Jill Churchill - The Accidental Florist

"I'll visit again tomorrow late in the day and report on the flowers," Ted said.

While Shelley was putting her clothes back on, she asked once again if Jane had remembered to ask Mel if they could see a copy of the notes Miss Welbourne had made for the last meeting they'd expected to attend.

Jane slapped her head. "I think I asked him. And he probably forgot." She paused for a moment. "On the other hand, maybe I forgot to ask. I'll call him right after I call the florist."

The florist they'd visited had given Jane his-business card, so she rang him up to place the order.

"My mother-in-law has had a stroke and been moved from the hospital to a nursing home and I want to send flowers to the nursing home."

"What sort of flowers do you want?"

"I was thinking of fragrant lilies just coming into bud, and the same with roses. A bit of ferns, perhaps, to fill in.""I can do that today. What is the address and her name?"

Jane gave him the address and the suite number of the nursing home, added that she wanted the delivery to be to the staff taking care of her.

"That's a bit odd, Ms. Jeffry."

"Not really. She's a nasty woman, and a full-fledged bigot. The people who will have to take care of her won't enjoy doing so."

"I understand. My late mother-in-law was the same sort of woman. I'll have the flowers delivered today."

"Let's make it an every two weeks renewal until she's no longer alive. Are you ready to take down my credit card number?"

Her next call was to Mel. "Did I remember to ask you if you could share Miss Welbourne's notes about the next meeting with Shelley and me?"

"You did ask, and I forgot. Want me to fax them to you right now?"

Jane and Shelley read through the notes and found them fascinating. The theme was American Flying Tips. She said first, don't buy a black suitcase. Ninety percent of bags coming off a plane were black. Buy a brown or red or bright blue bag and make a pompom.

You could buy a pompom kit at a craft store with instructions. If you can't find one, find something the size of a paperback book.

Leave several long strings of yarn along the top of

the book, then wrap very lightly about forty times. Then pull the ends of yarn tight, and cut through the whole back half of wound yarn. Pull the yarns more tightly and double knot around the wad of yarn. Secure the pompom's long strings to the handle. Use bright colors of yarn; mix colors if you want to.

The next travel hints weren't about safety, but practical suggestions. Take ordinary wire, or better, plastic hangers, in a side pocket of the suitcase. Most hotels have hangers too small to hang over the shower rod, preventing you from hanging something wrinkled over the rod and running hot water to shake out the wrinkles.

If you have clothing along prone to wrinkling, wrap it lightly in plastic covers from the dry cleaners.

Then she went on to describe locking the suitcase. Get a couple locks with all the keys in the package the same. Every good hardware store has these. But don't lock the bag if you're checking it through. It's likely that if the airline wants to search your bag that they'll break the lock. Carry extra locks and keys inside the bag or in your carry-on or purse. That way if you leave your bag in a hotel room, you can lock the bag every time you leave the room. Cleaning staff aren't all honest people.

Before you go through the security gates, take off your shoes and use Purell on your feet and inside your shoes. Many people are going barefoot and some of them have athlete's foot. It's highly infectious. If you're checking through your luggage, put the bottle back inside it. You can't carry on gels. If you're not checking baggage, buya very small bottle of Purell and throw it away and buy another little bottle for your return trip.

Put your ID and boarding pass in your front pocket, so they are easy to show at check-in (if you are checking any luggage) and later when you go through the security gates. The rest of the trip, keep your schedule in your locked suitcase at the hotel.

If you feel you absolutely must take along a laptop computer, save all your e-mail and your tax information on discs. Homeland Security might seize the laptop to examine whom you've been e-mailing, how much money you make, business relationships. This should be illegal, but don't take the risk if you don't have to.

Also find a small local phone company instead of the big ones who are sharing information about whom you've called and who has called you. Almost every large city has a small local telephone exchange. Make sure your phone produces digital signals. And be aware that anybody can listen to what you're saying on a cell phone.

"I wish Miss Welbourne had lived to tell us this. It's all useful, practical information," Shelley said.

"I had no idea that people could listen to you talk on a cell phone,"Jane remarked.

"I think I've heard that before. All you need is a certain kind of listening device. I can't think off the top of my head what it's called."

"I'll be sure that my phones are all digital, whatever that means. And I'll be careful what I say on my cell phone from now on."

* *

While Shelley and Jane were talking this over, Mel was on the phone with the Australian reporter.

"Say, mate, how am I to cope with all the loonies who call to report having seen these people, or claim to be one of them?"

"Easy," Mel said. "Here are the relevant dates they were in Chicago. So dismiss anybody who saw them earlier. As for those people stupid enough to try to claim that they are one of the people who are being looked for, make them spell out the name of their mother exactly. I'll spell it out for you. It's an unusual spelling. And you are welcome to hint carefully about a large estate. Even though it's not being left to them. But if you hear from someone who has seen or heard where they are since the date they left Chicago, question them, and if you think they are telling the truth, let me know."

"You're a canny bloke, I gotta admit. This is going to be a bit of fun after all. Give me your number so I can report back to you if the right one turns up."

Mel did so, and hung up smiling, then called the reporter from the New York Times and repeated all the same information. That reporter responded as positively as the Australian reporter. Mel gave him his phone number.

"I already have it. I saw it on the caller ID. I'll get back to you as soon as I can if I get a result."

Chapter

EIGHTEEN

T

ime seemed to Jane to be racing along. She heard from her mother via e-mail, that the Danes and Americans had worked things out earlier than expected and they could be in Chicago in three weeks. Instead of six weeks.

There was suddenly a rush to make firm plans. She called three or four hotels to make reservations to walk through the set up for wedding, food, and a dance floor for four hundred guests at most.

Two of them were already too booked up. So she called another two and they agreed to meet her this week.

She called Shelley to ask her to come along to look at hotels.

"Why not just go with the one Paul owns along with

several other investors? The one where the mystery conference was held."

"Duh! Why didn't I think of that fIrst? Of course."

"They can be trusted to keep tabs on Addie. Keep the guest list down to four hundred and if she tries to add additional bridesmaids and groomsmen, they'll seat them in the audience, instead of with the wedding party."

"Let's go over now and set this up."

Shelley unearthed the correct planner for this meeting and they were both glad to know she immediately recognized how important the name Nowack was.

Jane explained that her future mother-in-law was a bulldozer, and wanted to do the wedding. "She wants to invite four hundred of her best friends and stuff in a lot of extra people as bridesmaids and groomsmen. You'll have to work with her and keep it to four hundred and no extra people at the front of the ceremony. Can you do that?"