A Better Lie Installment 3
Chapters 3 & 4 Presented by Shot of Jack Top Shelf
Brandon could tell his mother was not happy about their late arrival. He did not plan to be late - they woke up on time and Ashley hopped in the shower as usual. She walked out of the bathroom without a towel and jumped on top of him in bed.
“You’re all wet,” he said.
“Yes,” Ashley said, “I am.”
Brandon called into work as Ashley pulled back the blankets and took his boxers off.
Their place was a small, old, two-bedroom house between downtown and Hilltop. While Tacoma’s notorious Hilltop neighborhood had improved, the rent was still reasonable and it was walking distance to Adele’s. Today though, the rain dictated the use of Ashley’s Mini. Brandon disliked the car, but it was better than walking in the rain.
Now Brandon watched Ashley wander over to help Augie.
“Damn, Ashley,” Augie said. “Why you gotta bring that sex smell in here?”
Ashley giggled.
“You two are starting to make a habit of this,” Laura said, “I’m trying to run a business, Brandon. I don’t care what you do you in your off time. In fact, I don’t want to know. But if you say you’re going to be here, be here.”
“Mom, it’s raining. You’ll probably send me and Ash home early, and since we get paid by the hour, I’m actually saving you money.”
“Cute. But you forget that birthdays, weddings, and funerals don’t care about the weather. Ashley has a full day and I’m sure we can find things for you to do.”
“Sorry, Laura,” Ashley said from the back.
“Brandon,” Laura said, “Do me a favor and mind the floor while I go get some breakfast.”
“Bring me back something,” Brandon said.
“I’m sure you both had enough for breakfast,” Augie quipped.
Laura left. Brandon walked through the store, straightening things where he could. He preferred driving but given the weather, maybe it was better being holed up here. Besides, it meant more time with Ashley. Even though she was helping Augie with arrangements in the back, there were still chances to catch her eye. Moments like that made the day go faster.
That afternoon a guy in a Seahawks jersey came in looking for yellow roses. He said they were his wife’s favorite. Brandon wondered if the guy knew yellow roses symbolized infidelity. He thought it best not to mention it although the thought did remind him of Ray’s alibi idea. With the next few customers, Brandon found himself asking more questions than usual.
“You’re chatty today,” Ashley said.
“I am trying to find someone who needs an alibi.”
“Oh. Well, they’re not going to tell you just because you ask. Watch them. If they seem guilty, they’re up to something. I know it’s hard for a Boy Scout like you to notice, but hey, you’re my Boy Scout.” Ashley gave him a kiss. “I gotta get back to helping Augie.”
Brandon walked into the front of the shop and repositioned a few arrangements. It was slow and he was running out of things to do. He thought of a code word that they could give to prospective clients, like a speakeasy. He was thinking about possible code words when he noticed a young woman with long brown hair walking up to the counter. She looked like a college student.
“Hi,” she said. “I need an arrangement that doesn’t begin with the letter ‘L’.”
“What?” Brandon asked.
“My grandmother. She’s in the hospital. She’s allergic to a flower that begins with ‘L’. Lilies, lavender, lilac…I can’t remember.”
“Okay. No L’s. How about an arrangement of pink carnations and large white daisies? It’s happy, but doesn’t look like every other set of flowers. She will think you put some thought into it,” the pitch was his mother’s and had sold many a bouquet. It’s why Brandon had it memorized.
“Sounds good. Anything to get me out of hot water with my mom.” She rolled her eyes.
“What’s happened?” Brandon asked.
“I was supposed to visit grandma yesterday and I didn’t. I’m a bad granddaughter. My mom has been at the hospital every day since grandma went in last week.
“What were you doing?”
“I went to Seattle and saw the Nirvana exhibit at the EMP. Why?”
“Well, the arrangement’s about fifty bucks. For another hundred, we can help you with your mom.”
The girl raised an eyebrow at him. Brandon glanced at Ashley. She nodded and scurried over. Brandon explained the situation.
“So, the flowers are more for your mom’s approval than Grandma.” Ashley said.
“Umm…yes.”
“Okay. When you’re not talking about sick relatives, what’s the number one thing your mom is complaining to you about?”
“The fact that my three sisters are married and I don’t even have a boyfriend.”
“So if your excuse was ‘I met a boy,’ that would do it,” Ashley said.
“I guess, but I didn’t meet anyone. I don’t even have a guy friend I could pose as my boyfriend.”
Ashley put an arm around Brandon. “I do.”
If you asked Ray, the best part of working at a flower shop was making deliveries. When he stepped out of the van with an arrangement, everyone he met between the van and the recipient would smile and ask if the flowers were for them. He loved watching their faces light up. Few things improve a person’s day like the unexpected gift of flowers. Being there to see that moment was something special. It almost made working retail worth it.
Today, the morning deliveries went without a hitch despite the weather. First, he drove out to Mountain View for two funeral arrangements. Then, he headed back to Tacoma to make a few residential deliveries. So far, no wrong addresses or empty houses. On a nice day, Ray might leave an arrangement on the doorstep, but with this spring storm, he would have to call it in. Luck was on his side.
Next up was Lisa. Lisa was Jimmy’s girlfriend. He wondered if Jimmy had used the ticket stub. This wasn’t the first time Ray delivered flowers to her. In the last year or so, Jimmy ordered quite a few arrangements. Most of them for Lisa. Lisa worked at the Antique Sandwich Company and knew both Brandon and Ray by sight. The Antique was a small sandwich shop near Point Defiance Park. It’d been there since Ray could remember.
He parked in the small parking lot to the side of the building. He opened up the back of the van and pulled out the arrangement of a dozen roses. Ray approached the back door. A guy who might have been smoking a joint said, “For Lisa, right?”
Ray nodded. The guy stepped aside.
Ray walked through the restaurant’s kitchen and into the dining area. Someone saw him and yelled for Lisa. He noticed her familiar, long jet black hair as she turned around. She then ran towards him. He tried to focus on her hair or her face but couldn’t help but look at the rest of her. Why the hell Jimmy would cheat on her, Ray did not know.
“Thank you!” she said.
Ray handed her the arrangement. She put it on a table and gave him a big, tight hug. He watched her pick up the arrangement and head back behind the counter.
Ray’s cell vibrated. He answered.
“Ray, Brandon. Can you pick me up at St. Joe’s on the K Street side?”
“Why are you at the hospital?”
“It’s all your fault, buddy. I will explain when you get here.”
St. Joseph’s Hospital was a uniquely shaped building with large oval windows on all sides. It was visible on the Tacoma skyline on any clear day. Ray didn’t know the history of the building, though he meant to look it up sometime. He saw Brandon waiting under the covered valet area. Brandon spotted him and ran through the downpour towards the van. As Brandon got in, Ray shifted back into gear.
“So what’s the story?”
“I was this girl’s alibi.”
“Seriously?”
Ray expected this alibi thing would work but he had not expected their first client to show up the next day. Brandon finished telling his story to Ray.
“Brandon, I just want to know one thing,” Ray said.
“What?”
“Did you have fun?”
“Yeah. It was a blast. Do not tell Ashley but she even gave me a kiss.”
“Your secret’s safe with me. Speaking of hot girls neither of us are involved with, I delivered to Jimmy’s girl, Lisa, at the Antique.”
“The one with the...” They gave each other a knowing look.
“Yeah. She gave me a hug, too.”
“You bastard. I was supposed to be delivering today.”
“Hey, I bet your morning was better than mine.”
“That it was, Ray. That it was.”
Ray pulled into the alleyway behind Adele’s. He and Brandon got out and entered the shop. Ashley was helping a customer. Laura watched them as they came in and said, “Are deliveries already done?”
“No. I’ve got four left. I just needed to drop off this straggler.”
“Gee, thanks,” Laura said and walked back onto the floor.
Ray was about to head out, when Ashley ran over to him, “Ray, I sold three more alibis. I’ll text you the details.”
Ray was surprised, but gave her a look like he’d expected it to turn out this way. He headed back to the van and didn’t even feel the rain.
Click Below To Download The PDF of this installment
Afterthoughts
You’ll notice that this week’s installment had two chapters. Sometimes that’s going to happen. (That’s why I’m calling them installments and not chapters.)
This installment we begin to get into the alibis. Brandon’s chapter gives yet another perspective on what’s going on. There’s a mention of the Experience Music Project in Seattle and its Nirvana collection.
Chapter 3 also has the first nude/sex scene in A Better Lie. It definitely will not be the last. A Better Lie explores lying, infidelity, and other forms of deception and self-deception. Much like the violence in the story, it is handled in a matter-of-fact sort of way as that is what the crime genre demands. If you’re looking for erotica, this isn’t it. The same can be said of the violence. Neither is ever used needlessly.
Chapter 4 let’s us see Ray and Brandon’s friendship and their maturity level when it comes to some topics. We have two iconic locations in this chapter. The Antique Sandwich Company was the first job I ever had and where I met my son’s mother. If I wrote myself into this story at any point, I might be the kid smoking the joint out back.
The other location is St. Joseph’s Hospital. This is a place I became very familiar with during the summer my dad was sick. It’s an odd building and because of that, it’s unmistakable.
At this point, I’d like to open things up a bit. Feel free to respond to this post with any feedback you’d like to share. If you have questions I’ll do my best to answer them in a non-spoiler way. But I really would like to hear from you.
- Jack
Can hardly wait for the next installment!