Blooms Bones and Stones Box Set

by Olivia Swift

  “They tried to stall me, but in the end, she said she had no son and no one of that name lived at that address.”

  “She had no son?” Miller echoed. “What on earth could that mean?”

  “And, where is he?” Dex added. “If they have thrown him out, where has he gone? Why is he not answering his phone and is he safe?” They all looked at him. “The door messed up, Miller fired and Jules missing. You have to wonder if it all is linked and who is behind it.”

  “We have to do something but what?” Evan asked, and Carly went to put her arms around Miller who was standing with tears running unheeded down her cheeks.

  “Miller, have you checked your phone for missed calls?” Carly asked and Miller shook her head. She fumbled in her pocket and switched on the phone. There was one missed call.

  “He tried to call,” she said. “Oh, why did I switch it off?”

  “If he called,” Dex took the phone, “and that was about three hours ago, he was okay then so that is a bit of something more hopeful.” He handed it back. “Try again,” he told her, but there was no response.

  8

  “Can you text him?” Carly asked Miller, but they would have no way of knowing if the text was received.

  “Email,” Dex suggested. “He will check them for work,” She nodded and brought up her email.

  “Tell him to stay away from your house because it is not safe,” Jazz added, and Miller nodded and sent the email.

  “What about all of his amazing photography equipment?” Evan wondered. “He can’t have moved all of that himself and so quickly.” They looked at each other.

  “He is in trouble,” Miller said. “It’s my fault and I can’t think of anything to do to help.” Carly gave her a hug.

  “The only person whose fault it is must be that revolting Glenda thingy,” she said fiercely.

  “You know when we first went to the house looking for the history, there was a really pleasant woman who was the secretary. She helped us and I am sure she would not be against Jules,” Carly said.

  “The woman you spoke with, what did she sound like?” she asked Evan, and he said she seemed like an older woman and very unpleasant, but it was covered with a layer of being civil. I didn’t like her attitude at all,” he said.

  “The woman who helped us was called Maggie,” Carly said. Dex put the address and Maggie into the search engine. The others fiddled with phones and searches while Carly went to serve in the shop.

  “Maggie Delaney,” Dex said, and put her name into the search engine. They found her on Facebook so Dex sent a friend request and a message to ask if she would help them find Jules Callander. He sent her his phone number as well.

  “I could try Marvin,” Miller suggested. “He might have been there. I don’t think his parents would know about that shop.” She called the owner of Déjà vu and asked if he had seen Jules in the last twenty-four hours. He said that he hadn’t but wanted to know why and listened to the story.

  “If he contacts me I will try and get him to come here and get in touch with you. If you need help, just let me know.” He paused and Miller asked what he was thinking about. He said he would rather not say on the phone. “Come and see me,” he told her and hung up.

  “I wonder what he knows that he won’t say on the phone,” Evan said. “Shall I come down there with you?”

  “Thanks, yes,” she replied, and Dex said he would run Jazz and the baby home.

  “Keep in touch, won’t you,” he paused. “I think you should call your dad as well and bring him up-to-date,” Miller did as he suggested and said she would call when she had been to the shop.

  Evan and Miller set off immediately and drove up to Déjà vu, only to find a closed label on the door.

  “Well that’s strange,” Evan said. “What now?” But the door opened quietly and Marvin beckoned them inside. He motioned to the rear of the shop and they went through. Jules was sitting on a chair and looked dreadful.

  “Oh, thank goodness,” Miller said and ran across to hold his face between her hands. He held them in his own and stood up.

  “I am so sorry, Miller. I brought all of this trouble on everybody,” She wrapped her arms around his waist.

  “I don’t care as long as you are all right. I thought something dreadful had happened to you.”

  Evan came and added an arm around the man’s shoulders.

  “Not your fault, idiot. We are all on your side and all worried sick.” Marvin poured coffee and told them all to sit down.

  “This is important because I have closed the shop, and that only happens on very rare occasions.” That raised a weak smile from Jules. “Jules has told his family that he is leaving the family home and doesn’t want to be associated with them.” Jules added that he had also told Glenda Marine that she was never to contact him again, and if anything happened to Miller, he would hold her responsible.

  “But what brought all of this to a head? That silly nonsense at the gallery was surely not that important?” Miller asked. Jules was still holding her hands.

  “Call your dad and ask him who Glenda Marine’s father is.” She looked at him and then at Marvin who nodded.

  “Dad, we’ve found Jules…”

  “Don’t say where,” Marvin whispered urgently. She took the hint and told Rick that she would explain later. But I have to ask you who Glenda Marine’s father is.” There was a long stretch of silence while her dad digested what she had asked.

  “Wherever you are now, bring Jules here and do it as quietly as you can.” His voice was so serious that Miller never questioned it. She simply hung up and told Jules that he should come home now with her.

  “If Rick thinks that is best, then that is what we should do,” Evan said and looked at Jules.

  “I don’t want to bring any more trouble to any of you,” he argued.

  “They are right though,” Marvin added. “Go now,” he paused, “I’m losing customers here.” Jules gave him a watery smile and thanked him for his help.

  “Julie boy, anytime,” he answered and looked outside before opening the door. They slipped into the car and Evan drove away as fast as he could without drawing attention to themselves.

  Miller stayed close to Jules as they traveled and told him about the front door and her dismissal from the dealership.

  “I knew that bitch was nasty,” he said. “Oh, man, it is my fault that this happened to you.”

  Miller sat up and let the anger come through all of the concern.

  “If you say sorry once more, I will punch you,” she said. “It’s not your fault or mine that she’s a nasty bitch. We stick together. Right, Evan?”

  “Right,” he called from the driver’s seat, as he drove through the gateway of the Hollenbeck mansion.

  Rick held out a hand to Jules and made sure that the man knew he was welcome. He shook hands with Evan as well and thanked him for raising the alarm when Jules could not be contacted.

  “I am so sorry,” Jules started as he looked at all of them. “My family….” Words failed him and he looked at Miller. “The last thing I want to do is put you in danger or trouble.” He turned back to her stepdad. “I’ll find somewhere to stay and keep any trouble away from your doors.”

  “Sit down. Sit down.” Rick told him. “You have found somewhere to stay. Here we can know that you are safe. I know who Glenda’s father is, and I know full well what the implications are.” He paused and looked around. “If we put our heads together, we can all stay safe and sort things out.” Jules shook his head.

  “If I had not put the picture in the gallery, all would have been okay. I am sorry.”

  Miller banged on the arm of her chair. “For heaven’s sake, stop saying you are sorry.” She smiled. “It was me that told her where to go,” she said with some satisfaction. “And I can do it again if I have to.”

  “Believe me, she means it,” Maddie joined in. “And I agree with the rest of my family. You are safest staying here.”

 
“But I am bringing my troubles to your door,” Jules protested again.

  “Trust your friends,” Evan spoke for the first time in a while. “I know you, Jules Callander, better than anyone else here, and I know that what your family are or do is nothing to do with you.”

  “And I think the picture was the best thing in the gallery. I am proud to have it in the house.” Rick added.

  “She has some rubbish in there as well,” Miller added with a grin. “No brains, just an eye on the money.”

  “Well she won’t be having anything else,” Jules replied, and Miller sat on the edge of his seat to hold his hand.

  “What about the equipment in your studio?” she asked, and he told them that he would buy a new computer.

  “The photos are stored online, and I can access Photoshop from anywhere. The family are welcome to the stuff. I’m not going back.”

  “At the moment, I am not going back to the house and Carly says I can work in shop,” Miller said.

  They persuaded Jules that it was the best situation, and in the end, he agreed.

  “In a way,” Evan said, “it is a whole new start. Your photography will stand the test, and Miller has to make her business work because she has no job.”

  Miller laughed. “I had forgotten the good news part. No more Cardoon.”

  “With a bit of luck, everything will settle down and then you can look for somewhere to live,” Rick added. “And if it doesn’t, we will deal with it.” Evan left to bring the others up to date and Maddie suggested that a snack might help them settle down.

  “There is one thing I want to know,” Miller said. “Why are we so worried about these people?” Jules finished the mouthful of food and looked at Rick who nodded.

  “My mother is the daughter of a man who was part of what people call the mob. Glenda’s father is still part of that organization, and Glenda looks on my mother as her second mom. They are very close friends. Both Glenda and my mother still think that things are like the old days, when violence could get you what you wanted. Whatever my dad says never seems to get into their heads.”

  “The man who backs the gallery knows them, but he is a fairly legitimate businessman and I play golf with him. He is called Reg Buttoni and I would guess he takes a fair bit of profit from the gallery. He is no fool,” Rick added.

  “My dad married into the family business and used their contacts, but he has made a lot of money in his own right.” Jules stated and then added, “I don’t want any of it and I think deep down, my dad would rather be free of it as well. My mother still likes the old ways.”

  “I see,” Miller pondered. “Will they do anything else?”

  “I doubt it,” her dad answered. “They don’t like attention drawn to them.”

  “And why did I get fired? Who has influence with the awful Cardoon?”

  “That we don’t know,” he glanced at Jules who shook his head.

  “Sorry, no idea there at all. Marvin might know. He has a list of clients that would blow your mind.”

  “And he is a good friend indeed,” Maddie Hollenbeck said. “So, don’t bring any trouble to his door.” The others nodded and agreed.

  “I would like to find out though, just out of curiosity,” Miller pursued, and Jules said that she could probably find out who owned the dealership online. She nodded.

  “What about your new computer, and where is your big camera equipment?” she asked.

  “My car is in the parking deck behind Marvin’s and the camera stuff is always in the trunk. If someone gives me a lift, I can buy a new computer and I will be set to work.”

  “What about your clothes?” Maddie asked. “I’ll show you to a bedroom.” Jules said that he had thrown a whole lot of clothes into the car and he would retrieve them as well as the cameras.

  “Right,” Miller said when this was sorted. “I’ll drive you to the computer store and the car, then we can go to the shop and tell Carly what is happening.”

  “You should stay in the house,” Jules protested, but she was not to be denied.

  “I am not going to hide away,” she declared. “I’ve got a life, and hiding behind closed doors is not part of the plan.” Maddie held out her hands in the ‘what can you do?’ gesture and Jules gave in and accepted the lift.

  “Keep in touch,” Rick said as they left and he handed Jules a remote control to open the large front gates. Miller grinned across at Jules as she drove.

  “I feel so much better now that we have a plan and…”

  “You know I am not interested in Glenda at all.”

  “That especially,” she smiled, and he leaned across and kissed her cheek.

  9

  “My mother has expected me to marry Glenda since we were about four years old,” Jules told her, “just because it would suit her own ideas.”

  “And I guess it would suit Glenda as well,” Miller added as she turned into the parking deck. He agreed. Then he directed her to the third floor and found his car. The camera equipment was safe so they decided to get out of there immediately and head for the mall. Miller followed his car as another car reversed out of the parking space and followed them out onto the road.

  They bought the computer with state of the art capabilities and walked off down between the stores to find a small restaurant. After a peaceful light meal, and starting to feel that everything was under control again, they decided to go to Miller’s house so that Jules could see the paint on the door.

  Until she saw the damage, she had forgotten about how angry she felt about someone spoiling the work she had toiled over for so long. Jules draped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her close.

  “I’ll help you sand it off and repaint,” he said.

  “The glass is intact,” she said. “That is the saving grace.” She took out her keys and said she would collect a few things that were forgotten earlier, opened the door, and stepped inside. Jules collided into her back as she stopped in her tracks; the place was like a bombsite. They held hands and walked inside cautiously, then she grabbed his arm as they both heard a noise from the yard at the rear. Jules told her to stay put and ran to fling open the door to where her working shed was standing. The shed door swung open and shut, and someone dropped over onto the other side of the wall and footsteps disappeared into the distance. He ran and jumped up to see over the wall but Miller was behind him and stopped him from climbing over.

  “You won’t catch whoever that was,” she said, “but maybe the police will find fingerprints or DNA.”

  “We had better not touch anything.”

  They picked their way through the house, looking to see what damage had been caused. Miller was more and more horrified as she saw that every room was wrecked. Throws, pillows, and anything soft was ripped apart and spread around. Anything breakable was broken and scattered, and furniture was pulled apart. The food from kitchen cupboards was emptied on the floor and ketchup smeared on everything to look like blood. It was dreadful. Miller sat on a stool and cried. Jules took out his small camera and systematically photographed everything from the front door to the back and the shed outside as well. By the time he had finished, she had called her stepdad and told him what had happened, and then she called the police.

  The police arrived before her stepdad and stared around at the havoc that had been her house. One of the two uniformed officers called the precinct and described the scene.

  “We definitely need forensics here. The place is like a bomb site and the front door is covered in paint thrown at it.” He listened and nodded and then said that he had to take details and wait for the team to come and look for any evidence. They told him briefly that they were staying at her mom’s house and had just come back to check the place out.

  Rick Hollenbeck arrived and stood looking aghast at the devastation. He was still standing there, not wanting to touch anything, when a car with a forensics team arrived and right behind them, Detective Inspector Mallarchy Mackay and his partner, Detective Felix Sanchez.
The newcomers looked around without disturbing anything, and Mackay looked at Miller.

  “I know you from somewhere,” he said, and she explained about meeting at Chestnut Hall. He nodded and started on the questions. Sanchez recorded it all, and on the surface, it looked as if it were just a random break-in. When he heard Rick Hollenbeck’s name, he opened his mouth to ask the next question, and Rick smiled.

  “Yes, I am Hollenbeck Wholesalers,” he answered without being asked. “I guess it is an unusual name.” Mackay nodded and asked if they had any ideas about possible perpetrators. The three of them looked at each other and Mackay waited. Miller told him about the picture at the gallery of herself and the door. “We had a disagreement with someone there and Dad bought the picture and brought it home.”

  “Who was this disagreement with?” was the next obvious question, and Jules sighed and broke into the conversation to tell him about the woman who thought she would marry him and her anger at being rejected. Mackay asked for the whole story, and when he heard the name, he looked across at Sanchez and then asked if she was the daughter of Marco Marine. Jules had to say that she was. The detectives squeezed quite a lot more information out of them before talking to the forensics people and then allowing the three to leave.

  “We’ll seal the house and let you know what we find,” he told Miller. She took one last look around her little house of which she had been so proud and nodded. The three of them drove back to the Hollenbeck house and related it all to Maddie.

  “You know, we are all assuming that Glenda is behind this, but we have no evidence. She might be completely innocent,” Maddie reasoned.

  “There is me losing my job as well and Jules having a breakup with his folks,” Miller agreed.

  “Best left to the authorities,” Rick argued.

  Miller said she would call Carly and start work at the shop in the morning. Jules thought that he would set up his new computing equipment and call several clients that were waiting for him to get in touch.

  “Just the same, I will run you down there before I start work myself,” he said. “I would be happier if you were not driving around alone.” Miller agreed and suddenly started to cry. Her mom handed her some tissues and she apologized for being so silly.