For His Name's Sake (Psalm 23 Mysteries) by Debbie Viguié

maybe Geanie had gone back to her room and Cindy hadn’t heard her earlier she raced back upstairs and down the hall. She knocked on Geanie’s door.
    “Geanie, are you in there?”
    She listened, but didn’t hear anything. After a minute she tried the door. It was unlocked so she opened it and went in. The room was empty. She made her way from there to the study where all the wedding favors were neatly boxed up and divided by table. There was no sign of her there either. She climbed up to the third floor and looked about once she reached the landing. Joseph’s mansion was sprawling and she’d never toured all of it so she had no idea where to look next.
    She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted for Geanie again. Once more only silence greeted her. Maybe Geanie had decided to go outside for some reason. She could be getting some fresh air or playing with one of the dogs. Cindy raced down the stairs and out the front door.
    One of the officers guarding the house looked over from his position by the drive and waved. She jogged over to him.
    “What’s up?” he asked.
    “Have you seen Geanie?”
    “No. Why?”
    “I can’t find her. You’re sure she didn’t come out here?”
    “I haven’t seen her. Do you want me to help you search, call in a team?”
    “No, I’m sure she’s around here somewhere,” Cindy said.
    The truth was, if they needed to call in a search team they probably weren’t going to like what they found. She had to believe Geanie was somewhere in the house. The question was, why wasn’t she answering? Had she not heard her calling? It was possible. She could be listening to music. Or maybe she was just really needing some alone time.
    “Thanks anyway,” she told the officer.
    She marched back to the house, determined to open every single door until she found her. Once she was back inside she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and tried calling Geanie, but it just went to voicemail. She turned and headed to the right, trying to remember what was in that direction in the house.
    She caught a splash of color out of the corner of her eye, and she stopped and turned. There was Geanie, standing stock still, next to a small table positioned underneath the grand staircase, invisible from the foyer. She was staring at something in her hand that Cindy couldn’t quite see from the angle she was approaching.
    Something in Geanie’s posture, coupled with the fact that she hadn’t responded to her calling, frightened Cindy more than words could say.
    “What is it?” Cindy asked, approaching hesitantly.
    “It seems to be a message,” Geanie said, her voice strained. She looked up at Cindy with fear-filled eyes.
    She was holding a black rose stripped of leaves with a card attached to it.
    Cindy licked her lips. “Where did you get that?”
    “I found it here, on this table back here. You know, in the old days, tables like this were used for people to leave their calling cards.”
    “Also in the old days people used flowers to convey intricate messages,” Cindy said.
    “That’s right,” Geanie said with a nod. “The language of flowers.”
    There was no need to ask what a black rose meant, the meaning was pretty self-explanatory. “What does the card say?” Cindy asked.
    “It says ‘No happy endings.’”
    Cindy took a deep breath. That’s what the intruder had told her the night before. He had also been behind her when she’d been staring at the front door. He must have left the rose on the table before she surprised him.
    “What does he want from us?” Geanie asked, her voice quavering.
    Cindy walked forward and took the rose from Geanie, careful not to prick herself on one of the thorns. She stared at it for a moment before setting it back down on the table.
    “I don’t know, but we’re going to find out.”
    “He keeps saying no happy endings.”
    “Well, that’s where he’s wrong. There is a happy ending for you and for Joseph. Happily ever after, just like in