The Florist

Swing Low Sweet Chariot

            Capri stared at the phone in awe after Mel said his unexpected goodbyes. She turned her attention back to the task at hand when her cell phone rang. She looked to see if it was Mel calling her back, but it wasn’t. The number was unknown, so she ignored it. When the phone rang again alerting her of a voice message, her curiosity forced her to listen.

            I don’t even know what to say. Oh. Hi, I’m calling for Capri Winters. Uh, you don’t know me. My name is Quinn Marceau. I’m Augustine Velar’s sister. I spoke to her before she was killed, and she insisted I talk to you. It’s very important. Please give me a call when you can. 504-555-6309.

                                                                                            §

            Mel ran over to Officer Moser and asked to see Vasu. Sensing the urgency in his delivery, Moser hurried to move Vasu from his cell to an interrogation room. The second Mel opened the door, he charged after him. Vasu shouted for someone to help, but no one came. Mel didn’t hesitate to toss him against a wall.

            “I see we have to do things the hard way.”

            “Yo, man! What I do now?”

            “You lied to me. You told me you didn’t know who killed the girls.”

            “I don’t!”

            “Then why did you tell Capri you didn’t want to end up dead like Auggie?”

            “Didn’t we go through this already?”

            “Yeah, and we’ll go through it over and over and over again until you tell me the truth!”

            “I am telling you the truth!” he declared before Mel gripped him up by his collar and hoisted him higher against the wall. He caught a side view of the distance between his feet and the ground. He frightfully hollered for help again.

            “Let me tell you something,” Mel smiled. “You’re withholding information on a killer who’s a danger to everybody, including the officers of this precinct. So, I’ll be taking every bit of animosity we have toward him out on you until you tell me who he is.”

            “Aw this is bull –”

            “It can be all that and a bag of chips. Start talking or get comfortable.”

            “Hey, Mel,” Officer Moser called cracking the door open.

            “Thank God! I told you my frat brothers were coming!”

            “Sorry, kid. Looks like you’re still stuck with us. Not that we’re complaining of course.”

            Mel grinned evilly as Vasu’s whimpers filled the room. “What do you need, Gil?”

            “Captain’s looking for you. Says it urgent. You want me to keep an eye on him while you head up?”

            Mel shook his head before dropping Vasu to the floor. “Stick his ass back in a cell. See if it helps refresh his memory about these murders.”

            “I got you.”

            “Enjoy it while you can!” Vasu derided. “My brothers are coming for me! They’ll be here any minute. Then you’ll know not to mess with …”

            “Yeah, we know. Eta Beta Zeta. Until then, you can enjoy our accommodations.”

                                                                                            §

            Capri vigorously dialed the number to her boyfriend’s desk. There was no answer. She called his cell phone to no avail.

            “I don’t get it. He always picks up for me.”

            She tried the desk phone again with no luck. One more attempt proved to be successful.

            “Yeah, babe,” he pressed.

            Capri noticed an unusual tone in his voice. He seemed troubled … and it scared her. “What happened?”

            “Baby, I’d love to tell you, but I can’t right now. Cap’s calling me in for another meeting. What’s up?”

            “I got a phone call …”

            “Tristeza?”

            “No, it’s from …”

            “Perrin!”

            “Damn,” he huffed frantically. “Baby, I’m sorry. I have to get off here.”

            “Yeah, I heard him.”

            “Tell you what. Uh, this phone call, does it have anything to do with the case?”

            “Yeah, of course.”

            “Okay, then do me a favor? Call my desk phone. I’ll tell Ward to pick it up and …”

            “No!” she objected fiercely. “I don’t like him! He’s rude as hell and I don’t trust him.”

            “All right, baby, all right. Uh, Franco’s coming out of Cap’s office right now. Looks like I’m following him in. I’ll have him pick up. That cool?”

            “Yes.”

            “Tell him everything you need to tell me, and he’ll fill me in, okay?”

            “Mm-hmm.”

            “Just make sure it’s only about the case!”

            Capri was thrown off by his assertion. “Uh, what else would I need to tell him?”

            “Well, I was hoping that you had a special message,” he toyed with light in his voice. “You know, something alluding to that, uh, motivation you mentioned earlier.”

            A sigh of relief complemented her flirtatious giggle. “You had me scared for a minute.”

            “Aww, I’m sorry, sweetheart. But you don’t need to fear me. I’m protecting you, remember?”

            “And as long as you’re alive, I will be too so nobody’s dying today.”

            “That’s right. I bet when Cap said that initially, he didn’t expect us to use it as a catchphrase.”

            She laughed at the irony before hearing his boss yell for him again. “I better let you go before he blows a gasket.”

            “Mm-hmm, see? You’re learning. I’ll tell Franco to look out for your call, okay?”

            “Okay.”

                                                                                            §

            “Hey, Franco!” Mel called as he reached the doorway of Grayson’s office.

            “Hey. Boss man wants you.”

            “Yeah, I know. Do me a favor real quick? Capri has some more info on the case, but I can’t get it from her right now. Could you?”

            “Of course. No problem. She has my number?”

            “No, she should be calling my desk any sec…,” he said as he saw the light on his phone flash. “That’s her.”

            “All right. I’ll take care of it.”

           “Thanks, man,” he acknowledged before greeting his captain. “You know you caught me in the middle of grilling that frat boy. What’s up?”

            His fingers were laced together and resting under his chin. His eyes solemnly looked down. “Have a seat, son.”

            Mel’s face froze with apprehension. “You all right, Cap?”

            “I just spoke with Franco about this. He gave me his take on it, so now I need yours.”

            His eyebrows bunched up above his nose. Considering the seriousness of his inflection, Mel wasn’t sure if Franco put the captain on notice about his relationship with Capri. It wasn’t like it was meant to be a secret, but he was a bit nervous about his finding out about it. The moment he pulled out a manila envelope addressed to the police station, his anxiety lessened. “What’s this?”

            “Open it.”

            He did as he was told and dumped the contents. He recognized the flower that fell onto the desk because his father used to buy them for his mother once a week. Irises were her favorite. There was a poem attached.

            I saw your announcement on the television. Don’t let my generosity cloud your vision. If you don’t let me rest, then I will do my best to reclaim the only flower that is missing.

            For the ones who wish to protect the last winter.

            The last winter, he questioned quietly. Oh, no. Capri.

                                                                                                    §

            The phone rang in Capri’s ear a few times before she heard Franco’s voice on the other end. After they went through the normal pleasantries, she filled him in on the surprise phone call she received.

            “Do you know why she’d want to call you? Were you and Augustine close?”

            “No, I mean, we were acquaintances. She was a really sweet girl, but other than living across the hall and hanging out with Nia, I didn’t know her. Her sister said Auggie told her to call me. I’m only telling y’all because the captain doesn’t want me talking to anybody until the case is solved …”

            “Yeah, no, I know. You did the right thing, princess. Uh, here. Let me see if I can get my hands on some paper. Oh, here we go. Give me the number.”

            “504-555-6309.”

            “All right, I’ll give her a ring. Hey, while I have you, let me ask you something. That Vasu kid, you used to date him?”

            “Yeah.”

            “Why did you guys break up?”

            “He was a habitual liar, and he cheated on me.”

            “Do you know who with?”

            She scoffed. “Which time? I caught him twice, once with a sorority chick and again with some girl from Blaise College. The last one, I didn’t even bother to look into. I just knew he was lying to me, so I cut it off.”

            Franco’s heavy sigh struck a chord on Capri’s heartstrings. It seemed as if something in her explanation weighed gravely on his heart. When she inquired about it, he changed the subject. “What did he say when you interrogated him?”

            “That he couldn’t tell me anything because if he did, he’d end up dead like Auggie, and it was against a code. Did you guys ever find out if that had anything to do with his fraternity by the way?”

            “Yeah, Mel talked to him. Said it wasn’t about the fraternity; he just didn’t want to break the G-code.”

            “The G-code?” she shrieked. “He’s such an i***t. He thinks everything’s a joke. Don’t listen to that crap. He’s lying to y’all.”

            “How do you know?”

            “Because I know him. He’s scared of something. He’s trying to play it cool like he’s not, but he’s scared of something. I knew it when I questioned him, and you saying he told Mel that he didn’t want to break the g-code … just confirmed it.”

                                                                                            §

            “I can tell what you’re thinking by the look on your face,” Captain Grayson said referring to the Florist’s poem for Mel’s new girlfriend. “Franco came to the same conclusion.”

            “So, Capri is a target?”

            “That’s what it looks like. Now, I know how close you are to this case. I can also see how close you’re getting to her,” he disclosed as Mel’s eyes were overcome with terror. “Boy, I’ve watched you grow from a tot to a man! Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?”

            “Cap … I …”

            “Oh, save your breath,” he waved off. “I haven’t seen that light in your eyes since your parents were alive. I’d be a fool to tell you to walk away from someone that makes you happy. However, with regards to this little love letter from The Florist, I have to wonder if this situation is too much for you to handle.”

            “No, Cap,” Mel started feverishly. “Don’t pull me off the case, not when we’re this close.”

            “If you tell me you’ve got it, then as your boss, I’m going to trust you. But as a friend of your father, I need to ask you sincerely … are you sure you can handle this?”

            Mel sighed worriedly. He didn’t have a definite answer to that question, but he couldn’t tell his boss that. “I’ll be fine, Cap. What’s our next move?”

            “Franco’s still going through Flora Winters medical records. In the meantime, you keep working on that list like you said you would, and we’ll see what else Miss Winters can figure out on her own. Other than that, we have to keep her hidden. It’s the only way to ensure her safety.”

            He indicated understanding of the captain’s orders. Before he could leave the office, Franco charged in and blocked his exit. Captain Grayson and Mel stood to their feet, stunned.

            “You both need to hear this. I just spoke to Capri. She received a call from Augustine Velar’s sister, Quinn, who spoke with her the day she was killed.”

            “It’s almost a week after her sister’s murder!” Captain Grayson exclaimed. “What took her so long to report it to us?”

            “She was in Europe on her honeymoon. At first, she took the call as a joke, but when their mother reached out to her, she said she was glad she took notes when Augustine called.”

            “Notes on what?”

            “Apparently, Augustine told Quinn that she thought someone was going to kill her.”

            “Did she say who?” Mel asked frantically before Franco shook his head.

            “She didn’t know his name, but she gave Quinn a description of what he looked like. I asked her to come in tomorrow to meet with a sketch artist, and I called McAfee. Told him to be here bright and early with a fresh sketch pad and sharpened pencils.”

            “All right, looks like the mystery of the copycat will be solved by tomorrow,” Captain Grayson smiled. “Now, let’s zero in on the original.”

                                                                                            §

            As the hours passed, Capri found comfort in knowing that they were one step closer to uncovering the mystery of the copycat killer. She continued to search online to see if it would bring the team any closer to finding The Florist. Unfortunately, only one other name on the list generated as many articles as the Fatal Four, victim #8, Neil Henry Barber.

            “Make way for Robbing Hood. Neil Henry Barber, the handsome and successful owner of Barber Enterprises, steals from everyone – rich, poor, and middle-class – and gives to himself,” Capri read out loud. “Well, that explains the poem about greed.”

            A few years before The Florist claimed him for his garden, Neil was notoriously known for his money swindling schemes. He was brought up on charges but negotiated a mild punishment by blowing the whistle on his clandestine, and heavily sought after, partners in crime. Those who were betrayed put a hefty bounty on the corrupt businessman’s head, so he quickly went into hiding after his testimony. The next time anyone saw or heard about Neil was when he was found dead in a PC unit funded by the government. Neil’s projected death would have been viewed as a mafia hit if it weren’t for the flower and poem that accompanied his corpse. 

            Capri scanned along as the editorial described how the town of Nolan flew into a state of panic. One concerned resident was quoted saying: If the Florist has a link to a crooked character like ‘Robbing Hood’, there’s no limit to what this killer could do! Another Nolanite said: Whoever this flower guy is, he took out one of Nolan’s major criminals while he was in protective custody, and I’m supposed to feel safe at home? A local business owner who suffered at the hands of Barber’s shenanigans stated that part of him wanted to applaud the Florist. On the other hand, he was fearful. I moved here because it was a safe community. How safe could it be when a serial killer keeps adding people to their body count and the police aren’t doing anything to protect us? Do they know something we don’t, or are they just as clueless as we are?

            Seeing her hometown’s terror in black and white gave her a newfound understanding of the pressure Mel and Franco said they were facing with the case. At that moment, she realized her purpose in joining the team. It wasn’t about avenging the people she lost; she wasn’t the only one who suffered. It was about the whole town. They all suffered at the hands of a ruthless criminal who was guilty of the same crimes and mistakes he accused his victims of. Whether his targets were corrupt or not, it didn’t give him the right to claim them for his own selfish reasons.

            Vengeance was not his, nor was it hers. Justice was the name of the game, and she wasn’t the judge, the jury, or the executioner. She was an acting officer appointed by the NPD.

            Her job was to bring the criminal in so he could be convicted of his crimes.  In the end, she hoped to free the town of fear, relieve it of the sleazy scoundrels that tried to profit from their small-town simplicity, and deliver the same peace she sought in her own life.

                                                                                            §

            Mel sat with his head in his heads. The list of people they needed to question was full of duds and he was getting frustrated. If the phone numbers weren’t disconnected, the family members of the Florist victims had long moved away. If they hadn’t relocated, they were dead themselves. And if they weren’t dead, they just didn’t want any part of reliving the pain of their loss. I’ve moved on with my life and I refuse to look back, Mel recalled hearing.

            “Do you ever take a moment to rest, man?” Ward asked causing him to return to the present.

            “We’ve got a bad guy to catch. I got to focus.”

            “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

            “We can’t all go on vacation like you, man.”

            “Oh, you can; you just don’t.”

            Mel chuckled. “Where are you headed anyway?”

            “I’m about to hit the bar! See what kind of trouble I can get into tonight. You should come with me.”

            “I appreciate it, but I’m cool.”

            “Aww, come on, man! I’m sure you’ve done all you can do for today. Come grab a drink with me.”

            “No, I’m …”

            “Perrin,” Ward stated. “I leave on a boat tomorrow morning for the islands and you won’t see me for a whole week! Look, this case will drive you crazy if you let it. You got to chill out sometime.”

            Normally, Mel would settle for buying a case of beer and relax with his feet up in front of the flat screen. But he knew Capri was waiting for him. The threatening words of the Florist circled about in his mind. He couldn’t bear to have that conversation with her, telling her that the Florist had her on his death wish list. He needed more time. He needed liquid courage. With a shrug of his shoulders, two words left his mouth.

            “Why not?”