My, oh, my, that woman is a harridan of the highest order. She’s little better than a fishmonger strolling the streets of old London town. And what a wicked tongue she has! I do believe she needs a bit of a lesson in manners, and I’m just the cat to deliver it. I’ll slink into the room making sure that no one notices. Pluto and Vesta are hanging out in the foyer watching me with wide kitty eyes. One yowl and they’ll come to my rescue, I’m sure. Cats are loyal like that.
Let’s see if I can sneak behind the old scold. Yes, and she’s wearing that short skirt—perhaps too short for her age--which leaves a perfect target, the back of the knee. I’ll just tickle her a little with my fine black tail and goodness. She has the shriek of a banshee. But Roger appreciates my maneuver. He is laughing and not doing a thing to conceal his amusement. Even Charline is laughing. The only person not amused is Hannah. And she’s aiming a kick at my head.
Uh-oh, Pluto saw it too, and now he’s tickling the back of her other knee. Down she goes. Those high heels aren’t meant for trying to kick a cat. She’s toppled over. And she is hornet mad! She’s crawling after Pluto. And she just banged her head on the side of the table.
When Roger reached down to help her, she lashed out at him, which only resulted in the teapot falling on her head. Now she has hot tea all over her. And she is howling mad, so mad she is actually foaming at the mouth. A proper British lady would never find herself in such a shabby display! Poor Charline is trying not to laugh but can’t help herself.
“Hannah, let me help you up,” Charline offered.
“You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?” Hannah jerked away from Charline’s outstretched hand.
Roger felt the blood pounding in his temple, a sure sign his temper was about to get the better of him. Because of the numerous scenes he’d grown up witnessing, Roger hated to lose control, but no one could push him to the edge like Hannah Long. “Mother, no one did a thing to you. You did every bit of this yourself with your awful temper. You want to know why Samuel doesn’t trust you with money, look at yourself, crawling around the floor and wrecking furniture.” Roger had no tolerance in his face or voice. “You are an embarrassment. I hope Uncle Samuel gives you your check and you leave. Tonight.”
“Just as soon as I get my monthly allotment,” Hannah said. She used a chair to gain her feet. Tea dripped from her hair all over her expensive outfit. “I came here with the best of intentions, and then this…this happens. You all hate me, I know it. You control my money and you and Samuel have stolen my son from me.” Hannah rounded on Charline like she was the enemy. “There is a price to pay for what you’ve done to me.”
Roger grasped his mother’s arm none too gently. “You are a fool, Mother. Charline and Samuel gave me the only stability I’ve ever known. They gave me a job and a career. They’ve loved me without demanding a price for their love. Now clean yourself up before Samuel gets here or I swear, I’ll tell him how horrible you behaved. I’ll ask him to take legal action to freeze your money.” He thrust her arm away from him and turned his back on her.
“I am your mother,” she said. For a split second, her fury was mixed with sadness. “You will not turn your back on me.” She picked up a leaded crystal candy dish from the coffee table and drew back to throw it. Before she could, Tabitha grabbed her arm.
“Don’t do that,” Tabitha said softly. “You’ll only regret it.”
“Take your hands off me.”
Tabitha released her arm, but the moment to strike Roger in the back with the dish was past. He was facing his mother, eyeing the dish in her hand and clearly reading what she’d intended to do.
“Mother, understand this. If you ever raise a hand to me again, I’ll have you arrested. I put up with your abuse when I was a kid, but no longer. And don’t test me on this.” He swallowed. “Aunt Charline, if you’ll excuse me and Tabitha, I’ve promised to show her the plant.”
“I’ll make some more tea for your mother and once she’s changed, we’ll have a chat until Samuel gets here.”
“I don’t want tea. But I’ve brought a guest of my own.” She went to the front door and threw it open. “Antoine, please come inside.”
A tall, well-dressed, middle-aged man had obviously been waiting on the porch. He stepped into the foyer and then made a slight bow in the direction of Charline and Roger. “Antoine Lafitte,” he said, walking forward and extending his hand. He shook Roger’s, kissed Charline’s, and made to kiss Tabitha’s, but she backed away.
“Antoine is my…fiancé.” Hannah smirked. “Darling, wait for me upstairs. My suite is on the second floor to the right at the end of the hall.”
“Shall I gather the bags?” Antoine asked.
“That would be lovely.”
He gave the room a little bow and went back outside. In ten minutes he was back with two bags. He carried them upstairs.
“I’m glad you’ve found someone to care about,” Charline said to Hannah. “He’s very handsome.”
Roger could only marvel at his aunt’s compassion and kindness. She should have made Hannah wait on the steps. He kissed his aunt’s cheek and motioned for Tabitha to precede him from the house. When they gained the yard and the cool breeze, he leaned against his truck. “I’m sorry you witnessed that.”
“Family.” Tabitha shrugged. “I’ve seen worse. My mother didn’t have the best taste in men, and trust me, none were as well dressed as Antoine.” She smiled. “Trudy and I have been on our own for a long time. You’re lucky to have Charline and Samuel.”
“Tell me about it.”
They saw the front door open and the three cats ran out into the sunshine.
“Can you believe those black cats?” Roger was smiling. “It’s as if they sensed the ill will that is my mother.”
“It looked calculated to me,” Tabitha said.
Roger chuckled. “The psychic and her familiars.”
“That’s witches and their familiars,” Tabitha teased.
Roger opened the truck door for the cats to load up. “Psychics, witches, cats, or toads. If they can help us find your sister, that’s where we should focus our energy. Mother will be gone as soon as she gets her money, and good riddance to her.”
“What’s the story with Antoine?” Tabitha asked. “He’s very smooth and courtly.”
Roger glanced at her. It seemed that Tabitha had sensed something amiss with the polished gigolo. His mother had a talent for attracting men who enjoyed helping her spend her “allowance.”
“One in a long line of parasites,” he said with resignation. “My mother is lonely, but she never ends up with a man who cares about her. They care about her inheritance, the family wealth. She’s home to try to force Samuel and Charline to give her a lump sum payout instead of an allowance. Old story, repeated again and again.”
Tabitha’s hand grasped his arm and squeezed. “Let’s check out the cotton.”
Tabitha settled into the truck seat with the cats sprawled across her lap and the seat as Roger drove. They both had a lot on their minds. Tabitha knew what it felt like to be embarrassed by the behavior of family, and Hannah Long had certainly shown her posterior. How could Hannah have such anger at Charline and Samuel, who were two of the kindest people she’d ever met? But Hannah had been a late in life child and one that always felt like an intruder. That was hard, too. The Longs had plenty of money but the same troubles that everyone else had.
Roger drove past the business and kept going. “Let’s get that dating DVD made. It’s a local company and our best clue. I’ll drop you off to submit your profile and I need to give Dirk Cotwell a call. He’s another farmer that used the G9-14 cotton. I’ll be curious to see what he called about.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“I hadn’t given this a lot of thought, but you should know, Dirk had an interest in Trudy.”
Tabitha was instantly alert. “What kind of interest?”
“He asked me if she was single. He thought she was pretty. I didn’t put much stock in it because Dirk’s engaged to Martin Kennedy’s daughter, Lily. They’re to be married in the fall. The Kennedys are the wealthiest family in the region, and Lily is a beautiful woman. Dirk isn’t stupid enough to mess that up.”
There was something in Roger’s voice that caught Tabitha’s attention. “Lily is wealthy and beautiful. Sounds perfect. Why would Dirk be interested in my sister?”
“Dirk is a womanizer. Always has been. And Lily is the perfect Southern belle cliché. Iron fist in the velvet glove. Dirk may be the head of the Kennedy lands, but only in title. Lily will always have the final say. That can wear on a man.”
Tabitha sat forward in the truck seat, dislodging the cats. “You think he might have been seeing Trudy on the side? Could he be Trudy’s mystery man?”
Roger sighed. “Felicity said something about the two of them having fun together. I wouldn’t have thought it. Dirk’s always been a flirt. Even as a kid, he could turn that charm on and make young girls and old ladies feel special. But he and Lily are serious. He really seems to care about her. And there’s a huge inheritance riding on his appropriate behavior. He’s not a stupid man. In this world, you don’t get your cake and eat it too.”
“Do you think he might know anything about Trudy’s disappearance?”
“I’ll find out. That’s a promise.”
Pluto and I agree. Dirk Cotwell is a lead that must be followed. Strange that Roger didn’t mention Dirk’s interest in Trudy before now. And he’s tense. I attributed that to his crazy Mama’s behavior. Drama Queen of the highest order. But I detect there is something else going on. And Pluto agrees. Which is why we’ll split up. I’ll stick with Tabitha, and Pluto is going to hang with Roger. It’s a good thing Sarah Booth Delaney is out of town with the sheriff, which gives Pluto a little more latitude. But he is something of a celebrity in town and his movements are more restricted than mine.
He was delighted to spend a bit of time with his ladylove, Vesta. She’s safe and being well treated in Long Hall, and that’s the best he can hope for until Trudy is found. Now the game is truly afoot. I hope soon to be able to say, “Elementary, my dear Watson,” and find the trail to the missing Trudy Wells.