The Accidental Florist

around looking at the current status. Piles of Sheetrock were piled on big planks covered with plastic in case of rain.
    Mel said, “For all my early objections, I’m really excited to see this coming together. Are you aware that there are all sorts of permits pasted to your dining room window?“
    “Yes, and there have been people here who weren’t working and just seemed to be snooping. I asked the contractor about them and he said he’d called them to check that they were working to code. Vapor barriers, and such.“
    They were quiet for a while, simply contemplating the project.
    “This is just for you two. I shouldn’t even be talking about it, but I know you are both good at keeping secrets.“
    Shelley and Jane both propped their elbows on the patio table, leaning forward.
    “First, the pathologist has determined that the heart attack came first and she might have been saved if someone had called for an ambulance quickly enough. But the cosh on the back of her neck came soon after.“
    “Cosh?“ Shelley asked.
    “A heavy blackjack. But, more interesting is that your Miss Welbourne wasn’t `technically’ a `Miss.“
    “How did the pathologist know that?“ Jane asked. “Because she had two scars from episiotomies.“
    Jane and Shelley both shuddered slightly. “So she’d
    given birth to two children?“ Shelley asked.
    “Yes,“ Mel said. “We have no idea where or who they were or where they were born, or even if both or one survived. But we will look closely into her past and try to find out.“

Chapter Eleven

    Mel had just come into his office the next morning, when there was a knock on his door. “Come in,“ he called.
    It was the new officer he’d just hired the week before to take over for the one who was retiring in a month.
    “Officer Needham, how can I help you?“ he asked. She wasn’t pretty at all. Late twenties, skinny, and pale, wore no makeup, but she’d already proved to be smart.
    “I hate to bother you, sir, if you’re busy.“
    “I haven’t even started work yet. Sit down, Officer Needham, and tell me what you need.“
    “I don’t need anything, sir. It’s just that I was cruising the Internet last night and found out some things that are interesting about the name Welbourne. It’s an oddly spelled name so I went searching.“
    “Find anything interesting?“
    “Interesting, but maybe useless. There are very few people in America with that name. And I didn’t find the victim’s name at all. But there were lots of references to British Welbournes, even a school and a street and a couple of ancient parsons in genealogical sites. But there are even more Welbournes in Australia. I remember from a book I once read that people who went bankrupt or committed minor crimes in England in the old days were filling the jails and most of them were eventually sent off to Australia to continue to be criminals or turn their lives around.“
    “That is interesting,“ Mel said. “I never knew about this. So do you have any conclusions?“
    “Sorry, sir, but I don’t—I just thought it might turn out to be worthwhile to know. At the meeting yesterday you said Miss Welbourne had given birth to two children. Might it be possible to see if a person with the same name was in Chicago at the time of her death? I know it’s a long shot and probably a silly one. The first place we always look for a murderer is in the family of the victim.“
    Mel leaned back. “Not silly at all. Why did you pause at the beginning of what you just said?“
    “Because it’s a very remote chance and might waste a lot of police time.“
    “No worry. Except I don’t know if we need a warrant to ask hotels to open their reservation records or not. I’ll go to legal and if it’s possible, I’ll send you around to the downtown hotels. Start with the best. Anyone who could afford the flight could probably afford a good hotel.“
    “Could you give me permission to just try it out first before you go to legal?“
    “Of course. You may turn up something useful. I appreciate your input and the information you’ve provided.“
    She was prettier than he’d thought when she gave him a big smile and thanked him. A nice start to the day.
    Officer Needham was back at two that afternoon. Mel’s office door was open and she said, “I found some Welbournes.“ She was almost bouncing on her feet.
    “I went to two hotels downtown and they both said they couldn’t give information about guests