“Yes, ma’am,” Brady said. He plucked a small envelope from the center and handed it to me.
I opened it to find a card that said,Love, EZ.
Awww. My heart melted. After a lousy day, the flowers from my sweetheart made the awful seem not so bad.
“That’s so sweet,” Gilly said.
“When was the order made?” I asked Brady. “Was it today?”
He shook his head and tugged on his cap. “The order came in last week with today as the delivery date.”
“Oh my gosh, Nora. Did you forget an anniversary or something?”
Had I? Our four-year dating-aversary had passed a couple months earlier, but maybe today had another significance. I wracked my brain, but I couldn’t think of a thing.
“Oh,” Ari exclaimed. “Maybe he’s planning on proposing!”
I groaned. “Don’t even joke about that.” After the day I had, a proposal was the last thing I needed or wanted. I didn’t want to get married ever. I’d been there, done that, and got the t-shirt in the divorce. I liked our relationship the way it was. As far as I knew, Ezra felt the same. I hoped and prayed that wasn’t the reason for the flowers.
“These things were really stinking up the van.” His expression soured, and he gulped. “I mean, it was just they were a lot to drive around with.”
The flower was known for its strong perfume, but I thought the kid exaggerated his complaint until he jerked his thumb back to the van. “There are seven more bouquets in the back seat.”
“This is serious,” Gilly said with less mirth. “You don’t buy eight bouquets of flowers ahead of time unless you have something big in mind.”
I gave her a quick, light backhand. “Say less.” The pit in my stomach grew into a deep well, and I wanted to crawl inside and hide. “I don’t suppose you could take them back?” I asked Brady.
“Sorry, no.” He adjusted the brim of his hat again, his blue eyes sparkling. “I think you should give the guy a chance. He must really love you.”
I sighed. “Fine. You can bring them in.” I lifted the bouquet to my nose and inhaled the honied fragrance. The sweet notes were pleasantly pungent until...
Someone wearing all white, including a white hoodie, gloves, and mask, stands in a white, sterile-looking room surrounded by tables and bunches of pink and white Starfighter lilies. The flowers are tucked in white buckets surrounding the figure. The sweet, pungent aroma saturates the air. Stem and leaf clippings litter the table tops and floor.
He or she walks over and sits on a stool. They are humming a song that sounds vaguely familiar. What is it from? One of the shows I grew up with as a child, I think. They have something in their hand, a can maybe, but without a label. They start wrapping something onto the exterior with duct tape.
“EZ Holden, that’s his name,” the melodic smooth voice sings softly. “EZ Holden will play my game.”
I recognize the voice and the song. The person sounded like Morgan Freeman, and the tune was EZ Reader.
In white-gloved hands, the sinister figure holds out a metal canister with a timer attached. “Time’s not your friend, Nora. It’s ticking away. Will you find the bomb before it finds its prey? For someone with your gifts, it should be easy.” The bomb is set onto the ground, and the Morgan Freeman chuckles. “I hope you can speed read, Hero. Tick tock. You have three hours before the clock runs out.”
I dropped the bouquet, and the hard glass vase they were in bounced, sloshing water over my feet and my carpet.
“What did you see?” Gilly immediately asked. “You’re white as a sheet.”
“A bomb,” I whispered hoarsely. “We have to find the bomb before it’s too late.”
ChapterSix
Iscrambled to the kitchen to retrieve my phone and immediately called Ezra. The mystery maniac had used Ezra’s name to taunt me, and I worried he was the target.
He picked up on the first ring. “Hey,” he answered, wind noise in the background.
“Are you driving?” I asked.
“Yeah, I wrapped things up at the station, and I’m headed to you now.”
A sudden horrendous idea popped into my head. “Get off the road and get out of your truck!” If Ezra was the target, what better way to get him than to put the bomb under his vehicle?
