“Now,” Nathan said with some dramatic showmanship, just as they reached the end of the path. There was a heavyset wooden door, fashioned after one of Nathan’s favorite childhood books – The Secret Garden. “Behind this door is my absolute favorite part of the place. The part I put my heart and soul into.” The kids were eating out of the palm of his hand. “I really hope you all like it as much as me.”
Laura laughed. “Don’t hype it up too much, Nathan, or they’ll be imagining water slides and elephants and zip-lines and stuff.”
“Did someone say elephants?” one of the younger kids blurted out. “Do they have elephants here?”
Laura and Faith laughed good-naturedly.
“No, dummy,” one of the other kids said.
“And,” Nathan said, “it’s the hang out spot of one of the coolest people who works here. Robbie. He’s such a funny guy. I know you’ll all love him.” Nathan looked over at Faith and his eyes sparkled.
Faith grinned back. Robbie really was funny. He was also the only one who could stand up to Max and make it all look like a big joke. A tanned skinny dude with the height of a basketball player and the flightiness of a butterfly, he was always running about most of the day, putting the finishing touch on this or the perfect detail on that. He really cared about Nathan’s vision – they’d known each other since high school and had always been firm friends. He’d taken Faith on as something like a best friend, too.
“Let’s go in!” Shane called out. “This guy sounds like a G.”
“A G?” Faith whispered to Laura.
“A gangster,” Laura explained. “But not an actual gangster. It’s just the word they use for someone who’s really cool and who they like.”
“Oh,” Faith said with a nod. She suddenly felt so old, even though she’d not yet hit 30. In her own mind, she still saw herself as a teenager, really. It was a shock to see how young 16 year olds actually looked – and how differently they spoke.
“All right.” Nathan gave a flourishing bow, then turned the old-fashioned iron handle on the heavy door, and opened it slowly.
“Whoooah,” Alizee said, and pretty much everyone echoed her, except the kids who thought they were too tough to be amazed.
Faith had been through the entrance so many times, but the kids’ joy got to her, and a grin spread across her face. The place was truly beautiful. Trailing flowers draped everywhere the eye could see. Nathan had kept the color scheme pale, with light pink Bauhinia, and lilac hibiscus La Belle, and pure white frangipani. Walking in amongst the surreal beauty was like stepping into another world altogether. Coconut trees swayed overhead, and Faith couldn’t remember ever seeing the sky looking so blue. The beauty had stunned the kids into quietness, so they could even hear the gentle trickle of a stream tripping over rocks on its way to the waterfall, which was in another part of the gardens.
Faith wished she could freeze time in that moment. It seemed there would never be another so perfect.
Nathan led them through a palm-lined gravel path, and Faith enjoyed the crunching underfoot. At the end the bathing area came into view, and joy broke loose! The pools were gorgeous, glittering in the sunlight as the gentle breeze pulled waves across the water surface. They were made in stone, circular, three of them in varying sizes and heights. With palms planted between, it truly was a tropical paradise.
The kids were going wild, all hurrying to change into their swimsuits.
“Kids!” Laura hollered, trying to get some control. “We’re going to have to make a system to take turns…” But her voice was lost in the excitement.
Nathan grinned from ear to ear. His hard work was finally bringing so much joy, and Faith could see it filled him up. His cup was running over. Faith felt a warm golden pride swell in her chest. She was so proud of him for following his passion and striking out on his own. She couldn’t wait for Grandma Bessie to see, either. Though Bessie didn’t always have the most expressive manner, Arthur was certainly bringing a new openness and playfulness to her. She’d just love the way Nathan had transformed the place.
“Robbie!” Nathan called out. He went over to the little stone house where they stored the pool equipment, where Robbie could often be found when he was taking a rest, his long legs lolling over the side of his plastic chair. “Robbie!”
Faith was sure Robbie was hiding somewhere, and soon would jump out with a huge smile and probably some big joke to make. Maybe a fake snake in the pool. That would be just his style. She looked around the beautiful gardens, trying to see if she could spot him crouched down behind a Mexican Blood Trumpet bush.
But when she turned back, her heart sank to her feet. Nathan had returned, and all his joy was gone. Horror filled his face. His eyes were like saucers. “Robbie’s… Robbie’s…”
Shane and JoJo, quick off the mark and obviously primed for tragic situations, given their pasts, looked at each other. They didn’t need words to communicate. As one, they rushed over to the stone house, and around the side to the entrance.
“Yep,” Shane said, coming back around into view. “I knew it. Dead.”
JoJo looked weary and shrugged. “Everyone has to die someday.”
Shane was matter-of-fact. “Yep.”
*****
Chapter 3
“Well, well,” Deputy Valdez said, “this group will have no shortage of criminal records, no doubt. That leaves us with a huge suspect pool.”
The way Laura spat her words out, Faith could see she deeply regretted ever fancying the deputy. “How dare you judge on appearances? All right, yes, some of them do have some convictions, but do you have any idea of the circumstances some of these kids have been raised in, and what they’ve had to do to—”
“Miss Edwards, I was merely making a factual statement. There’s no need for such emotionality during a police investigation.”
Faith, despite having had her reservations about the group at first, was feeling heat rising into her face, too. She’d seen how bright and vivacious and even innocent they were. “Even if they did have criminal records, how on earth would that make them suspects to murdering R…” She tried to get his name out of her mouth, but it stuck in her throat. “To murdering…”
Nathan pulled Faith into a fierce hug.
They were still standing in the beautiful garden by the pools. The kids were a way off eating their packed lunches on the other side. Some were crying. Some were laughing, like nothing had happened. Others sat, stony faced. Faith suspected some of them were all too used to criminal drama, and the harsh reality of death, and it made her all the more furious at the deputy.
Three had insisted on remaining with the adults. Allen was quite attached to Laura, and hated any disruption in his routine – a common feature of autism, Laura had told Faith. He had kept asking, “Aren’t we meant to be swimming now? Aren’t we meant to be swimming?” Laura’d had to take a moment out to explain the new routine to him, which was difficult, since they didn’t know what was going to happen really. She’d ended up saying, “Police investigation, then back to school, then home.”
JoJo had insisted on staying, too, looking somber faced. He hadn’t made a big fuss or fought his case when the kids had been ushered over to the other side of the garden. He hadn’t even spoken. He’d just leaned up against the stone house, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression like a dark cloud. He had all the thoughtful intensity of an investigator himself. Shane and JoJo came as a pair, so Shane had been allowed to stay, too, on the one condition that he didn’t talk or bounce around too much, which was probably easier promised than done.
“But who would want to murder Robbie?” Janice said.
Nathan repeated the question, his voice heavy with feeling. “Who would want to murder Robbie? Who? It doesn’t make sense. Everyone loved him.”
“Maybe it was a case of a mistaken identity, and they were really looking for a career criminal,” Shane suggested.
JoJo shook his head gravely. “He had a secret pas
t.”
Deputy Valdez whirled around to face him. “Son, how do you know that?”
“He’s speculating,” Laura said, gesturing for the deputy to come speak to her a little way off. “They both have issues around… bereavement and trauma,” she said in a hushed tone. “This is really one of the worst things that could have happened in terms of triggering their issues. So I’d appreciate if we got this whole thing over and done with as quickly as possible, before anyone loses their cool. I think the packed lunches are saving things right now, but soon they’ll be done and we might descend into chaos. I really want to get these kids back to school.”
Deputy Valdez nodded toward the team inside the stone house, who had taped off the crime scene and were looking for evidence inside. “Once they’re done and this area is fully secure, I’ll be interviewing each and every one of your students.”
“No, you absolutely will not,” Laura said firmly. She looked around, obviously furious, then something clicked into place in her mind. “In fact, we’ll be going now. Come on, kids, we’re heading back to the van now.”
The deputy pursed his lips. “This is breaching the instructions I have given you. You will be hearing from my department soon, Miss Edwards.”
Faith knew the deputy still had a soft spot for Laura. If it had been anyone else so flagrantly going against his wishes, he’d have been reaching for dire threats and handcuffs by then.
All the adults stood around watching dumbly as Laura and her staff rounded up the kids and led them back through the heavy door, out of the beautiful garden that now seemed so tarnished.
“We can stay and help the investigation,” Shane offered Deputy Valdez. JoJo looked up to read the deputy’s reaction, obviously also invested.
Deputy Valdez made a tight smile. “That would be against protocol… and ridiculous.”
“Come on, Shane and JoJo!” Laura shouted at them, in a tone that left no room for argument.
Faith, now holding Nathan’s hand, looked around at the other adults – Tabby, the flame-haired tiny-framed young woman who worked in the entrance kiosk, Janice, and Max, whose confidence had completely evaporated. Usually he came across as much older than his age because of the way he carried himself – now he looked like what he was, a 20 year old. A scared one, at that.
She couldn’t imagine any of them murdering Robbie. Or why they would. Perhaps Shane or JoJo had been right after all. A case of mistaken identity, or a secret life, seemed the only plausible explanations. Robbie wouldn’t have hurt a fly. Why would anyone want to kill him?
Deputy Valdez looked at a clipboard and strolled past Nathan, with a barely concealed smirk on his face. “Terrible thing to happen on your grand opening, Mr. Edwards.”
“Soft opening,” Nathan growled.
The deputy paused and leaned back. “Sorry?”
“The grand opening was scheduled for two weeks.” Nathan’s voice was flat. Like all the life had been sucked from it.
“I notice you say was. That is certainly the right word to use. If you are wise, there will be no grand opening at all. This case will be all over the state news by tonight. Probably the national news. You do know who Robert Lewis Jr’s father was? None other than Robert Lewis, the state senator.”
“Of course, I know,” Nathan snapped. “I went to school with him.”
“Taking such a tone will not get you far, Mr. Edwards. Of course you are frustrated that your little…” He waved his hand around the garden dismissively. “…operation will have to shut down. “However, that does not give you license to speak as you wish to a law enforcement official.”
“Oh, stop!” Faith blurted out. “Robbie was his best friend!”
The deputy gave another of his trademark tight, mirthless smiles. “Thank you for the evidence, Miss Franklin. It is often close friends and family members that will be called into the suspicion circle at the first line of enquiry.”
Faith felt she could have pummeled him into the ground. She saw Nathan out of the corner of her eye, watching her, and reading her fury. “Let’s go, babe,” he said, taking her hand and setting off at a brisk pace toward the exit. “You know where we live, Valdez.”
“Indeed, I do. Don’t think of skipping town. I will find you.”
Faith could feel the blood thundering through her, and couldn’t even trust herself to look back, such was her rage.
*****
Chapter 4
“That horrible guy was right about one thing,” Faith said, slouched down on her couch and glumly staring at the TV screen.
Murder In Paradise, the headline ran across the screen, while a reporter stood in their beloved secret garden.
“Such a predictable headline,” said Laura, furiously munching on Doritos. Her legs were crossed, and the one on top bounced up and down uncontrollably with frustration. “Couldn’t they have come up with something more creative?”
The reporter began, “The son of state senator—”
Faith slammed her fist on the mute button, but missed and ended up turning the channel over to a cartoon. A fox was pounding a mallet on top of a pig’s head, flattening him over and over, until he was nothing more than a long pink line on the ground.
“Oh, how I wish I could do that to Tyler,” Laura said.
“You mean His Lordship King of the World, Deputy Sheriff Valdez,” said Nathan bitterly. “Anyway, even if we could pound him into oblivion, the damage is done already, isn’t it?” He was so agitated he couldn’t sit down, and kept striding around the tiny kitchen and the equally tiny living room of Faith’s apartment. “This whole thing was cursed from the beginning. My whole life is cursed.”
“Oh, come here,” Faith said.
He paused and looked at her from across the room, and the frustration was clear on his face. She offered him a sympathetic little smile, and it seemed to flick a switch in him. His shoulders sagged, his head bowed, and his long sigh seemed to deflate the whole room.
“This sucks,” Laura said.
Nathan came over and sat at the foot of the couch. He tipped his head back onto Faith’s lap, and she began stroking his shock of wavy hair back from his face. “It does,” she agreed.
Nathan groaned. “It totally does.” Then he flinched violently. “Aah!”
Faith and Laura jumped, too.
“What? What is it?” Laura asked, frantic.
Cirrus, one of Faith’s furry gray cats, had jumped onto his lap, giving him the shock of his life. Nathan gave him a playful little tap on his head. “You. You see you, huh?”
Faith laughed. “You scared me there.”
Nathan managed a smile. “You should teach your crazy fluffball not to leap up on unsuspecting visitors.”
Faith gave Nathan a playful tap over the head. “It’s only like the thousandth time that’s happened to you. You can’t say it was an unexpected ambush.”
“Mm. Fair.”
They then settled into a depressing silence, and each of them took turns to sigh. Laura even stopped crunching away on her Doritos.
“It’s really finished, isn’t it?” Nathan said. “The dream. I’ll just have to run away with my tail between my legs and get a regular landscaping job. And tell Miss Bessie she’ll never get her money back.” He buried his head in his hands. “Why does everything I do in life go wrong?”
“Nuh uh,” Faith said firmly, taking a handful of his waves and gently pulling his head out of his hands and back to resting on her lap. Her other cat, Nimbus, jumped up on the couch and snuggled into her leg. “Let’s infuse some Grandma Bessie Can-Do Attitude into this situation.”
Both Nathan and Laura made unenthusiastic noises, and Laura went back to crunching on her Doritos.
“Come on, guys!” Faith said, starting to get agitated. “Sure, things didn’t go how we planned. And we lost a very very very dear friend.” She got tears in her eyes thinking of him. “But if I know Robbie, he’d have wanted you to carry on and make your dream come true, Nathan. He was always so
behind you, 100%.”
“Yeah, but you just saw the news.” Nathan gestured at the TV. “Paradise Falls. Literally. Now even the name is a joke.”
“And I bet Tyler’s going to be all over interviewing our kids,” Laura said. “Trying to pin it on one of them, of course. Though why would any of them have any motive to do that? I know just what he’ll say though.” She put her face in a dead-pan serious expression, perfectly matching Deputy Valdez. “These individuals have criminal records and are a danger to society. They probably are psychopaths and killed him for the satisfaction.”
“No,” Faith assured her. “He couldn’t get away with that.”
“Maybe not,” Laura said, tossing a Dorito in her mouth with far too much aggression. “But he’ll try.”
Faith sighed. The depression was heavy in the atmosphere around her. Nathan was looking down, pressing his fingers back, then cracking his knuckles, intermittently sighing heavily. Faith almost got swept down into the abyss with them both. But then an idea popped into her head.
“I know!” she said, sitting up straight.
“What?” said Laura, with heavy-lidded despondency.
“Let’s make the opening day go ahead, right,” Faith said. “In two weeks, just as planned.”
Nathan began, “But—”
“Hear me out,” Faith said firmly. “Now, we should rename the garden where the bathing area is after Robbie. Robbie’s Place, or something like that.”
Nathan gulped back a sob, and Faith’s eyes filled with tears.
“Have it like, a celebration of his life. And a statement. A defiant statement. That truth and beauty and life and great people like Robbie and great places like Paradise Falls won’t be stopped by people with bad intentions.”
Laura still looked glum. “I don’t know.”
Pecan Flan Murder Plan Page 2
