Chapter 19
Drayton wasn’t in at eight, but he did arrive at the Indigo Tea Shop by eight thirty, walking stiffly and looking a little pale.
“How are you feeling this morning?” Theodosia asked him.
“Right as rain,” Drayton said.
“Jeez,” Haley said, “you still look a little crumpled. Maybe you shouldn’t have come in.”
“Dear girl, this is my usual demeanor,” Drayton said. He was trying to sound lighthearted and chipper but was failing on all fronts.
“Sit down, sit down,” Haley said. She fluttered around Drayton as if he were a sick puppy, pulling out a chair for him at one of the front tables. “Let me get you a cup of tea. I already brewed a pot of your favorite Ceylonese black tea.”
“Kind of you,” Drayton said. He eased himself into a captain’s chair and Theodosia sat down next to him.
Haley slipped behind the counter, grabbed a teapot, and was back, pouring tea for both Drayton and Theodosia.
Drayton took a sip and nodded his approval. “Very good. Thank you.”
“Now are you going to tell us how you really feel?” Haley demanded. She watched him carefully as she continued to hover at his table.
“Not grand, but hanging in there,” Drayton admitted.
“You’re very brave,” Haley said. Suddenly, she looked like she was on the verge of tears.
“No more than anyone else would have been under the circumstances,” Drayton said.
“No,” Haley said, “you’re one tough bird.”
Drayton chuckled. “You mean one tough old bird?”
“I didn’t say that and I never will,” Haley said. She turned, walked a few steps away from their table, and looked back. “You’re my hero, Drayton.”
Drayton looked stunned. “Goodness.”
“No,” Haley said, “goodness has nothing to do with it. It’s just because you’re you.”
Once Haley disappeared into the kitchen, and they heard pans rattling and Haley start to hum, Theodosia decided to tell Drayton about dropping by to see Birdie Huger last night.
“Interesting,” he said. “Was something going on?”
“Kind of. That kid Lenny from Honey Badger House was there. Said he’d just dropped by to check on Birdie.”
“Thoughtful of him,” Drayton said.
“But that’s not the real news.”
Drayton took a quick sip of tea, set down his cup, and said, “Then what is?”
“When I was at Mrs. V’s house last night I saw a whole bunch of bills spread out on a table.”
Drayton stared at her. “Household bills?”
Theodosia shook her head. “Uh-uh. They were hospital bills. And they were all for someone named Tommy Huger.”
“So one of Birdie’s relatives?”
“That was my assumption. But, Drayton, there were a ton of bills. And some of them had that big red Overdue stamp on them.”
“Wait a minute. It sounds as if you’re saying that Birdie is taking responsibility for bills that were incurred by a relative?”
“Something like that,” Theodosia said.
“And what else? I can sense your brain percolating unhappily over this new wrinkle.”
“What if Birdie can’t pay those bills?” Theodosia said. “What if she’s in desperate need of money?”
Drayton stared at her. Then his face took on a concerned look and he said, “Just a minute. Are you saying that Birdie might have had a motive for wanting Mrs. V dead?”
“I’m pretty sure she’s in Mrs. V’s will,” Theodosia said. “So maybe she’s desperate for a good-sized inheritance to come her way.”
Drayton thought for a minute. “That is rather strange. And incriminating as well. Did you think about asking Birdie outright about the bills?”
“No, the whole thing caught me by surprise. Do you think I should have pressed her on it?”
Drayton touched a hand to his forehead and murmured, “Dear lord, financial distress could definitely be a motive for murder.” Then, “Do you think Birdie was the one you chased after Sunday night?”
“No, but I suppose she could have an accomplice.”
“And that someone could have come back yesterday and attacked me?”
“It could have happened that way,” Theodosia said. “I mean, if Birdie stands to inherit a substantial amount of money, then she could have found herself a fairly skilled criminal. Or maybe the killer was even her relative, this Tommy Huger guy.”
“Let me digest all these disparate facts for a moment,” Drayton said. He dropped his head, seemingly deep in thought. Then he looked up and said, “Do you remember the name of the hospital that sent the bills?”
“Um…I think it was Cooper General.”
“And that’s located where?”
“Over in Goose Creek.”
“Perhaps you should call Cooper General’s billing department and make an inquiry,” Drayton said. “If you tell them you’re interested in clearing up a past-due account they may be much more amenable to talk to you.”
Theodosia cocked an index finger in his direction. “Good idea.”
* * *
Theodosia and Drayton got busy then. A busload of women had come in from Seabrook Island for a morning cream tea, so Drayton brewed pots of tippy Yunan and Cherry Frost tea, one of his house blends. Theodosia served cream scones and butterscotch scones.
“Are you ladies in Charleston for the day?” Theodosia asked them.
There were nods and murmured yeses, and one woman, presumably the tour leader, said, “We’re taking an architectural walking tour right after this as well as visiting the Charleston Library Society. Then we’ll be stopping at the Lady Goodwood Inn for a late lunch.”
“You can’t do any better when it comes to their food and hospitality,” Theodosia said. She had friends who worked at the Lady Goodwood Inn, so she knew these ladies were in for a treat.
Theodosia continued to wait tables—checking on Drayton periodically—until eleven o’clock, when Miss Dimple came rushing in.
“I’ve been looking forward to this tea party all morning,” were Miss Dimple’s first words. “Yesterday we were celebrating Britain, today it’s France.” She clapped her hands together and added, “What do you want me to do?”
“We want to create a moody Moulin Rouge atmosphere, so let’s start with red tablecloths, then set the tables with the Richelieu by Royal Dalton china,” Theodosia said. “When that’s done we’ll work on our tablescapes.”
“Oh, and Miss Dimple?” Drayton called from behind the counter.
She turned and gave him a brilliant smile. “Yes, Drayton?”
“If you could be so kind as to deliver this pot of cardamom to table two.”
* * *
Theodosia slipped into her office and called Cooper General Hospital over in Goose Creek.
She asked to be connected to the billing department.
Then, through an audible series of clicks and clacks, she was shuffled from one clerk to another.
Finally, she reached a woman who answered the phone, “Receivables.”
“Hello,” Theodosia said. “I’m calling to check on the balance of a particular hospital bill.”
“Uh-huh,” the woman said. “Sure.” She sounded like she was eating a sandwich.
“It’s an outstanding bill for Tommy Huger.”
There was some more chewing, then the woman said, “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but do you intend to pay it off or try to get out of paying it? Because if you’re calling to negotiate I can connect you with our legal department.”
“Really, I just wanted to check on the balance,” Theodosia said.
Now the hospital clerk was a little more interested. “Do you have the account number?”
“I’m afraid I don’t have that information in front of me.”
“What was the name on the account?”
“Tommy Huger.”
“Huger…Huger…”
Theodosia could hear the woman’s fingertips clicking across her keyboard.
“Hubert, Hudson, here it is, Huger. Thomas Robert Huger. Let me see, the full balance due…well, past due…is thirty-seven thousand six hundred and twenty-two dollars. That includes the interest charges that have accrued so far.” There was a beat, then the woman said, “Who is this again?”
“A relative,” Theodosia said, then promptly hung up.
Back out in the tea room, Theodosia thought about this unpaid hospital bill.
Was Birdie close to this Tommy Huger? Was he a nephew or cousin?
Or even an ex-husband? And why had the bills ended up in her hands?
Because this relative simply wasn’t able to pay them and asked for Birdie’s help?
Or perhaps this person was gravely ill—perhaps even dying—and expecting more medical bills to pile up.
But would Birdie really have gone so far as to murder Mrs. V? The woman she’d worked for these many years? Couldn’t she have just asked for a loan? Then again, maybe she had and she’d been rebuffed. It was certainly puzzling. And another wrinkle in what was turning into a strangely complex case.
“Haley said a bunch of red roses were just delivered at the back door. What do you want me to do with them?” Miss Dimple asked. She was standing at Theodosia’s elbow, an expectant look on her face.
“Leave the stems long,” Theodosia said, bringing herself back to the here and now. “Then we can arrange them in tall, fluted vases along with a few peacock feathers.”
“Like tables in a fancy Parisian salon,” Miss Dimple said.
“Or capturing the feel of a French flea market,” Theodosia said, “because we’ll be adding small bronze Eiffel Tower centerpieces, some fancy French fans, a few strands of pearls, and a scatter of antique pins.”
“Got it,” Miss Dimple said just as the front door opened and three musicians strolled in. “Oh,” she added, “you hired a quartet?”
“More like a trio.”
Theodosia hurried over to welcome the musicians. Then she set about finding the perfect spot for them to set up as well as rounding up three comfortable chairs for them to sit in.
“Parisian music, right?” said the group’s leader.
He was a young man by the name of Toby Gregg, who’d been the contact point for the group.
“Some chansons francaises? A little édith Piaf?” Toby was tall, dressed in dark clothes, and looked a little like a skinny Johnny Depp.
The other two musicians, a man and a woman, were a little older and went about setting up like pros.
“Sounds perfect,” Theodosia said. She glanced across the tea room and saw Drayton gesturing to her and waving the phone.
“It’s for you,” he whispered as Theodosia slipped behind the front counter.
She took the phone and said, “This is Theodosia.” She figured it was one of the neighborhood B and Bs calling to request a last-minute reservation for some of their guests. Instead, it was Brody Van Courtland. And he sounded stressed.
“Hey,” Brody said. “Is Amber there by any chance?”
Theodosia was momentarily flustered. Had Amber called for a reservation first thing this morning and Haley forgot to write it down? No, Haley never forgot a reservation; she was like a bionic answering machine. “No,” Theodosia said, “Amber’s not here. Was she supposed to be?”
“I guess not,” Brody said.
Now Theodosia was puzzled. “Then why do you ask?”
“Because I can’t find her.” The tone of Brody’s voice betrayed his frustration. “She left the hotel first thing this morning and said she was going shopping. But she hasn’t come back yet. We were supposed to meet for lunch at The Peninsula Grill.”
“I don’t think that’s a reason to panic. When I ran into Amber yesterday at Cotton Duck it seemed like she was on the verge of a shopping binge.”
“Yeah, I’ve been letting her use my Amex card to charge things so you’re probably right.”
“You could always call Amex and see where the most recent charge was made.”
“I guess.”
Theodosia hesitated for a moment, then said, “If you don’t find Amber by tonight, please let me know, okay?”
But Brody had already hung up.
“Well, that was strange,” Theodosia said.
“Hmm?” Drayton was busy measuring spoonfuls of Lapsang souchong into a floral teapot.
“Brody wanted to know if Amber was here. Seems she left their hotel this morning and never came back.”
“She’s a young woman,” Drayton said. “Immature and with the concentration of a recently hatched mayfly. She probably saw some pretty little bauble in a store window, went in to buy it, and lost track of time.”
“That’s basically what I told Brody.”
“So nothing to worry about.”
“Right.”
“Then why do you look worried?” Drayton asked.
“Just one more weird thing. Too many weird things start to mount up and I worry.”
“Speaking of which, did you call the hospital and check on that bill?” Drayton asked as he measured tea into a glazed yellow teapot.
“I did.”
“How much was it?”
“Something in the vicinity of thirty-seven grand.”
“And you think Birdie might be trying to pay it off?”
“That was the impression I got last night. I mean, why else would she have those bills?”
Drayton shook his head. “Birdie needs money. Her rich employer was murdered. Doesn’t look good.”