Daisies for Innocence (17 page)

She left before I could answer. Still, I felt better. Lang might be delighted to see me behind bars, but at least Garcia was willing to give me a fighting chance.

That night as I fell asleep with Dash sprawled beside me on the bed, I wondered if Lang was just going to ignore Josie’s other cleaning clients. Inga had told me her
family had just returned to town, and she hadn’t seemed to know anything about Josie’s murder. And I agreed with Astrid that the Traces weren’t suspects—especially after meeting them. But what about the other two? Was he ever going to question them? Would Garcia talk to them without her partner?

I considered how I might go about it. Thea might be able to get me access to Rance and Sophia. But what about the ice-skater, Missy Renault? How could I get her to talk to me?

I fell asleep without thinking of a good
answer.

C
ONSIDERABLY
cheered by my conversation with Detective Garcia the evening before, I hummed to myself as Dash and I walked through the Enchanted Garden to Scents & Nonsense. My light floral skirt swirled around my knees as I topped off the birdbath with water. As I emptied the water can into the vessel, I noted that a total of five flowers had opened on the mnemosyne. There were two left to go.

Tonight, I’ll distill its essence.
That was one bloom I wouldn’t mix with any others. I wanted the oil to be as pure as possible.

Hidden memory,

Unbound

Had Gamma meant that literally?

It wasn’t a question I could answer, so I turned my attention to the more mundane aspects of my life, the few things I had some control over. I fed Nabby and let him out, gave Leonard his breakfast, checked the water level on his tank, and started the coffee. Then I ran a lamb’s wool duster over the tops of the display tables. Back in the office, I retrieved my inventory list and took it out to assess the depleted stock of soaps and body oils on the shelves. By the time those items had been tidied and rearranged, Astrid was sliding her key into the lock on the front door. The smell of chocolate preceded her, and I eyed the covered plate in her hand with interest.

“I told you I’d make chocolate cookies today. Chewy double chocolate chunk and hazelnut cookies, as a matter of fact.”

“Also known as breakfast,” I said with a laugh. “The coffee’s ready. Let’s go outside. Is Tally with you? She can come with us.” I craned my neck to see if the big Newfoundland was waiting on the boardwalk in front.

“I’m happy to say Tally was adopted yesterday by a family with three little ones. It’s a good fit—she’s gentle as a lamb with kids.”

“Ah.” I smiled. “It’s nice to hear good news.”

On the back patio, we settled into the rocking chairs with steaming mugs and sweet treats for breakfast.

I filled her in on what had happened since I saw her last. She grimaced when I told her about Bob Farsen’s creepy interest in the murder weapon. The news about Tom Steinhart flashing a tourist didn’t seem to surprise her at all.

“That guy is off,” she said. “Someday we’re going to hear he did something awful.”

“You know one thing that’s upsetting about this whole business, besides, you know, the murder itself?” I asked. “I’m running into a lot of pretty icky people as a result of trying to figure out what happened.”

She took a bite of cookie and washed it down with a swig of dark roast. “I take it you wouldn’t want to be a detective full time, then.”

“Good heavens, no.” I shuddered.

The blue butterflies had started to gather around Nabby, who sat on the edge of a retaining wall. Thea had created a spiraling mosaic in the center of it, which added yet another stunning design element to the Enchanted Garden. Dash put his chin on the stone next to Nabby, who reached over and laid a soft gray paw on the dog’s nose. For a moment it looked for all the world as though they were having some kind of conversation. Then the corgi lay down at the base of the wall, his sleepy brown eyes watching the fluttering azure wings above. A hummingbird buzzed in, paused in midair for a moment, and then zinged to the vermilion bee balm for a sip of nectar.

I pointed to the scene. “That is what I want to do full time.” I pointed to Scents & Nonsense behind us. “And that. And this.” I toasted her with my last bite of cookie and placed it on my tongue to savor. “I can hardly wait for the whole mess to be over with, the killer safely behind bars, and for life to get back to normal.”

“No kidding,” Astrid agreed. “At least it sounds like Detective Garcia is on your side.”

“Well, she’s on the side of the truth, and that’s good enough for me. She didn’t seem too upset that I’d done some investigating on my own, either.”

“Can you imagine working with Max Lang day in and day out?” Astrid asked.

“Ugh.”

“So what’s next, Nancy Drew?”

I stuck my tongue out at her. “Now that I know who Josie’s other two clients were, I’m going to try to talk with them. With my luck, they were both out of town, too.” I rolled my eyes, then smiled. “At the Greenstockings meeting, Thea said she was going to meet with Sophia Thelane about doing more landscape work on their place, and I’m going to see if she’ll let me tag along. I have no idea how to get to Missy Renault, though.”

“She has quite the reputation as a diva,” Astrid said. “Probably wouldn’t talk to you if you just showed up on her doorstep. And you sure won’t run into her at the Roux. She’s famous for being a staunch vegetarian.”

“Good, because the last thing I want to do is hang out at the Roux Grill waiting for her to show up.” I sighed. “I’ll figure something out.”

“You always do.”

A blue jay landed on the edge of the birdbath, hopping in enough to get his feet wet. Below, the mnemosyne looked almost garish. Astrid hadn’t commented on it, which kind of surprised me. She wasn’t a huge gardener, but she was extremely observant. I thought for a split second about mentioning it, but couldn’t bring myself to. That flower, that plant was
mine
.

At least until I learned more about it.

Our impromptu breakfast finished, Astrid left for a round of dog walking and cat feeding. I readied the register and flipped the sign in the front window of Scents & Nonsense to
OPEN
. A few people were wandering the boardwalk, but it was early, and the weekend crowds hadn’t started to filter into town yet.

I reached for the phone and called Thea. Her cell rang three times before it was answered.

“Elliana! Did you know Thea has a picture of you that shows up when you call?” The voice was deep and instantly recognizable. The sound of it made me shiver. “You’re sitting next to a pile of compost.”

Wonderful.

“Hi, Ritter. Where’s your sister?”

“Out talking with a delivery driver. She left her phone on the desk, and when I saw it was you, I grabbed it.”

I said, “Listen, could you take a message for Thea?”

“Sure thing.”

“She mentioned that Sophia Thelane wanted to talk to her about a landscaping project. Would you tell her I’d like to go with her when she meets with Sophia?”

“Fan girl, huh.”

I snorted. “Not exactly. Josie Overland helped the maid at Sophia and Rance’s house. I just want to get a feel for how they got along with her.”

“Elliana Allbright, intrepid detective.”

“Hush, you.”

He laughed. “Okay. I’ll pass on the info to her.”

A customer came in then, and I got off the phone to help her. A tall woman, with angled features and a
stooped gait, she waved me off. After browsing for a long time, she finally selected a neck pillow filled with flax seeds and cloves. I rang her up and got back to work on inventory.

Traffic increased. I was wonderfully busy for an hour; then business slowed. I was pouring myself another cup of coffee when the door chimed again. I turned to find Ritter coming into the shop. Today he wore a T-shirt that left nothing to the imagination, and what I was starting to think of as his trademark jeans. As I watched he brushed his hair straight back from his forehead with one hand, but it bounded back around his handsome face as if it had a life of its own.

“Hey.”

“Hey, yourself,” I said, managing not to fan myself. “What’s up?”

“You know the landscaping Sophia Thelane wanted to talk to my sister about?” He lifted a shoulder and let it drop. “Well, I’m a fair hand at such things, and Thea’s swamped at the nursery, so she asked me to meet with Sophia to find out a little more about what she has in mind. This afternoon.” He grinned. “You still want to come with?”

I smiled demurely. “If that works for you.”

He laughed. “Apparently she wants a retaining wall built by her swimming pool. I want to check out the one I saw out in your garden before I go up to her place this afternoon.”

“The one with the mosaic?” I turned and pointed out the window to where Nabby sprawled on top of the wall.
The butterflies had dispersed, but Dash was still tucked into the shade at the base, now seriously snoozing.

He came to stand by me, his gaze following my finger. “That’s the one.”

“Thea built that. It took her three days.”

Ritter must have heard the skepticism in my voice, because he sounded a little defensive when he said, “Today, I’m just going to show Sophia a few pictures. That’s why I’m here, to take some pics. Thea will create the actual wall.”

He stepped to the open door and went outside, then turned. “You don’t mind, do you?”

I gulped. “Of course not.” I glanced out front, but no one seemed on the verge of coming into Scents & Nonsense, so I joined Ritter in the garden. “Take as many pictures as you want.”

Taking his phone out, he did just that, varying the angles and level of detail with each one. Then he stepped back and stood next to me. He leaned toward me and asked, “When do you want to go?”

I could feel his breath on my cheek. Unaccountably, he smelled of ocean and petrichor, that unique scent that fills the air when it rains after a long dry spell.

He spoke again. “There is something about you, Elliana. I don’t know what it is.”

A gust of air blew a swirl of petals off the Don Juan rose. They skittered around the stones at our feet, diving and dipping, then settled to the side of the path as the wind died down.

Ritter watched them, then looked back at me with a surprised expression.

A sign? Or the wind? I couldn’t help but grin. “How about two thirty, then?”

•   •   •

T
HE
woman who wanted scented favors for her wedding reception had decided on the chocolate lotion bars. I was happy to oblige—working with the fragrant cocoa butter was a joy. Since Josie’s death, I’d fallen behind on so many things, but a glance at my watch told me I’d have plenty of time to make the bars before Ritter came back to pick me up.

Moving to my production counter, I hauled out a single-burner hot plate from beneath it. I plugged it in but didn’t turn it on yet. Out came a battered, stainless steel pot, big stirring spoon, and a scale I’d originally bought for the restaurant but ended up confiscating for myself. In the office, which also served as a storeroom, I grabbed a chunk of beeswax, the container of raw cocoa butter, a gallon jug of olive oil, and some light almond oil that had been infused with Tahitian vanilla pods.

Back at the counter, I measured and weighed out the first three items in a 1:1:1 ratio and added them to the pot. Once the mixture was warming on the hot plate, I opened the drawer under the counter where I kept all my soap molds, and selected two dozen aspen leaves, sunflowers, and seashells. Laying them on the counter, I stirred the melting oils and wax, inhaling the chocolate scent until my mouth watered.

Luckily, I had Astrid’s cookies to take care of that.

A family came in, and the father and two teenage
girls were soon gathered on the other side of the counter. I explained what I was doing.

“The cocoa butter is already a solid, but the olive oil is emollient, and soaks deeper into your skin. It’s too liquid at room temperature for a solid lotion, though, so the beeswax serves to firm it up. Also, beeswax is terrific for your skin.”

Hearing me, the mother joined them. “Do you have any of those for sale?”

I pointed out the shelf where they were arranged, and she left to take a look. From the corner of my eye, I saw her examine the different “flavors”: vanilla, cherry, orange, and cinnamon—all scents that melded well with chocolate. I’d chosen the vanilla for the wedding favors because it was both calming and romantic—perfect for the occasion, I thought.

Another customer came in from the boardwalk, and then two women. By the time I added the vanilla-scented oil to the mixture, I had quite the audience.

With great care, I ladled the warm mixture into the molds, ending up with six dozen lotion bars.

“And that’s it,” I said. “When they’ve cooled, I’ll unmold them and package them in boxes like you see over there.” Only I’d add pretty ribbons and a custom label to this batch.

Everyone dispersed, but remained in the store or wandered out to the Enchanted Garden, munching on cookies and drinking tea or lemonade. By the time Maggie showed up a few minutes after one, I’d made several sales and was feeling quite pleased with myself.

“Wow, Ellie! It smells amazing in here.” She headed to the office to stow her purse. Today she wore white slacks and a pink blouse with a silk scarf. It was nice to see her in something besides the Roux Grill uniform. “You should open the front door so people can smell it from the street. Like with the bakery, you know?”

Pointing my finger at her, I said, “You are a genius.”

She laughed and went to prop the door open. Sure enough, within a few minutes an older couple had wandered in off the street. Maggie invited them to have some cookies and look around, and once again I felt lucky that she’d wanted to work at Scents & Nonsense.

Leaving her to watch things out front, I quickly made up the wedding-centric labels with the names of the bride and groom and the date of the ceremony using the graphics program I used for all my labels. Then I printed them out and set Maggie to affixing them to the boxes that the lotion bars would nestle into.