The Flowery Murder

Prologue

  “Yo, it’s been a while hasn’t it?” I said as I turned my smoke off in front of her. 

  “Things got pretty hectic for  me, so how’s your day?” I asked her as I took a bouquet of flowers out of my bag.

  “Not much huh?” I said as I spread the flowers that I had brought for her. 

  “Well, I have to go now.  I need to help the police with the questioning me, see you,” I waved my hands as I left. 

 Part I 

  I laid back on my chair with my t-shirt off,  the only thing I had on was my tank-top, I had the fan on and the fridge open. Hot, it was hot. I was mel,ging like an ice cream. KNOCK! KNOCK! I heard a knocking on the door. 

  “Yes?” I asked.

  “Detective Mccartlner right? Do you have some time?” A man entered my office.

  “Sure, what’s it about?” I got up from my chair and put my t-shirt on and offered him something to drink.

  “It’s my wife.”

  “Your wife?”

  “Yes, I suspect her of going out with another man.” 

  “Do you have any pictures?” I asked.

  “My colleague took some for me, that’s how I knew it.” 

  “Can you show me?” 

  “S-sure,” he spread the pictures on the table. 

  “It’s not an affair.”

  “H-how?” He was startled by my swift deduction. 

  “Because,” I stood up and took the outfit that I had.

  “Y-you-”

  “Yes, I am that man. I was handling her case and we needed to disguise as newlywed,” I informed.

  “I-I see, I’m sorry that I jumped straight to the conclusion.” 

  “W-well then,” he gave me a 20 dollar bill.

  “What’s this for?”

  “A consolation.”

  “I’m not dead am I?”

  “B-but,” he startled.

  “It’s yours, you should keep it.”

  “T-thank you very much,” he thanked me.

  “W-well then if you’ll excuse me,” he excused hisself.

  “Wait a minute,” I stopped him.

  “Y-yes?”

  “Those flowers, where did you buy it?”  I had noticed a very beautiful bouquet of flowers in his hand.

  “The shop around 37th street,” he informed.

  “I see.” 

He then left. 

Part II

 It was around lunch time that I put on my t-shirt and left. It was blazing hot, I could feel my body melting away. I had brought my hat just for this occasion, I don’t want to faint. I then headed to the 37th which was 2 blocks away from me.

 Flo’s Flower shop, that is what’s written there, I then entered.

  “Welcome, can you wait for a bit? We’re barely opened,” a woman in her 40s explained, she had her black hair tied backwards.

  “Sure, I don’t mind,” I said as I checked the flowers out.

  “Welcome,” the woman greeted another customer, he was around 1.7 m. He’s bald, he carried with him a bag that he had used at work but he did’t wear his suit. He must be an accountant, then again I could be wrong. 

  “Excuse me, how much does this white carnation cost?” I asked the cashier. 

  “0.50 per stem.” 

  “I’d like these to be wrapped in a bouquet please.”

  “Alright I will check on them.” 

CLANG! 

  “I am so sorry,” a woman in her late 20s apologized for her son who had just broken the vase.

  “Oh no,” the cashier rushed there.

  “It’s alright,” the cashier reassured them as she cleaned the floor. 

  “Oh my,” I looked at the time. 

  “Sorry about that,” she said as she returned to the cashier.

  “Wrap you asked?” 

  “Yes.” 

  “Hey, give me the owner!” A woman in her 30s commanded.

  “Y-yes?” It seemed that the cashier in front of me was the owner.

  “These flowers are dead!” The woman who had just entered complained.

  “B-but-”

  “But what? You don’t believe me?”

 I’m going to be blunt here, she irritated me. There’s only one word that I could only think of, “unethical”.

  “Sorry, I have to leave you again,” the owner apologized.

  “Take your time.”

  “M-may I ask for your name?” The owner asked.

  “Karen Smith.”

Karen huh? A name that fits her I suppose. 

  “What time did you visit?” The owner asked.

  “Yesterday, around 15:00.”

  “Let me take out my log book in the compartment.”

The owner went back to the cashier and then opened the compartment. This smell, is it-

  “Aaaaaah!” The woman screamed as she fell on her back

  “What’s wrong?” I rushed to the back of the cashier, and I suspected.

A body of a bloody dead child was found and there was a flower sitting next to him. 

   “Call the cops,” I said as I put down the flowers that I held and sigh. 

Part III

  “Tired?” She asked as she hugged me.

  “Yeah,” I then kissed her.

  “Want some tea?”

  “I’ll make it myself.” 

  “But you just got back from work didn’t you?”

  “The doctors told you to take it easy didn’t he?” I reminded her.

  “Such a loving father,” she teased me.

  “Just relax and give birth to a healthy baby,” I told her as I made a cup of tea.

  “So, how’s it?”

  “....”

  “Garry?”

  “....”

  “Garry?”

  “....”

  “Garry! God damnit!”

  “Y-yes sir!” I had dozed off to the land of dreams.

  “W-what was it sir?”

  “The body, the owner found it inside the compartment right?” 

  “Y-yes sir.”

 The man in front of me was the head of the police.

  “Geez, don’t doze off like that,” he warned me.

 This reminded me of the good old days, he was my captain once. Me leaving must have disappointed him.

  “E-excuse me but can’t we leave?” The mother whose son had broken the glass asked.

  “I’m sorry ma’am but this is a part of our ethics.”

  “But my son needs to see the dentist right now.”

  “Can’t help it then, I’ll have my man come with you if you don’t mind.” 

  “S-sure.”

  “Hey, what’s going on here?” The angry woman demanded answers.

  “How long will this take? I’ve got work to do after this,” the man approached me as he wiped sweat off of his face. 

  “Sir, I think that we should let them go,” an officer suggested.

  “Are you insane?! A murder had happened here, and you’re letting them off?!” He got a taste of hell.

  “I-I’m sorry sir.”

  “Now, now sir. Calm down,” I got in between the two of them.  

  “Captain Rick, we found something,” another officer appeared.

  “What is it?”

  “The flowers, we know what it is. It’s a Gardenia,” the officer informed.

  “Good, gather the people who had bought that flower in the past five days,” Rick ordered.

  “Yes sir.”

  “S-so, can we leave?” The man asked. 

  “Yes you can but not the woman next to you,” I said.

  “Why can’t I?” Karen complained. 

  “Those,” I pointed at the flowers that she held.

  “These?”

  “They are the same flower that was found next to the boy,” I informed her.

  “Huh? So you’re accusing me of murder?” Karen demanded answers.

  “Just for precautions.”

  “I said that I came yesterday didn’t I?”

  “That’s why I ordered my men to gather people that brought that flower in the past five days,” Captain Rick backed me up.

  “Fine,” she left.

  “You haven’t lost your edge have you?” He praised me. 

  “I’m a private eye, I couldn’t afford to be rusty.”

  “About your wife, is it-”

  “Yeah, she passed away.”

  “So you’re here to buy her flowers huh? I’m sorry for your loss.”

  “Captain, we have gathered our suspects that have no alibi,” an officer appeared.

  “Good, round them up,” he ordered.

Part IV 

  “I’m home,” I said as I opened the door.

  “Honey?”

  “Honey?”

  “Shit!” I fell on my back as I opened the bathroom.

  “....”

  “Ouch!”

  “Dozing off again?”  I received a fist from my captain.

  “S-sorry,” I apologized. 

  “So, what do you think?”

  “About what?”

  “The murder of course.”

  “A child’s body was found inside a compartment, that’s new.”

  “Sir! A report just came in!” 

  “Hand it over,” he asked for the file.

  “Time of death?” I asked him.

  “Around 10 hours,” he informed me.

  “Good, we’re trimming it down.”

  “Call the suspects that had been here in the past 10 hours or more,” he ordered. 

  “Yes sir!” 

Part V

  “Honey? Are you alright honey?” I got closer to her and found out that she had cut her hands in the bathtub. I stood still with my mouth opened, I couldn’t believe it.

  “......” 

  “Garry, what did you think of the suspects?!”

  “Y-yes sir, the suspects?” 

 There were four of them that had bought the same exact flower. First was Karen, the angry woman who barged in. She said that she was at her house yesterday, she bought her flower more than 10 hours ago. Next was Kevin, a man in his 40s. He’s a politician, he was washing his car by that time. He brought his flower around 8 hours ago. Third Theresa Lawn, a third year college student. She was alone at her apartment studying for her next exam. Finally, a white bearded man was called. John Fis, he was in his 50s. He said to his wife that she was going to a meeting yet he wasn’t there, that’s a point to keep in mind.

 First, Karen.

  “So why did you buy your flower?” I asked her.

  “I just want some decorations.” 

  “But why a Gardenia?” 

  “I don’t know what those flowers are.” 

  “You’re done here, but you are not permitted to go home just yet.”

 She then left, the politician then came in.

  “So, why did you buy your flower Mr Kevin?” I asked again.

  “I bought it for my son.”

  “Son?”

  “See,” he showed me a picture of his son. 

  “Well then, you may leave but you can’t go home just yet.”

  “O-ok,” he left. 

 I had met up with Captain Rick who had questioned the college student and the man in his 50s in a separate room at the store. He said that the man in his 50s was lying to his wife , instead of going to work he was driving his car around the city. There’s another interesting thing that we found from the college student, there was no exam that was held in the classes that she chose. 

  “So?” He asked.

  “So?” 

  “Who did this?” Captain Rick asked me.

  “How should I know? I haven’t checked the surroundings yet.”

 I walked to the back and found something interesting, the window was open. 

  “Excuse me, the window’s open,”  I informed the owner.

  “Oh no,” she rushed to close it.

  “Weird, I should have closed it.”

  “At what time?”

  “Yesterday.”

 Interesting, an opened window. I see, I’ve figured it out….

  “Sir, another report came in.”

  “What is it?” Captain Rick asked.

  “The culprit had the same blood as the victim?” I was in awe, how could someone do that. 

  “I might  know the trick behind this case, I could be wrong though,” I informed Captain Rick.

  “How?” He asked.

  “The window,” I gave him a piece of the puzzle.

  “But it was locked wasn’t it?”

  “Yes, but you can open it from the outside using a hacksaw.” 

  “H-hacksaw.”

  “Go and tell your man to find a haksaw anywhere around here.”

  “You heard him, go!” He ordered.

  “Yes sir!”

  “The flower, the hacksaw, the blood. This adds up,” I grinned. 

  “So have you figured it out?”

  “Let’s begin our deduction show shall we?” 

Part VI

  “So, who’s the culprit?” Theresa  asked.

  “I did lie but I told you that I didn’t do it did I?” John said. 

  “And I told you that I bought the flower for my son didn’t I?” Kevin, the poitician informed me.

  “Yes and that’s a grave mistake that you made.”

  “M-mistake?” Kevin startled.

  “You don’t have any sons didn’t you?”

  “B-but…”

  “But what?”

He sighed.

  “Then? Is he-”

  “No, he’s not the murderer though,” I cut Captain Rick when he spoke. 

  “T-then?”  Theresa asked.

  “The murderer is the one who stayed quiet all this time.”

  “That means,” Captain Rick caught on to it.

  “M-me?” Karen was startled. 

  “Yes you.” 

  “W-where’s your proof then?” 

  “First, you shared the same blood as the victim, in other words you’re his mother.”

  “M-mother? H-how did I commit the murder then?” 

  “This,” I grabbed the hacksaw as she had this look on her face.

  “S-so, what does that have to do with any of this?” 

  “You should have known it don’t you?” I paused.

  “The culprit broke through the window last night and the one who came closest to the closing time was you,” I finished. 

  “T-then do you have another proof?” 

  “The flower, your blood type, your DNA, everything matches.” 

  “I see,” she hung her head down in defeat. 

  “So, the case is over right?” Theresa asked.

  “Yeah.” 

 Epilogue

 It was a tough day for me and  I was finally able to go visit her. The owner of the shop gave the flowers for free, that’s a nice thing isn’t it? I sat there, turned my smoke up and started to talk.