Murder in the Rose Garden: A Scent with Love Cozy Mystery (Scent with Love Cozy Mysteries) by Tabitha Tate Page B
Authors: Tabitha Tate
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planning to expand the business. Why would she be planning
to open a second store if the business was in such a dire financial position?”
Jack’s dark
eyes flashed with anger. “Look here, I do not appreciate what you are trying to
insinuate,” he stammered and Beth noticed him looking at the top drawer of his
desk nervously.
“Are there
any more ledgers or financial records that I should know about?”
Jack was in
a corner. “There is a document that your mother filed with me a couple of
months ago. She said she had made some large investments and that they had
grown significantly in value over the last two years. She gave me the following
document as a record of the investments. Now you must understand that I was not
trying to mislead you. I took out the document the day before our first meeting
to go over it so that I could explain it all to you. The problem is that when I
looked at the papers in the envelope she had given me they were all blank. I
just assumed that she had given me the wrong documents by mistake.” Jack handed
her a large brown envelope with two blank pages. Beth had no idea what to make
of it.
Beth was certain
that she had outstayed her welcome but she decided to push her luck just a
little further. “One last thing…are you aware of any new property developments
that are planned for the main road in town?”
“No, I am
not. Why would you ask that?” Jack didn’t even blink. If he was aware of
anything he was pretty good at hiding it.
Beth decided
to play open cards with him. “Someone was trying to blackmail Mom—they were
trying to force her to sell the shop. I thought that perhaps it was someone who
was interested in developing the property.” Jack definitely flinched at the
word blackmail but he did not appear to know anything about a property
development.
“Now I am
sorry, but I have another appointment to get to,” said Jack as he showed her
out and hurried back to his office. When Beth left the office she noticed
Olivia standing, listening in the hallway.
Beth got in
her car and headed back to the flower shop with the document her mother had
given Jack tucked safely in her handbag. Beth had looked at it twice and it was
blank, just like Jack had said.
What if Jack
was lying? What if he had replaced the original documents with blank papers?
What if it was Olivia? Surely she would have had access to the documents Jack
kept in his top drawer.
As she was
driving Beth started to think about the conversation she had overheard between
Mrs. Blackwood and Jack. Beth was certain she had heard her mention Piper Pots.
Chapter 8
When Beth got back to
the shop, Hannah had just gotten back from doing the delivery rounds. Hannah
was quite flustered after having an altercation with Mrs. Blackwood, who was
unhappy about the fact that her flower arrangements were not delivered in the
usual pretty blue-and-white porcelain vases. She had thrown the white ceramic
vase at Hannah and demanded that she bring a replacement in one of the blue-and-white
porcelain vases. It was four-thirty and Beth needed to make some calls; she
didn’t have time to discuss Mrs. Blackwood’s mood swings. She told Hannah to
leave early.
After Hannah
had left, Beth made some calls. She called the lead reporter at the Bartholomew
Bay Tribune . Rebecca Redham politely answered all Beth’s questions about new
developments in the Bay area. Rebecca was not aware of any planned developments
in town; the only development that had been approved was a block of holiday
apartments close to the harbor.
After
talking to Rebecca, Beth searched the Internet to see if she could find any news
articles about new developments in Bartholomew Bay but she only found a large
article about the holiday apartments Rebecca had mentioned. It appeared to her
as if Chase’s theory about Jack blackmailing her mother so that he could buy
the shop and get the land was a bust.
By the time
she was finished making calls, it was time
to open a second store if the business was in such a dire financial position?”
Jack’s dark
eyes flashed with anger. “Look here, I do not appreciate what you are trying to
insinuate,” he stammered and Beth noticed him looking at the top drawer of his
desk nervously.
“Are there
any more ledgers or financial records that I should know about?”
Jack was in
a corner. “There is a document that your mother filed with me a couple of
months ago. She said she had made some large investments and that they had
grown significantly in value over the last two years. She gave me the following
document as a record of the investments. Now you must understand that I was not
trying to mislead you. I took out the document the day before our first meeting
to go over it so that I could explain it all to you. The problem is that when I
looked at the papers in the envelope she had given me they were all blank. I
just assumed that she had given me the wrong documents by mistake.” Jack handed
her a large brown envelope with two blank pages. Beth had no idea what to make
of it.
Beth was certain
that she had outstayed her welcome but she decided to push her luck just a
little further. “One last thing…are you aware of any new property developments
that are planned for the main road in town?”
“No, I am
not. Why would you ask that?” Jack didn’t even blink. If he was aware of
anything he was pretty good at hiding it.
Beth decided
to play open cards with him. “Someone was trying to blackmail Mom—they were
trying to force her to sell the shop. I thought that perhaps it was someone who
was interested in developing the property.” Jack definitely flinched at the
word blackmail but he did not appear to know anything about a property
development.
“Now I am
sorry, but I have another appointment to get to,” said Jack as he showed her
out and hurried back to his office. When Beth left the office she noticed
Olivia standing, listening in the hallway.
Beth got in
her car and headed back to the flower shop with the document her mother had
given Jack tucked safely in her handbag. Beth had looked at it twice and it was
blank, just like Jack had said.
What if Jack
was lying? What if he had replaced the original documents with blank papers?
What if it was Olivia? Surely she would have had access to the documents Jack
kept in his top drawer.
As she was
driving Beth started to think about the conversation she had overheard between
Mrs. Blackwood and Jack. Beth was certain she had heard her mention Piper Pots.
Chapter 8
When Beth got back to
the shop, Hannah had just gotten back from doing the delivery rounds. Hannah
was quite flustered after having an altercation with Mrs. Blackwood, who was
unhappy about the fact that her flower arrangements were not delivered in the
usual pretty blue-and-white porcelain vases. She had thrown the white ceramic
vase at Hannah and demanded that she bring a replacement in one of the blue-and-white
porcelain vases. It was four-thirty and Beth needed to make some calls; she
didn’t have time to discuss Mrs. Blackwood’s mood swings. She told Hannah to
leave early.
After Hannah
had left, Beth made some calls. She called the lead reporter at the Bartholomew
Bay Tribune . Rebecca Redham politely answered all Beth’s questions about new
developments in the Bay area. Rebecca was not aware of any planned developments
in town; the only development that had been approved was a block of holiday
apartments close to the harbor.
After
talking to Rebecca, Beth searched the Internet to see if she could find any news
articles about new developments in Bartholomew Bay but she only found a large
article about the holiday apartments Rebecca had mentioned. It appeared to her
as if Chase’s theory about Jack blackmailing her mother so that he could buy
the shop and get the land was a bust.
By the time
she was finished making calls, it was time
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