The Accidental Florist

to the chief of police. So far there’s no sign of them. They’ve contacted the big expensive hotels, and have gone to the less expensive ones and even to a few bed-and-breakfast places. It’s possible they’re just staying with friends. Or they could have lied to the clerk at the Chicago hotel and are already back in Australia or somewhere else.“
    “If they’re found, are you going to take DNA samples?“
    “Only if they give permission. For all we know, they might be second cousins or something and they were in Chicago for some other reason. The one who claimed to be the brother might have a business with a Chicago office.“
    “At the same time she was murdered?“
    “Anything’s possible.“
    “But unlikely,“ Jane said. “There’s something else you’re not telling me, isn’t there?“
    “You’re as clever as Officer Needham, aren’t you?“ Jane bridled. “I certainly hope so. I wouldn’t want to be outranked by your assistant.“
    “No chance. But she has found out a little bit about this trust thing.“
    “What trust thing?“
    “The copy that was in Miss Welbourne’s lockbox at the bank. It names a trustee for her children. No names. Just her children. The trustee was an aunt, apparently, a woman named Maud Brooker. Written in 1968.“
    “How was the trust funded?“ Jane asked. She herself had a trust done for her own children years ago, but she had been sure to name her three children.
    “By some stocks in an excavating company that must have had terrific dividends, is my guess. But my assistant can’t find them. There’s a mention in a newspaper in 1979 about the company merging with another company. And later that company merged with yet another.“
    “Excavating what?“ Jane asked.
    “Who knows? Digging basements for the suddenly rich Aussies? Strip mining for minerals? Nobody seems to know.“
    “Is the aunt still living?“
    “No. Officer Needham found a death certificate for her. She died in 1989.“
    “Wasn’t there an alternative trustee?“
    “Yes, a bank in a little town that seems to have disappeared since the trust was done. It’s simply a ghost town now“
    “What if you never find them?“
    Mel said, “It’s possible that’s how it will turn out. But I don’t want to simply give up on this. She was murdered. These people are somewhere, and I’m determined to find them.“
    Jane already knew, but this reinforced her confidence that she was going to marry a very honorable man. He probably wouldn’t have even liked the woman if he’d ever met her in person, but he was determined to find out who murdered her.
    “Want to take a quick look at how your office is coming along?“ she asked.
    “I’d love to.“
    “I’ve told Mr. Edgeworth to put another door in the room going directly out into the backyard.“
    “Why?“
    “So if you need to suddenly go somewhere, you don’t need to go clear through the house and can get your car out of the garage faster.“
    Mel merely smiled. “I’d have never thought about that, but it is a good idea.“
    They went outside to stare at the semiroom. The shape of it actually looked like a real room. Even though there were no walls yet, where the doors and windows would be was obvious. So was the shape of the roof. There was even a hole for a skylight.
    “Jane, in spite of my guilt about you spending all this money, I’m going to love having this room to myself.“ He gave her a big hug and a really good kiss.
    The time passed quickly and Jane asked Shelley if she’d come along to her book signings.
    “You have a driver and it seems tacky to impose on him or her. I’m not fighting the traffic to get downtown, but I’ll certainly be at the second one in the suburbs.“
    “I guess you’re right.“
    The driver was a woman named Barbara Smith, and very pleasant. She called Jane the day before and said, “I’ve called ahead to several chain stores making sure they’ll have copies of your book handy for signing. I’ll pick you up at nine-thirty so we can have plenty of time for the ten o’clock signing downtown, and we can grab a sandwich between there and the other store.“
    “I’ll be ready. Is there anything specific I need to take along?“
    “Just a colored pen. Anything but black. And don’t overdress. You want to look like an average person. Not a prima donna. See you tomorrow.“
    The first signing went really well. The bookstore was tiny and there was already a short line of people, mostly