Chapter 18
Sometime during the night, Clive Green sent emails and arranged for messages to be sent to all of the tour group, notifying us of a meeting in the ballroom at nine. In light of that development, we decided to hold off on our sleuthing meeting until after Clive’s meeting.
At nine, the tour group made our way back into the ballroom. However, we weren’t alone. This time, D. I. Nelson and D. S. Templeton were there.
If I thought Clive Green looked bad before, I was wrong. Today he looked worse. His eyes were sunken into his head, and he had dark circles and bags under his eyes. The already thin man looked as though he hadn’t eaten or slept.
Clive stood in front of the group. “Ladies and gentlemen, first I’d like to say that Lavender Habersham is resting comfortably and is receiving the best care possible.”
In all of the commotion around the murders, Lavender Habersham had gotten lost. I suspect that was her lot in life. The poor woman was a drudge for her mother and was often forgotten or overlooked. I made a mental note to arrange flowers be sent to her.
Clive cleared his throat. “Now, I must regretfully inform you that we will have to cancel the remainder of the trip.”
There was a rumble as people complained about the waste of money and time.
Clive held up his hands to quiet the crowd. “You will all, of course, receive refunds for the portion of the trip that we were unable to complete.”
Nana Jo stood. “Look, I realize there’ve been two murders, but some of us have traveled a long way, and it may be years before we can have the time to make a trip like this again.”
Vincent and Tiffany Blankenship exchanged glances.
Nana Jo turned to me. “My granddaughter has been looking forward to this trip for a long time and was relying on this trip to help with the research for her next book.”
I tried to hide my surprise at Nana Jo sharing something that was very dear to me and extremely private. One look in her eyes told me that she was up to something, so I forced myself to remain calm.
She turned to Clive. “The other day, you told us Major Peabody would have wanted us to finish our tour.”
Clive started to speak, but Nana Jo wasn’t done yet. “Look, I’m not trying to be disrespectful of the two people who have died. I know finding a murderer is important, but surely there’s a way we can continue. I don’t see how sitting around this hotel is going to make things better.”
Nelson gave a snarky laugh. “Well, that’s why a pretty little lady like yourself needs to leave matters like solving murders to the professionals.”
Ruby Mae shook her head and mumbled, “Bless his heart.”
I’ve known Ruby Mae long enough to know that rather than a prayer, she was using the phrase as it was used in the southern United States, which roughly translated to, You poor pitiful fool.
I was pleased to see that Nana Jo hadn’t body-slammed the detective, although if the vein that was pulsing on the side of her head was any indication, it was taking a great deal of effort on her part to refrain. She gripped the side of the table and took a deep breath before turning back to face the detective. “Great. While D. I. Nelson focuses his mental energy on solving the murders, why can’t we continue on our tour?”
Nelson rocked on the balls of his feet and stared at Hannah Schneider. “If you think I’m going to let a murderer go gali-vanting around the British countryside so she can make a run for it, then you’d better think again.”
“Are you planning to arrest us?” Dorothy asked innocently. “Because if you are, then I need to contact the American Consulate.”
“No one is under arrest . . . yet.”
“If you aren’t planning to arrest us, then what’s to stop the murderer from simply walking away from the hotel?” Ruby Mae asked.
“You won’t be prevented from leaving the hotel, but I will require all of your passports, and you will not be able to leave the country.”
“So, what’s the difference between us staying here in London or going on a bus tour?” Tiffany Blankenship asked. “It’s a lot easier to get lost in a city the size of London than it would be in some place like the Cotswolds or Torquay.” She glanced around. “Isn’t it?”
Nelson sputtered, “Well . . . I . . . obviously I don’t have the manpower to send officers all over the country. We’re much too busy for that.”
I saw a glimmer in Nana Jo’s eye. She plastered on a fake smile. “Of course you are. Which is why we wouldn’t dream of asking someone of your . . . stature to accompany us.”
Unfortunately, I chose that exact moment to take a drink of coffee. I nearly spit my coffee out and choked down the laughter that tried to escape, which started a coughing fit.
Nana Jo patted me on the back in an effort to help. Her back to the detective, she gave me a wink. “D. I. Nelson, you’re obviously too important to babysit a bunch of tourists, but maybe you could have D. S. Templeton babysit us.” Nana Jo hesitated. “Well, that is if you can spare her. I’m sure you find such a smart, young detective like her invaluable when it comes to handling some of the more . . . technical aspects of an investigation.”
Templeton hadn’t been expecting that maneuver, and her face mirrored her surprise.
Nelson gaped at Nana Jo, who smiled back and batted her eyelashes.
I stared at my grandmother in disbelief.
Nelson glanced from Templeton to Nana Jo. His face reflected his inner turmoil. If he refused, then he was acknowledging that he needed Templeton, but if he agreed, then he would be on his own. For a brief moment, a flash crossed his face. He smiled. “Well, that’s a good idea. I can certainly spare D. S. Templeton.” He smirked. “She’ll accompany you on your tour, and of course, I’ll hold her responsible for ensuring that no one makes a break for it.”
Nana Jo clapped her hands. “That’s great.” She turned to our guide. “Clive, please tell me it isn’t too late.”
The tour guide looked baffled, but rallied quickly. “Let me make a few calls.” He grabbed his papers, pulled out his cell phone, and hurried from the room.
Templeton’s eyes asked, What are you doing?
Nana Jo merely winked. “I’m starving. Let’s grab some breakfast.”
We went to the dining room. We ate a hearty breakfast, and once everyone was finished, Nana Jo pulled out her iPad, and we got down to business.
“Now that we’ve managed to get rid of D. I. Bloody Nelson, we can get down to the serious task of catching a killer.”
I looked hard at my grandmother. “What was all that balderdash really about?”
“What do you mean?”
I batted my eyelashes. “Oh, D. I. Nelson, you’re so important.” I batted faster and gave a sickeningly sweet smile. “Poor little ole me couldn’t possibly solve a murder without someone like you.”
Everyone laughed.
“Ugh,” Nana Jo said. “Don’t remind me. I nearly puked in my own mouth.” She turned to Irma. “How do you manage to rattle off all that sickening tripe with a straight face?”
“Flirting and flattery is a dying art,” Irma said. “They used to teach young girls how to flirt and entice men when I was in finishing school.”
I said, “I didn’t know you went to finishing school.”
“Oh, yes. All well-bred young girls went to finishing school in my day. It’s where they taught us how to land a husband.”
I didn’t realize my mouth was open until Nana Jo reached over and closed it. “They actually taught classes with the intent of ‘landing a husband’?”
Irma nodded.
I looked around the table. “Am I the only one who didn’t know this?”
Ruby Mae pulled her knitting out of her purse. “Well, I grew up in the South, and we were too poor for finishing school, but even in the Black community there were women who informally taught us how to put on makeup, dress, and walk in heels with a certain . . .” She smiled. “Oh, I don’t know . . . sway, so as to attract attention.”
Hannah Schneider nodded. “The upper-crust families of Britain sent their daughters to Switzerland for finishing before they came out into society. Of course, my family couldn’t afford to send me to Switzerland, but I did attend Lucie Clayton.” She glanced around and noticed the blank looks. “Lucie Clayton was one of the top finishing schools in Britain and later became a modeling school. When I was there, they taught cookery, flower arranging, makeup, deportment, fashion design, pattern cutting, and dressmaking. They’ve merged with other schools now and offer secretarial courses. I think they’re considered a college these days.”
“I had no idea,” I said. I wondered, and not for the first time, about the wealth of knowledge that my grandmother and her friends possessed.
“Back to business,” Nana Jo said. “D. S. Templeton got me thinking last night. Whoever murdered Habersham and Peabody thinks they’ve gotten away with it. It might be a good idea to have police protection, especially since I don’t have my peacemaker.” She turned to me. “Assignments?”
“Honestly, I think we just need to stick to the same ones we had before when we were investigating Major Peabody’s suspicious death.”
Hannah raised a tentative hand. “What about me? I was supposed to tackle Lavender Habersham, but she’s still in the hospital.”
“I still think we need to talk to her. She might have heard or saw something the night her mother was murdered. But, I don’t think we can eliminate Dr. Vincent and Tiffany Blankenship.”
Hannah gave me a look. “You don’t really think the doctor could have something to do with those murders.”
I took a moment to collect my thoughts before I responded. “I’m not saying they murdered the major or Prudence Habersham, but this case is . . . different.”
Nana Jo frowned. “Different how?”
“I think finding out how the murders were committed is going to be as important as figuring out whodunit. This murderer is cunning and brave. If we can’t figure out how they did it, I think our murderer just might get away.”
Nana Jo stared at me. “You know who it is. You know who murdered those people.”