"Willow's Missing Tail" 17

Martha moved quietly through the garden. She opened the sliding door into the first floor bedroom and waited a heartbeat before going to find Perfidia. She walked into the living room and stopped short to stare at the surreal tableau before her.

Perfidia’s vibrant red hair shimmered with an electric, blue hue and Daphne was covered in a strange, orange colored goop. The parrot, Sahara, sat on a curtain rod making a sound she could only assume was bird laughter. “What happened in here?”

Perfidia brushed an errant, blue strand away from her eyes and looked at Martha. “Don’t ask; it’s too complicated to explain.”

“It’s not complicated,” Daphne disagreed wiping the slimy, orange goop from her face, “Perfidia acted out just like the sore loser she was as a child, and I had to retaliate.”

“I’m not a sore loser; you cheated.” Perfidia accused.

“I did not cheat; it was a perfectly reasonable dare.”

“Your dare wasn’t fair!”

“A dare doesn’t have to be fair, but my dare was fair!” Daphne shot back.

Martha stepped between them fearing more consequences might fly. “I think its time for a tea break; we'll sit down, have a nice lunch, and sort this out.”

“There’s nothing to sort out Martha. Daphne never played fair,” Perfidia groused then sat on the couch staring daggers at her cousin.

Daphne smiled like a cat with a wicked plan before sitting down in the chair across from her cousin and returning the sharp look.

Martha sighed and asked in a reasonable tone, “What was the dare?”

“She dared me to let her see my mother’s recipe book.” Perfidia grumbled.

“Yes I did, after you’d dared me to give Odessa back her ghost orchids, which I did…so why couldn’t I have a look at those recipes; why is that so terrible?”

Perfidia grew silent but her eyes telegraphed a deep sorrow to Martha.

“I think tea and warm Monte Cristo sandwiches might calm the frayed atmosphere,” Martha suggested giving Perfidia a conspiratorial nod.

Perfidia smiled and agreed. “You’re right Martha, I am feeling hungry and your Monte Cristo sandwiches are legendary.

Daphne gave them both a look of suspicion. “I’m not sure I trust either of you.”

Martha shrugged. “Suit yourself but I’ll be in the kitchen making lunch.” She walked off in the direction of that room.

“It’s just tea and a sandwich Pris, don’t go looking for an ulterior purpose,” Perfidia teased and stood up to follow Martha.

“I don’t go by that name anymore. It’s Daphne!”

“Yeah, that may take me a minute to remember,” Perfidia chuckled and breezed out of the room.

It took a strained minute before Daphne decided she would join them but first, she'd wash off the slimy substance she was covered in. She walked out of the room amid laughter from one annoying parrot. “Shut up Sahara or your feathers might soon be sporting a new layer of orange sheen too.”

Sahara swallowed her laughter then flew out of an open window to keep a safer distance.

Perfidia walked into the kitchen where Martha was already filling the kettle with water. “So, what did Avery tell you?”

“Not now, Daphne will be coming in soon, but can you add your special blend of honesty to my tea without detection?”

Perfidia gave a short laugh,” Can I? What do you think?” she asked with a hint of mischief.

“Good,” Martha nodded.

“Are you going to let me in on what you’re hoping to find out?”

“I don’t have time but it’s important to know Daphne's answers will be truthful.”

“Martha, no one can resist my truth potion; you were under its spell once, remember?”

“Yes, and so were you. Remember the festival with Jon?” Martha teased.

“Don’t remind me; I made a fool of myself but…it proves its potency.”

“It does,” Martha nodded then turned quickly around to smile at Daphne who’d just entered the room.

“I still don’t trust either of you but I’m hungry too,” she admitted and sat down at the long kitchen table.

Perfidia made a show of gathering the ingredients Martha needed for the sandwiches and placing them on the counter but the one quick movement of her hand over one specific tea cup was undetected by Daphne.

Martha plated the sandwiches and Perfidia brought them to the table. Then Martha lifted the silver tray that held the filled tea cups and carried it to the table where Perfidia graciously helped her by placing a teacup by each plate, making sure the special teacup was in front of Daphne.

“This does smell amazing,” Daphne admitted breathing in the aroma of the delectable sandwich.

“It tastes even better,” Perfidia advised lifting her sandwich to take a bite then adding a sigh of pleasure after.

Daphne took a bite and agreed it was excellent. “Okay, I’ll want this recipe too; is it allowed Martha or will I have purple goop on my head for asking?”

“Funny, you’re so funny,” Perfidia scowled at her.

“Stop you two. And yes Daphne, you can have this recipe but, I think you should know the reason why you can’t see your aunt’s recipes. Tell her Perfidia.”

Perfidia turned to scowl at Martha. “You need to tell her,” Martha reiterated in a gentle tone.

Perfidia turned to Daphne. “I don’t have the book and neither does my mother. Someone stole it.”

“What? Someone stole Aunt Abigail’s recipe book? When…how?” Daphne was shocked. Everyone understood the reverence of a recipe book. It was past down through generations from mothers to daughters, protected by the understanding it was to be held by the current living relative and passed on. But who could be so dastardly as to break that bond?

“We don’t know. My mom had it the day before my father’s funeral. She’d made all the food for the gathering but the day after his funeral she went to place it back in its box, it wasn’t where she’d left it. She’d placed it in a kitchen drawer near the counter but it was gone.”

“Maybe she just misplaced it.”

“No, we searched everywhere, turned over everything, it wasn’t there. It wasn’t anywhere. The only conclusion we could make was that someone took it on the day of my dad’s funeral.”

“That’s despicable!” Daphne said outraged that someone would take something so loved and intrinsic to a family’s generational history. “Do you have the list of attendees? I’d like to help you get it back.”

“I’ve been working on getting it back ever since it disappeared all those years ago but so far no one is a suspect; the list has been a dead end. I think it was someone we didn’t see there that day…but now is not the time to dig into that mystery. We need to dig into this lunch before it gets cold,” she finished with a determined nod and turned to Martha, “Thank you; this is what I needed.”

Martha smiled. “You’re welcome, you both are, so now that the misunderstanding is settled, can we hope there will be no more blue hair or orange goop flying about?”

Daphne giggled and picked up her teacup holding up as a toast, “No more consequences from me,” she stated and tapped her teacup to Perfidia’s to show good faith.

Perfidia smiled and lifted her cup as well but she did not repeat the promise because there was a consequence to be played, waiting in Daphne’s teacup.

They watched as Daphne drank from the teacup of honesty and waited for it to take effect. Then after they’d finished their sandwiches, Martha began the questioning.

“Daphne, I’m curious, how did you and Avery meet? Would you tell us that story?”

Daphne’s smile slipped into a sneer and she shook her head. “That’s a day I won’t easily forget and not one I like to remember,” she snapped.

“Why?” Perfidia asked, not sure where Martha was going with the questioning but hoping to help.

Daphne sighed dramatically. “Avery was doing some bird research, typical to his talent, and I was vacationing in Honolulu and sunbathing on the beach where he was conducting his study,” she sighed again but this time it was softer, “I have to admit recalling that moment with Avery is still potent. He was, is, very suave and good looking.”

“You think so?” Perfidia mumbled. She didn’t see the attraction but maybe because Jon held her romantic, fantasized attention to distraction. Maybe she was biased in what she thought was good-looking.

“I agree.” Martha interjected, “Avery’s an impressive looking man and those tailored suits don’t hurt the look either.”

Daphne nodded and sighed, picturing Avery.

“So what happened next?” Martha prompted her to go on.

“He walked up to me to say something but then he stood there staring at me for a full minute before he blurted out if I’d like to join him for dinner. I said okay and that’s how we met.”

So far Daphne was telling Martha the same story of how it started, same facts as Avery, but she needed to know if both stories matched all the way to the ending.

“How was that first date? Did you find a connection?” Martha asked.

“I suppose we did; I mean we did date three more times before my vacation ended.”

“And was that when you decided to open a business together and how did that come up in conversation?” Martha asked, a curious lilt to her tone.

Daphne swallowed her reply or at least she tried to but it bubbled up with a will of its own and spilled out of her mouth. “Oh I knew what he did even before he walked over to me. I’d been following him for months taking note of his…,” she hesitated and tried to bite her tongue but the darn thing kept wagging.

“His what...?” Perfidia prompted.

“His habits; I knew of his business, stumbled onto a site that touted its abilities, and I wanted in. After I met him I …wanted him,” she sighed like a school girl then giggled at the shocked look on Perfidia’s face. “Oh come on, you both know he’s gorgeous. Of course I tried to catch his eye too. I made a call to hire his office and said I was from the Audubon Society hoping to gather information on the sighting of a rare bird. He took the bait. The specific bird I asked to research had been spotted in Honolulu so all I had to do was put myself in Avery’s path, or his research bird’s path, and make him notice me. And that’s what I did,” she concluded with a sly smile but she wasn’t sure why she was giving up this information. It wasn’t like her to spill her thoughts.

“More tea…?” Martha offered with an innocent smile.

“Sure…” Daphne replied absently, mulling over her unusual openness.

Martha poured more of the honesty blend into her teacup and encouraged her to go on with her tale. “So you got Avery to notice you and he asked you out…how was that first date? What did you talk about?”

“At first we talked very little; we were both taken by the charm of the other, smiling a lot. He’d even enticed a beautiful parrot to come down to our table and that’s how I got Sahara. I have to say, it was a lovely, romantic evening until I asked about his work. That was mistake. He rambled on for over an hour about how the start up still had issues and how difficult it was organizing all the bird flocks. I was sorry I’d asked the question but it made me realize, I’d have to become a part of his work to become a part of his life.”

“So you were infatuated with him?” Perfidia asked with a hint of disbelief.

“I guess so, but at the time it felt like more; it felt like …the real deal.”

“Love…? You thought you loved him after only one date?” Perfidia asked.

“I know it sounds odd, but yes. Only, it wasn’t just one date, not for me. I’d been researching him and following his business for awhile. I began to fall in love with him before that date and that’s why I hatched that crazy plan to meet him in Honolulu, a very romantic first meeting spot. Don’t you agree?”

“Sure, it’s romantic,” Perfidia gave her a confused look. This was not what she’d expected to learn about her cousin. Her vulnerability was unexpected but she understood having a distant longing for someone unattainable, or at least thinking they were unattainable. Now that she and Jon had reconnected, she did see love as a continuing possibility in her life.

“I agree; Hawaii is romantic. Did that first date have any other revelations?” Martha asked.

Daphne nodded. “I thought I could just win him over by showing an interest in his work but as I said, I realized his fledgling business garnered all of his attention. If I didn’t become a part of that business we’d have no future so I hinted I’d had a similar plan for a business and I found his expertise intriguing. Then on our last date, he told me I could call him anytime if I had questions and we exchanged numbers. I doubted he’d ever reach out to me so after a few weeks, I found a place to rent near his hometown. I called him to let him know I’d moved there and was interested in working alongside him.”

“And you began working with him and it sharpened his romantic interests?” Martha inquired.

Daphne drained her second cup of tea and frowned at her. “No, not even a spark could be detected. Oh he loved having someone helping him and he gave me a ton of research and client schmoozing work to do. But our date nights were filled with only business talk, not a wink of romance.”

“Is that when you left?” Perfidia asked.

“Left him? No…I thought given enough time together, he’d see me as more than a business partner. I hoped after the business became successful he’d relax and think about more than the next client…”

“And that didn’t happen?” Perfidia asked, becoming engrossed in the tale too.

“No. I kept trying to get his attention away from the business but after six months, I began to think it was impossible. Then a client came through the door, a feminine client, and she captured his undivided attention. I was hurt, frustrated, watching her flirt with him as he set up her business needs. I had to get out of there or I might have done something drastic, like tell him something I’d regret. So I went to the bank to make the daily deposit but while I was there I came up with a plan on how I could draw his attention away from that pretty client. I’d attack him in his money belt. I was joint owner on all of the business accounts so I began closing them. I knew when he went to withdraw the funds he’d need for that client's wishes, he’d find out what I had done and I would have his attention. I intended, when I got back to the office, to tell him how I felt and tell him I’d give him all the money back but I needed to know where we stood.”

“Did it work? Did he tell you?” Perfidia asked.

“No. There was a problem with my plan, the bank shut me down after closing only one measly account and told me I was no longer on the accounts. When I got back to the office Avery was gone; the whole business operation was gone. He’d run away with that client and never gave me a second thought! He took everything.”

“I’m so sorry, Pris,” Perfidia placed a hand on her shoulder.

Daphne sobbed softly and didn’t correct the name as she confessed, “It wasn’t the money or the business he took away that made me angry; it was…my heart he’d stolen that really hurt,” she finished sadly then held up her empty teacup and sniffed, “May I have some more tea Martha? It’s a wonderful blend.”

Martha and Perfidia stared at each other overwhelmed by the truthful tale. Now the missing pieces clicked into place. It was unrequited love that drove Daphne to destroy Avery.

“And that’s when you decided to track him down?” Martha asked refilling Daphne’s cup.

“Not at first; I traveled a lot trying to forget him but the betrayal festered inside. I found no relief from the heartache he’d given me and decided I had to find him. I had to confront him. That’s when I began to form a plan using Sahara’s talents, and her connection to the bird community helped me track that scoundrel down.”

“I understand your anger Daphne and the need to confront Avery, but why involve all of us?” Martha asked.

“I wanted to ruin him, ruin his business and his reputation with his clients. I wanted him to lose the one thing that meant everything to him but I'm sorry about Willow confronting her twin’s powers. I didn’t know you or Willow. I just wanted to make you angry at Avery, make you think he’d placed that cat in your path, and in a way he had. It was Avery who’d found the cat. And Perfidia,” she turned to her cousin, “I knew you’d have what I needed in your store to make me undetectable to Avery so when I found the combination to your protection listed in Avery's file…I used it.”

“Okay I get that, but why take the ghost orchids from Odessa’s garden?” Perfidia asked.

“As I said, I had all the files from Avery and read all about his commendable work for his clients. I wanted to destroy those relationships. If taking the ghost orchids ruined the wedding of your friends Roger and Gloria and if I could point the theft in Avery’s direction all the better.” 

“I see.” Martha mumbled, and she did. Avery and Daphne were misguided on what the other had done and why. She’d have to get them in one place, make them talk to each other. Only that wasn’t going to be an easy task. For one thing, she didn’t have Avery’s new location.

She hadn’t seen Willow but hoped Willow was successful finding Avery's new lair.