Slugfest

Epilogue

Marty and Lorraine Shepard are awaiting trial for the murders of Garland Bleimeister and Otis Cleveland Randolph. They have separate attorneys, each of whom is claiming that his client is innocent. Marty searched the entire convention center—including the bag found in Nikki’s sarcophagus—looking for the flash drive that Garland claimed to have. It was never found. The Shepards, whose grip on reality slipped quite a bit, continue to refer to this chapter of their lives as the Curse of the Bambino.

Emma Franklin and Lincoln Wrentham have reconciled. She is nursing him back to health on his farm in New Jersey. No charges were ever filed against her. He continues to test his formula, but as of this writing there is no foolproof pest repellent.

Kristi Reynolds lost her job with the Big Apple Flower Show when it was learned she was responsible for the Javits Curse, which she staged in the hopes of moving the show to a larger facility. Civil charges have been filed and criminal proceedings will likely follow.

Scott Reiger stumbled upon Kristi Reynolds as she was holding a blow dryer to Connie Anzalone’s veronicas. She convinced him to help her with the Javits Curse the same way women have been convincing men to do things for centuries. She reneged. He did not get a distribution deal for SlugFest when it was discovered to be simply a watered-down version of Slug-B-Gone, a product no longer on the market. He has been banned from all future Big Apple Flower Shows.

The SlugFest booth worker who posed as a photographer and helped Reiger vandalize the show was released into her parents’ custody. An article in New York magazine about her involvement has prompted a number of media offers that her parents are considering.

Jamal Harrington was completely exonerated of any wrongdoing. He is still living with his grandmother. J. C. Kaufman is helping him get an internship at one of the networks. The two have a standing Wednesday night dinner date. She’s watching his back.

Lauryn Peete is still teaching and was recently awarded the New York City Golden Apple for best high school teacher.

Connie Anzalone forgave the Tumbled Stone King. She never found out who he was waiting for in Mrs. Moffitt’s garden but suspected it was a promiscuous feng shui expert her friend Doreen DiMucci had warned her about.

Rolanda Knox graduated from John Jay with highest honors and now has her sights set on a law degree. Paula and Lucy attended the ceremony and party at El Quixote. Harold Bergstein chose their outfits.

Fat Frank and Cookie were so taken with the Big Apple Flower Show that they have decided to exhibit next year.

Allegra Douglas was reinstated as the head of the Big Apple Flower Show. She has invited Connie Anzalone to join the steering committee. A grant in the name of Otis Cleveland Randolph has been funded by an anonymous donor. It will be awarded annually for the Best Nontraditional Garden.

Any memories of lying unconscious in a bathroom stall, waking up in a hospital, getting drenched by overhead sprinklers, and thinking she’d found a dead body vanished when Nikki Bingham sold her vintage sarcophagus to Mrs. Jean Moffitt. Nikki pronounced this the best Big Apple Flower Show ever.

Paula Holliday finally read the note Nikki gave her at the show. It was from Hank Mossdale. He’d arrived early, but was ejected when a security guard discovered he didn’t have a badge. He suggested they have dinner soon. She was to wear the famous red dress.