The Sunflowers

Leanette adjusted the napkins placed on top of the plates so that the embroidered sunflowers sit right at the center. This is the third time in ten minutes. She moved the glasses next, settling each one at the heart of its ceramic coaster, one with aqua and yellow flowers. Her eyes travelled the length of the table, measuring if anything is unaligned by even a tiny margin. Her hands go still when she hears a car door outside. She's early, Leanette thought.

Hearing the footsteps towards her porch, Leanette steadied herself in front of the door, stealing a quick glance to her left at the oval mirror, with her reflection staring back. She straightened her mustard-yellow dress and her chin-length auburn hair that curves at the bottom.

“Hello!” Leanette exclaimed as she opened the door with a gleaming smile on her face.

“Leanette!” Cara pulled Leanette into a hug. “I got you these; Alistair told me how much you like sunflowers!”

“Why, thank you! They are so beautiful! Let’s get you inside.”

Cara stepped inside, and her eyes moved immediately around the room. “You have such a beautiful home, and it smells incredible in here!” She spotted a vibrant oil painting on the wall. Cara realised it wasn’t there the last time she was here but figured it was better she kept that thought to herself.

"I've been cooking all day." Leanette took the sunflowers to the kitchen and placed them in the crystal vase by the window, filling it slowly. "I'm so glad you could come. Honestly, with Alistair away on business so often, I’m alone most of the nights. It's good to have company."

Leanette knew that tonight was the night. She had been playing a guessing game for a while now, but her mind was made up the moment she found the evidence.

Cara had already taken her seat at the dining table. She was just grateful that this dinner invite came at the right time. She had been careless, but tonight she would fix it.

In the kitchen, Leanette lifted the roasted dish from the oven, chicken roasted to perfection and sprinkled with herbs. On the counter, beneath its glass dome, sat the chocolate pavlova, crowned with fresh raspberries. She could not wait for dessert.

Leanette set the steaming dish at the center of the table, between the salad and the mashed potatoes, and took her seat opposite Cara.

"Bon appétit," she said, and smiled.

As they helped themselves to the food, Leanette thought of the first time she met Cara. Introduced by Alistair as a friend from his gym, Leanette couldn’t help but feel insecure whenever she was around. Cara was at least 10 years younger, and Leanette felt that it was so unnatural, almost inhuman, that someone could look so perfect even after a rigorous cardio session. The more Leanette looked at Cara, the more she started to secretly despise her, although they have probably only met a handful of times. Leanette was excellent at putting up a facade, a skill she learned from her late mother, so she was always cordial with Cara, and nobody had been able to guess the growing hatred in her heart.

Things progressively got worse since the three of them went for brunch a few weeks ago. Leanette sensed something was off. Cara’s mannerisms towards Alistair seemed like they were closer than they claimed to be; Leanette felt like a third wheel hanging out with two people that were falling in love. Alistair had his charm turned on, saving his most witty remarks for moments when Cara laughed, and Leanette sat across from them thinking, I know that look. I know exactly what that look means. He had looked at her the same way, twenty years ago, when he was still trying to win her.

Masking her turbulence as plain curiosity about the playful nature of their friendship, Leanette asked Alistair as soon as they got in the car, but as expected, he brushed it off, claiming that he doesn’t know much about Cara’s life and that they don’t speak outside of the gym. Unable to hold the intensity of her emotions, Leanette spent the next few days stalking Cara’s public Instagram profile. She felt pathetic at the amount of time she spent lurking at Cara’s online life, but watching all her reels and reading her nutrition blog, she was getting closer to Cara than she’d liked.

However, there was no information to prove her assumption. All she had was a theory and a lot of gut feelings backing it up. Meanwhile, Alistair was not as affectionate as before and came home later than usual. She went to church, prayed for signs and reluctantly went for a short trip to Italy that she couldn’t get out of, as her sister had planned it many months ago. Thoughts of Cara and Alistair made her trip miserable, and that’s when she figured it was time to invite Cara over for a meal.

Cara, indulging in her dinner, tried to make small talk so she could make a smooth move later. “The colour palette of your home is so lovely. It’s very…” She motioned with her hands. “Spring!” She uttered, taking a bite of the chicken that she thought was overcooked.

“Oh, that’s very kind of you!” Leanette took a sip of her wine and nodded. “I change them up every now and then. I do have way too much time on my hands. I must say,” she paused for another sip, “I’m privileged to be able to spend hours and hours searching for the best ornaments or thinking about what colour my curtains should be this month!” she snorted.

"You're so good at it, though. You could have been an interior designer."

Leanette topped up both their glasses. "Well," she said. "Like I said. I'm privileged."

Cara hated when Leanette did this. It’s almost as if she’s flaunting the fact that she doesn’t ever have to work a day in her life. Cara had known from the moment they met that Leanette was someone who cared deeply about how things looked. Meeting her tonight just confirmed the assumption she always had, from the meticulous manner she set the table and everything arranged so neatly around the house to the perfect blowout. This woman thrived on external validation and perfection that Cara felt was pointless at its best. She wondered, not for the first time, what Alistair made of it all. "Well," Cara said, lifting her glass. “I’m happy for you.” The two women clinked their glasses.

In reality, Cara thought how miserable Leanette must feel on the inside, constantly shoving in someone’s face how good she has it and compensating for her emptiness by obsessing over trivial matters like the colour of the rug. She took another sip of wine and told herself it didn't matter. She wasn't here for Leanette. She was on a mission. The last time she was here, it was with Alistair. He invited her over for a drink while Leanette was away on her trip.

She knew what he meant when he invited her for a drink, as that wasn’t their first time together. However, she had her reservations because she felt strange being with him on the bed he shared with his wife. Her emotions decided on her behalf, so she ended up spending the night with Alistair.

Only the next day she realised her earrings were missing! With a pang of anxiety in her chest, she urged Alistair to look for it around his bedroom. Because she knew that if Leanette finds out, it’s all over. Not just with Alistair, but with her fiancé, Max, too. It would change the course of her life if things ended with Max, as her future in the country depends on her matrimony with Max, which was happening this fall. Whatever that was going on between her and Alistair was certainly only physical and temporary. “Nobody needs to know,” she recalled Alistair whispering in her ears. She knew there was no turning back once she responded to his touch, and they had been careful to not let anything slip until now. She knew she had to act quick, and Alistair calmly ensured Leanette hadn't sensed anything yet.

When Alistair failed to find her earrings, Cara plotted the easiest way to retrieve them would be to say yes when Leanette texted her, “Let’s have a girl’s night; it’ll be fun!" Cara thought it was a small price to pay, sitting through Leanette’s brags, if it means she gets to save her future. She planned to sneak into their bedroom before dessert, under the guise of needing to use the toilet, as their guest bathroom is under maintenance.

“Hope you enjoyed your meal!” Leanette said while picking up the plates of leftovers. “Here, let me pour you another glass. And now, it’s my favourite part: dessert!” she gushed.

Cara took that as her cue, and before she could excuse herself to go to the toilet, the doorbell rang. The two women looked at each other. “Is Alistair back?” Cara’s question hung in the air, along with the silence of the moment. It can’t be Alistair because he has his keys, so who is it? Leanette thought. Leanette’s heart was beating out of her chest; her plan couldn't be derailed right now when it was all about to come together.

“Let me get that; just wait here.” Leanette plastered a reassuring smile on her face. She approached the front door, anxious to find out who the unexpected guest is. She knew she couldn't afford to have any witnesses tonight.

Jamie stood outside. “Leanette, I’m sorry; I should have informed you I was coming. I didn’t think you’d be having company.” He raised an eyebrow, motioning towards Cara’s car parked outside.

“Oh, Alistair didn’t tell me anything! Well, he knew I invited Cara over tonight…” Leanette muttered.

“My bad. I did not update Alistair that I’ll be dropping by tonight. It’s been a busy week. I’m here to quickly grab some papers. I promise I will get out of your hair as soon as I can," he pleaded. As much as Jamie regretted showing up unexpected, he knew he had to get it done as he had wasted so much time in contemplation.

He remembers Alistair’s directions. “Get to my study. You’ll see 5 bookshelves attached to the wall. You've got to slightly move the middle one, and there’ll be a door which is the secret opening to the basement. Be quick and quiet.” Jamie just couldn’t understand why Alistair can't do it himself. When he first got the task, he had a bad feeling about it. It felt like Alistair was trying to keep his own hands clean, conveniently outsourcing Jamie to deal with the mess instead. After meditating over the plan, Jamie realised there was too much at stake to refuse. He needed to keep his boss happy. Alistair had dragged him out of rock bottom once before, and maybe this was the price of that favour. Maybe it was finally time to return the debt. Tonight is his final chance, as the basement is due for renovation soon.

Leanette felt this was very much in character for Jamie. Dropping by their house unannounced, picking up papers for Alistair’s cases and making awkward conversations. A bulb went on in her head; maybe it’s good to have a witness after all. Especially one as genuine as Jamie. She invited him in and locked the door.

“Cara, looks like we have a cameo! This is Jamie, Alistair’s personal assistant. And Jamie, this is Cara, a family friend. We are just about to have dessert; please join us, Jamie. The least you could do for crashing our party!” Leanette was surprised at herself for being so at ease with Jamie’s interruption. She usually doesn’t respond well when things get out of her control. It must be the wine, she thought. “And let me pour you a glass while you’re at it!”

Jamie nodded at Cara, and Cara mouthed a soft “hey” as they were being introduced. Cara thought that Jamie looked burnt out, with eyebags and sunken cheeks. As he took a seat at the table, placing his briefcase on the floor, Jamie asked, “So Leanette, how was Italy?”

Leanette walked in with the chocolate pavlova that she seemed very proud of and said, 'Oh, it was so stunning. You must go! We had the best time of our lives! The food, the views, the wine, the people, oh my, I could see myself living there! There’s something about the air…”

Cara figured it was the best time to excuse herself, and Leanette gave her directions to the master bathroom. Before she left to go upstairs, she looked at the chocolate pavlova. “Smells amazing! I can’t wait to try it!" It was a brown lump of cream, and her stomach turned at the sight of it. Once in the master bedroom, she started carefully searching every corner, under the bed and in the bathroom, and even slowly opened their wardrobe, just in case. However, her ruby earrings were out of sight. Reluctantly she rejoined the table, with her mind concluding she must have lost it elsewhere, as that could be the only explanation. Leanette passed her a small serving of the brown lump, and she pretended to enjoy it while pretending to care about whatever it was that Leanette and Jamie were discussing. It did not taste as bad as it looked, Cara felt, however, it had a distinct flavour to it. There was something else in it, apart from chocolate and raspberries, but she could not name it.

“Is there a reason you love sunflowers so much?” Jamie asked, taking a spoonful of the pavlova.

“Oh, my late mother had a sunflower field, so I grew up always having them around. They’re symbols of loyalty, did you know that?” Leanette's eyes met Cara’s at the mention of the word "loyalty", and Cara sensed an unease building in her body. Leanette continued, “It’s because of heliotropism, referring to their natural tendency to turn and track the sun across the sky. It’s almost as if they’re loyal and devoted to the sun.”

“Whoa, impressive!” Jamie responded. “Well, Leanette, thanks for dessert and drinks. Let me get the papers, and I gotta get going, tomorrow’s another long day for me.” He sauntered out of the dining area. He took a deep breath when he reached Alistair’s study and closed the door behind him. The middle shelf wasn’t as heavy as he expected, and he swung the secret door open. The air in the basement was musty, and as he tried to turn on the light, he heard a buzz and a crack, then a complete blackout! Silence for a moment, and then he heard rushed movements in the kitchen. “Jamie, the power went off!” Leanette shouted from the kitchen. “Let me get you a torch! Hold on.”

Jamie cursed under his breath, "What terrible timing!" He shouted back, “It’s fine, I’ll use my phone. Just stay there.” He turned on his iPhone flashlight and searched for the red metal box. He unlocked it and pulled the kitchen knife out. It had L.H. carved on it. The sound of footsteps approaching the study jolted him back to himself. He quickly shut the secret door and shoved the bookshelf back into place. Just as he slipped the knife carefully into his briefcase, the lights flickered back on and the study room door opened.

Leanette might have seen the knife in Jamie’s hand for a millisecond before he zipped it in his bag, but she would recognise it anywhere. Her heart was thumping, and she could not fathom the possibility of someone else knowing. Did Alistair tell him? She thought.

“Oh great, the power is back!” Jamie was relieved, more from his accomplishment of the assigned task than anything else. His next move was to get out of there and destroy it.

“Yeah, this old house! I hope you got your papers!” It sounded more like a question. Leanette turned back to walk to the dining area, hiding her panic. Her thoughts were racing a thousand miles per minute when Cara started coughing.

“I… can’t… breathe…” Cara gasped, clutching at her throat. Her trembling hands swept desperately across the table in search of water, sending glasses crashing onto the floor. Stumbling out of the dining area and into the living room, she caught her foot against the leg of the side table and collapsed hard onto the rug.

The coffee table rattled from the impact. A small bowl of gemstones tipped sideways, spilling across the wood, and among them were her ruby earrings. That’s when it hit her. Leanette knew.

Jamie stands there in pure shock, which then turns into bewilderment as Cara stops moving. He takes a step towards Cara’s lifeless body, and he knows that it is too late.

“Oh my god, what is happening!” Leanette cried out. Thankfully Jamie is here. He saw how it happened too, out of nowhere!

Leanette’s plan had unfolded perfectly this time. The moment she found the ruby earrings tucked beneath her pillow covers after returning from Italy, she took it as the sign she had been praying for. She recognised them immediately from one of Cara’s Instagram photos. And she also knew a little kiwi extract would go a long way, as she learnt of Cara’s allergies from her nutrition blog. God was on her side after all, she thought. Why else would all the pieces fall so neatly into place?

At that very moment, a key turned in the lock, and the front door swung open.

At least this time, Leanette thought, it didn't get that bloody.