The Gardenia Murders

Synopsis

My boyfriend, Cameron Stanford, had a strange habit. He never waited for me outside my office. Instead, he always waited right at the entrance to the morgue. He said the silence here inspired him. My colleagues all looked at us strangely, but I found it incredibly romantic. He was the only bright spot in my work, the only one who could see past my cold profession and into my heart. He always brought a bouquet of the freshest white gardenias, placed them in the lobby, and then quietly sat on the bench, watching me with gentle eyes as I prepared the deceased. Until today, when the police brought in a new female body, the latest victim of what they called "the Gardenia Murders." As I went through my usual routine, checking beneath her fingernails, my heart skipped a beat. Lodged there was a tiny sliver of wood, unmistakably from the one-of-a-kind rosewood easel I'd seen in Cameron's studio just yesterday.