The Florist

Higher Ground

            “Damn,” Franco murmured. “I was afraid of that.”

            “That’s how Augustine’s sister described him?” Mel asked.

            “She had it all written down,” McAfee told. “I literally made this sketch from her notes. Augustine was very detailed.”

            Capri felt her body drift toward the illustration. Her eyes enlarged with fury. Her mouth was agape in awe. “Your partner killed my best friend? I’m gonna kill him!”

            “Whoa there, Winters,” Captain Grayson called as Mel grabbed a hold of her. “No one’s killing anybody. Franco, find Atbara. Have her trace these two cell numbers and see if she can get us a location.”

            “You got it, boss.”

            “McAfee, get this sketch to every TV station from here to kingdom come and put other departments on notice. Mel, suit up. Grab Moser, Quail, Jacobson, and Boudreaux along the way.”

            “Yes sir, but what about Capri?” he asked while his other co-workers left to tend to their tasks.

            “She can head back to your place and finish up her speech for the press conference tomorrow.”

            “What?” she yelled. “I’m just as much a part of this as anyone else! Why can’t I go with them to catch Ward and Vasu?”

            “Because it might involve more than a conversation and we can’t take the risk of you getting hurt.”

            “Oh, my g – you can’t be serious!”

            “Winters, have ever handled a gun before? Held it in your hand, aimed to fire, pulled the trigger?” Captain Grayson asked to her silence. “Exactly my point. You, go home. Perrin, suit up and be quick about it! We got us a copycat to catch!”

                                                                                            §

            Mel walked Capri to his desk and listened as she ranted and raved about wanting to get her hands around his soon-to-be ex-partner’s neck. He had a feeling of déjà vu as he tried to reason with her.

            “This isn’t a street fight, baby,” Mel said soothingly. “Look, when we find his ass, we’re going to get a confession out of him, toss him in a cell, and throw away the key.”

            “And Vasu?”

            “Depends on how much involvement he had.”

            “I just …,” she paused in sadness. Mel could hear a light whimper in her voice. He gently stroked his girlfriend’s cheek in attempts to comfort her. “I can’t believe he would …”

            “Hey. Don’t worry yourself. We’ll take care of it.”

            “Hey, Perrin!” Franco called from across the room. “We got them!”

            “Where at?”

            “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” he chuckled. “Eta Beta Zeta. Let’s go.”

            Mel nodded in his direction before turning back to Capri. “All right, baby, I got to go. Here’s some money for a cab. I will call you as soon as I wrap up here. I promise. And we’re going to celebrate, you hear me? We’re going to celebrate the fact that Nia can rest in peace now.”

            “Okay.”

            “Perrin! Come on, man. We got to get going.”

            “All right, man. One second!” he yelled back while securing Capri in a sheltering hug. He kissed her forehead before making a tender confession in her ear. “I love you.”

            Her bright green eyes sparkled with wonderment as she drunkenly gazed into his cognac irises. The expedition of her heartbeat caused her face to flush with fever while a similar phrase spilled from her lips. “I love you too. Make sure you come back to me.”

            His lopsided grin was as riveting as it was reassuring. Their lips delicately collided into a kiss so intense it made all occupants in the room either uncomfortable or hysterical with emotion. They bid each other farewell once more before Mel rushed out of the building with the rest of his team.

            Capri reached for the phone. She dialed the only cab service she knew of in the area. It was the ultimate go-to whenever local college students were too drunk to drive home from a party or bar. After she placed a request for a taxi, a small piece of paper caught her attention. On it was detailed information of Nia’s funeral arrangements. She checked her cell phone and realized that the memorial service was earlier that morning. Something Mel said echoed in her mind.

            We’re going to celebrate the fact that Nia can rest in peace now.

            Capri smiled at the thought. She couldn’t wait to celebrate with her boyfriend, but she needed to celebrate with her best friend first.

                                                                                        §

            We should’ve called SWAT, Mel thought to himself as they raided the Eta Beta Zeta fraternity house. It was full of young college students celebrating the upcoming graduation. As soon as Ward got a view of his fellow officers, he ran for the nearest exit. Mel ran him down and pounced on his back. He growled in discomfort as tight silver bracelets locked around his wrist.

            Mel was glad to see Franco had Vasu in handcuffs as well. To the sound of chatter from a noisy crowd, the officers hauled the criminals out of the party toward the police station.

                                                                                            §

            Capri marveled at the bloom of a crescent moon that followed along her ride to the Cattails Funeral Home & Memorial Park. She asked the cab driver to keep the meter running before exiting the car. Dozens of magnolia trees embraced her presence as a benign springtime breeze navigated her to the appropriate tombstone.

            The dim lighting provided by a generous night sky and in-ground lamps permitted her to read: Zinnia “Nia” Woodruff. May 13th, 1992 – May 13th, 2015. Here lies the heart of a mother’s life, no words can describe such grief and strife, of the day she died, but the tears we cried, will shower her in the afterlife.

            A tear came to Capri’s eye as the words touched her soul. She kneeled in front of the gravestone and prepared herself for a heart-to-heart with her best friend.

            “Hey, Nia,” she started quietly. “I’m sorry I couldn’t make the service for you. I wish I could have, but then again, I’m glad that I can have this moment alone with you. I miss you, girl. I know I’m not the only one. You were the best friend a person could have, the most cheerful welcome wagon a stranger could ever come across, and the only sister I ever had.” Hearing her own voice c***k with sadness, she told herself to shake it off so she could do what she came to do. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without you, but I wanted to tell you … that we got him, Nia. We finally got the guy that killed you.”

            A sharply drawn breath resounded directly behind Capri, stunning her to silence.

                                                                                    §

            Vigorous applause welcomed Mel and Franco as they walked toward the captain’s office with signed confessions in hand. Captain Grayson stood to his feet while advising them to close the door. After handing the documents to their boss, the men plopped down in chairs.

            “So, both of them talked?” Captain Grayson asked.

            “Yes, sir. Fed us every single solitary detail,” Franco told. “It’s a shame to hear that all this was over an infatuation that spiraled out of control.”

            “I should’ve known,” Mel said shaking his head in disgust. “All the conquests I knew Ward to have were college girls, but Nia Woodruff was one girl he couldn’t charm. If we would’ve known he was a member of Eta Beta Zeta, we could’ve made the connection a lot sooner.”

            “We can’t get caught up in feelings of regret or we’ll drive ourselves crazy. The point is we got them, they’re not going anywhere, and the streets are that much safer.”

            “We’re keeping the Vasu kid too?”

            “Yes!” the captain exclaimed. “That little weasel withheld information, even after Augustine Velar put him on notice about Ward, and after Ward told him he was going to kill her if she didn’t keep her mouth shut. He mine-as-well have been an accomplice. He doesn’t get to walk away from this.”

            “Well, you know the streets won’t be completely safe until we find the Florist. Too bad today was the deadline. We got one but not the other.”

            “Good news, Franco,” Captain Grayson smiled. “Thanks to McAfee sending his sketch to all media and neighboring police departments, word got to IA. Chief Paige called after you two brought them in. They complimented us on a job well done. They also said that they’re giving us another week to capture The Florist.”

            “What?”

            “Stop lying, Cap. Are you serious?”

            “As a heart attack, Perrin. Since we managed to catch some bad guys, they trust us to find the last piece of the puzzle. So rest up, fellas. Tomorrow, we put the pedal to the metal on finding The Florist.”

                                                                                        §

            The crunching of grass behind her caused Capri’s body to quake with nervousness. She slowly turned her head to view the unexpected visitor. A heavy sigh of relief exited her mouth as she jumped to her feet.

            “Tristeza! You scared the bejesus out of me! What are you doing here?”

            “I’ve been here all day,” she confessed mournfully. “Ever since the funeral this morning. I didn’t expect you. I definitely didn’t expect to hear the news you just delivered to Nia. Why didn’t you call and tell me y’all caught her killer?”

            “Uh, the captain wants me to stay under the radar until the Florist is caught.”

            “Ah, the savage beast of Nolan, Louisiana.”

            “I’ll suggest that as a headline for the newspapers when we catch him. I can’t believe you’ve been here all day! Have you eaten yet?”

            “I’m not very hungry. When one loses the only fruit of their loins, trivial things like food cease to matter.”

            Capri’s eyebrows bunched above her nose at her adoptive mother’s dramatics. “Uh … okay. You need food to live, Tristeza. It’s nourishment.”

            “What about her nourishment?” she hollered.

            “Uh, Aunt T, Nia’s dead. Her diet now consists of dirt and maggots.”

            “Who was it? Tell me who it was. Tell me who killed my baby!”

            “It was Detective Ward.”

            “Your little friend?”

            “No, his partner, and I don’t know how but somehow Vasu had something to do with it.”

            “Your boyfriend.”

            “Ugh,” Capri huffed in frustration. “He is my ex-boyfriend! Why does everybody have a problem remembering that?”

            “Where is he?”

            “They’re both in police custody.”

            “You mean like you were?”

            “No. I was in protective custody; those little bastards are in jail,” she corrected. “Hopefully, they’ll be on their way to prison soon.”

            “And The Florist? What of that?”

            “Well, the hunt for him is still on.”

            “Is it?”

            “But don’t you worry, Aunt T. We are this close,” Capri demonstrated with her fingers, “this close to putting him behind bars too.”

            “Are you?” she wondered with a smile. “You know, Capricious. I really wish you would stay out of it and let the police do their job.”

            “You can’t be serious! He killed my parents and I’m going to make sure he goes down for his crimes.”

            “Why? Why do you continue to put yourself in danger?”

            “It’s like I told you; I want to live without fear.”

            “If you want to live without fear then make the choice to do so! Fear is nothing but a theater of the mind.”

            “Look, Aunt T, you don’t have to agree with my choices, but you do need to respect that they are mine, and as I live and breathe, I’m going to help bring peace to this town. I don’t care if it’s the last thing I do with my time on this earth! At least I can say I died for a good cause!”

            Tristeza reached in her purse and pointed a small gun in Capri’s direction to her surprise before asking, “Is that what you want on your tombstone?”

                                                                                        §

            Mel practically skipped back to his desk. Franco laughed at the sight of his joy.

            “I don’t know about you, Happy Go Lucky,” Franco joked, “but I’m going home. It’s been a long day.”

            “Absolutely, a long but wonderful day. We got two bad guys sitting in a cell, and I’ve got one beautiful lady waiting for me,” he beamed pulling out his cell phone. “I can’t wait to get home.”

            “Yeah, I bet. You mind if I use your desk phone to call my wife?”

            “Not at all, man. Go ahead.”

            “Thanks,” Franco voiced prior to falling into the chair. When he picked up the phone to dial, he couldn’t help but notice a handwritten note on Mel’s desk. “Hey, Mel? Uh, what’s this?”

            “Oh, that’s just funeral and burial site information for Nia Woodruff. I figured Capri would want to have it so she can visit the gravesite when this is all over. Matter fact, give it here. I keep forgetting to take it home and give it to her.”

            “Hold on a second,” Franco said snatching it away from Mel. “Who wrote this?”

            “What difference does it make, man?”

            “Perrin, who wrote this?” he yelled.

            Mel was shocked by the volume of his voice. One look around showed that others were as well. When Captain Grayson poked his head out of his office, Mel leaned in and whispered. “Franco, what is your problem?”

            “Tell me who wrote this, and I’ll tell you my problem.”

            “Tristeza Woodruff. Now, what’s the problem?”

            “This is The Florist’s handwriting. That’s the problem.”

            “What?”

            “Tristeza Woodruff is The Florist!”

            “Are you sure?”

            “I told y’all that I could recognize his handwriting anywhere,” Franco reminded. “Her handwriting.”

            “Well now we know why we couldn’t find the bastard,” Captain Grayson began. “All this time we’ve been searching for a flower-toting man when we should’ve been looking for a woman! Get an address on her. Y’all need to get over there pronto!”

            “Hold up,” Mel said stopping to answer his ringing phone.

            “Did this boy just say hold up?”

            “It’s Capri, Cap. Hello?” he greeted. A momentary pause matched the confused look on his face. “Capri? Baby?”

            “What’s going on?” Franco asked.

            “I don’t know. I hear her talking but … it’s like she can’t hear me.”

            “You think she dialed you by accident?”

            “I don’t know.”

            “Well, put it on speaker!” Captain Grayson shouted.

            When Mel did as he was told, the three men and other officers in the department closed in on the phone to hear what was on the other end.

            “I understand that losing someone can be very traumatic. This must be some kind of … nervous breakdown.”

            “Nervous breakdown?”

            “But it’s okay! Everything is okay. Just put … the gun … down and we can talk about this.”

            “Stop talking to me like I’m crazy!”

            “Well you don’t exactly look sane pointing a gun at me, Tristeza! What the hell are you doing?”

            “Finishing what I started ten years ago. You know, Capricious, you’ve always been too smart for your own good. You have your father’s intelligence. Your mother’s looks though. You have no idea how weird it’s been to stare into her eyes all these years. No matter. I guess there’s a bit of poetry in it.”

            “Poetry? What the hell are you talking about?”

            “You’re a smart girl. I’m sure you can figure it out. Not that it will help you.”

            A moment of hesitation made Mel double-check his phone to see if the call had disconnected. He sighed in relief when he saw all was well. Come on, baby, he silently encouraged. Tell me where you are.

            “You’re The Florist?”

            “Surprise.”

            “No. No, no. You can’t be The Florist? How could you be The Florist? Why would you be The Florist? This doesn’t make any sense!”

            “Well if you would have just minded your own business, you’d never know about it. But no, not you. You just had to keep on digging. Since you love to dig so much, I brought you a little present.”

            “What the hell am I supposed to do with a shovel?”

            “Dig your own grave.”

             “We have to get to Capri before Tristeza kills her!” Mel cried.

            “Look, we don’t know where she is! Come on, princess. Say something. Say something!”

            “In case you haven’t noticed, people here have their own plots, plots that are bought and paid for. What do you expect me to do?”

            “You said you didn’t know what you were going to do without Nia; now you don’t have to worry about it. You’ll be joining her.”

            “That’s it!” Franco jumped. “They’re at Nia’s grave, Cattails Funeral Home & Memorial Park. Let’s go!”