Chapter 5

The Floral Shop

Sara

Wandering across the street she found the emotional woman who called in the case for the dead girl. Sara would have started with the murdered girl, but she couldn't stomach the innocence portrayed on her face. So, she decided she'd go and question the person who called in the murder. She walks inside her floral shop smelling all the exotic flowers and their wonderful fragrances. And as it turns out this shop was just as strange as the shop. The flowers were exotic and genetically altered some how, but yet amongst these flowers sat the ordinary and cliché roses, carnations, lilies and daisies.

However, something was there that she was not expecting. There was something that was out of place sitting on these shelves. Sara picks it up and looks at it without saying much of nothing. It was one of those things that just didn't belong there.

Examining it carefully she fought the urge to take it with her to the lab to study its contents further. It was just that she had never seen this type of flower before. Oh, she was very much aware of the different genetically altered plants there were, but all of them looked semi normal or how one expected them to be, except with a little bit more perfection in the look, color and most important to Sara; the smell.

"Hey, um I'm Sara Sidle from the crime lab. I was wondering, what is this flower?" she says to the owner of the floral shop.

"That's a very special flower," she says taking it from Sara's hands. "It's a hybrid. Two genetically altered flowers merged together to form something unique. It's definitely one of a kind," she smiles proudly at the very exotic flower.

"Yeah, well, I was looking around and there doesn't appear to be a lot of hybrids in your shop."

"This one is my first," she smiles and puts it back in her display case.

"I see," Sara answers.

"Were you the one who called in the murders across the street?" She asks looking around her floral shop a little bit more.

"Yeah, I mean it was so strange. I walk by that shop every day. You know, it's just freaky to think that some girl was murdered there."

"Yeah, um. Do you know the people?"

"No, they were quiet. They weren't even supposed to be there. The place was condemned, but it was left to them in their grandfather's will. I've only talked to them a little bit."

"Um, alright, um, do you know if anyone had it in for them?"

"I wouldn't think so. I mean, I didn't know them all that well. They were kind of creepy. I mean, they were into some pretty dark stuff, so I don't know. But they were always nice to me and I couldn't picture anyone not liking them," she says.

"Alright, we're going to get you down to the station and you can give your statement."

"Alright, but I really don't know much more than she was obviously dead when I saw her."

"Well miss, uh…"

"Banks," she answers. "Sherry Banks."

"Yes Mrs. Banks we will need your full cooperation in this matter so if there is any information that you know. Please feel free to come down and tell us, and like I said, we would love for you to come down to the station to give us a statement," Sara tells the shop owner before focusing even further on the flower.

Something just wasn't adding up about it. Not to mention there was a small smudge of blood on the shiny wrapping around its pot. "There's blood on this flower pot," she says out loud.

"I wouldn't know how that got there," she says investigating her own flower a bit carefully. "Some of the leaves are bent to."

"Mrs. Banks has someone moved your flower recently?" Sara questions.

"Not that I know of," she answers clueless.

"We're going to need to process this flower. Is that alright with you?" She asks for the flower.

"Yeah, that's fine, just please don't hurt it more than it already it. Truth is it's nice to know that law enforcement still knows we're out here," she says.

"Well, we'll contact you if we need to know anything else. Thanks for the information," she smiles walking out of the shop with the flower in hand.

Walking to the car something very odd indeed catches her eyes and directs them to the red brick street. There in the middle of the lane was a single tire mark. By the looks of it the mark was fresh maybe had been there a day maybe two by Sara's experienced eyes. Kneeling at the start of the black rubber mark she snaps a picture of it and measures it. There was nothing special about the tire mark. She did note that it was a car's tire and not a motorcycle or an SUV's. Not to mention there was no point in finding the vehicle because all hope was lost of getting the tread pattern of the tires though because they had stopped simply too fast for any to be present. Had they squealed away it would have been possible, but the pattern was just too obscure to see it.

She looks down the lane defeated for the time being and sees a simple silver dollar. She pulls on some gloves and picks it up examining it. It was bloody on the tails side. Observing it a little bit more she bags it and puts it with the rest of her gathered evidence and takes it back to her Tahoe. She looks around and there is an obvious silence that follows.

"Hello?" She calls out to anyone who will answer, but no one does.

Looking around her heart beat sped up as headlights in the distance closed fast into the night. She didn't give it much thought. That was right up until the car slowed and she was pulled inside.

To be Continued...