Ups and Downs
Rose closed yet another trash bag and briefly glanced at her watch. She’d been working for an hour already, and it seemed to her that she’d accomplished nothing. She’d spent more time than expected talking with Father Bryant, who’d been horrified to her showing up looking the way she did. He’d reminded her that no one was forcing her to come and work for them if she wanted to rest, but she was too stubborn to even think about giving up. He’d offered to stay with her while she was working but she refused, pretending that company was on the way an hour before Matt was even supposed to come.
She opened another bag, stuck the edge under a rock, and put her gardening gloves back on. As she was about to put some more dirt into the bag, she heard something behind her. Reminding herself that she was supposed to be helpless, but that her gun was in her purse, inside of her car, she jumped on her shears and turned around.
“I’m armed and dan- Oh, hi,” she said as Matt was joining her, his cane tapping on the pavement.
He stopped by her side and adjusted his sunglasses. “Armed and… dangerous ?” he asked. “Are you pointing a gun at me, Ms Parsons ?”
“Shears,” she corrected. “But the gun isn’t far, be very careful.”
He scoffed and nodded in her direction. “What’s the plan for tonight ?”
She rested against the stone of the large planter she was emptying and sighed. “Everything has to go. Plants, bushes, dirt, I’m taking it all out tonight,” she explained. “I’m getting the new soil with fertilizer tomorrow, and start planting the day after that.”
“Tight schedule.”
“That I’ll never be able to keep, so I guess I’ll be done in 2 weeks ?” She looked at him and smiled. “I think that’s the first time I see you without a suit.”
“Ugly sight ?” he asked.
“Different,” she replied. “You don’t look like a lawyer. I guess if you lose the cane, bandits will think you could beat them up and we won’t risk anything.”
He laughed and folded his cane. “No more bandits,” he scoffed. “What do you want me to do ?”
“Nothing,” she immediately replied. “You’re supposed to keep me company, not be exploited.”
“I’m not standing here while you do all the work,” he insisted.
“You are. I’m armed and dangerous, don’t argue with me, Mr Murdock.” She took the trash bag and placed it in his hands. “Here, you can hold it. Careful, it gets heavy.”
Matt held onto the bag, surprised at how much work she was able to accomplish. He’d counted seven bags before he’d joined her, and she barely sounded tired. She didn’t complain, and also refused his help when she had to jump into the planter with a shovel. She however complained about the poor quality of the soil and the lack of effort from the City to keep the plants alive and well, wasting valuable resources in the process. If Matt had a lot of knowledge covering many different areas, he didn’t understand much of what Rose was trying to explain. She was fiercely passionate about her job, and he simply stuck to that.
“Why don’t you grow your own ?” he asked as he was closing his third trash bag in only 30 minutes.
“People,” she replied. She handed him another one and jumped back inside the next planter. “A quarter to your left,” she quickly added. She waited for him to join her and started digging again, finally admitting to herself that she should’ve asked for help sooner. “A greenhouse is great, but I want to help make people interested in plants a bit more. I’m not against modern cities, but I think there’s a balance to be found,” she explained. “Just like you balance helping the helpless and financing Foggy’s lifestyle.”
Matt laughed. “Yeah, he does like getting some money in the bank. He’s also very good at helping the helpless,” he added. “He deserves the expensive suits.”
“And the couch,” Rose said. She grunted when a recalcitrant root wouldn’t give up. She won the short but intense battle, threw everything in the bag and sighed. “I think getting one like that is a new life goal of mine.”
He smiled and put the bag down. “You need a break,” he said.
She agreed and gladly accepted his hand to get out. She dusted her clothes and led him back to the bench where she’d left all of her tools, as well as a large bag. She took two beers out of it and handed him one. “See ? We’re still having a drink,” she scoffed.
“Much appreciated,” he replied, sitting next to her. “I was starting to get tired. What when you’re done ? You’re taking all of the bags back to your place ?”
“I made a deal with the Mayor’s office,” she said. “I pay for everything and fix their mistakes, and they take care of the trash for me.”
Matt put a hand on her arm. “Wait, they’re not paying for anything ?”
“No, they said I was a private business and Father Bryant accepted my help without consulting them first, so I either had to pay or ask the church to do it.”
“Rose,” he sighed. “That’s when you’re supposed to call us and ask for help. I’ll stop by the City council tomorrow and tell them to cover a part of the expenses. You’ll need to make a detailed list of their mistakes.”
“You think I have the time to write a book ?” she asked with a laugh. “It’s very nice of you, but it’s fine, really. If I manage to keep my current customer flow, I may be able to pay everything back in about a year.”
“I’m going tomorrow, get that book ready and published by the end of the week,” he commanded.
Rose laughed and took a sip from her beer. “Yes, Sir.”
As much as she was feeling uncomfortable with now interfering in New York’s budget plan, Rose was glad that Matt offered to help. She didn’t need it, but Marianne would be glad. She’d sent her a very passionate email threatening her with a pay cut if she didn’t stop wasting money on charity like that, knowing very well that neither Rose Parsons or Fleur Penquist were catholic. Rose had a plan, of course, but it wouldn’t be in motion until the end of the week.
“We’ve talked in great detail about my passion,” she started again after a minute of silence. “What do you do outside of work ?”
Matt took a second to think and shrugged. “Boxing.”
Rose almost choked on her beer. “Boxing ?”
“You don’t believe me ?”
“Well, I do but… Has anyone ever agreed to hit you ?” she asked with wide eyes. “Matt, you’re blind.”
“I’m aware of that,” he scoffed. “I guess it’s just like you and your flowers. You did it with your mother, and my father was a boxer.”
“A good one ?”
“Not bad, yeah.”
Rose slowly shook her head. Boxing was not what she’d thought he’d reply. She really needed to remind William to work on that file she’d asked him. On the other hand, boxing would explain how a blind man was in such good shape. “So if we were to be attacked, you’d be able to protect me.”
“Let’s not find out,” he simply said.
“So you’re a lawyer, and I’ve read online that you were a decent one at that, and you’d hypothetically be able to protect someone in danger,” she said in a quiet voice. “Is there anything wrong with you at all ?”
“I’ve been told I’m a very unreliable person,” he replied with a small laugh. “I have to agree with that statement. What about you ? We haven’t seen you with anyone yet.”
“Not to be rude or anything, but you don’t see much at all.”
“Touché.”
Rose sighed. “I’ve been told that I have compulsive tendencies when it comes to work, leading to myself never having the time to at least call to say that I’m still alive. I agree with that statement. I’m also aware of my awful taste in men,” she added, “so I try to date as little as possible.”
“That bad ?”
“I think it’s getting better,” she replied with a smile.
He smiled back at her, slowly leaning forward. “I’m not sure.”
Rose wanted to laugh, but instead moved the few inches still between them. She didn’t have to worry about anything. She’d already thought about a way to tie this up to her cover, and she wasn’t technically breaking any rules. She wondered for a fraction of a second if Matt knew where she was, and took the liberty of kissing him first. He didn’t move back, only took the beer from her hand and put it behind her before passing his arm around her waist. Matt didn’t care that she smelled like dirt and sweat. The only thing he could smell was hard work and passion. He’d never thought that this sweet woman’s hands would feel so rough against his skin, when the rest of it was pretty damn soft. Her heart, he thought, was having a hard time keeping up, and he only wanted to never stop list-
Someone was coming.
Matt rapidly moved back, much to Rose’s dismay. Not understanding what was suddenly wrong with him, she looked up. Her eyes widened at the nun walking towards them, only thinking that it was weird that Matt noticed it that fast.
“Good evening,” the nun said with a polite smile as she reached them. She looked at them a second time and let out a brief cough. “Matthew,” she added. “I didn’t know you were helping Ms Parsons with… gardening.”
Rose smiled at her, but couldn’t really put a name on the woman. She’d made it her priority to introduce herself to all the nuns so they wouldn’t think that she was an intruder in the middle of the night, but had been unable to remember their names. In her defense, they were all dressed the same all of the time.
“Maggie,” Matt replied, forcing himself to smile, as Rose was finally remembering her. She seemed nice, she thought. “I’m doing my best.”
“I can see that.” She turned to Rose and nodded. “Father Bryant showed me the sketches you’ve drawn, Ms Parsons. You’re very talented.”
“Thank you… Sister ?”
“Maggie is enough,” she replied. “Well, I think we’ll meet again.”
She walked away, leaving Rose with a weird feeling. She took her beer back, drank a long sip from it, and sighed. “You know her ?”
Matt quietly nodded. “She was already here when I was living in the orphanage.”
“Right, shit. Of course. Well, then. That was embarrassing.”
“You have no idea,” he whispered.
The moment was gone. Rose had worked hard for it, admittedly even rehearsed it a bit in her head. All that, only to get caught by a nun. Hopefully she wouldn’t have to do it all again next time and they’d just take things from where they’d left. Rose cleared her throat and smiled. “Maybe I should get back to work,” she said with a light chuckle. “You know, to keep up with the schedule.”
He followed her back to the planter she’d been desperately trying to empty, his hand staying a little longer on her back this time. The silence was getting quite uncomfortable for the both of them, and Rose was the first one to break it. After all, she had a job to do.
“I’ve never been caught before,” she scoffed. “My father was working a lot, and I used to be smart and not kiss guys in front of churches.”
Matt smiled at her, moving the bag closer to her shovel. “Have you tried to find her ? Your mother.”
“Yeah. Few years ago, I googled her.” That was only half a lie, she thought. That was her way to fool even the best lie detectors. People only had to find the little glimmer of truth in the lie. “She lives in Switzerland, with her new husband… and his kids,” she added, her voice darker than Matt had ever heard it before, not knowing that Rose had only learned about her mother’s new family after flying all the way to Switzerland and parking in front of her house for hours. She’d left with the next plane and never thought about going back again. “You ?” she asked back.
“Have I tried to find her ?” She nodded. “No.”
An hour later, when the last planter had been emptied and the trash bag laid out for the City to collect them, Rose threw all of her stuff back in her car and waited for Matt to get in. “I’m not letting you walk home by yourself,” she said. “Boxer and all, I’d feel bad to see you get hurt.” As soon as his seatbelt was on, she started driving, a smile on her face. “So uh… what are you doing tomorrow ?”
He took her hand over the gear lever. “I guess I’m throwing dirt where you’ve taken it from ?”
“Yes,” she replied. “But it’s gonna be good dirt. Fertilized and all.”
***
Foggy entered his office with the clear intention of knowing every single detail of what happened in that church. He’d called Matt to remind him to get up, as he was doing most of the time, only to find out that his friend was already up and in his office, working. That was very suspicious. Then he’d stopped by Rose’s shop, just like he’d been doing every morning. She was there, just like every single day, with one little difference. She seemed to be smiling a lot more. She offered coffee before he asked. The coffee pot was half empty already. In another life, Foggy was sure that he would’ve been a great cop. Even partnered up with Brett.
His first move when he stepped inside of Matt’s office was to check his clothes. The suit was different from the last time he’d seen him, so that was good news. He didn’t get their friend to bed yet. He tried to learn the most from his friend’s looks, but that was a hard task when he was faced with someone who’d known of his presence when he was still walking down the street.
“Can I help you with something ?” Matt asked, still working on his case.
“Can you- really ?” Foggy replied. He hurried to sit at the desk. “You know I always want to know. The only difference will be my reaction to knowing what you’re about to say.”
“Then why would I tell you anything ?”
“Because I’m your best friend, and you don’t have many of those. One of them you’re probably planning on sleeping with,” he added, getting comfortable on his seat. “Did something happen ?”
Matt let go of his work and crossed his arms. “Yes.”
“Okay,” Foggy replied, wondering if that was a good or a bad thing. “And ?”
“And then my mother caught us.”
Foggy burst out laughing. “God’s with me, buddy. God’s with me,” he repeated as Matt was still not laughing. “So now that you’ve got a celestial message, why were you in her shop drinking coffee this morning ?”
“To drink coffee, Foggy.”
That wasn’t going to be easy, Foggy thought. Matt had never been the sharing type, and now even less. He’d know soon enough, and tried to be as supportive as he could. “Are you going to see her again ? Don’t tell me that it’s bound to happen because she’s just downstairs.”
“I am,” Matt finally admitted. “Tonight, for more gardening.”
“Code for…”
“Gardening.”
“Wow,” Foggy sighed. “She really doesn’t have any time for herself. That’s good, don’t get her back to your place too fast.” He left his chair but immediately sat back down. “You’ve been lurking less than usual lately.” Matt didn’t reply. “That’s right. Ever since she got the shop,” he added before losing his train of thoughts. “That’s a good thing. You deserve some time off. Keep it up.”
He walked away, now conflicted about the whole ordeal. Matt might not have been good news for the female population of New York, but he was a good man. Foggy had only ever wanted the best for him, and it seemed that now that he’d found a new hobby, namely Rose Parsons, he was finally taking some time to enjoy life, and apparently learn new things about gardening.
***
On the very next Sunday, after three evenings of gardening-but-not-really, Rose was happy to report that she was very late on her self-imposed schedule. The nun had come back to talk to her again, mostly about flowers and bushes, and Rose still found her sudden interest in her quite surprising. Surely she’d had a life before all this, and she could understand that two consenting adults had the right to kiss wherever they wanted.
She was almost certain that the combination of her blossoming relationship with Matt and the call Jessica Jones made had gotten the lawyers off her back. That was good news, but the bug in her bathroom was still transmitting. Not only that, but she’d found a new one in her shop when she was checking up on the first one. Too many people were listening to her, and she’d no idea when the second one had been placed at all. It wasn’t there when she’d tasted her entire property after finding the one in her apartment, but she was a bit concerned by the idea that someone heard her conversation with Jessica.
No one had come to arrest her yet, and no one showed up for a forced extraction. It still had to be investigated, and she put that on top of her list of priorities the second she’d informed William of it. He didn’t forget to tell her that everything was going South for her and that she should be asking for extraction, but she brushed that suggestion off with a very convincing ‘Pfft’.
Rose made sure that there were no wrinkles on her clothes after leaving her car. She double checked everything and walked away from the parking lot, on her way to the luxurious apartment Vanessa Fisk was now living in.
She couldn’t believe how much security that disgraced woman still had. She passed by her driver and the doorman smoking a cigarette, then counted two bodyguards, their earbuds surely leading to more of their team. Her purse was searched, as well as her portfolio. She wondered if anyone had ever tried to hide a weapon in one of those and if not, that it was something to explore.
One of the bodyguards led her to the door of Vanessa’s apartment without a word. Rose looked at him and smiled. “Why are you all here ?” she asked.
“Protection.”
“From me ?” she scoffed. “Have you seen my face ?” The man glanced at her before turning back to the hallway. She kept walking beside him, in silence.
When he stopped in front of the door, she took a quick look around her. No one else seemed to be living here, which was a plus if anything was to happen. She thanked the man as he opened the door for her and stepped inside the apartment.
Vanessa was already there, sitting at a large glass table, with some kind of brunch. Rose politely smiled at her, knowing that she was being judged on everything she was wearing, on the state of her face, on her posture, and maybe on her perfume. But Vanessa had called to talk about flowers, and chances were she wouldn’t judge the waste of money Rose’s degrees were.
“Ms Parsons,” Vanessa said, standing from her chair. “I’m pleased to meet you in person. I took the liberty of ordering us something to eat.”
Rose kept smiling. She’d been informed of the pregnancy, but she had to admit that it had never been her priority and didn’t keep track of how long it had been going on for. Vanessa looked like she could’ve given birth any minute, which managed to make Rose very uncomfortable. “Oh, I didn’t know you uh… Congratulations,” she quickly added, shaking her host’s hand. “When are you due ?”
“In 6 weeks,” Vanessa replied with a smile. “I can’t wait. Do you have any ?”
“Kids ? God, no.” She sat in front of her and took the glass she was handed. “Thanks a lot for… well, all this. Very thoughtful. I, uh…” She put the glass down and took a very deep breath. “I’m going to be honest with you. I looked you up.”
Vanessa put down her toast and smiled. “But you still came.”
“I did. It says you’ve done nothing wrong and were never involved in your husband’s business. I’m not against working for you here,” she added, always smiling, “but only if it’s really about flowers that you need me.”
“What else would I need you for ?”
“I’m not an idiot, Mrs Marianna,” she replied, insisting on using the name Vanessa asked for. “And I don’t think it’s a coincidence if you called the woman who opened a shop right where some of the people who were involved in your husband’s arrest work. There are places with much more experience than me, with a well-established name and more… standing.”
Vanessa smiled back at her and nodded. “I came to learn about you as I was… checking on them, yes. But it has nothing to do with the reason why I asked for your services. Can we call this a happy coincidence ?”
“Is my friendship with them a problem for you ?”
“As long as your working for me isn’t a problem for them.”
“I don’t choose their clients, they don’t choose my customers.”
“Glad to hear it,” Vanessa replied. “Should we start, then ? I wouldn’t want to keep you here all day.”
Rose nodded and pushed her portfolio in Vanessa’s direction. She didn’t mind being stuck here for days, as long as she never had to talk to her lawyer. That was one of the reasons why she chose to come on a Sunday, hoping that he wouldn’t be working. They’d talked a lot already and even if they’d never met, that wasn’t a risk she was ready to take.
Vanessa seemed to be impressed with Rose’s work, complimented her on most of her accomplishments so far, and even tried to ask a few questions about her life. Rose had no reason to hide anything about her cover-self, and replied as well as she could.
As they were walking around the apartment, Rose taking notes and pictures of the place, Vanessa stopped and held onto the wall for support. “Are you okay ?” Rose asked, dreading the answer she’d get. “Do you need a doctor ?”
“I’m alright,” Vanessa replied after a few deep breaths. “It’s only a contraction. I’ve been standing for-” She closed her eyes and let out a painful moan.
Rose, genuinely panicking, put her camera and notepad on the floor before leading the woman to the nearest seat. She opened the door of the baby’s room, that they had just visited, and helped her sit on the comfortable armchair by the window. “Maybe I should call a doctor.”
“It happens sometimes. The closer I get to giving birth, the more painful they become.” Rose winced. Childbirth had always been one of the most terrifying things to her. The pain, the idea that a baby-sized human would have to be pushed out of a woman’s- No, that was too much for her. Vanessa slowly took back control of her breath, and soon enough it was as if nothing had happened. “Better now. Thanks for your help, Ms Parsons.”
“Rose. I think if I have to help you give birth you can at least call me Rose.”
Vanessa scoffed. “I’m not in labor, Rose.” She left her seat under Rose’s confused looks. “Should we get back to work ?”
“Or you should lie down and wait for the next 6 weeks ?”
“Have you been sent by my midwife ?”
Rose laughed. “Maybe if she told you, you should listen to her ?”
Vanessa gently put her hand on her stomach and smiled. “We’re both fine.” Her face darkened and her eyes were filled with tears when she looked back at Rose. “Do you have a good relationship with your parents, Rose ?”
“My father is everything to me,” she replied, sitting on the carpet by the armchair. “We have our ups and downs, but we only have each other. So we make it work.”
“What about your mother ?”
“Haven’t talked to her in almost two decades.”
“Why not ?”
“Because of her problems with my father,” she scoffed. “I somehow became involved. Piece of advice ? Don’t get your kid involved in anything. It’s just a baby.”
Vanessa looked down at the little feet pushing against her skin. “Do you think he’ll hate me ? For what happened to his father ? Should I even tell him the truth ?”
“If you don’t, he’ll learn about it himself,” Rose said in a quiet voice. “I think if you’re honest with… him, then, he’ll be able to understand. No parent is perfect, Mrs Fisk.”
“Would you forgive her ? I don’t know what she’s done, or what your father has done, but… would you ?”
“I understand her,” she calmly replied. “But I can’t forgive everything, I’m not a saint.” Rose left the floor and looked back at the door. “I think you should rest. I have enough pictures to start working. Can I call you if I need more information ?”
“Of course,” Vanessa said, following her down the hallway. Rose started gathering her documents and notes. “Thank you, Rose.”
“What for ?”
“Working for me. And for being concerned. I don’t have many people outside of the medical team and security. It’s nice to see that someone cares.”
Rose nodded at her. She knew life hadn’t been easy for Vanessa, and she knew the part she’d played in this. Denying her visits to her husband had been her tactic to get Fisk to talk, but it never worked. She wouldn’t change her decision to use that, but she could understand the effect it had had on the expecting woman. In return for her lack of empathy, she’d just been given one of her biggest scares to date. She’d never thought that she could ever have to be there when a woman gave birth, and that was not in any of her immediate plans.
She complied with all of the security checks on her way out, wished a good day to the driver and the doorman who were now drinking coffee, and quickly walked back to her car. She threw her portfolio and camera on the passenger’s seat and grabbed her phone from her purse.
She didn’t have to wait long before William answered her call. “That’s it,” he said. “The bug was transmitting here.”
“Good,” Rose sighed. “Because I was almost feeling bad for her. Send a team to-” She stopped and turned to the window of her car. Only the driver and the doorman were on sight. Still, she’d heard a car leaving. She turned to the other side of the street and frowned. “It’s getting hard to get any privacy here.”
“Says the girl who’s bugged- how many now ?”
“Three,” she calmly replied. “I still need to get inside Matt’s place. The one here has been activated ?”
“Yeah. I’m on it.”
Rose hung up and drove away from the parking lot. As soon as she was far from any prying pair of eyes, she shoved a hand inside of her shirt and drew an electronic device from her bra. She threw it with the rest of her stuff and finally allowed herself to scratch the side of her breast, after almost two hours of torture.
She sighed. Vanessa knew about her. She’d heard her conversation with Jessica, there was no doubt about it. Calling only half a day after she’d talked about her mother, and now asking about her ? The woman was smart, but not skilled. Rose could've gotten her arrested already, but the woman had rights and her mission was more important. Vanessa Fisk would likely never talk to the target, she could remain free and give birth however she'd like. Rose would deal with that later.
***
Matt hurried to Foggy’s office and threw the file he’d asked for on his desk. He’d had to come on a Sunday, but it was the price to pay if he wanted to keep seeing Rose without his best friend interfering. As long as the job was done and no one was spying on her anymore, he agreed not to say anything. The job was now done, and he even had a reason to have been here when Rose came back. He sat at his desk, letting his arms rest after three evenings spent gardening.
He'd never imagined that it’d be so hard physically. He was used to fighting, to training, and to be beaten up. Gardening seemed like an easy task. He’d helped more than was safe to do for a regular blind individual, but less than what his nightly occupation ever asked of him. And yet, he’d felt himself being more exhausted than usual. The constant lifting of heavy bags, the repetitive movements whether ample or small, all of it took a toll on him he hadn’t expected. It only made him even more impressed in Rose, who was still going strong and never complained once about the heavy work.
As he was waiting for her car to come back, another sound caught his attention. A new heartbeat, strong and fast. Woman, he thought. Not scared, but clearly excited. She was expecting something, someone. She was standing right in front of Rose’s shop.
He left his chair, his office, and ran down the stairs. That woman may have known something related to the attack on Rose only a week ago. He unfolded his cane before opening the door and stopped. Matt didn’t know what it was yet, but there was something new about the woman standing outside. Was it joy ? Was it hope ?
Walking the few steps between the door and Rose’s shop, he bumped his cane into the woman’s feet. “I’m sorry, are you okay ?” he quickly asked.
The woman turned and looked at him. “I’m- Oh,” she said when she noticed the cane. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stand in your way.” There was an accent. She’d lived in the US long enough for her to conceal it pretty well, but it was there. “Are you living here ?”
“I am. Can I help ?”
“Maybe,” she scoffed. “Do you know the woman who owns this shop ? It looks so nice, I was hoping to buy flowers from her.”
“She’s at church right now,” he replied. That woman wasn’t lying, but there was still something different about her, and yet very familiar.
“So you do know her.”
“Well, she has a flower shop right below my place. I think she’s tried to get me to buy some ever since she moved in,” he laughed. “Do you want to go upstairs and wait for her ?”
“God, no,” she instantly breathed out, fear kicking in. “No, I’ll just… I think I’ll come back another day. Thanks for your help.”
She quickly walked away, leaving Matt rather confused. He tried to remember if he’d ever met that woman before, but couldn’t. As soon as she got scared that Rose might see her, he thought, something changed in her voice. Her accent became heavier. French, maybe ? He turned back to the street, where that woman had left. Didn’t Rose say that her mother was living in Switzerland ? Questions were fuzing in Matt’s brain. It wasn’t impossible that Rose’s mother wanted to reconnect with her, that she’d come all the way to New York and ended up on that sidewalk.
What bugged him however was that she’d been so afraid to see her. Matt would’ve understood stress, impatience, and even excitement. But fear didn’t quite make sense. He wanted to think more about that mysterious woman, but Rose’s car stopped in front of him.
“What are you doing here ?” she asked as she was opening the window.
He walked over to the car and smiled. “Doing what I do best, being your assistant. Someone wanted to buy flowers from you.”
“Shit, I missed a sale” she sighed. “Okay, just let me park and change. I’m getting you coffee.”
As she was driving away, Matt asked himself if he should tell her about the woman he’d met only a minute before. He decided not to interfere with whoever it was, leaving things to happen by themselves. He’d never be able to explain how he’d known so much in so little time. That woman was not a danger to anyone, except for Rose’s good mood. Something he had no interest in affecting right now.
***
Eva only stopped walking when she reached her car two streets away from Bees’ Paradise. She couldn’t believe she went there after everything Edward had told her, even less that she’d talk to someone who knew Fleur. She was only relieved to know that this man wouldn’t be able to describe her to her daughter if he talked about their encounter. There was no way he’d know about her either, and that was for the best. She intended on keeping her little trip to the flower shop to herself and never saying a word about it to Edward.
She’d read everything he’d given her already. Twice, maybe three times each. Eva knew everything there was to know about Fleur. She didn’t want to know about that woman she was pretending to be. After reading about everything she’d done in her real life, she’d simply decided that she’d go there. Talked to her if she agreed. The shop had been closed, and that was for the best. Of course Eva was disappointed, but she only needed to be a little more patient.
She drove back to the apartment she’d been renting for weeks now, hoping that her ex-husband’s co-workers weren’t somewhere spying on her. She didn’t want to be arrested, just like he’d told. She knew that it was what was going to happen if she kept lurking around the shop, uninvited. She knew it, and she still went there.
Eva grabbed her purse and locked the car. She walked to the building’s door, only stopping when she heard someone running behind her.
“Hold the door, please,” a man yelled, rushing to join her.
She unlocked the door and let him through. As she was closing it behind her, something pressed hard on her back. She slowly turned her head to the man she’d never seen before letting him in.
“If you scream, I’ll send your corpse to the girl,” he whispered.
***
Karen called. She called again, hoping that Matt would understand that it was urgent. He didn’t reply. She didn’t leave a message. She couldn’t. Not anymore. She knew where he was, but it was too dangerous to go there now. She tried to stop herself from digging trenches in her living room, reminding herself that she was safe for now. As long as Matt was at the shop, or anywhere with Rose, this place was safe.
She hated herself for it. She’d given her trust, she had certainties, and it all went away in the blink of an eye. Not only that, but she’d have to tell Matt and Foggy. It would break them, too.
Finally, after two hours spent in complete silence, Karen heard the clicking of Matt’s cane outside. She ran out, down the stairs, and avoided bumping into him only because he’d heard her.
“Karen ?” he asked, already knowing that something was wrong. “What hap-”
She grabbed his sleeve and dragged him upstairs. He was about to turn to her apartment when she violently forced him to go the other way. Before any of them could enter the place, she stopped him. “Has Rose ever been here ?” she asked in a whisper. “Has she ever offered you a plant ? Flowers ? Anything that comes from her, is there any-”
“No,” he stopped her, growing increasingly worried. “Karen, what happened.”
“Inside,” she said.
None of them wanted to wait to talk, but Karen had been stuck in silence for hours. She started pacing around Matt’s living room, now trying to figure out the best way to talk to her. Matt left for the kitchen and come back with a tall glass of water.
“You have to-”
“Rose is working with Vanessa,” she blurted out. She closed her eyes, her chest now a little lighter. “She’s spent hours in her penthouse, I saw her when she got out. It looked like she knew some of the employees. Matt,” she repeated as he was slowly sitting down. “What if they’re both after you ?”
He tried to find ways to dismiss Karen’s accusations, but knew that his friends wouldn’t have said anything without being sure of what she’d seen. He tried to think of reasons Rose would’ve been with Vanessa when she’d told him she’d be at church. He even tried to convince himself that she might not have known about Vanessa Fisk’s history. She wasn’t from New York, after all. But she’d looked the City up, and if she knew about them, she knew about her too. Nothing made sense for him.
Nothing, but the beats of Karen’s hearts weren’t lying. She was terrified. She was onto something. She wouldn’t let go, and this was his time to show her that he was a good friend. “Why did you ask me about plants ?”
Karen sat next to him and rubbed her face with her hands. “There’s a bug in my apartment. Inside the terrarium.”
“How do you-”
“I got a hunch,” she replied. “After I saw her leave Vanessa’s place, I went to talk to a friend. He gave me a… a thing, to detect bugs and wires.”
“Did you touch it ?” She shook her head. “Good. Keep acting as normal,” he added, hoping nothing more than they’d been wrong this time.