Breathing Space (Ellis McFadden Mysteries #1)

Chapter 30

T he menu didn’t disappoint. Lots of amazing-looking salads, fresh fruit plates, soups, sandwiches, and, thankfully for Frank, a nice variety of meat-based entrees, even if they were heavy on fish.

The restaurant’s interior was bright and Zen-like, with a mix of soft greens and tans and dark wood. The quiet burbling of a water feature and peaceful pan flutes were the only background music.

It felt like a retreat. “This is so nice, I’m at a loss for words.”

Frank smiled. “You? Out of words?”

“I know.” I unfolded the snowy white napkin and laid it across my lap. “I can’t thank you enough for this. It was exactly what I needed without me even realizing.”

“I’m glad. Getting away from the ordinary day-to-day is important.”

“Do you come here a lot?”

“Maybe once a month. I bring Gracie. She loves to fly, and this is one of the best places for her to do it.”

“You should have brought her today.”

He shook his head. “Today was just about us.”

He was so sweet. “If you haven’t had too much of me, maybe we could watch a movie at my place tonight. You could bring Gracie over.”

“Yeah?” He nodded. “I’d like that.”

I ordered a chopped salad with shrimp. He surprised me by ordering a club sandwich, but it was lunch. We talked and laughed as we enjoyed our food, which was impeccable. A sensation of euphoria filled me unlike anything I’d experienced, probably since the day Hazel had been born. It was good to be happy. Truly happy.

The day felt like a gift. Frank even more so. My gratitude for his presence in my life was more than I could express.

As we finished lunch and he paid the bill, which was not inexpensive, he folded his napkin and set it beside his plate. “Ready for the greenhouses?”

I nodded. “Definitely. I’ve never seen them. They weren’t open to the public when I first came here.”

“Then let’s do it.”

I couldn’t wait. I knew some of the more exotic varieties were in those greenhouses. Delicate orchids, tiny carnivorous plants, endangered species, as well as some of the new crops that would hopefully be feeding us in the future.

We walked through the orchid greenhouse first. I took a thousand pictures, which is a slight exaggeration but not by much. Even Frank took some photos, mostly of one pink and gray orchid that he said reminded him of Gracie.

We moved on to the carnivorous plants. Frank found those more interesting than I did, but no surprise there.

I was very curious to see what new crops were being attempted, so we went to that greenhouse next. Although there were no seasons on board the Athos , we were approaching autumn, so I wasn’t surprised to see acorn squash and a miniature pumpkin variety being cultivated.

What did surprise me were the kiwi vines strung along at about eye level. Kiwi were a favorite fruit of mine. I was looking forward to those, even if they were a few months off.

A member of the gardens’ staff pointed out new varieties of beans and a kind of radish I’d never heard of. More chilies, too. I had to admit, I’d started to like spicy things more since I’d been on board. Something about being in space made a person crave hotter foods. Don’t ask me why that was, but it seemed to be a universal truth.

The last area of the gardens was devoted to mass-produced flowers. Some of them were used to decorate the cruise areas of the ship, some were sold (at astronomical prices) to the cruisers, and some, like the lavender, were used for some of the fragranced things on board such as soap, air fresheners, and laundry detergent.

It was really something to stand in the midst of all those blooms. The fragrance was intoxicating. You might think it would be overpowering, but as it was so fresh and natural, it was anything but. We walked through the rows, deeper and deeper into the fields of flowers.

Except for the hull walls in the distance, it would have been easy to lose track of the fact that we were on a starliner.

As we neared one corner, a woman in a green jumpsuit with short gray hair approached us. She had a flat basket filled with flowers and a pair of heavy-duty shears over one arm. “Can I help you folks? You seem to have gotten a little far afield.”

She snorted as she used the back of her gloved hand to push her glasses up. Her jumpsuit was cuffed at the ankles and rolled back at the wrists. “That’s a little gardening joke. But seriously, are you lost? Most don’t come this far back.”

“Sorry. Is this a restricted area?” Frank asked.

“No, just more of a commercial one than the rest of the gardens.” She shrugged, her gaze darting from us to the area behind us. Her name patch said Clayton. As if noticing me watching her, she quickly put on a smile. “I’d be happy to show you something more interesting. In fact, there are some new lilies that just bloomed this morning. They smell incredible. Why don’t we go take a look at those?”

“Sure,” I said. “That would be great.” What I wanted to do was stay behind and look at whatever it was she was trying to direct us away from, but as I’d already resolved to aim for less stress in my life, I went in a different direction.

“Right this way.”

As she turned and we began to follow her out of the field, Frank gave me an odd look. I gave him a look that I hoped he understood as, “Just trust me.” I slipped my black beaded bracelet off my wrist and dropped it behind me.

A ladybug landed on my hand. Seeing the bright red beetle made me smile. I carried it along as we walked, but it flew off after a bit.

When we arrived at the area with the lilies, I gave the woman about five minutes to talk. “Aren’t these amazing? These are a cross between the stargazer and the Scheherazade varieties. The scent is amazing and lasts all day. I’m working on making it into a perfume. I just love it, don’t you?”

“It’s amazing,” I said, not swayed by the fact that one of the lilies bore my middle name, even if it was a delightful scent. I casually put my hand on my wrist, then let out a gasp. “Oh, no! I seem to have lost my bracelet. I can’t lose that. It was a gift from my daughter.”

With what I thought was the perfect level of panic, I began searching the ground. “I have to find it.”

Frank, the smartest man alive, nodded in sympathy. “You backtrack while I look here. I know you had it on in the restaurant, so it has to be somewhere between.”

“Okay, thanks. Wish me luck.” I took off back toward the forbidden area, honestly hoping I could find where I’d dropped the bracelet but mostly focused on whatever Ms. Clayton hadn’t wanted us to see.

“I should go with you,” the woman called after me.

Frank intervened. “It’s probably here somewhere. If you could help me look, that would be great.”

The woman sputtered something I didn’t catch, as I was too far away by then. I picked up speed, using my power-walking skills to put even more distance between us. I reached the forbidden area in no time and, thankfully, found my bracelet a few minutes later.

Then I went farther toward the area she’d been eyeballing. The overhead UVs were intense, but the dahlias growing in nice straight rows were clearly benefitting. I scanned quickly but saw nothing unusual.

I went through the rows, careful not to damage any plants. I found what I was looking for in the last two rows before the hull wall. My mouth fell open, but I wasted no time in getting the pictures and video taken, then hustling back to where Frank was.

I smiled brightly as I approached, holding up my wrist. “I found it.” As soon as I was close enough, I stuck my hand out toward Ms. Clayton. “Thank you so much for helping us look. What did you say your name was? I want to be sure to mention your thoughtfulness on the exit survey.”

“Um, great. It’s Gina. Thank you.”

“Have a good day.” I looped my arm through Frank’s and tugged him toward the main path, giving her a wave goodbye.

Once we were out of earshot, Frank looked at me, eyes gleaming with curiosity. “You want to explain that?”

“More than you know but not here.”

“Okay.”

We left and went to the elevators. I pushed the call button. “Go to your place. Get Gracie, get your computer, then come to mine.”

“Will do. Everything all right?”

“Everything is good. Well, it’s not good but?—”

The elevator had arrived, doors opening. We stepped on. Three other people were already inside. As much as I wanted to tell Frank what I’d found, this wasn’t the place. It could wait until we were alone and in a secure space.

I blew out a breath, trying to quell the energy surging through me. This had to mean something. I mean, how could it not?

Obviously, I had some research to do. Also, everything I’d said about letting the ASF worry about Andrew’s death was off the table.