Emory awoke in Tommy Addison’s bed, his eyes on Jesus. He wondered if the facilities manager had hung the framed print on the wall beside the bed to watch over him while he slept, although the subject’s eyes were fixed upward as if nothing else mattered. Along with Jesus, the bone-colored walls held a foot-long wooden cross above the bed and a mounted TV on the opposite side but nothing more.
Emory slipped from under the sheets, sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked down at his white V-neck T-shirt and gray cotton pajama bottoms. I’ll shower after breakfast. He picked up his phone, charging on the floor, and tapped it for the time. I better go wake up Jeff so we can get an early start. He made the bed, threw on clothes from the previous day and left for the guest room.
Once upstairs, he noticed an open door that had been closed when he passed it the night before. It led to a beautiful room with more artwork of Indigenous Peoples, as well as tapestries, and exquisite furnishings, including a large gold bed. He spotted fresh daffodils in an ornate blue vase on the nightstand. The gardener’s flowers?
From somewhere in the room behind the open door, Eden Geister appeared. She seemed as startled to see Emory as he was to see her.
“The peep show starts at noon! Come back then.” Eden slammed the door in his face.
He shook his head and continued to the guest room to wake up Jeff, if the slamming door hadn’t already accomplished that task. He knocked on the closed door to the guest room. No response. He opened the door, which clicked several times as he pushed it ajar. “Are you kidding me?!”
The guest room was everything Tommy Addison’s room was not – spacious, cheerful and luxurious. The rich indigo walls with elegant fixtures rose to a coffered ceiling segregated into indigo panels by a wide lattice of oversized white-wood beams – like an elaborate board for tic-tac-toe with a few too many squares. The widest, most ornate end tables he had ever seen bookended a huge four-poster bed with disheveled satin blue sheets and a white duvet. That son of a bitch. This is spectacular!
Emory sauntered from the sleeping level to a sunken seating area with a small writing table, couch, coffee table and TV. The extra space and furnishings gave the room the feel of a five-star hotel suite. He noticed two doors on his left. He approached the open one and saw it was a huge walk-in closet with Jeff’s unopened suitcase perched in the center. After kicking the suitcase, he continued to the closed door and knocked. Again, no response. He turned the handle and pushed it open, noticing that it also clicked, and he beheld an unoccupied bathroom the size of his living room – double-headed shower, two sinks and a privacy room for the commode.
He’s already awake?
Emory descended the front stairs, and before he even reached the main floor, he smelled fresh pastry and heard muffled conversation coming from the kitchen. Approaching the kitchen doorway, he found Jeff in nothing more than boxer shorts, leaning against the island as he was hand-fed a piece of crusted pancake topped with blueberries.
The apron-shielded feeder asked, “What do you think?”
Jeff chewed a couple of times. “Delicious.”
Emory stepped into the kitchen, brandishing a new scowl. “Don’t mind me. I’m just getting coffee.”
“Emory!” Jeff pushed off from the island. “This is Kenn Marty, Blair Geister’s chef.”
The short-statured strawberry blond with blue eyes sucked his own fingers clean. “Hello.”
Emory gave him the slightest glance. “Morning.”
“I’ll show you where the coffee is.” Jeff grabbed a pitcher of orange juice and put an arm around Emory to escort him from the kitchen. “Kenn is making breakfast. Wait ’til you try this… What’s it called again?”
“Dutch baby,” answered Kenn.
Jeff led Emory across the hall, to the dining room. “Let’s go in here. Kenn said he’d serve us.” He placed the pitcher of orange juice on a buffet, next to a stainless-steel carafe. “Here’s the coffee.”
Emory poured himself a cup of coffee. “Why are you in your boxers?”
Jeff withdrew three place settings from the buffet. “I came down to put on some coffee. I didn’t know there was going to be anyone here. Well, I thought there was a chance Eden might be, and I figured I could get more information out of her with a little honey.” He bounced his pecs a couple of times to demonstrate.
Emory pulled out a chair at a black locust table with seating for twenty-six. “I’m surprised there’s a chef even working here now. He didn’t come in just to cook for us, did he?”
“No, he’s here for the reading of Blair Geister’s will.” Jeff placed a glass, a plate and silverware on the opposite side of the table.
“To cater it or because he’s in it?”
He paused for a moment. “Huh. I don’t know.”
“Hadn’t flirted your way around to that question yet?”
Jeff ignored the question. He put a plate and silverware in front of Emory and another set beside him. “Anyway, Kenn offered to cook breakfast for me… us.”
Emory thought again of the TBI file on Jeff and decided to wade into a conversation on the matter. “How did you sleep last night?”
“Out like a light.” Jeff sat across the table from Emory. “You?”
“Same. Although I did have a strange dream. I was back in my organic chemistry class at Vanderbilt.”
“What’s strange about that?”
Emory struggled to think up something. “I, uh… was naked.”
Jeff leaned in. “I’m listening.”
“That’s all I remember.”
Jeff backed into his chair. “Not much of a story there.”
“Sorry. It seemed more interesting in my head.” Emory offered a clumsy segue. “Did you take chemistry at UT?”
“Only what was required. I was always good at science, but it just didn’t interest me. Kind of like you with math. Why are you asking?”
“I want to get to know you better. The best way to know someone is to learn more about their past.”
Jeff let out a roar of a laugh. “Oh, that’s hilarious coming from you. Indiana Jones couldn’t uncover the secrets you’ve buried. You fill me in on your past, and I’ll tell you mine.”
Virginia strode into the dining room with a sigh of relief. “There you are.”
Jeff waved his arms over the table. “Just in time for breakfast.”
She took a seat next to Emory. “Did you guys see anything strange last night?”
Emory shook his head. “I don’t think I stirred all night.”
“Me neither,” replied Jeff. “Not much of a haunted house, is it? Not so much as a boo.”
“I saw something weird. Jeff, are you naked?”
“I have boxers on.”
Kenn Marty entered, arms laden with three platters. “Breakfast is served.” He placed the platters on the table, naming each as he did. “Here we have chard and Gruyère eggs in the hole. These are breakfast tacos.” He smiled at Jeff. “And you’ve already sampled my Dutch baby.”
Jeff returned his smile. “Everything looks wonderful.”
“It does,” said Virginia. “Thank you so much.”
Sans smile or any other semblance of gratitude, Emory asked, “Mr. Marty, before you go, could we ask you some questions?”
“What about?”
“Blair Geister.”
Kenn pinched his puffy lips into a downward arc. “I’m not sure what insight I can provide. I’ve been her chef for little over a year now, but I honestly didn’t know her terribly well. She was usually on her phone or laptop during meals. When she did talk to me, it was just to plan menus for her parties.”
Emory asked, “During these parties you worked, did you ever see her get into a disagreement with anyone?”
“At a party? Only one that I can think of – Myles Godfrey.”
“The one who built the Godfrey Tower in Knoxville?” asked Virginia.
“That’s the one.”
Jeff told Kenn, “We had a case there not too long ago. What was the argument about?”
The chef sat next to Jeff. “You see, they’re competitors, or they were. You all need to try the Gruyère before they get cold.” He scooped one from the platter onto Jeff’s plate.
Virginia held up her plate. “Did he crash the party?”
Kenn dropped the serving spoon without dishing any out for the others. “Oh no, he was invited. One thing about Blair – she was fearless. She invited friends to her parties, but she also invited people she despised and those who despised her. She felt the most stimulating social gatherings included voices from every ideology, and she could eloquently debate anyone.”
Virginia placed her plate back on the table. “What was the argument about?”
“I didn’t hear everything, but from what I gathered, she was accusing him of sabotaging her new building.”
“The Monolith?” asked Emory.
“I thought they were going to actually come to blows, but then a couple of guests intervened and encouraged him to leave. That’s really all I know.” With that, Kenn stood and left the room.
Emory turned to Virginia. “Before he came in, you were saying you saw something weird.”
“Right. Two things actually.” Virginia looked over her shoulder and at the doorway before whispering, “Is Eden down here?”
“Haven’t seen her.” Jeff took a bite of the Gruyère. “Man, that’s a good egg.”
Emory glanced at the doorway before whispering to his partners, “I think she’s sleeping with the gardener.”
As Virginia gasped, Jeff laughed. “Seriously? How funny is that? He’s tending the garden of Eden. Why do you think that?”
“I saw the flowers he cut yesterday now in a vase on her nightstand.”
“That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe she asked him to cut them for her.”
“They weren’t cut from the yard. They hadn’t even been planted yet.”
Virginia slapped the table. “Guys, could we get back to my news?”
Emory tsked. “Sorry.”
“Last night I saw Eden crawling out from under the bed.”
Jeff’s head jerked back. “Your bed?”
“Blair Geister’s bed.”
Emory poked at his food with his fork. “What’s unusual about that? Maybe something of hers rolled under there.”
“She wasn’t looking at the floor. She was on her back. It was weird.”
Emory took a bite of the egg. “What’s the second thing?”
“There was a strange light in the river last night.” Virginia waited for a response. “For real.”
“What kind of light?” Jeff shoved half a taco into his mouth. “Damn, this is good!”
“I couldn’t make it out. It was near the boathouse.”
Emory hummed. “It was almost a full moon last night. Could it have been a reflection on the water?”
Virginia stabbed the Dutch baby with her fork. “No, this was under the water.”
Jeff gulped his orange juice. “Hey, how about we watch a movie in the theatre tonight?”
Virginia released her fork so it clinked against her plate. “Okay, change the subject. I’m coming to get you two the next time I see anything. I don’t care if you’re sleeping or… or whatever.”
“Good plan,” said Jeff, finishing his taco. “Do you know the time for the will reading?”
“It’s at noon in the locutorium,” replied Virginia. “Juniper texted me she’s coming early to oversee preparations. She wants me to meet her outside and stay with her while she’s in the house.”
“Kenn told me they’re going to have a little event with the beneficiaries before the will reading.”
Virginia asked, “A wake?”
“I don’t think anyone’s going to be speaking. Kenn called it a commemoratory cocktail party – just one last party for her. Well, her ashes.”
Emory was about to sip coffee when he heard Jeff’s last remark. “She’s been cremated already? Cathy just finished her autopsy yesterday afternoon.”
“I guess so.”
Emory placed his hands on the table to call for his partners’ undivided attention. “We all need to be on high alert. Anyone in the will is an obvious suspect if Blair Geister’s death proves to be murder, although that could be more difficult to prove now without the body.”
“Are we even invited to the will reading?” Jeff asked. “Isn’t that a private affair for the beneficiaries?”
Emory replied, “Our client is the estate executor, so I assume she can get us in.”
“All right. We have that on our plate for today. Virginia, can you also find out why Blair hated her neighbor?”
“How do you know she did?”
Emory pulled out his phone to show her pictures he taken the day before. “She placed these along the fence, facing the neighbor’s property.”
Virginia winced at the pictures. “Ooh. They look like those Easter Island statues. I’ll see what I can find. I also want to check out Blair’s…” She stopped talking.
Dressed in a blue silk bathrobe with her hair wrapped in a golden scarf, Eden Geister entered the dining room. “Check out Blair’s what?”
“Her client list,” Virginia answered without hesitation. “Looking for anyone who might not have been happy with her work.”
“Don’t waste your time.” Eden took a seat at the head of the table. “My cousin died of a heart attack. That’s non-debatable.” She took a slice of the Dutch baby. “Now the handyman. There’s your mystery.” She sneered at Jeff. “Would you go put some clothes on? You’re a distraction.”
“Fine,” Jeff groaned. He scooted away from the table and left the room.
“I’m well aware of what Juniper said happened, but I think all of us here at this table know that’s the babbling of an idiot. She’s obviously trying to cover up some affair between her and the handyman.”
Virginia asked, “What makes you think they were having an affair?”
“Are you kidding? She admitted he was in her bedroom at midnight.” Eden pointed with her fork. “You two have seen her room, right? He was either watching TV, which makes no sense because he has the same TV in his own room, or he was burning down her she-shed. Excuse the euphemism. The hazards of teaching college students. Some of their vernacular inevitably seeps into your own.”
Emory wiped the corners of his mouth with his napkin. “You seem to be awfully familiar with their rooms.”
“I looked around. This house is mine now.”
“You know the contents of the will?” Jeff asked as he returned fully clothed.
Eden watched him reclaim his seat. “Let’s just say if her estate goes to anyone but her sole blood relation, someone’s going to have a legal battle on their hands to right the wrong.” She nodded at Jeff’s shirt. “That’s better.”