Lyndsey Cole - Lily Bloom 02 - Queen of Poison (2 page)

Daisy
was overloaded with an armful of fancy dresses as she walked into Lily’s house. They had a tradition of helping each other decide on what looked best. Daisy loved to get dressed up but Lily preferred to dress casually most of the time. Typically, it was Daisy helping her older sister. It had been like this their whole life.

They pranced around in their underwear, holding up dresses and looking in the full length mirror.
Lily grabbed an emerald green slinky, silky dress with a floral design going from one shoulder to the waist. Daisy tried to steal it back. “That’s my favorite dress.”

Lily swung it away from Daisy’s fingers. “Ha. I got it first. I want to look extra
special tonight.”

Daisy pulled a red flowery silk dress from the pile. “Why is that?”

“Just because.” Lily slipped the green fabric over her head. It shimmered down her lean body. She twirled and felt the sensuous fabric tickle her thighs. “What do you think?”

Daisy paused to look intently at Lily. “
I think you want to look nice for Ryan Steele. Get him away from that red head.” Laughing, she added, “Maybe you shouldn’t have been so standoffish in the past. He got sick of waiting for you to make up your mind.”

Lily angrily denied that accusation. “I don’t care about Mr. Steele. I want to look nice since my arrangement is the centerpiece of the show.
I need to look my best in case Nina Baldwin is there to take photos and write an article.”

“If you say so,
” Daisy said mockingly.

A knock on the back door startled Lily. “I wonder who that is. Mom is picking us up but she wouldn’t bother to knock.” Lily went to the door feeling festive and happy.

Ryan Steele was standing outside
looking drop dead good-looking, waiting as if she was supposed to be expecting him. Lily was speechless.

He slowly scanned her from naked toes to blond ponytail and whistled his
approval. “Wow. You look incredible.” He grinned. “You might want to put some shoes on though. I told you I would give you a ride. Don’t you remember?”

Lily
fidgeted and blushed. “Oh. I made other plans since you have a friend visiting.”

“Jennifer?” Ryan chuckled. “My sister? Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?”

Lily felt her face get hotter and hotter. She stuttered and stammered, feeling like a complete fool, which was how Ryan Steele usually made her feel. “Iris is picking us up. I’ll meet you there?” was all she could manage to say in a somewhat strangled voice.

Ryan leaned close to Lily’s ear. “You look absolutely beautiful. You should dress up more often.” He straightened back up
and winked. “See you there. Oh, and by the way, try not to get your dress caught in the door when you slam it. I’d hate for someone else to have to rescue you.”

Lily watched him walk to his car.
He was never going to let her forget their first encounter when she so clumsily slammed her car door catching her skirt and making her trip and fall. His scent lingered and she silently gave herself a good kick for jumping to the wrong conclusion about Jennifer.

Daisy tapped her arm. “What just happened? Was that Ryan?”

Iris drove in honking which saved Lily from having to make an explanation to Daisy. They piled into the back of her VW bug and headed to the museum. Marigold Harris was in the passenger seat, happily looking around as though she could actually see what was out the window. Being blind didn’t slow her down at all.

It was a short half mile drive to the
Misty Valley Museum. The street was lined with cars and people were making their way into the main entrance. Iris swerved her bug into a parking spot between two big SUVs, almost taking off her front fender. “How’s that for maneuvering?”

Marigold responded with two thumbs up. “I didn’t hear any metal crunching so it’s fine by me.”

Iris helped Marigold out of the car, holding her left arm and giving a running commentary about what was happening. Marigold had her white cane in her right hand tapping along the sidewalk. Daisy and Lily walked behind.

“Wait up you guys.” Lily turned around to see Melinda Biotchi and Jack Weaver hurrying to catch up. “Can we sit with you?”

“Of course.” Lily asked Jack, “How is it going at the greenhouse?”

Jack looked content. “I couldn’t be happier. It’s much better than working at the Misty Valley Country Club.” He looked at Melinda.  “I think Tamara is
even starting to like me.”

Lily laughed. “Wonders will never cease.”

They entered the museum and were greeted by Elizabeth Stevens who was standing next to Lily’s arrangement and the floral painting. “Hello. Hello.” She leaned toward Lily and whispered, “Everyone loves your flowers. How daring to put blue and orange together, and the mirror makes the flowers and the painting sparkle from the lighting. Ms. Barry is extremely pleased with how the whole show is looking. She’s looking forward to meeting you.”

Lily beamed. “Thank you. I’m curious to meet her
, too.”

“I’ll find you when she
has a moment. Oh, and Nina Baldwin will be taking photos. Be sure to have her get one of you next to your flowers.”

Lily glanced at Daisy to see if she heard that exchange. Daisy nodded slightly. Iris and Marigold were already ahead so Daisy pulled Lily away from Elizabeth and they hurried to catch up.

Iris was describing the paintings to Marigold and letting Marigold guess what flowers were used in the arrangement based on the scent. She did an excellent job figuring it all out and seemed to enjoy it more than Iris even though she couldn’t see anything. Lily smiled as she watched the two older women. Iris was so content ever since Marigold moved in with her. It gave Iris a focus away from her two daughters, which was good for all of them. And Marigold was thrilled to be out of the nursing home.

The museum was stunning with all the flowers. A trio of violin, cello and piano played classical music at the side of the main staircase. The mixture of flowers perfumed the rooms. All in all
, it was perfect.

Lily felt a gentle touch on her arm. Elizabeth was pulling her away from her family and pointing toward an elderly woman standing
off to the side. She whispered, “Ms. Barry is free and wants to meet you now.”

Lily was surprised to see how tall and straight Marion Barry was. She looked elegant in her black dress with a dark red shawl draped around her shoulders. Her silver
y gray hair was cut stylishly just below her chin. She smiled warmly as Elizabeth escorted Lily over and introduced them. She was much warmer in person than how the artist captured her in her portrait.

Ms. Barry extended her hand to Lily. “I’m so glad to meet you Ms. Bloom. I’ve heard a lot about you from Elizabeth and she was absolutely right when she said you would put together an arrangement to compl
ement my newest painting. And it’s wonderful that Misty Valley finally has a flower shop. If you ever need anything, let me know.”

Lily was having trouble finding a reply to this generous offer. Suddenly the lights went out. Several seconds of silence were broken by screaming and scuffling. Lily felt a weight fall against her chest. She held on, confused about what was happening. Crashing sounded from the main entryway.

What felt like forever actually only lasted for a few minutes before the lights were back on. Lily saw that she was holding Marion Barry. Iris and Daisy appeared at her side. They both looked wild eyed. “What just happened?”

Lily gently lowered Marion o
nto an antique Queen Anne chair nearby. “I have no idea but we need to get help for Ms. Barry. Call 911. Is Ryan here yet?” She looked around frantically but couldn’t see him through all the chaos.

Elizabeth hovered, wringing her hands and sobbing. “Oh dear. Oh dear. Is she alright?”

Lily looked at Elizabeth and shook her head as she felt for a pulse on Marion Barry’s wrist. She felt like she was going to faint. “I think she’s dead.”

A portly middle aged woman pushed Lily aside. “What have you done to Marion?” If looks could kill, the look that hit Lily would have dropped her in an instant.

“What have
I
done? She fell into me when the lights went out. All I did was catch her. Who are you?”

The woman st
retched to her full height which was at least two inches below Lily’s chin. “I am Ruth Walsh, Ms. Barry’s personal secretary. I’ve been at her side for the last thirty years.” She looked Lily up and down before asking with contempt, “And who are
you?
”

Lily realized there was a lot of emotion running through everyone at the moment and decided not to take Ruth Walsh’s comments personally. “I’m sorry for your loss. Elizabeth had just introduced me to Ms. Barry. I’m Lily Bloom. I did the arrangement to go with her new floral painting.”

Ruth’s nose wrinkled in distaste. “Oh. You did that ghastly arrangement? And you call yourself a florist?”

Ryan Steele showed up at Lily’s side. “Your mother said you need help.”

“In more ways than one at the moment.” She managed to ignore Ruth and nod her head toward Ms. Barry slumped in the chair. Her face was already a pasty gray. “She fell into me when the lights went out. I think she may have had a heart attack or something.”

The EMTs entered with a stretcher. “Clear the way please. We need to get through.” They placed Marion’s body on the stretcher and rushed her into the ambulance.

Ruth turned her attention back to Lily. “You’ll pay for this young lady. This is all your fault.” She turned and left, presumably to follow the ambulance to the hospital.

Ryan watched that interaction. “Why does she think it’s your fault?”

Trying to remain calm, Lily took a deep breath. “I think she’s just upset about losing a dear friend. At least I hope that’s the reason.”

Lily was stunned
by the events of the last fifteen minutes. She looked up and was blinded by the flash of a camera going off in her face. It took her eyes a few seconds to adjust and see Nina Baldwin snapping away. This was going to be a much more interesting story than covering a relatively boring Art in Bloom opening night.

Nina grab
bed Lily’s arm. “Come over here,” she said excitedly. “I want to get a photo of you with your flowers and the new painting.” Lily stumbled along with her even though she knew she did not want to be in the photo. Nina got her shot, then was dashing off to photograph more drama.

Daisy found Lily. “This is turning into a circus. I overheard Marion Barry’s niece and nephew talking about her death. They expect to be millionaires now. It didn’t sound like they were disappointed about the turn of events. Do you think they might have murdered her for the money?”

Lily shushed Daisy. “Don’t even talk like that. No one is saying it’s murder. She just fell over. Onto me. How could that be murder?”

Daisy toned her voice down to a mere whisper. “That’s what I’m hearing. People think she was murdered for the inheritance.”

Lily pulled Daisy off to the side. “That just makes a more interesting story than saying she died of natural causes. We’ll find out soon enough. Here comes Ryan. Maybe he knows more.”

Ryan put his hand on Lily’s back.
She felt his warmth through the thin fabric of her dress. The warmth spread right to her fingertips. “Everything okay?”

Lily
couldn’t stop the question from blurting from her mouth. “Was she murdered?”

“I don’t know but
I have to close the museum. Elizabeth Stevens is going to make an announcement soon asking everyone to leave. Could you check on Jennifer? I won’t be home for a while.”

Lily’s
gaze swept the room. “I’ll be happy to get away from all this.” She looked sympathetically at Ryan. “We’ll get some food and invite Jennifer to my house. Don’t worry about her.”

Elizabeth stood half way up the stairs
with her husband, Kirk Stevens, at her side. “Everyone. Please quiet down. I have to make an announcement. As you may have heard already, the museum’s founder, Marion Barry has been taken to the hospital. After discussing the matter with the museum board of directors, we have decided to cancel the opening for tonight and reschedule for tomorrow night. Marion won’t be able to be with us but we are confident that this is what she would have wanted. So, please accept my sincere apology about this unexpected turn of events and come back tomorrow to help us launch Art in Bloom properly. Thank you. The museum will be closed in ten minutes.”

Daisy looked puzzled. “Is she still alive?”

“I don’t think so. Maybe they just don’t want to say anything until all the facts are determined. Let’s find Iris and Marigold, get something to eat and go to my house.”

***

“Mom, swing by the Misty Valley Market. I’ll run in and buy a couple of Billy’s premade pizzas. They’re all ready to pop in the oven.” Lily reached for her purse, feeling around on the floor. “I can’t find my purse. Daisy, give me some money, I’ll pay you back.”

It took longer than expected to get to the market since everyone was pulling out of the museum at the same time. And it seemed like many others had the same idea about buying a quick dinner at the market. This would be great for Billy. He had complained to Lily that the opening was going to cut into his normal
evening sales.

Lily managed to g
et inside before too many other hungry people and grabbed the last two pizzas. Lily saw Marion Barry’s niece and nephew arguing by the deli counter. Lily watched them while she waited in line to pay. Maggie was laughing and giggling but Jared was unsmiling and kept telling Maggie to shut up and quit leaning on him. Lily couldn’t help but wonder what their life was like and how it would change with the death of their aunt. From what Daisy heard, they expected to inherit a lot of money but maybe Marion was leaving it all to the museum and her favorite charities. Lily laughed at that thought and how it would upset those two greedy relatives.

She paid and got back into the car. “Okay. Next stop, my house.”

The chatter in the car was getting pretty loud with Iris, Daisy and Marigold trying to talk over each other with different versions of what happened and what might still happen. Iris managed to get to Lily’s house. Daisy carried the pizzas inside and turned on the oven while Lily went next door to check on Jennifer.

Lily explained to Jennifer,
“There was a situation and Ryan has to work late.”

“A situation?”

Lily clarified. “Actually, the founder died and the director closed the museum so the police could try to sort out what happened.” Lily changed the subject, she didn’t want to get into any speculation about the death. “We have pizza in the oven. Care to join us?”

“That sounds great. I’ve got a couple of bottles of wine. Should I bring that?”

“Definitely.” Lily held the door open. “You’re okay with a dog I hope.”

Jennifer laughed. “Ryan told me all about your amazing Rosie. I can’t wait to meet her.”

Lily thought Jennifer might be okay. She liked dogs and she
wasn’t
Ryan’s girlfriend. Maybe this day could end on a decent note after all.

The
pizza cooked and made the house smell delicious. Talk turned to how hungry they were as they sat in the living room sipping the wine.

Iris eyed Jennifer. “Your brother is somewhat of a mystery to all of us here. Got any good stories to share?”

Jennifer had a sly grin. “He warned me about you, Iris. Sure, I don’t mind giving a little information. Just don’t tell him it came from me.”

Iris was like a prosecutor, cross examining a witness in a trial. “How old is he?”

“Thirty-two.”

“Ever been married?”

“No.” Jennifer hesitated before adding, “But he was engaged.”

Iris jumped all over that news. “What happened?”

“I’m not sure you should here this from me.”

“Yes. Yes.” The others all chimed in together
, leaning forward excitedly.

“
Well, okay. His fiancé, Carla, broke it off.”

“Why?”

“She ran off with his best friend. Ryan was heartbroken and hasn’t dated since.” Jennifer glanced at Lily. “He’s been happy since he got hired to be the police chief here in Misty Valley. I think he needed to move away and start over.”

The timer on the oven interrupted the conversation and saved Jennifer from anymore grilling from Iris. Lily went into the kitchen to get the pizza. “I’ll bring it out. We can eat around the coffee table.”

Jennifer followed Lily. “Can I help? Tell me where the plates are and I’ll bring them out.”

Lily took the pizza out of the oven.
“You and your brother are close, aren’t you?”

Jennifer smiled. “We are. We only have each other.” She opened a cupboard. “I picked the right one. How many plates? Five?”

“Yup. If Ryan was here, he’d bring one for Rosie too. Did he tell you he made Rosie a hamburger and fed her on a plate the first time I went over to eat with him?”

Jennifer laughed. “He did tell me. And he told me how Rosie sent over dog
bone burgers. Should I bring another plate for Rosie?”

“No. She already had dinner. Sometimes I give her some of my crust though. She’s really a spoiled dog
, but after she saved my life I can never be too good to her.”

Da
isy yelled from the living room, “What’s going on in there? We’re hungry. Hurry up and bring out the pizza.”

“Okay. Okay. Here we come.”

Lily’s phone rang. She was annoyed. “Who can that be?” She answered. “Hello? … Thanks Elizabeth. I’ll be right over.”

Lily explained to the others,
“I have to run over to the museum. Elizabeth said she found my purse and she’ll only be there for another few minutes. Save me some pizza.”

Iris offered,
“Take my car.”

It only took Lily a few minutes to get to the museum. Elizabeth was waiting inside near the floral painting with Lily’s purse. “Sorry to make you come now but I need to lock up and I thought you might need this.”

“No problem. See you tomorrow?”

“Yes. It’s such a shame about Marion but I think she would want us to finish the show.”
Elizabeth looked toward the back of the museum. “I need to go. Thanks for coming so quickly, Lily.”

Lily picked up her purse and looked around the quiet empty museum. It was such a contrast from all the exci
tement just an hour earlier. A little eerie. A door closed somewhere in the back as Lily walked out the door.