Sequestered with the Murderers by Dr. Tanner (books for 8th graders TXT) 📕

“If you get the chance to visit Envyton County in the summer and fall, you’re see why. Seems like every other household has at least one. I’ve got four of them in my yard. They are beautiful and come in many different colors. Ms. Lacecap had a kinship with the lacecap variety. Her yard was full of them, and the three of them enjoyed giving bouquets to people. The deal was she loved the lacecap hydrangeas, just like some other gardener may have a love for roses or azaleas,” Kay explained.

“Could Diantha have brought the bouquet with her to put in a container in the park? It’s my understanding that she was known to walk in that park all the time. Someone could have accosted her before she had the chance to put the flowers in the container,” I said.

“That’s a theory. It’s possible,” Kay said.

“What color hydrangea did Diantha have with her when she was murdered?” Gam asked.

“Who knows? The police have kept that information under wrap for ten years,” Mercy said. “There’s so much we don’t know about Diantha’s murder.”

Listen to what he just said, my inner voice spoke.

“Baby, it’s getting late. Do you have any more questions?” Gam asked.

“It’s been nice meeting you both. Thank you both for sharing your memory of the events surrounding the Lacecap Hydrangea Murders,” I said.

“You are welcome. We’ve enjoyed it,” Mercy said.

“Perhaps, we’ll see you again before we leave. We check out Monday morning,” Gam said.

“We look forward to it. We check out on Sunday. Have a good night.”

“You both do the same,” Gam said.

“Goodnight,” I said.

When we got back to the room, chocolates, a red rose, and a note were on a little stand beside the door. The message read: We enjoyed having you for dinner. Please let us know how well you enjoyed the food. Tomorrow’s dinner will be just as delicious as tonight’s meal and will consist of:

Wine: Red Wine

Appetizers: Beef Wellington Triangles, Almond Cheddar Squares, and Onion Rolls.

Soup: Tomato Basil Soup

Entrée: Peppercorn Tender Roast Beef and Gravy, Roasted New Potatoes, Almond String Beans, and Hot Rolls.

Dessert: Single-Serve Pineapple Upside Down Rum Cake.

Breakfast will be served from 7:00 am-11:00 am and consist of a buffet of your favorite breakfast foods. If you prefer to eat breakfast in your room, please call the front desk, and we will take your order.

Again thank you for choosing Serenity Bed, Breakfast and Dinner.

The staff.

“This place really knows how to treat guests,” I said to Gam as he used his room key to unlock the door.

“You pay enough for it,” Gam said as we walked into the room.

“Just like a man. You can’t appreciate the finer things in life,” I said, teasing him.

“My happiness comes from watching you enjoy the place.”

“I am happy. I love it here. Are you too tired to tell me about the cases you worked on where people have taken their own life?”

“Not at all, little lady. Have a seat.” I sat on the bed. Gam pulled the chair away from the desk and sat in it.

“It seems that suicide among teenagers is a growing concern. You know that, right?”

I nodded my head.

I just can’t seem to understand the adult suicides. We’ve been taught in the Sheriff’s Office that more than half of the adult suicides stem from some type of psychological disorder, you know, depression and other mood disorders, but also from things like substance abuse, bipolar disease, and only God only knows what else.”

“Gwen didn’t appear to have any of those things.”

“Baby, you can’t always discern that from being around a person for a few days. People are good at hiding symptoms and things they don’t want you to see.”

“I do understand that.”

“It’s difficult to understand why a family member, a friend, or someone you liked, Gwen, in your case, committed suicide. You didn’t see any warning signs in her, but you had not known her long enough to really know a warning sign. Yet, you still wonder what clues you may have missed. You have got to stop that. There could have been many factors that lead Gwen to take her life that she has been hiding for years.”

“I know. I hear you.”

“There was a case I worked on where a forty-five-year-old woman committed suicide. Come to find out, she had been raped and sexually abused as a child. This was labeled a traumatic experience. We now know women who have gone through traumatic experiences like this are at a greater risk for suicide many years later after the traumatic experience. After the suicide, her family members said that she was always depressed, couldn’t keep a boyfriend, talked about weird things like helplessness and hopelessness, and seems to always be in a dark place. But no one sought help for her.”

“Gam, the family just didn’t know the signs of suicide.”

“They didn’t. It was the same for a buddy of mine whose brother committed suicide. The brother was an alcoholic and abused drugs. Alcohol and drugs can sometimes make a person who is feeling suicidal act on the urge. The brother had lost his job because of his substance abuse problem. His family and friends did not want to be around him because of his problem. So, I’m assuming the loneliness, the shame, and the humiliation set in and was too much for him. My buddy said to me, ‘We didn’t think he would shoot himself. He didn’t show any signs that he was suicidal.’ I wanted to say so badly to him, yes he did. You just did not recognize them.”

“Was this your buddy Lindell’s brother?”

“Yeah. Sad, sad story. I went to school with both of them. One of Daddy’s friends committed suicide, too. I think it was the year before I met you. Mr. Willie was in his early seventies. He had farmed all his life, and from what I understand, he was not ready to give it up. He had a big farm in Blairs. His wife was dead. His children were