A Flower Girl Murder

by Moure, Ana

  “You are coming with me to deliver the pie.”

  “No, Prim, I’d much prefer…”

  “To sit around and wallow? No, it’s time for you to socialize a bit. I know it’s not a very happy occasion, but it would be good for you to meet some new people, start getting to know our neighbors.”

  Sage didn’t think she had any say in the matter. After all, it looked like she was going to be staying with her sister indefinitely. She had absolutely no other place in the world to go to.

  Prim took off her apron, scrunched it into a ball and sent it flying into the washing machine, together with all the kitchen towels she’d used. She put the pie in a clear plastic cake container and went into the hallway to check her hair and dress in the mirror. Sage reluctantly got up too and pulled up her baggy jeans. This was all the effort she could muster right now. She felt guilty for thinking it, but who would notice what she was wearing, when there had been a death in the family?

  Just as the two of them were getting ready to leave, a tired looking Ben came in the front door. Prim hurried to greet him.

  “Oh, Ben, it’s awful, isn’t it?” she said.

  “It’s odd is what it is,” he said, slumping into a chair, frowning. “Do we have some coffee? I feel like I’ve put in a day’s work in just a couple of hours.”

  “Sure. We were just on our way to the Pendergrasses, but I’ll brew some,” Prim said and started measuring out some ground coffee, careful not to sprinkle any over her cream-colored dress.

  “Odd? Why odd?” Sage asked in the meantime. She liked Ben. The two of them had cultivated an almost sibling-like relationship and she felt as comfortable around him as if he was her big brother.

  “Well, the whole thing is sort of strange. First, a perfectly healthy-looking girl collapses and dies in front of the entire town. Then I usher the body to the nurse to do some basic examination, since we don’t even have a doctor in Rosecliff, not to mention a pathologist.”

  “I was just calling for some help from higher up,” he went on, “When I saw Reverent Pendergrass storm into the examination room and a minute later it was all a mess. He was shouting that what I was doing was illegal and his daughter had passed away from natural causes. He had the right to deny any autopsy based on his beliefs and he was exercising that right. He was so mad, for a minute I was even scared of him.”

  “Oh, honey,” Prim said, “don’t blame the poor Reverent. It must be an awful time for him. No one knows how a person would react when grief strikes. I’m sure he’ll come to his senses and apologize.”

  “Well, it’s not that. That I can understand. The thing is, after he was gone with the body, Nurse Sheila and I sat down to look through Natalie’s medical records and the kid was as fit as a fiddle from what Sheila could tell. The whole thing is a bit off. Why would he get so angry? I get his religious beliefs. With all due respect, mine are the same. Isn’t he our priest after all? I’ve never heard him say anything against autopsies in church.”

  “Hmm, it isn’t exactly church talk,” Sage mused, “but about the rest of it, you are right. It just confirms my gut feeling.”

  “What do you mean?” Ben asked, turning to face her while stirring two sugar cubes into his fragrant coffee.

  “I know it might be nothing,” Sage started, unsure at first, but with Ben’s encouragement, she told him all about what she had overheard in the morning. “I feel like someone, or someones, were set on ruining that wedding. I just can’t believe things were as serious as committing a murder to protect a secret.”

  “Well,” Ben finally said, “even if it is related to Natalie’s death, I guess we’ll never know. My hands are tied now that the family doesn’t want my involvement. I can’t base a murder accusation off of something you heard. And definitely not with a prominent family like the Pendergrasses… For all we know, it could have been an allergic reaction to something.”

  “Let’s go, Sage!” Prim called from the hallway, “The meat pie is getting cold. Bye Ben! Get some good rest!”

  Sage took one last look at the lost in thought Ben sipping his coffee and followed her sister. Already she knew she wasn’t about to leave this story alone. In a way, it would be good to socialize a bit like Prim suggested. The answers definitely lay with the residents of idyllic, peaceful Rosecliff.

  Perhaps she wouldn’t have cared so much if her own life hadn’t been in shatters and her sense of justice wasn’t brutally shaken. After what had happened to her, she couldn’t stand by and watch the truth getting buried among lies, the way it had happened with her. Only, in her case, it was all done and gone. There was nothing to be fixed about her past. It was already ruined. Here was a story, however, where the truth’s trail was still fresh, still out there for her to follow.

  And so she did.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Coffee and a Ring

  “Maybe I should stop by and get some coffee,” Sage panted, trying to catch up with Prim, who strutted down Main Street in her kitten heels, her strawberry blond hair bobbing merrily behind her.

  “Come on, we are almost there. I’m sure they’ll be serving us some anyway.”

  “Yes, but…” Sage said, racking her brain for an excuse not to go to the priest’s home. “Since we are already at the cafe, maybe I should stop by and see who’s in, maybe meet some people. I swear I’ll be sociable. I just don’t think I can be around grief right now. I never know what to say and I might mess things up for you.”

  “You realize Dan owns the cafe, right?” Prim asked.

  “Dan who?”

  “Dan, the most irritating person around here,” Prim imitated her sister’s tone.

  “Great,” Sage said in a fake, high-pitched voice. She couldn’t believe her lack of luck. “I’ll say hi to him then.”

  “Well, I guess you could wait for me here,” Prim said stopping in front of the quaint cafe where Dan worked. There was a playful glint in her eyes now. Sage had managed to come up with the only good reason to bail on accompanying her sister. “I’ll be back in about an hour and you better be doing some serious socializing when I stop by.”

  “Of course,” Sage said innocently, “You know I love nothing more than talking to strangers about substantial things like the weather… and recent murders in town.”

  Prim fixed her with a serious gaze.

  “Promise you won’t make me regret leaving you on your own.”

  “I swear I’ll be good. I’m sticking to weather.”

  With that the two sisters exchanged air kisses and parted.

  Sage stood in front of the frosted glass door of The Cheshire Cat Cafe and suddenly felt intimidated to enter a place where everyone knew each other and she was a stranger. This was an odd feeling, since up until recently she actually enjoyed traveling on her own. Her trips to exotic islands in the Indian Ocean had been wild adventures. She’d met people she shared nothing more than human DNA with and had done so bravely, looking for common ground, learning the words of a local language after local language. She’d enjoyed the feeling of being thrust into the unknown and had often felt at home with strangers. Her confidence had been unshakable.

  Standing in front of a cafe door in a small, tightly-knit town shouldn’t have been a problem, but after what had happened in the university auditorium, she had developed an acute anxiety about being alone among other people. So far she’d been successfully hiding in her sister’s small paradise of a home, but this was the first time she was about to put herself out there, be a part of the world again, and she was nervous. There was no Prim to shield her against the others.

  Sage took a deep breath and yanked the door open as if she was ripping off a Band-Aid.

  The cafe was nothing like the bustling town hotspot that she had imagined. In fact it was almost deserted at this hour, though the inside provided a pleasant escape from the afternoon heat. Sage relaxed a bit at the sight of Dan, quietly busying himself behind the bar with his back to her, and the pair of middle-aged ladies chatting
animatedly in a table nook by the corner window. None of them stopped what they were doing to look at her, so she had a moment to consider the interior.

  With the light coming through the windows shaded by gauzy aqua curtains, the entire place felt cool and shimmery as if it was underwater. The blue tablecloths and chair pillows and the seashells that were tastefully arranged on shelves and tables complemented the look. Warm, dark wood panels lined the walls and marine-themed watercolors decorated them. Everything was sparkling clean and every little detail, a pleasure to the eye.

  Sage approached the bar and perched herself on one of the stools upholstered in dark blue leather. There was no music in the cafe and the only sounds came from the hushed tones of the two ladies by the window. Her stool creaked audibly when she sat and yet Dan did not turn around.

  Sage was already feeling awkward. She craned her neck to see what was so important to the man that he didn’t find it necessary to attend to his new customer, but couldn’t see much from behind his broad shoulders and giant arms. Apparently he worked out. A lot. Even in the plain, ruffled T-shirt, he looked dressed up, because what was underneath the fabric bulged out so attractively.

  Sage shook her head. Where did these thoughts come from? She was done with men. Muscles or not, she couldn’t see them as anything more than a bunch of liars out to seduce and trick her.

  “Can I ask you a few questions?” she finally blurted out, “It’s about the wedding… What happened there… I mean, it’s about the dead girl.”

  Dan turned around so slowly, Sage thought she might fall off her stool in irritation. When he finally faced her, his eyebrow was raised and his lips were stretched in a slightly insulting, sarcastic smile. What an arrogant… she thought.

  “They sure teach you good manners in the big city,” he said and returned to what he was doing, completely ignoring her.

  “Well, sure, I was about to say hi,” Sage said quickly like a nervous teenager who suddenly forgot how to behave. “It’s only, I don’t like talking to people’s backs.”

  Dan turned again.

  “Well, hello there,” he said, the mocking smile never leaving his face.

  “Hi,” Sage mumbled, “Look, I don’t have much time. Will you talk to me for a minute? I just have a couple of quick questions.”

  “Sure, detective. Wouldn’t you like to contribute to my welfare by ordering something first?”

  “Right, a coffee please. Black.”

  “I would have taken you for a cream-and-five-sugars kind of girl,” Dan said as he started fixing her a cup.

  “Well, I’m not,” Sage said defensively, wondering what kind of girl that was. Though he wasn’t directly confrontational, she felt as though she was being attacked. This whole socializing thing wasn’t going too well and she was already anxious to get out of there. Not before she got what she came here for though.

  “So, what can I help you with?” Dan asked and, wiping his hands in a blue towel, leaned in across the bar, so their faces were now at the same level. Sage stifled an urge to just get up and leave. This was a bit too intimate. He was too close. Did people have no boundaries around here? And he had something to say about city manners. She sipped her coffee, which was smooth and delicious, and tried to focus on the real reason she was here.

  “I think the wedding party was having breakfast here this morning,” she started directly, “Did it actually happen? Were they here?”

  Dan furrowed his brows. It seemed that he had not in the least expected the question.

  “What’s that have to do with anything?” he said, “And most of all, with you?”

  “I’m just helping Ben out,” Sage lied and hoped it wasn’t too obvious, “I’m checking out a few things out for him.”

  “You mean about Natalie’s death? I heard it was something with her heart. Why would Ben care?”

  “Did she have her wedding morning breakfast here, Dan?” Sage asked again, and immediately blushed at hearing herself say his name.

  “Wow, you mean business! Well, yes, she did. Are we done here?”

  “No, I need to know who was with her and what they ordered.”

  Dan laughed a hearty, unrestrained laugh, tilting his head back and clutching his stomach.

  “You don’t suggest Nat died because of something I cooked, do you?”

  “No, no, of course not,” Sage said and blushed again, “I know it’s weird I’m asking all these questions, but something just doesn’t add up. So, do you remember anything?”

  “A bunch of squealing girls is not what I’d spend my time paying too much attention to,” he said and Sage thought he seemed exactly like the type of guy who would be enjoying the company of ‘a bunch of squealing girls.’

  “So, you don’t remember?”

  “I do remember. It’s just… You are an odd one.”

  He looked straight into Sage’s eyes and she wished the moment would pass. It felt uncomfortable and, even worse, a tiny bit thrilling.

  “They were here,” Dan started, “all five of them, without the groom. Jasmine went with Emily (the other bridesmaid) to the salon next door for her hair and nails appointment and the rest of them, Natalie and the two groomsmen, Josh and Trevor, stayed here and ordered breakfast.”

  “So, Emily and Jasmine weren’t here when the food and drinks were served?”

  “I can’t really remember, but I think not. That’s a bit too detailed even if I’d sat and stared at them the entire time, and you know, mornings are crazy here. Don’t judge my little cafe in this dead hour. It’s full of people early in the morning. Anyway, isn’t your brother-in-law the one who should be asking the questions?”

  Sage was taken aback for a moment. Of course it was absurd that she had just barged in here like she did and demanded answers. She seemed like a lunatic.

  “I’m just helping him out,” she said quickly, hoping that Ben and Dan weren’t friends and news of her interrogation wouldn’t reach her brother-in-law, the sheriff. “Well, thanks a lot. I’ll pass this on to him then and I’ll leave you to your work.”

  She grabbed her still full cup of coffee and slid off the chair, feeling his eyes burn a trail on her back. She felt a slight shiver run through her, but shook it off. There was still plenty of time until Prim would be back from the Pendergrasses and the thought of stepping out into the heat again made her cringe, so she grabbed a magazine off a nearby rack and settled into a table for two. The magazine was a sailing boat catalog and Sage sighed, flipping it open. It would have to do. She glanced over at the bar, half expecting Dan to be following her with his eyes and laughing at her choice of reading, but he was gone in the back office.

  “…And you are sure it was two lines?” a whisper came from behind her, though in the dead silence of the place, it was quite audible.

  “I’m telling you! It’s not like I haven’t been through that myself, like five times. The girl was pregnant.”

  Sage strained her ears to hear better. A talk of surprisingly pregnant girls was infinitely more interesting than ropes and hooks and spare parts for boats. She wished she could turn around and have a better look at the two ladies, but that would tell them that their chat wasn’t so confidential any more, so she continued to flip the pages of the catalog and slurp her coffee loudly.

  “It was tucked in her bra. Very odd…”

  “So very odd! Who would bring a positive pregnancy test to a wedding? You’d think there would be more appropriate times to break the big news.”

  “That’s exactly what I thought! It just kind of fell out while I was undressing her, but between you and me, I didn’t have the chance to check how far along she was. Her father was adamant that there would be no examinations. He kind of stormed in and took her body away. Poor man!”

  “I know, he must have been in shock!”

  Sage’s eyes were big and round like plates. She couldn’t believe she had stumbled across such important piece of information. Now it all made sense. Well, not all, but a secre
t pregnancy could be quite the motive for a murder. She rummaged through her tote bag as quietly as she could and produced a small notebook and a pencil and started scribbling down everything she could hear. The woman who’d discovered the positive pregnancy test was most likely the nurse that Ben had mentioned. Apparently, she was the only medical expert in Rosecliff. Sage denoted all her words with a big N. She’d ask later who the other woman was.

  “So, did you tell him?”

  “I did, but I wish I hadn’t. The man went completely mad! It was like he was blaming me or something. It was extremely awkward. The sheriff was there, too, and he tried to talk some sense into Father Pendergrass, but the man kept yelling that we were breaking the law and that we had no right to examine Natalie.”

  “Oh, you poor thing!”

  “No, poor you! At least my work is now done, but you are the one who has to take care of the body from now on.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I like my work. As long as no crazy parents interfere too much.”

  “Do you thing it had something to do with that purity ring? I noticed she was still wearing it,” the nurse said. “Maybe Father Pendergrass went all mad because she broke her pledge.”

  “What purity ring?”

  “You don’t know? The kids were all in a purity circle. Father Pendergrass organized it and his two daughters, Emily, Josh, Trevor and Kevin were all in it.”

  “Never heard of it, but I’d surely want to sign my kids up for that.”

  “I wouldn’t hurry if I were you, seeing that it didn’t seem to work out too well for Natalie. Poor girl. I wonder who the father of her baby was.”

  Sage couldn’t write fast enough. All this was golden. Only all the names were a bit confusing for her, but she’d ask Prim later.

  Speaking of Prim, suddenly the cafe’s door flung open and a flustered Prim rushed in, taking a look around.

  “Oh, there you are!” she said loudly and Sage almost jumped. She’d been completely lost in her notes. Prim greeted the two ladies and hurried to her sister’s table. “Let’s go Sage, I have something important to tell you.”