(greenhouse, corpse, murder)
She closed her book and decided to take a walk around the resort property. The gardens were quite beautiful and she dabbled in gardening herself. The resort was owned by the matriarch of a well established family in the New England area. Most of the buildings were well preserved and the newer guest facilities had the face of history but the inside was modernly equipped.
Joan was visiting the resort as a reward of achievement from her corporation. She had looked forward to the vacation and rest. The history of the grounds was fascinating to her and she picked up some local pamphlets about the area. The autumn trees were spectacular and walking through the gardens that were still in bloom was a treat.
One of the stories in the pamphlets intrigued Joan, but asking about the details seemed to be difficult as the subject was changed in every attempt. Joan’s curiosity grew and having rested herself to boredom, she decided to investigate the story herself.
Visiting the local library, Joan found old copies of newspaper articles about the mysterious disappearance of a man who supposedly committed a murder on the property. The whole story seemed like a Jessica Fletcher television show, but Joan was not deterred. The victim was the matriarch’s husband and he was killed about ten years ago. The details of the murder itself were sketchy, almost as if no actual definitive reports were written.
That evening Joan decided to walk around the gardens again and entered the greenhouse. The usual autumn plants were displayed but in the back there were mostly dried flowers of the season. Behind these plants was an unusual site. A large soil filled container with dead looking purple roses growing. Growing, even though the rose season was over. The blooms were dead, but the stems were still green, and the soil was arranged in the shape of a body. An odd sight to be sure, Joan thought as she peered closer.
It seems the unusual display was created when the corpse of the missing murderer was buried there, right in plain sight, in the greenhouse. Apparently no one wanted to investigate further to find it. Joan took a few shots of the display with her phone and walked back to her room. The next day Joan took a bus to the sheriff in town. She told the story of her discovery and asked if he had seen it. The policemen acted nonchalant and then Joan got out her cell phone to show them the photos. The sheriff took the phone and handed it back, saying the pictures of the gardens were great but nothing unusual.
Joan looked at the phone and indeed, no photos of the purple rose display were there. Embarrassed, Joan left their office and went back to the resort. That evening she went into the greenhouse again. The spectacle she saw the night before was gone. She returned to her room and read the information she acquired in the library. That’s when she realized the dilemma. The tenth anniversary date of the murder was the night before.
https://thehauntedwordsmith.wordpress.com/2018/10/24/daily-writing-challenge-24/
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