Here is a recent Writing Battle short story that I hope you will enjoy reading as much as I did writing it! – My first Whodunit. Writing a mystery was one of those daunting dark tunnels in fiction that I never thought I would travel down but super glad I did thanks to a contest prompt. I had five days and 2000 words to work with, and that included research! Hopefully, I succeed in stumping you! But if not, have fun anyway.😊

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Little Shop of Honeybees

By D. L. Lewellyn

Honeybees and a shop full of bright gladiolas, much too cheery a setting for such a dark tragedy unfolding in this twisty whodunit.

###

Detective Orin Denton knelt over the body of the florist and sniffed. Lemons. The smell was predominant despite the flowers filling this charming shop in Old Towne. The deceased, known as Audrey Seymour, a female, age twenty-eight, five-foot-two, one hundred twelve pounds, lay prone by the front door, phone in hand, and covered in angry welts. Her lips distended in a grotesque smile, her swollen tongue protruding beyond them.

It wasn’t hard to pinpoint her killers. Dead bees surrounded her, and more of the little honey beauties buzzed around the shop. He shook his head and glanced again at her ID. Their victim had been a beauty herself, and today was her birthday.

“Charlie, you got the pest guy coming?” he called out.

“Any minute, sir.”

“The one I suggested?”

“None other.”

“Thanks, Charlie. Will you let Mrs. Appleby know the honeybees will be rehomed along with the rest of the hive?”

“You bet, boss.”

Mrs. Appleby lived above the shop. Her balcony was loaded with flower boxes to attract her pets. She’d been the one to show him the large hive constructed by the bees inside the crumbling brick wall by the back door. Further deterioration on the inside of the shop seemed to be how the bees suddenly gained access to the banquet of floral delights.

Denton flipped his notebook while he knelt by the body and scanned the room. The decent-sized space was packed with buckets of flowers, shelves of plants, and a myriad of tasteful decorations. The shop was nestled between a bookstore and a restaurant. Main Street edged the front, an alley ran along the back, and generous windows graced both sides. A wall lined with refrigerated shelves had a vestibule on the other side, which the florist used for an office and where the backdoor and hive were located.

When the first responders arrived an hour earlier, the shop was locked. There were no signs of a break-in.

The elderly Mrs. Appleby had seen no one but the bee victim and her frequent visitor, the ex-boyfriend, the entire day. She’d heard nothing unusual except when Vincent Stubbs, in her words, “Pitched a fit because Audrey continued to resist his charms.” She was horrified to think her babies had done wrong. “I never thought for a minute they would invade her store. I don’t understand how they broke through. Still, the lemongrass should have kept them away.” Good questions, and why Denton’s sleuth senses vibrated.

“Do you know if she had any family?”

“She told me once she was all alone.”

Not quite, he thought. She had her flowers.

The alley-side windows were designed as a greenhouse because Audrey Seymour raised much of her own stock, including lemongrass, which she distilled into essential oils. A search on his phone pulled up a contradiction. Beekeepers touted lemongrass oil for attracting swarms to new locations, while other sites pointed to the home remedy benefits Mrs. Appleby mentioned. A repellent. The oil was also used to preserve cut flowers, especially gladiolas, which the shop had in profusion.

Denton’s gaze rested on the sunny boxes. Gladiola was his wife’s favorite. He pictured the sparkle in her eye if he were to bring home a mixed dozen and imagined all the creative ways she would thank him. He sighed. Thinking of his wife always centered him… letting him listen to the voice of his victim.

Audrey Seymour smelled citrusy. She wore a pretty new dress—new shoes. She’d tried to call for help… and died alone. There had to be more to this than a series of misfortunes.

“Charlie. Is the Coroner on the way?”

“I’m here, Denton,” said a florid, breathless man stepping through the jangling door.

The detective gave the medical official time to examine the body.

“Well?” Charlie prodded.

“The majority of the bites are around her neck. Note the colors of her dress. Bees attack dark colors because they signify a marauder, and necks are a favorite vulnerable target. Her heart gave out from anaphylactic shock.”

“Another reason to admire bees,” Charlie said under his breath. The doc’s eyebrows shot up. “Sorry, I was referring to their incredible defense arsenal. Her death was tragic,” Denton said with feeling. “Was she allergic?”

“Severely. Have you found her EpiPen? She had to have one.”

“Charlie?” Denton called over his shoulder.

“Desk drawer,” he called back. “Unused. I also found a torn-up gift box that might belong to the dress. It’s got a store label.”

“Good work, Charlie.”

###

The evidence binder was expanding pretty fast for accidental death, and Denton was flipping through it again as he sat at his scarred, coffee-stained desk—his home away from home.

His junior detective partner sat across from him and handed him one of the three donuts he had on a napkin before eating half a maple bar in one bite.

“Boss, I know that look,” Charlie said after swallowing his doughy breakfast with an impressive amount of coffee. “You’re convinced this wasn’t an accident. What’s spiking that uncanny crime radar off the charts?”

“Her EpiPen, for one, Charlie. We have a sharp business owner who’s deathly allergic to bees working in a shop full of plants that draw them.

“Let’s say lemongrass attracts, though she thinks it repels. Let’s say she had no idea about the beehive outside her door and was careful about inviting insects into her shop. Audrey Seymour had an EpiPen to rely on if the worst happened. People with EpiPens keep them on their person at all times, regardless of the care they take to limit the risks—not in a desk so far out of reach.

“I also think she was waiting for someone to meet her besides Stubbs. Have you tracked down the dress?”

“That’s why I’m here. You’re going to love this.” Denton raised a bushy eyebrow, and Charlie delivered his gift. “A person named Miriam Greene bought that outfit… and another exactly like it.”

“Two sets of identical clothes? What does that suggest to you?”

“Someone wanted to look like our victim.”

“Are the security tapes downloaded yet?”

“Just finished.”

“Let’s take a look, and then we need to track down Greene.”

Charlie cleared his throat.

“I was saving the best for last because I wasn’t sure where your head was at. Vincent Stubbs was picked up on a domestic disturbance six months ago. Audrey never pressed charges.”

###

Denton set a paper cup full of sludgy liquid in front of Vincent Stubbs. The handsome dentist had bags under his red-rimmed eyes that could float a boat.

The detective took his seat, sipped his coffee, and grimaced at the cup as he set it down and cleared his throat.

“According to Mrs. Appleby, you had a habit of showing up at the shop and campaigning loudly for Ms. Seymour to go on a date. Is that a fair assessment?”

“It’s fair,” Stubbs said as he raised his downcast eyes. “I loved Audrey, and she loved me, but I messed up. I’ve been trying to fix it for months. Audrey is… was independent, sassy, and stubborn. I craved every minute with her.” His brow furrowed. “Am I here because you think I killed her? Because I thought it was the bees.”

“No sign of honeybees when you helped her lock up before leaving?”

“Not a single bee buzzed around the shop that day or any other day I was there.”

“Why did you stay so long if you weren’t getting anywhere?”

“I believe I answered that. Being with Audrey was everything to me, even when she was preoccupied with her flowerbeds… She could grow anything. Audrey was the embodiment of life.”

“So, she gardened while you pitched dinner out?”

“Audrey’s hands were always busy with her plants.”

“Did you buy her that dress?”

“No. I asked her about it, though.” Stubbs let Denton see his resentment before adding, “I wanted to know if I should expect someone else to show up because there was something secretive about her that day, and she grew more insistent about me leaving when she closed up.”

“Why were you reported for causing a domestic disturbance?”

Stubbs winced, picked up his coffee, smelled it, and set it down.

“I worked myself up after a few too many when she went out with another guy. Our wires were crossed. I thought we were more committed.”

“Hmmm. It seems you still believe that. Does that shop always smell of lemons?”

“Lemons? She loved her lemongrass. But it was never overwhelming. I… I don’t… What does that signify?”

“Maybe nothing. Did you know it was her birthday that day?”

“Of course, I knew. That’s why I wanted to take her to dinner.” His eyes sank deeper. “Shit! Twenty-eight is too young!” He dropped his head into his hands.

###

“You’ll want to buy me at least two beers for this,” Charlie said as he barreled up to Denton’s desk and waved a thumb drive at him. Denton gave Charlie an expectant grin.

“Greene was messaging Audrey’s phone. They’re cryptic, but one mentions sending Audrey a gift on their special day. I’ve got more. Greene is an alias. She used a burner phone. She wasn’t so careful with the dress receipt. We’re tracking down her fake identities to get to the real name, but…” he paused and waggled his brows in his version of a drumroll, “under one name, she’s wanted for elder abuse… on a large scale. She’s a con artist, boss.”

“Well done, Charlie. We just need to put Greene inside that locked shop and prove she messed around with the hive, and we’ve got murder instead of an accident.” Denton cocked his head. “I’d say from the height of the bounce in your step, you have an address?”

“You ready to take a drive to New Towne?”

Denton glanced again at the enlarged image from the security camera he’d been examining and grabbed his jacket.

The car rolled to a stop in front of a grungy Seventies tract home. The blinds were closed, and the place looked lifeless. “It kills me that New Towne is rundown, and Old Towne is the lively side,” Denton mused. Charlie snorted and opened his door. They approached with caution. Dead places were the most dangerous. Denton knocked, and they waited.

“Ms. Greene?” He called out, using his best cop voice to penetrate the door. “I’m Detective Orin Denton. My partner and I would like to ask a few questions.”

Seconds ticked by. Then footsteps, followed by clicking deadbolts. The door cracked open on a chain. Denton flashed his badge, though he couldn’t see her face. The house was dark, and she hovered in the shadows. He watched for suspicious movements, then laid it on her.

“I’m sorry about the death of your sister, Ms. Greene. Can we talk?”

Charlie’s breath hitched, and his eyes bored into Denton, but Denton had eyes only for the woman who, to his relief, opened the door wider.

It was their victim come to life. Healing stings covered her face, neck, and arms.

“I’ll be damned,” Charlie breathed. “A twin.”

###

After sitting across from Janet Seymour, aka Miriam Greene, Denton spent a full minute staring at her. She stared back.

“So… you thought becoming Audrey would get you out of trouble?”

She shrugged. “I gambled on an opportunity.”

“You were a perfect match on the security cameras.”

“Took weeks of planning, but worth it to confront the sister who made our dying mother send me to Juvie.” Her eyes turned flat. “Once I discovered the beehive, the rest was easy. I dowsed her with a homemade lemongrass lure, pickpocketed her EpiPen, and pretended to need the toilet so I could use the heel of my shoe to open the hole in the brick the bees had started.

“But it all went wrong,” Denton concluded. “My sister didn’t want me to die. Go figure.” Janet snorted and sat back. “She shoved me out the door and locked it even as she succumbed. I used my EpiPen while I watched through the window.” Her eyes gleamed. “How did you know there was a twin? Was killing her on our birthday over the top? Because I wondered about that.”

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