Nathaniel watched the women leave. Thank goodness. He went and found his partner, Jessica Daniels. “Guess we’re making a run to the flower shop,” he told her.

“Oh? You picking me up something nice?”

“No, Dove just came with flowers with a threatening note.”

“Do you think this means she’s not making it up?”

“I’m half-inclined to say she got them delivered herself to get our attention,” Nate said.

Jessica chuckled. “Well, let’s just go see who bought the flowers. Who knows? Maybe we’ll be surprised.” Nate wanted to do no such thing, but Jennifer was the senior officer, and he knew he had to take her seriously.

They walked out to the car and Nate climbed in the driver’s seat. It was pushed all the way back to accommodate his large frame. Nate normally drove, so the car was all set up for him. He also kept it perfectly clean. They got to the Best Wishes Flower Shop in the space of a few minutes.

“Well, let’s hope it’s nothing,” Nate said. He stepped out of the vehicle and pulled up his belt before walking into the store. Jessica followed him.

In reality, Nate wasn’t sure if he wanted it to be nothing. He just had begun being a rather small-time cop, and wanted a bit of action. But Ashford Falls was a quiet town, and Dove seemed a little … imaginative. She taught grade school, after all. Weren’t grade-school teachers always trying to teach their students imagination? But a bit of something, no real danger to anyone, just something to do, that could be fun.

The Best Wishes Flower Shop had a perfectly decorated window showing off his flowers. It was all geared up for Valentine’s Day, rose petals gathered around the bottom and beautiful bouquets of red and white gracing the glass. Inside, it was just it pretty, but much more scented. The smell of flowers filled Nate’s nose, and he coughed, thinking it would never leave. It wasn’t exactly a bad smell, but much too powerful to be enjoyable, at least to Officer O’Bannon. The light shone through the window, glinting on the big, round glasses of Theodore, and filtering through the scent of the flower petals.

“How can I help you fine officers?” Theodore asked with a grin.

“We need records of all the roses you’ve sold her recently,” Jessica said, in her no-funny-business tone.

“Well, now, it’s practically Valentine’s Day. We’ve sold all the roses in stock and then some.”

“These were delivered today. And there was a note.”

“Well, we don’t keep track of notes, but do you happen to know where it was delivered to? That would narrow it down quite a bit.”

Jessica flipped through her notes, and Nate watched her. He generally let her take the lead, at least for now while he was learning. “332 King Street,” she answered.

Theodore walked over to the computer and pressed a few buttons. Nate thought back to Theodore selling him a corsage for prom. That was the last time he had bought flowers from him, since he had gone away for police academy, and he hadn’t had the time to get a girlfriend. He hoped to be back here again soon, but for now his main focus had to be on starting the new job.

“Well, you’re in luck. This was paid for by credit card. It was bought by a Russell Peterson.”

“Peterson?” Jessica asked. “Can we have a copy of that receipt?” Nate was surprised that he was unsurprised. Peterson was the local drunk, and only lived two doors down from Dove. If someone were to cause problems with the neighborhood women, it would be him. Theodore handed Jessica the receipt, and they went and got back into the car.

“Ready to go give Peterson a talking-to?” Jessica asked.

“Just a talking-to?” Nate asked.

“I think we’d be fine telling him if there’s any more contact we’ll hold him. Maybe go out to Babcock’s house after, and tell her she can take out a restraining order if she wishes, and to call us if there are any more problems.”

Nate agreed that that was probably the best course of action. After all, the only thing they actually had proof of was that Peterson bought Dove flowers. It wasn’t exactly convicting.

They pulled up to Peterson’s dilapidated house. It badly needed a coat of paint, and who knew how long it had been since the grass had last been cut? Jessica knocked on the door. Nate was just getting the scent of flowers out of his nose, and now Peterson opened the door and the smell of booze and body sweat filled him instead.

“Can I help you, officers?”

“Did you send flowers to Dove Babcock?” Jessica asked.

“Now, officers, I hardly think that’s a crime.”

“No, but sneaking onto private property to look in people’s windows is.”

“What? I never—”

“So you just happen to send a threatening note to her when she has been seeing people outside of her window? That’s quite a coincidence,” Nate said. He didn’t want Jessica getting in all the talking. He had to learn how to do this eventually.

“Not a coincidence. I did it as a joke. The whole town knows she’s been crying wolf; you cops aren’t exactly quiet. I figured I’d give her something to actually be scared about.”

“What a joke,” Jessica said. “Scaring a poor innocent woman half to death.”

“Do you officers have any other questions?” Randall asked. He didn’t wait for an answer, but slammed the door in their face.

“Well, a talking-to certainly worked,” Nate scoffed.

Jessica shrugged. “We have no proof it was him. We’ll just tell Dove to keep a close watch and find him in the act if he tries anything again.”

“Right,” Nate said, getting back in the car. Now he was beginning to feel a bit bad for never believing Dove. If he had known someone was actually peeking in her windows, he would’ve been much nicer. It was a policeman’s job to listen to such problems, after all. He supposed he owed her an apology. He wasn’t sure if he would actually give one yet.

They drove to Dove’s house next, and Nate knocked on the door. It was Teressa that answered. “Did you find the guy?” she asked.

“The man who sent the flowers was Russell Peterson,” Nate said.

“So are you going to arrest him?”

“Unfortunately, we have no proof he was the one on your property. For now, Ms. Babcock, we’d like you to keep watch and warn us if there are any more problems.”

“It’s not him,” Dove said, and everyone turned to look at her.

“What?” Nate said. “We talked to the flower shop. He sent the roses.”

“Maybe he sent the roses, but he wasn’t the one who looked in my window. I told you—right, Teressa?—that he had a straight nose, sharp. Russell’s nose is round and big. It wasn’t him.”

“Ms. Babcock, maybe you were confused. You were scared. That can change perception,” Jessica said.

“I wasn’t confused,” Dove said.

“Well, if you have any more problems, feel free to call us.”

“Don’t you have something to say? Since there really was someone outside her window?” Teressa asked, looking straight at Nate.

If Dove had said they caught the guy, Nate probably would’ve apologized. But she wasn’t believing them. She had this stupid idea that someone else was after her. He didn’t see how he could apologize to her for that. “I think that’s all. Call us if you have any problems, and we can get him on trespassing and maybe stalking.”

“It’s not done, because it’s not him,” Dove said. Nate was so annoyed, he turned and walked out the door.