Her Eyes

Chapter 8: FLOWERS

Alex returned to the station the next day to find he had a message from Norma.

            "Norma Bates called earlier," Regina told him while typing away at her computer. "She said someone sent her flowers. Something about Jake Abernathy."

            Alex nodded and headed back to his office.  Why would he care if someone sent her flowers? Did he care? He turned his focus to the paperwork in front of him, hoping it would ease his thoughts.

           

When it was later on in the night, Alex decided to head over to the Bates Motel. He pulled up to find a group of stoners playing guitars and singing Slide by the Goo Goo Dolls. As soon as he exited his vehicle the music stopped. "Why aren't you guys working?" he joked, approaching them.

            "Want some veggies?" one of them asked before taking another hit.

            "Nah. I'm good, thanks," Alex told them. He turned and walked towards the motel office. He caught a glimpse of Norma through the window. She had been watching him and now she was trying to hide it by running behind her desk, pretending to work. Alex smiled at her childishness and stepped into the office, closing the door behind him.

            "Did you get my message?" she asked immediately.

            "Something about flowers," he sighed, coming closer to the desk. He took the card from her and examined it, checking both sides. "How do you know he sent these?"

            "Well who else would it be?" she argued.

            He stared back at her completely stunned. "I don't know. I don't know anything about your personal life." Nor did he want to know.

            "This doesn't have anything to do with my personal life," she shot back. "This could be a clue! And I am pretty sure I saw him driving by here earlier today."

            Alex sighed, looking back at the card. "I'll look into the florist, but I don't think it'll lead anywhere," he told her sadly. He really did want to help her—protect her.

            "Why not?" She was clearly frustrated by the whole mess. She hadn't even bothered to change out of her maid uniform.

            "Cause Jake Abernathy doesn't exist. All the information that he gave you when he registered was made up. And if this was him, I doubt he left any traceable information at the florist." He sighed and looked out the window towards the rooms. "I'd like to dust his motel room for fingerprints, if you'll let me."

            "Well yeah, that would be fine, but I already cleaned the room top to bottom after the creep left." Alex glared at her. This woman sure wasn't making his job any easier. "Now there's a couple of stoners in there. God knows what they tracked in there with them."

            Alex smiled at her mild frustration. "Sort of funny you went into the service industry, you don't seem too keen on serving anybody," he flirted lightly, hoping to brighten her mood.

            "I'm as keen as I need to be," she shot back in offense. He never was very good at charming women. "So what are you gonna do now...about Abernathy?"

            He let out a deep sigh. "Nothing." He felt himself becoming increasingly annoyed with her.

            "Nothing? You're a sheriff. You have ways of finding things out. You do official things," she argued, pushing him over the edge.

            He had finally lost it. "No, not unless we have a lead. Do you have anything else? I mean besides a florist card that says, 'See you soon'. Do you have a license plate? Names he might have mentioned? A location he might be going? Do you?" The veins began to bulge on his neck. He felt his skin become hot.

            "No," she replied sheepishly. Her eyes began to weaken.

            Alex took his eyes off of her and sighed. He needed to protect her. "All right. I'm gonna have you house patrolled in a half hour. Let me know if anything else happens," he stated softly. He opened the door and made his way to his SUV.

            Soon enough he heard her footsteps behind him. "Oh like what? Like he digs up a couple of more dead people and puts them in my bed?" she shouted from the motel porch.

            This woman loved to make a scene. Alex turned his head and watched her in his peripheral. "Yeah, like that. Night, Norma." He got in his car and drove home.