The Final Vow by Amanda Flower

Author:Amanda Flower
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: amanda flowers, mystery, mystery fiction, mystery novel, civil war, history, final tap, living history, final reveille, living history series, historical fiction, mystery book
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
Published: 2017-03-28T16:00:00+00:00

seventeen

The younger man stared at me as if noticing me for the first time. “Who are you?”

“Kelsey Cambridge, Director of Barton Farm.” I wiggled my fingers at him in greeting.

His mouth made an “O” shape and he glanced back at Armin. One of the blood vessels on the florist’s neck was about to burst.

I shuffled away from the table. It was best to put some distance between the florist and myself.

“Um,” the young man said. “I can come back later, Armin.”

“No,” Armin said through gritted teeth. He cut the ranunculus stems in half. “Lucas, finish up here. I need to talk to Cambridge outside.”

I winced.

Armin set his scissors down and backed away from the counter. Without any questions, Lucas jumped into his spot and began cutting. Armin walked around the counter and headed in my direction. I’d be lying if I said my body didn’t automatically tense up as he approached. He stopped a few feet away from me.

“What should I tell them about their flower list?” I asked, stalling.

“You can say you went over it with me. The Pumpernickle woman will get what she gets at this point. She should feel lucky I’m providing the flowers for her wedding at all.”

I didn’t argue and headed for the front door of the building. I wasn’t going to get any farther with him about the wedding flowers. I might as well find out what I could about his relationship with Vianna or what he might know about her death, if anything. I had to admit that he’d looked honestly shocked when Lucas announced where and how Vianna had died. If he’d been the one to push her out of the window, it wouldn’t have been a surprise to him.

Outside, a small flock of house sparrows were cleaning the sunflower seeds off of the sidewalk. At least the flower was being put to good use. When Armin stepped outside, the sparrows flew away. They must have sensed danger. I wished I could fly away like those birds, but I needed to know what he knew about Vianna, for Piper’s—and more importantly for Benji’s—sake.

The florist removed a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the pocket of his chef’s coat. He lit one up in a practiced motion and after a long drag, said, “I hate these things.”

“Then why do you smoke them?” I felt like it was a logical question.

He arched his brow to me. “Don’t you ever do anything you hate because you can’t stop it?”

A few things came to mind, but I refrained from mentioning them.

He nodded as if my silence was acknowledgment enough. “I thought so. We all have our crutches, don’t we? We all do except for Vianna. She was perfect.”

Considering the countless arguments I’d had with Vianna over Krissie’s wedding, I couldn’t agree with that, but I didn’t argue with him. As Armin stood there, smoking one cigarette than another, I realized that I was dealing with a man in the midst of grief. It didn’t matter what I thought of Vianna or what I thought of Armin either.

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