Free The Flower Girls by Margaret Blake Page A

wife.”
    And with that he turned and stalked out of the room. He closed the door softly behind him.
    Urgently she chased him, opening the door and calling his name. He was in the passage and seemed like he’d storm through the front door and out of her life forever.
    “I’m sorry, I…you have to understand, I can’t believe all of this.”
    He stopped. Standing perfectly still, his back towards her, he said, “And you think I can, Poppy. You think I can understand why any man would bash her head in, destroy her beautiful face. Leave her out there all alone…” His strong shoulders sagged; he was carrying the world on his shoulders, even his middle bent under the strain. Ploughing the distance between them, she put her arms around him as if she could pull him up straight.
    “I’m sorry, Seth. Believe me I don’t believe you could do that… I don’t know anyone who could.”
    He straightened, leaning back against her and then slowly turning to gather her in his arms.
    “If only she’d talked to me. If we hadn’t rowed every time our paths crossed.”
    “Seth…” She held him.
    “I didn’t want to throw her out like used rubbish. I wanted her to go, but of her own free will, but she hung on in here. She hated it but she wouldn’t go and she would never say why.”
    “Maybe there was nowhere for her to go, not until I came. Maybe that was why she wanted me here, to help her rebuild her life. But some lunatic got there first.”
    “But who was that lunatic, Poppy? Which of those men she met did this?”
    “Men she met? You think she met men, strangers?” Now she leaned back, staring up at him.
    “I don’t know for sure but people said they’d seen her with men. People around here, they gossip. How do I know they didn’t make it up?”
    “We need to find out, Seth. We can do this together…you and me and the police. Oh, never mind the police. We can piece her life together on our own. We can, can’t we?”
    He sighed; his hand went up to her hair and smoothed it gently. “We can try, Poppy…”

Chapter 10
    The phone rang out a long time. She thought it would be the answer-phone and then Edward answered. He sounded slightly breathless, as if he’d had to run to answer.
    “It’s Poppy,” she announced.
    “Yes.” He sounded cautious. The word almost a question.
    “Did you hear about her, about Jasmine?”
    “Yes.”
    Odd, no hushed words of sympathy. The silence grew.
    “I’m sorry to trouble you, Edward, but when we last talked you seemed to know where she went… some of the time ,” she added quickly, hoping not to put him off talking to her. “I wondered if you could give me a couple of the places you’d seen her at.”
    “I didn’t see her,” he said. His voice was chips of ice. “The police have been here, I don’t know why they would do that.” He sounded a little peeved.
    “It wasn’t anything to do with us,” she said. “I mean Seth and me. I never mentioned you to the police, I didn’t even think about you.”
    “Well someone said something. Probably that old crow, Mrs. Carrington.”
    “Please help us,” she implored.
    “Help us? What does that mean?”
    “Seth and I, we want to know where Jasmine went. Who she met.”
    “I have no idea.”
    “But you must have some idea, Edward. Please…if you know anything, however small.”
    She hated to hear herself begging him yet she knew he knew more than he was letting on.
    He talked to Jasmine—she allowed him of all people to call her Jas—she’d told him they were known as the flower girls. He had to know something.
    “Seth and I aren’t friends. Besides he was married to her, he knows where she went. He knows everything.”
    “He doesn’t. Please, Edward.”
    “Try the President’s Club, that’s all I know.”
    “And it’s where?”
    He was abrupt but he gave her the name of the city. The phone rattled down. He rang off. For some reason he was annoyed with her. He didn’t want to be involved. It