I don't know! I just found him like this!”

  "Did you see anyone running away?" Sarah asked, her eyes flicking around the garden in search of anyone that might be responsible for the crime. They could all be in danger if the killer was still around.

  "No," Vicky wept as she leaned heavily on her Aunt's shoulder. "I just found him like this. I came looking for him to fire him, and then I found him like this," her shoulders trembled as another sob ran through her. She had never found someone in that condition before, and it was very disturbing to think that she had a conversation with him just the day before.

  "Get inside," Sarah said sternly as she waited for the police to come on the line. "We need to lock the doors and make sure all the guests are secure. Whoever did this might still be on the property!"

  Vicky gasped as she had never thought of that. She and Aunt Ida hurried into the inn with Sarah following right behind them. She gave the information to the police over the phone while the three of them went door to door in the inn making sure all of the exterior doors were locked. Within just a few minutes they heard sirens charging up the long, winding driveway that led to the inn. The police station was situated between the inn and downtown, so they did not have far to go. When they saw the flashing lights the sisters felt it was safe enough to step outside.

  Sarah and Vicky stood on the front porch of the inn and watched as the officers piled out of their cars and began scouring the property. Some even had their guns drawn. It was a very strange sight to see in such a beautiful setting. The garden where Bob's body was found was quickly roped off with bright yellow police tape. The guests at the inn began asking lots of questions about what was happening as they gathered in the lobby, drawn by the flashing lights of the police cruisers.