by Lyndsey Cole
By the time Lily got back downstairs, she expected to find Tamara cowering in a corner of the utility room holding her phone up as a weapon. Instead, she was pleasantly surprised to discover Tamara was still studying the wiring. “Did you find something else?”
Tamara’s fingers were following one wire. “Yeah. Come over here and I’ll show you what I found.”
Lily poked her head around Tamara’s shoulder but the jumble of wires still looked like an octopus to her. “What?”
“See this wire? It should be plugged into the time clock but apparently someone carefully unplugged it and tried to hide it behind all these other wires. Go back upstairs and call me when the inside lights come on and check if the outside lights are on too.”
Lily did as she was told and called Tamara’s phone when the inside lights flashed on. She walked to the front door looking at the outside Christmas tree. “The outside lights are still off.”
“Okay. Wait where you are while I plug this in,” Tamara said from the utility room.
Lily jumped. “You’re right. Those lights are on now too.” She closed her phone and rushed back to the basement.
“You figured out one clue. Someone unplugged the outside lights so no one would witness Malcolm getting murdered.”
Tamara’s eyes bulged out. “I’m pretty sure the lights were on when I left.”
“Maybe whoever killed Malcolm went back into the library to make sure the lights were off. I must have still been inside working while the killer fiddled with the wires.” Lily shivered at the thought. “Who has keys to the side door?”
“The board of directors, me, Malcolm and the librarians. I think that’s all. Why?”
“Let’s get out of here. I figured out what I came for.”
“Aren’t you going to explain it to me?” Tamara asked as she huffed and puffed after Lily up the stairs.
“Yes. But not here. We’ll go to my mom’s house, get some lunch and work this out.”
“Lunch. Fantastic idea. I’m about to faint I’m so hungry.”
Lily chuckled to herself thinking Tamara could do with skipping a few meals but she wasn’t going to be the one to tell her.
Just as they walked outside, the sound of sirens followed by the sight of blue flashing lights turned into the library parking lot.
“Oh crap,” Lily said. “This is what we don’t need.”
Ryan’s cruiser stopped in front of the big front entrance. He had a scowl on his face when he found Lily and Tamara standing in front of the library. “What are the two of you doing here? I got a 911 breaking and entering call that someone was at the library. Care to explain?” He stood with his arms crossed, waiting.
Lily smiled her best flirty smile, hoping to soften Ryan up a bit. “Well, we, um, had to check on the decorations for the opening.” Not exactly a lie, she thought to herself.
“In the basement?”
Darn, he had more information than she hoped. “The lights on the decorations weren’t working properly and Tamara figured out what was wrong.” Lily patted Tamara’s arm.
“Show me what you found,” Ryan said without cracking a smile or giving any hint of his mood, making it impossible for Lily to read him.
Tamara got her keys out again and they filed through the library down to the utility room. Tamara showed Ryan what she had fixed to get the lights working again.
“And,” Lily said, “when we were down here, I heard a door close and saw Crystal’s car leaving from the side parking lot.”
“It was Crystal who called. She was coming in to get some paperwork or something and heard noises in the basement. What did you think, she was coming in to murder you? And if she was the murderer, how were you going to protect yourself? Your plan wasn’t very well thought through, getting trapped down here where no one would find you for days.” He turned and started to walk out before turning back toward Lily. “And how do I know Tamara didn’t sabotage the wiring and just now, miraculously and cleverly, figure out how to fix them for you?”
Both women stood with their mouths open. “I can’t believe you think that way Ryan Steele,” Lily said as she stormed up the stairs, pulling Tamara with her.
Ryan yelled back, “I can’t believe you put yourself into these dangerous situations where something unexpected could happen, Lily Bloom.”
Tamara whispered to Lily, “I think he’s mad.”
Lily glared at her. “I am too. Let’s go.” With a toss of her head, they drove to Iris and Walter’s house next door to try to calm down, think and eat. And not necessarily in that order.
Chapter 8
Lily and Tamara followed the music of Deck the Halls into Iris’s kitchen. A blast of ginger and cinnamon enveloped them before the sight of trays and trays of Christmas cookies greeted their eyes. Daisy was swinging to the beat of the music making the bells on her reindeer antlers jingle. Lily couldn’t help herself as she snuck up behind Daisy and tapped her on the shoulder. A blood curdling scream drowned out the music and Daisy’s oven mitts flew into the air.
She turned around to find Lily and Tamara laughing at her. “That was mean,” she scolded, trying not to laugh too. “Just for that, you can’t have any of my cookies.”
“Oh yeah?” Lily grabbed a gingerbread man and bit the head off. “Oops. This one is broken, I’ll need to finish it.”
Tamara sank onto one of the kitchen chairs, unzipping her parka and eating a cookie, or three, herself. “How many dozens of cookies are you making?”
“Well, I’ve got six or seven recipes that are old standbys and I always like to try one or two new ones each year, so, I guess there will be a lot!” She laughed. “Once I get going, they just seem to multiply on their own but it will work out well this year since I’m going to make fancy bags of cookies for everyone at the wedding to bring home.”
“If there still is a wedding,” Lily mumbled.
“What now? You and Ryan are in one of your ‘not getting along’ moments?”
“Something like that,” Lily said as she started to arrange the gingerbread boys and girls around the fruit bowl. “So, if these are all the people that were at the library last night,” and she used icing to name each one, “let’s recreate what happened.”
Tamara said she wanted her cookie to be iced in hot pink.
Daisy rolled her eyes. “Give it a break, Lily, and let the police deal with it. Oh, I almost forgot. Kari called looking for you. She said someone threw a brick through the front window of Beautiful Blooms.”
“Bricks seem to be the modus operandi lately,” Lily said with her lips in a tight line.
“What are you talking about?”
“The short version? It seems to be that a brick was used to kill Malcolm Moss which was planted in Tamara’s car but disappeared when we were at the police station. Then, when Tamara backed into Crystal’s car, she had a stack of bricks on the floor of her car. Now, a brick through my shop window? There seems to be a pattern. And I know just who the first suspect on my list is. I better head to my shop now and get this problem sorted out. Are you staying here Tamara?”
She nodded with her hand over her mouth to keep the cookie crumbs from falling out.
Lily was fuming as she drove to her Beautiful Blooms Flower Shop. This was supposed to be an uneventful, quiet few days leading up to her wedding on Christmas Eve, but instead, it was turning into a disaster. At least she had calmed down enough to not be mad at Ryan anymore. He was doing his job and he had to make his decisions based on the facts. And when he said how they might have been trapped in the library basement with the killer, it made her skin crawl. As soon as she parked in front of her shop, she texted him. Meet me at my shop. Vandalism. As soon as she hit the send button and got out of her minivan, his cruiser was pulling up behind her.
She smiled, letting the last bit of frustration at Ryan slide away. “That was quick?”
“Kari sent me a text too.”
Lily felt sick to her stomach as she looked at the broke
n window, covered by a heavy blanket to keep the cold air out. The sharp points of glass gave an evil image, not the warm and cozy sensation she usually had when she walked into her shop. As she looked at Ryan, he put his hand on her back, helping a little to dispel the feeling of dread that had settled in the pit of her stomach.
Kari’s face was a mixture of anger and fear when she greeted them. “I didn’t see anything, I just heard the crash and shattering glass.” She pointed to the brick lying on the floor.
“I’m glad you didn’t get hurt,” Lily said as she glanced around at all the pieces of glass scattered around the potted plants and cut flowers. “I wonder if that brick came from Crystal’s car,” she said to Ryan.
Their talking drowned out the sound of the door jingling and Lily was startled to hear a voice. “Are you open for business?”
She turned around, looking right into the face from the Sunflower Café—good looking, fortyish, she decided. Sticking out her hand to the newcomer, Lily said, “Yes, sorry for the mess. I’m Lily Bloom, the owner of Beautiful Blooms. How can I help you?”
After he pulled his eyes away from the brick in the middle of all the broken glass, he smiled and clasped Lily’s hand with a warm grasp. “I’m Eddie Parker, Malcolm Moss’s law partner.”
“Oh, I’m sorry for your loss. Such a terrible tragedy.” Lily noticed that Eddie’s eyes left hers and moved to Ryan standing behind her in his police uniform. “We had some vandalism but it will be cleaned up shortly.” She guided him away from the mess into her small meeting alcove. “Would you like some coffee or tea?”
Eddie sniffed some roses before he made himself comfortable. “Coffee would be nice. This is a lovely space. Malcolm always said if I ever needed flowers, Lily Bloom was the person to talk to.”
Kari brought a tray in with two coffees and some of Daisy’s chocolate raspberry bars.
“That’s wonderful to hear. Malcolm was an interesting person but he never shared those sentiments with me.” She picked up a coffee and handed it to Eddie, waiting for him to continue with the purpose of his visit.
He gazed off into space, sipping the steaming coffee, seeming to be getting lost in his own memories. “Malcolm and I go way back.” He focused on Lily’s face. “We were law school friends and, well, one thing led to another and we decided to go into practice together. It’s such a shock, I don’t even think the reality has hit me yet.”
Ryan poked his head in. “Excuse me Lily, I have all the evidence and photos, you can clean up now and call someone about the broken window.”
“Thanks, I’ll do that.” With her head turned away from Eddie, she puckered her lips and sent him a kiss. Turning her attention back to Eddie, she said, “How did you find out about Malcolm’s death?”
“Crystal, my wife, told me. I think she’s even more upset than I am. The three of us—Malcolm, Crystal and I—have been close for years.” He put his cup down. “I don’t want to tie you up any longer, but I stopped in to order some flowers for Malcolm’s mother, Sara.”
Lily picked up an order form. “So, what type of flowers were you thinking about?”
“Well, since it’s so close to Christmas, I thought an arrangement with greens, reds and some white would be nice.”
Lily nodded. “How about some pine with red roses and small white calla lilies?”
“That sounds perfect.”
“Shall I deliver the flowers to the house?”
“No. I’m going to move her, temporarily, to the same Rosewood Assisted Living Facility where my mother lives. Sara moved in with Malcolm a few years ago and can’t stay at his house alone. Mentally, she’s sharp as a tack, but physically, she needs assistance and she’s probably scared to be there alone now, especially after the break-in. Fortunately, the Rosewood just had a space open up. I’ll help her move later today, so if you can deliver the flowers tomorrow or Monday, it would be perfect. Nothing too big, she’ll only have one room.”
“I’m closed tomorrow, but I could deliver them on Monday. Thanks for stopping by, perhaps you will be at the library opening tomorrow?”
“Of course, Crystal wouldn’t want to miss it. Malcolm was so looking forward to the event and we think he’d rather everyone turn out and enjoy it than sit at home feeling sad about him.”
Lily stood up. “It’s been my pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Parker.”
“Please. Call me Eddie,” he said as he stood up and walked to the door.
Lily watched him leave, thinking that something didn’t seem to add up about his rude behavior toward Tamara at the café and how friendly he acted now. Maybe it was as simple as that he needed something from Lily so he put away his scowl momentarily. Or it could be that he had it in for Tamara for some unknown reason. And that look he gave the brick? Did he recognize it as one from his wife’s car?
Chapter 9
Nina rushed into Lily’s shop, skidded to a stop before stepping on the broken glass, whipped out her camera and took some photos of the damage. “Lily, what happened? Is it true that someone vandalized your shop? Is this connected to the break-in at Malcolm’s house?”
Lily held up her hand. “Slow down Nina. I don’t know yet. Someone threw a brick through the window and Ryan is investigating.”
“Well,” Nina lowered her voice, even though the only other person in the shop was Kari, “I heard that it was Crystal Parker that broke into Malcolm’s house.”
“Really? Whatever for? Eddie Parker was just in here and he told me that he, Crystal, and Malcolm have been close for years. Why would she break into Malcolm’s house?”
“Good question. Then Malcolm was found dead not much later? Was Crystal at the library last night?”
Lily started to sweep up the broken glass. “She was. For a short time. And she was at the library again this morning when Tamara and I went in to check on a couple of things for the opening. Well, I didn’t see her in the library, but I heard a door close and I saw her car drive away.”
Nina was jumping around with excitement. “Keep brainstorming Lily, you’re starting to put all this together.”
Lily leaned on her broom. “It doesn’t make any sense. What would Crystal’s motive be for breaking-in or for murdering Malcolm if they’ve been friends for so many years?” Lily sighed and bent down to dump the pile of glass into a trash can.
“We’ll need to do some more digging. Hey, are those some of Daisy’s goodies over there? Can I try one?
“Sure. Help yourself. There might still be coffee in the back. And there’s something else I just remembered,” Lily said to Nina’s back. “Malcolm wanted Crystal to be the head librarian, not Penny. That doesn’t sound like two people that didn’t get along.”
Nina stuffed the raspberry square into her mouth. “I’ve got it! Crystal wanted to kill Penny, but in the dark killed Malcolm by mistake and now she’s trying to divert all the attention on to someone else.”
Lily laughed. “You’re certainly stretching your imagination with that scenario. You’re a newspaper reporter not a fiction writer.” She waved her hand at the broken window. “I need to find someone to fix this window for me.”
“Give me the measurements, I’ll get the glass and come back with Nick to fix it for you. He’s handy and can fix anything. Try to think of some more scenarios so I can get an exciting article in the paper.”
“I’m supposed to be relaxing and getting ready for my wedding, not solving a murder,” Lily said, but Nina was already out the door.
Kari finished the arrangement she was working on. Everything was Christmas colors—reds, greens and white. There were also plenty of orders for centerpieces with candles and pine cones. “What do you think? Are my arrangements good enough?” Kari asked Lily.
Lily smiled. “You’re a natural. Each one is unique and that shows your creative streak. Are you keeping up without any trouble?”
“I think so. You shouldn’t even be here. Sorry I had to call about the broken window.”
“Don’t
be ridiculous. I just wish I had some idea of who it was and why. It could be kids with too much time on their hands during the school vacation. Is there anything else you can remember?”
Kari continued working while she told Lily, “Well, I don’t know if this is connected, but about fifteen minutes before the brick came flying through the window, a woman called asking for you. She sounded angry but didn’t leave her name or a message, just slammed the phone down when I said you weren’t here.”
“That is interesting, but without a name I can only guess as to who it was.” Lily bent down to stroke Sweet Pea who had been rubbing against her leg. “If you’re all set here, I think I’ll head back to my mom’s house since Daisy was in the middle of making her delicious Christmas cookie assortment and I’m craving a couple right now.”
Kari laughed. “Save some for me.”
“Don’t worry, everyone who comes to the wedding is getting a goodie bag full of her delicious treats. Don’t stay too late, it’s already getting dark out.” Lily checked on Sweet Pea’s food before saying goodbye to Kari and leaving for her mother’s house.
Driving through Misty Valley and seeing all the houses decorated with Christmas lights started to put Lily in the Christmas mood. Every window on Main Street glowed with the light and warmth of a candle in each window. She enjoyed the view of so many Christmas trees shining through windows, dressed in all manner of decorations.
With a deep sigh, Lily let the chill that had been settling in her heart start to thaw. The Christmas spirit was seeping in and pushing the anxiety out, until she noticed Crystal walking out of the hardware store carrying a bag. Lily drove by slowly, adding this to the growing list of suspicious behavior she could add nest to Crystal’s name.
Shaking that off, she told herself to forget about the murder and vandalism for now and try to get back to the warm and fuzzy feeling.
Iris and Walter’s house was twinkling in the darkness by the time Lily pulled into the driveway. It put her in a comfortable mood and, hopefully, for one night she could sit back and relax. The house was still filled with the faint scent of Daisy’s baking and the comforting smell of a roasting turkey. Lily sucked in the delicious odors and noticed her mouth water with anticipation. The thought of sitting down with her family and enjoying an enchanting evening was exactly what she was hoping for. And with some luck, Ryan would show up too. With the drama from the night before, she hadn’t even tasted whatever she put in her mouth at dinner. Tonight would be different. She would savor every bite.
