The Fragile Flower

by Kerry J Charles

  “Sure, I can do that,” Johnson said. He knew his partner well enough to trust his instincts.

  “I’m going to take a walk. See if I can jar any logic out of this brain,” Nick said pretending to punch his head as he slid out of the booth.

  Johnson laughed. “Yeah, good luck with that. See you tomorrow.” He sat back comfortably in the booth, his eyes straying toward the pastry display.

  Nick stepped out on the street. A light rain was beginning to fall. He had always liked the rain. It seemed to make everything more quiet and soft. The coffee cup warmed his hand as he walked along. He found himself near the ferry terminal, and ducked under the roof of the outdoor waiting area as the rain began to fall harder.

  Islanders sat on benches chatting with each other. Very few tourists would be on the next couple of boats. These passengers were islanders ending their work day in Portland and returning to their homes out in the bay. Nick found himself envying them. They started and finished each working day with a trip across the water. He began to imagine how calming that would be, then realized that on any given day the ocean could be anything but calm. On some days it could batter the hell out of a ferry boat. That couldn’t be a fun trip.

  His mind drifted back to the afternoon. He tried to recall the events in order. He’d have to write them down when he got home. That always helped him. He thought of Isabel, alone and scared in that little shed. She didn’t look like the type who would enjoy ‘roughing it’ either. She’d probably never been camping in her life.

  He remembered how she had reacted when she heard Linda. That seemed strange. He could understand if Isabel had been annoyed with her sister-in-law, or even if she had ignored Linda altogether. Maybe Linda knew something that Isabel didn’t want anyone to learn about? Did Linda see something happen at the house that night or even the next morning?

  A ferry blasted its horn as it pulled away from the dock. Nick jumped at the sudden noise, jarred from his thoughts. He looked into his cup. Empty. His stomach growled. ‘Stop thinking. Just go eat. Let all this stew a bit,’ he told himself. He smiled at the apt metaphor. With that, he stood, tossed his cup into a nearby trash can and headed home.

  Painting is just another way

  of keeping a diary.

  ― Paul Valéry

  CHAPTER 9

  Kimberly wandered through the galleries of the Maine Museum of Art. She had hoped to see Dulcie, but was told that she was out for about an hour. Kimberly decided to wait. It was a good excuse to drift among the artwork.

  She stopped at a meticulously painted trompe l’oeil. The painting showed a table with various objects strewn on it. At the center was a single rose. It looked so real that she found herself wanting to lift her hand and touch it.

  “Looks like it just dropped there, doesn’t it?”

  Kimberly laughed, a lovely sound that echoed through the quiet room. She turned to face Dulcie.

  “I had to force myself not to touch it. But I knew the guard over there,” she nodded toward the corner, “would have yelled at me!”

  “Anthony? He’s a pussycat. He’d never yell. Right, Anthony?”

  The man didn’t turn his head but he did manage a half-smile. “I’d have yelled at her,” he said.

  “Well then, I’m glad I didn’t provoke that!” Kimberly replied.

  Dulcie smiled, but her expression quickly changed. “I’m glad you came by,” she said more seriously, “Do you have a few minutes?”

  “Absolutely. You have me intrigued!”

  Dulcie led the way to her office. She closed the door behind them and gestured toward a chair. Kimberly sat down as Dulcie rounded her desk and sat down behind it. She leaned her arms on the desk and put her head down for a moment. “I knew this was a disaster before it even started!” Her voice was muffled. She looked up. “And now Logan’s sister wants me to pay her for Logan’s time. Well, for the time that he worked, not the entire time.”

  “What?” Kimberly exclaimed.

  “I’ll have to, of course. I just met with our lawyer. Logan did do part of the job, so we’re obliged contractually, even if it’s a payment to his estate. I’m just amazed that Linda would even think to ask. I mean, her brother just died. Doesn’t she have more pressing matters to attend to?”

  “She does, but someone like that works from a to-do list, even if it’s a mental one,” Kimberly replied. “Invoicing you is on the list, so she has to cross it off.”

  “Good point. She does carry that little notebook everywhere and she’s constantly writing in it.” Dulcie looked thoughtful for a moment. “Actually, I’d forgotten about the notebook. I’d love to have a look at it, if for no other reason than curiosity. I’d love to know why they’re all here in the first place. Someone of Logan’s stature doesn’t just decide to grace us with his presence. They must have had a reason for coming here. Or Linda must have anyway, I don’t think Logan and Isabel had much of a reason to do anything that they did, other than self-indulgence.”

  An odd look crossed Kimberly’s face. Her eyebrows slid up and her eyes were wide.

  “Kimberly, what are you thinking?” Dulcie asked. “You look like you’re up to something!”

  “Perhaps,” she replied. “Dulcie, what if we visited Linda, just to check on her and make sure everything is going okay, and took a peek in the notebook? Or better yet, just borrowed it for a little while?”

  “Kimberly! When I asked you to be my spy, I didn’t think you’d consider anything like this!” Dulcie exclaimed. “But you do bring up an interesting idea, I must say!”

  “Well, then! Here’s the plan. We just stop by. Our excuse is to make sure she’s all right. We’ll ask if we can help with anything. One of us distracts her while the other nabs the notebook. Then we make a quick get-away before she notices!”

  “And what if she does notice that one of us has it?” asked Dulcie.

  “Good point.” Kimberly was thoughtful for a moment. “I know! One of us can bring in a stack of folders or notebooks or something, and put it down near her notebook. Then we can say later that we scooped it up by accident.”

  “Hmmm! I like this! But we would need a reason to be carting in that stuff. Let me think,” said Dulcie. She tapped her pen on the table for several seconds. “I’ve got it! I can bring the file with the Dumbarton’s expenses and go over those things with her. I’ll tell her that I need to review everything before getting a check to her. I’ll also get her invoice then for Logan’s work.”

  “Very good! Dulcie, it’s a caper!” Kimberly said excitedly. “We’re on a caper! Let’s go now. Can you?”

  Dulcie called out loudly, “Rachel?”

  Several seconds later Rachel stuck her head in the door. “You rang?”

  Dulcie laughed. “Yes. What am I doing for the next hour or so?”

  Rachel disappeared, then reappeared. “A whole lotta nuthin.”

  Dulcie faked a dejected look. “I thought I was far more important than that!”

  “Nope. Sorry,” said Rachel.

  “Let’s remedy that situation. Kimberly and I are going on a little research trip. I’ll be back inside of two hours. Can you hold all of my calls?”

  “I’ll try,” said Rachel with a bemused look. She disappeared again.

  “I’ll drive so you can think,” said Kimberly.

  “Perfect,” said Dulcie. She gathered several file folders and two spiral-bound notebooks that resembled Linda’s. “Let’s just hope that she has the notebook out somewhere that we can find easily.” She stopped suddenly. “Kimberly, this is really wrong.”

  Kimberly nodded. “Yes it is, but everything about their coming here in the first place seems wrong. You said so yourself. Don’t you feel as though you’ve been duped in some way?”

  Dulcie looked thoughtful. “Yes, I do. All right. Let’s go before I change my mind.”

  They were quiet during the short drive out to the cape. As Kimberly pulled into the driveway, Dulcie saw a curtain at the window twitch
slightly. Linda was at home. They went to the back door and knocked. Linda opened it but did not immediately invite them in. “Can I help you with something?” she said sternly while standing in the doorway.

  Dulcie smiled. “Hi Linda. Yes, I’m sorry to bother you. I probably should have called first. I need to review some receipts with you so that we can get you a reimbursement check. It’s just a formality, but I’ll need to have you sign off on them. Could we have a few minutes of your time?”

  Linda did not move for a moment. “Of course,” she finally said, stepping back inside. “Come in.”

  As they walked in Linda looked pointedly at Kimberly. “What brings you here?” she asked.

  Kimberly thought quickly. “I asked Dulcie if I could come along to take pictures of the location I’d been painting. I didn’t want to bother you, but since Dulcie was already coming…”

  “Yes, yes. Whatever,” Linda replied, now sounding annoyed. She waved her off.

  Kimberly was glad that she had a camera on her phone. It would have been difficult to explain that she needed pictures, but hadn’t brought a camera. She glanced quickly at Dulcie who nodded very slightly. As Kimberly walked from the back door to the front, she glanced around for Linda’s notebook. She saw it on the kitchen counter. Kimberly quickly turned and saw that Linda’s back was still toward her. She motioned to Dulcie and pointed at the notebook. The look in Dulcie’s eye told her that she knew exactly what Kimberly was telling her. Kimberly continued along, letting herself out the front door.

  “Can we just spread some of these things out on the kitchen counter? I can be quicker that way,” said Dulcie.

  Linda huffed her breath slightly but led the way into the kitchen. Dulcie quickly followed. She spotted Linda’s notebook and set down her files next to it, positioning herself so that Linda was on the opposite side. She opened the first file folder, covering the notebook.

  “All right, here’s your rental agreement for the house, your grocery purchases, and the car rental. Just look this over, then sign here if they’re correct.” She pointed to the page while glancing out the window. Dulcie hoped that Kimberly would come back quickly. She couldn’t delay for very long.

  Linda scanned the sheet and signed. Dulcie put the next set of receipts out and again, Linda rapidly signed. ‘One more set to go. Come on, Kimberly!’ she thought anxiously. Dulcie shuffled through the file trying to buy a bit more time. She brought out the final set of receipts just as Kimberly came back inside. As Linda signed, Dulcie looked at Kimberly and winked. Kimberly breezed by and went to the back door.

  “Thanks so much, Linda. That’s exactly what I needed,” Kimberly said. “Also, Linda, I just wanted to express my condolences. We learned so much from Logan. He is… was an amazing talent. He’ll be missed greatly.”

  Linda was caught off guard. She had not expected to hear praise for her brother, especially from one of the class members. She almost smiled as she turned toward Kimberly to thank her.

  Dulcie saw her chance. With Linda’s back turned she slid the notebook in between her files, picked up everything and moved toward the door. “Thanks Linda. I’ll get these processed right away and get a check to you. So sorry to bother you!” She nearly tripped over Kimberly as they both pushed through the door. Linda’s demeanor had changed back to her more typical, annoyed manner.

  Kimberly slid in behind the wheel and started the car. Dulcie tried not to run around the car, walking as fast as she could to the passenger seat. She hadn’t even closed the door before the car was moving.

  When they reached the end of the street, Kimberly asked, “Do you have a camera on your phone?”

  “Yes,” Dulcie said. “Why?”

  “Start taking pictures of the pages in that notebook. I have a feeling she might be right on our heels. She’ll know it’s gone within minutes, I’m guessing.”

  “Brilliant! I’m on it.” She pulled out her camera and started snapping pictures, turning pages, then snapping more pictures. As she did, her phone rang. It was Linda.

  Dulcie answered.

  “You took my notebook,” the angry voice sputtered.

  “I’m sorry? What are you saying?” replied Dulcie, feigning innocence.

  “When you left just now, you took my notebook with you. I’d like you to bring it back. Now.”

  “Oh my goodness! Hold on, let me just look through my things,” she covered the phone for several seconds. Kimberly kept driving. “I’m so sorry, Linda! Yes, I have it right here. I must have scooped it up with my files. We’re nearly back to the museum now. Would you like me to drive it back over to you, or do you want to come pick it up?”

  “Bring it back,” Linda barked and hung up.

  Dulcie clicked off the phone and looked at Kimberly. “We have to turn around,” she said.

  “How much have you photographed?” Kimberly asked, still heading back to Portland.

  “About half,” Dulcie said.

  Kimberly pulled into a parking lot and stopped the car. “Keep going. You snap, and I’ll turn the pages.” It took them about five minutes to finish. Kimberly started the car again.

  “Wait! Let me just flip through these quickly to make sure they’re clear!” Dulcie said as she went backwards through the images, swiping her finger across the phone rapidly. “Okay, I think we’re good.”

  Kimberly pulled back onto the road and drove quickly to Linda’s house. They weren’t even in the driveway when Linda flew out of the door and hurried to the car. Dulcie lowered the window to hand the notebook to her. “I’m so glad you noticed right away so that we could…” she hadn’t finished before Linda grabbed it and stormed back into the house without a word.

  Before Kimberly had even pulled out of the driveway once again, both she and Dulcie burst out laughing.

  #

  Willow had been reading when she heard a knock at the door. She sat bolt upright, silent. The knock came again. Silently, she tiptoed to the door and looked through the peephole. It was Bryce. ‘How the hell does he know where I live?’ thought Willow.

  “Hey, Willow? You home?” she heard him shout.

  The last thing she wanted was trouble from her neighbors. They already disliked her. She yanked open the door. “What do you want?” she asked warily.

  “Thought you might want to get a beer,” he said.

  “You couldn’t call me for that?”

  “Didn’t have your number.”

  “But you know where I live?” she was becoming annoyed.

  “Yeah, I saw it on a list for the master class. It wasn’t public, don’t worry. I’m just nosy.”

  Willow eyed him with some disdain, but then her look softened. “Hang on, I need to get my bag,” she said. She closed the door and scooted into the bathroom. She ran her hand through her hair so that it spiked up a bit more. Then she grabbed a denim jacket and her bag and opened the door again.

  “Where are we going?” she said, locking the door behind her.

  “Wherever you want,” he said.

  “The Dock?”

  “Sure.” They walked down the stairs and out the front door in silence.

  “So, pretty insane way to end a class, you think?” Bryce said.

  “You have no idea,” Willow replied. Bryce wrinkled his brow. “You probably don’t know the latest. About Isabel,” she added. Willow suddenly remembered how Bryce had admired Isabel and even seemed to flirt with her at one point. Willow was annoyed with herself that she brought it up.

  “She’s a piece of work,” he said with some disdain.

  Willow was surprised by his reaction. They turned into the bar. It was nearly empty. They sat on high wooden stools that had been battered from years of use. Willow plopped her bag on the empty stool next to her.

  A large pot-bellied man with a scruff of new growth on his chin that he had obviously missed while shaving shuffled over. “What can I get ya?” he said wiping the counter in front of them.

  “Couple of beers,” said Bryce
. He pointed to one of the taps.

  The bartender looked at Willow. “Got any ID, kid?”

  She narrowed her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh before she reached into her bag. Locating her wallet she pulled it out and flashed him her driver’s license. He looked at it for longer than necessary, then eyed her closely over the top of it. “You sure this is you,” he said. “You don’t look like a ‘Willow’.”

  She opened her mouth to tell him exactly what he looked like, but Bryce interjected, “Lots of types of Willow. She isn’t the weeping kind, trust me!”

  The bartender laughed and gave her back her license. He pulled on the tap and filled two pint glasses.

  Willow took a long drink. She didn’t realize how thirsty she was. The beer felt very cold as it quickly made its way into her empty stomach. It gave her confidence. “So what do you really think of our friend Isabel?” she asked.

  Bryce licked the foam from his top lip. “Honestly? She knows how to get what she wants, but I got the feeling that she’s in over her head on this one. Not sure why I think that.”

  Willow nodded. “Me too. So you don’t know what happened with her after Logan got carted off?”

  Bryce shook his head.

  “She ran off and hid, in an abandoned shack,” Willow replied.

  Bryce put down his bear. “That’s weird. How come?”

  “Don’t know,” said Willow. “But she called me and said she was scared. Then the cops talked to me and wanted me to get more out of her. I backed off. No way was I gonna get involved.” She took another sip of her beer.

  “So did they find her?”

  Willow nodded as she swallowed. “The cops had me call her with that museum lady there, then I handed off the phone to her. Isabel told her where she was. It was in some shed up the beach form their house. Everyone raced down there. Now she’s at the museum lady’s house, I think.” Willow took another drink of beer.