Beware the Orchids (A Shady Acres Mystery Book 1)

Beware the Orchids

A Shady Acres Mystery, Book 1

By Cynthia Hickey

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Copyright 2016

Written by: Cynthia Hickey

Published by: Winged Publications

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

No part of this book may be copied or distributed without the author’s consent.

Prologue

I
still wore my wedding dress when I posted my resignation at Cooper Elementary. Not a strange thing considering I waited in the back room of a church for a groom to show up. One I doubted very much was actually going to attend the ceremony. Since he seemed so reluctant to marry me, I no longer wanted to teach in the same school in which he was principal. I typed my name, Shelby Hart, and hit send.

Things had gone south between us months ago. His leaving me at the altar shouldn’t come as a big surprise. Still, I swiped the back of my hand against my tears and waited like a fool. If he showed, I’d take back my resignation.

My cell phone dinged, signaling a text message. Yep, it was from Donald telling me he’d changed his mind, we were making a big mistake, and he wished me the best. The jerk! I tossed my cell phone across the room, smiling with satisfaction as it fell in pieces.

“Mercy!” My mother, Sue Ellen, ducked as she entered the room. “What in Sam’s Hill are you doing?”

I got to my feet. “I’m about to celebrate my freedom.” I ripped off my veil and tossed it to her. “Send in my maid-of-honor. I need out of this dress. Donald backed out of the wedding.”

“Good. I never did like him.” Mom left.

Moments later, my best friend and maid-of-honor, Cheryl Leroix, rushed into the room and wrapped her perfume-lotioned arms around me, burying my face in her ample bosom. I was tiny, but my best friend was of Amazon proportions. Not fat, just…large. “I’m so sorry, but surely this doesn’t come as a surprise?”

“Did everyone know he was going to jilt me, but me?” I returned her hug, then got to my feet. “Help me out of this dress and then take it to the consignment shop.” My new life would begin. Where and doing what I had no idea.

1

D
ressed in a black and white dress, adorned with a red sash and matching gardening boots, I marched through the front doors of Shady Acres retirement community to begin my new job as gardener slash event coordinator. The boots were to help me look the part. One phone call stating that I had been a third grade teacher and they’d hired me sight unseen. The director had laughed and said if I could handle thirty rowdy children I should be able to handle a retirement home of adults.

“You must be Shelby.” A woman around the age of thirty met me at the door. “I’m Alice Johnson, esteemed manager and all around crazy woman. You have got to be the prettiest gardener I’ve ever seen.”

“Thank you.” I think. Her gaze flickered to my thin legs then back to the mound of black curls that wouldn’t stay tied in a ponytail to save my life.

“You aren’t bigger than a minute.” She narrowed her eyes. “Are you sure you’re up to the task?”

“Gardening has been my hobby for years, and you don’t need to be big to plan events and plant flowers.”

“True enough. Let me show you to your cottage and around the grounds. Then, you’ll know where to park and unpack.” Alice, dressed in a spotless suit of grey with a pink scarf tied around her neck, led me through a marble-floored foyer and through another set of double glass doors into a garden in desperate need of pruning and trimming.

A plump bottom and two legs stuck out from underneath a juniper bush.

“Maybelle Smith!” Alice propped her fists on her hips. “Crawl on out of there.”

“Can’t. I lost my teeth.”

I bit my lip to keep from grinning. “Do these kinds of things happen often?”

“All the time.” Alice tapped the older woman on the back. “Your teeth would not be under a bush.”

A chubby woman with rosy cheeks and silver curls crawled from the bush and stood up, brushing off the knees of her knit pants. “I’ve checked everywhere except the outhouse.”

“We don’t have an outhouse, Maybelle. Perhaps you mean the greenhouse?”

“Yes. The place where flowers grow.” She gave a toothless grin. “I’ll go there now.” She bustled off.

I couldn’t help but let a giggle escape. “She’s adorable.”

“She’s a menace. If she can’t find her teeth, she’ll steal someone else’s. She’s always where she doesn’t belong.” Alice continued down a flagstone path, her heels clicking in military precision. “You’ll need a boatload of patience to work here, Shelby. I’d introduce you to some of our other characters, but I don’t want you forming any opinions until you get to know them yourself. Here we are.” She unlocked the door to a pretty little white cottage with a green tiled roof and pink climbing roses over the doorway.

I stepped inside my new two bedroom home. I could be very happy here. Wicker furniture filled the living room. A small glass table and four chairs took up the kitchen nook. In the master bedroom, a brass four-poster bed covered with a white Battenburg comforter invited one to lay back and relax. “It’s beautiful.”

“We did promise a furnished place, but if you want to substitute with anything of your own, just let us know and we’ll have a volunteer switch it out for you, or Heath McLeroy, our handyman will help.”

“Did I hear my name?”

I turned and lost all thought as a Chris Hemsworth lookalike strolled into my cottage. I closed my mouth so he didn’t think I was a drowning fish. If this was the volunteer, I’d have to come up with a lot of reasons to use his services.

He grinned. “I’ll be more than happy to help you with anything you need.”

Oh, my, Father in heaven. Had I spoken my thoughts out loud? “Oh, well, I, uh…” I fished my keys from the little red purse hanging over my shoulder. “The red Volkswagon convertible is mine. Do you mind?”

“Not at all.” He took the keys and ducked back out.

I sagged against the door. Be still my heart. I might have recently gotten out of a relationship, but my eyes deceived me into thinking I might be interested in the hunky handyman.

“Yes, he’s very pretty. Most of the women here are ga-ga for him no matter how ancient they might be.” Alice pointed at a stack of papers on the table. “Read over these, please. It gives your duties in great detail. If you have any questions, I’m number 2 on your phone. I’d best go help Maybelle find her teeth. See you at dinner, promptly at five.”

I lowered myself into the nearest chair and flipped through the papers. Not too bad, once I got the garden in order. I had to plan a monthly grand event, a weekly social, and daily activities to get the residents out of their rooms and mingling. Alice wanted me to oversee the event she had planned for tomorrow. Bingo.

I wondered if the residents would like some of the games third graders played. Oh, well. A few moments on the internet and I’d have some ideas.

“I’m guessing you want help unloading the car?” Heath carried in a large suitcase. “And a small moving truck just pulled up. I directed them back here.”

I jumped to my feet. “Yes, thank you.” I had no idea where I would put all my things. It looked like most of it would go in my mother’s garage after all. The clothes would have to somehow fit in the closet. Perhaps I could turn the second bedroom into a giant walk-in closet. “Just put everything in the guest room.” I pulled five dollars out of my purse and held it out to him.

He laughed, the sound deep and rumbling. “I don’t take tips.” He shook his head and, still laughing, headed to the back bedroom.

Great, Shelby. Way to make an impression
. I headed for the small kitchen, surprised to find the refrigerator fully stocked. There were no dishes in the cupboards, as I’d specified, so plenty of room for my cheery yellow and blue plates. A girl needed to be surrounded by pretty things, right? No plain white for me.

Soon, my little cottage was packed with two other muscular men and I was running out of space. Maybe I could use some of my things as prizes for Bingo. I had several stuffed animals I no longer needed, given to me by Donald. A bracelet, a necklace, the list was long of items he’d given me and I would do well to get rid of. Sweet. I had a plan.

“That little room is packed.” Heath leaned against the table. “My cottage is a few doors down. If you need anything let me know. See you at dinner.” He flashed another breath-stopping grin and followed the movers out the door.

The man was going to be a distraction. One I didn’t want. After five years with Donald, I didn’t want to think about another man. Heath would make that vow near to impossible to keep.

Having a good idea of my job duties, I decided to stroll the gardens and check out the greenhouse before heading to the dining room. At one time, someone had put a lot of work into the Shady Acres garden. The flagstone path alone was a labor of love, showcasing blues, greens, and gray stones. The evergreen bushes would be divine trimmed into exotic animals. I’d taken a class on that one summer and couldn’t wait to give it a whirl. Overgrown rose bushes and other flowers simply needed pruning or replanting. I rubbed my hands together. I’d have my lovely striped boots dirty in no time. Good thing they’re made of rubber. Any job goes easier if you look and feel good.

The greenhouse rose in the distance. The sun’s rays sparkled off the glass like diamond dust. I pulled open the door and stepped into the musty interior.

Orchids! I rushed down the aisle, cradling a blossom between my fingers. This is the job I was born to do. While teaching had been fulfilling, I’d thought nothing of breaking my contract and paying back the remainder after Donald ditched me. I should have gotten into gardening a long time ago. Plants didn’t reject a person. No, they filled the world with their beauty and scent.

I made note of where the tools I’d use were kept, where the water spigot was and turned to leave when I caught sight of Maybelle’s feet sticking out from under one of the work benches. Her dirty fingers were curled around a small hand-held gardening shovel. “Lost your teeth again?”

No answer.

“It’s me, the new gardener and event coordinator, Shelby. Do you need help?”

Maybelle didn’t move.

My nerves tingled as I squatted next to her. Lying on its side was a box of rat poison. “Maybelle?” I grabbed her legs and pulled her out. Her lips were pulled back in a grimace over gums too swollen to hold the teeth lying loose in her mouth. I stumbled backward and screamed.