12

WERE THESE PEOPLE CRAZY?

Was sudden death merely a piquant addition to their mystery lust?

Apparently so, because the Mystery Night program was a sellout despite the ripple of rumors about Corinne’s murder, and tourists without tickets were pressed against the front fence, straining for a glimpse of police and any movement near the cane thicket.

Annie took a deep breath and climbed the steps to the platform facing the tents. She looked out over the cheerful spring scene. Pastel hues predominated in the encroaching dusk, women in pink, yellow, and white, men in light blue, gray, or tan. It might be any church picnic or annual firm outing except for the undercurrent of nervous excitement threading the hum of voices. The lights strung in the live oak trees and suspended inside the tents glowed a soft yellow. Most of the men and women were sitting around the tables under the Suspect Interrogation and Detection Teams Conference Area tents. A few heartier eaters were in line to refill their plates with Low Country specialties. Her stomach rumbled hungrily. She hadn’t even had a bite of the Carolina trifle. She’d been hardpressed to scrub off the pond mud, change into a fresh straw-berry-and-lemon striped skirt and soft pink cotton blouse, move the crime scene to the rose arbor just east of the house, drill Max and Edith, who were pinch-hitting for Leighton and Gail as suspects, and make it to the foot of the platform only ten minutes after the mystery program was scheduled to begin.

She looked down the path leading to the pond and wondered if Corinne still lay defenseless on the gray sandy bank, her once lovely face sunken in death, her immaculate wool gabardine dress soiled by water, mud, and blood. A policeman, scarcely visible in the growing dusk, stood guard, turning away venturesome Mystery Night participants. This was the first moment she’d had time to think about her gruesome discovery and its ramifications. That hulking police chief wanted to hear her story—and he had called Leighton Mr. Mayor. But surely he wouldn’t cast her as the murderer just because she was from out of town. Her gaze skimmed the crowd surging closer to the platform, and Miss Dora’s wizened face popped into view. Annie fought a feeling of panic as she stared into those brooding, hostile eyes. Why had the old lady turned on her? And the answer hung in her mind: because she was a stranger. Jerking her glance away, she stared down at her notes. She had so many things to remember when she made her presentation, including two gruff demands from Chief Wells. She glanced to her left. The Mystery Night suspects, most of them costumed suitably for an English house party in the late 1930s, stood in a line by the steps. They looked uneasy, their faces strained and subdued in the soft yellow light. And why not? Most of them were a good deal more concerned about the progress of the murder investigation unfolding a hundred yards to the northwest than they were the evening’s entertainment.

A sharp voice wafted up from immediately below her. “Are you working on the real murder? Can I help?”

Annie looked down into the fox-sharp eyes of Mrs. Brawley.

Mrs. Brawley stood on tiptoe. “What time did it happen? Maybe I saw something.”

“But the grounds weren’t open then. What would you have been doing?”

For once, Mrs. Brawley appeared at a loss. Then she mumbled, “Oh, looking here and there. Interested in flowers. Irises.” Glancing down at her watch, she yelped, “It’s almost fifteen after. You must get started,” and she turned and scuttled back toward the Suspect Interrogation Tent.

Swiftly, Annie translated. Mrs. Brawley had made a reconnaissance to get a jump on the other contestants and been prowling around the Prichard grounds. Obviously, she hadn’t seen the murder or she would be regaling Wells and the world with an embellished account. But it meant she’d cheated on the mystery program, no doubt about it. However, in the scheme of things, she didn’t at the moment give a bloody damn. Let Mrs. Brawley win. Just let this horrible, endless week be over, and then she would be free to return to Broward’s Rock and the uneventful (usually) life of a mystery bookstore owner.

Still, it rankled. She’d gone to a lot of effort to create a neat mystery, and everybody who paid their ten bucks deserved a fair chance to win. But any attempt to disqualify Mrs. Brawley would delay the beginning of the program yet again and create an emotional tempest.

So, she loosened the microphone from the stand. The crowd shifted in anticipation. Her gaze swept over the throng and rested for an instant on a very familiar figure, the redoubtable Emma Clyde, the most famous mystery writer on Broward’s Rock. Emma’s stiff bronze curls had a fiery tint in the fading light. She wore a lime cotton top and a multi-pleated orange skirt. Shell earrings with a matching necklace and three bracelets affirmed a spring outfit. She looked like a housewife enjoying Wednesday night bingo, except for the piercing cornflower blue eyes that even at a distance crackled with intelligence. For an instant, their eyes met and held. As always, Annie felt a quiver of unease in Emma’s presence. The woman was so damned smart. Then Annie grinned and gave a little wave. If anybody could outwit Mrs. Brawley, it was Emma Clyde.

As she thumped the microphone, expectancy flickered among the crowd like summer lightning. She gave one last glance at her notes.

“On behalf of the Chastain Historical Preservation Society, I’m delighted to welcome all of you here tonight. It has been my pleasure to create a Mystery Night program for your enjoyment. Before we begin to delve, I want to ask: Did you enjoy your tours of the Benton, Prichard, and McIlwain houses and gardens?”

There was an enthusiastic chorus of affirmatives.

“Did you enjoy your Low Country dinner?”

“Yeees!”

“Are you ready to put together your mystery team and begin the investigation of the English Manor Mystery, a k a ‘Alas, A Sticky Wicket’?”

Cheers rose.

“Excellent. We are ready, too. There are a few official procedures to be followed. Participants are requested to form teams of not more than ten members and to elect a Team Captain Detective, who will officially represent the team in the investigation and pose questions to the suspects. The investigation begins after I describe the background to our mystery and introduce your suspects.”

Looking out at the sea of eager faces, Annie described the functions of the three tents and the availability of materials in the Police Headquarters tent. “Each team, at the conclusion of the investigation, is to turn in a sealed envelope which contains: 1. The name of the murderer and 2. the reasons why the team accuses this suspect. Now,” she leaned forward, slipping in Chief Wells’s first order, “it is imperative that you list on the outside of the envelope the name of every member of your team, complete with address and phone number. Failure to include this information will disqualify your entry.” Listeners nodded, and some scrawled in open notebooks. “Your entry will be received by 10 P.M. On Friday evening, you are invited to return here for the Denouement Ball, which begins at eight. You may dress as your favorite mystery sleuth or character. Prizes will be awarded for the five best costumes. At midnight, we will announce the winner, that is, the team which correctly identifies the murderer at the earliest time. Finally, one last warning.” The low hum of excited voices ceased. These people were serious mystery fans, and they avidly waited to hear Chief Well’s second instruction. She spoke distinctly. “The area open to Mystery Night detectives is limited to the tents”—she pointed to each tent in turn—“and to the area around the tennis court, which is just east of the Prichard House. If a member of any team is discovered anywhere else, that entire team will be disqualified.” She smiled. “I know I can count on your cooperation. And now, Mystery Night sleuths, here is your crime.”

Heads bent, hands flew, as Annie related the sequence of events at Gemtree Court, the manor house home of Lady Alicia and Lord Algernon: the disappearance of The Red Maiden, and the discovery of Matilda Snooperton’s crumpled body beneath a rose arbor by the tennis court, not far from where only a few hours earlier the happy group had enjoyed croquet. “Detectives are encouraged to study the area near Miss Snooperton’s body closely. From police reports, it will be learned that a tool shed near the murder scene has been broken into. There are no fingerprints on the broken lock to the shed.

“You will find in the Police Headquarters tent copies of the statements made by each suspect, the autopsy report, and a table containing replicas of the clues. Each team may make application for one—repeat, one—search warrant, which will be granted only if you can convince the magistrate—me—” she paused for the laughter which greeted her pronouncement, “that you have sufficient reason. You may sign up at the clue table for your turn as a team to visit The Scene of the Crime.”

She tried to ignore a sudden vivid image of the pond and Corinne Webster’s crushed skull. In the pause before she forced herself to continue, she heard a contestant mutter happily, “I just love stately home murders. Have you read Blue Blood Will Out by Tim Heald?” Her companion nodded enthusiastically. “Loved it. Another good one is Lord Mullion’s Secret by Michael Innes.”

Annie noted that both women, right on the front row, were plump and wore sensible tweeds and sturdy walking shoes. Mrs. Brawley faced sharp competition.

“Now, I’d like to present your suspects.”

Suspects. Who would be the suspects in Corinne’s murder? Other than herself, the stranger in their midst. Discomfort moved in her stomach, and it wasn’t hunger. Would Wells remember to cherchez la femme? Or would that be lèse majesté to Mr. Mayor? But the police always looked first at the husband, didn’t they? Maybe not this time. Worry gnawed a little deeper.

Jessica started up the steps. Despite her somber face, she was lovely in an ankle-length, leg-of-mutton-sleeved dress of pale yellow organdy.

Suspects. How about the distraught painter and libidinous Sybil? Or the perhaps more than merely eccentric Miss Dora? Or Gail and her unsuitable suitor? And Edith sure as hell—Annie’s wandering thoughts quivered, then crystallized. That letter she’d received with the Mrs. Moneypot’s mystery plot; it had been full of innuendos about people who hated Corinne!

“Annie.”

Jessica’s urgent whisper jerked her back to the platform.

“May I present Lady Alicia.”

Jessica, her sleek black hair upswept in a chignon, addressed the crowd languidly. “After tea, I rested in my room. I’d quite a headache from our afternoon in the sun, playing croquet.” She shaded her dark eyes. “I saw no one. When I was dressing for dinner, I opened my jewel case and found that my famous ruby necklace had disappeared, so I immediately raised the alarm. As for Miss Snooperton, I hadn’t seen her since teatime. She was a dear girl.”

Brava. An unexpectedly talented amateur actress.

“Lord Algernon,” Annie announced.

Max shot her a brief, warning glance as he strode on stage. As always, he carried himself with élan, even in a borrowed tuxedo. He looked every inch a young English lord, tall, blond, and crisply handsome.

“Took a stroll down to the river after tea, but I didn’t see anyone.” Then he paused, timing it just perfectly to raise doubts among his listeners. “But there might have been somebody over by the arbor. Dashed hard to see in the mist. Damn shame about Matilda. Must’ve been the work of a tramp.”

Leighton asserted that a robber must have murdered Corinne. Nature imitating art? Or had that fragment simply stuck in his mind from his suspect sheet?

Max stepped back beside Jessica, and Roscoe soberly moved forward. As always, he looked reliable, imposing, and excruciatingly boring. He waited stolidly for Annie’s introduction.

“Mr. Nigel Davies, the betrothed of our victim, Matilda Snooperton.”

Roscoe clipped his speech neatly, reading from his sheet and ignoring the enthralled crowd. “Appalled. Absolutely appalled. Not the sort of thing that happens in our set. Hadn’t seen much of dear Matilda since we motored down. Tennis, then croquet. After tea, took a stroll toward the village. Didn’t see a soul.”

John Sanford stepped forward, quite natty in a light blue cotton suit and a boater hat.

“Mr. Reginald Hoxton, a friend of Lady Alicia’s from London.”

Unexpectedly, he threw himself into the part, speaking in an ingratiating, oily manner. “Only too glad to help in the investigation. Miss Snooperton a charming gal. First met her this weekend. Left my room after tea. Ran down to my car to get my shoe kit from the boot. Didn’t meet up with anybody.” He closed with a toothy smile.

Edith was up to any challenge to protect her beloved Society. Though her deep-set green eyes were clouded, she threw herself with utmost seriousness into her role as the love-struck girl, Susannah Greatheart. Her abundant hair covered by a gay pink scarf, she stood with her eyes downcast, nervously twisting a white cambric handkerchief. “Such a shock. I did see Miss Snooperton after tea. I happened to walk down to the arbor, but she was quite all right, oh quite all right, when I left her.” She paused, gnawing her lip. “Actually, she was laughing.” She held the handkerchief to her face and stepped away.

Edith’s rendition of counterfeit distress was outstanding. But the distress emanating from the final player was only too real, though ironically, it was critical to the success of her role. “Agnes, Lady Alicia’s devoted maid,” Annie announced.

Lucy had changed clothes, but obviously made no attempt this time to dress for a formal dinner at an English manor house. She wore a navy blue skirt and gray silk blouse, and her face scarcely resembled that of the cheerful woman who had been so friendly to Annie. Her eyes looked haunted, and her cheeks sagged. Annie knew her thoughts were far from this platform and felt immediate sympathy. Lucy clutched her suspect sheet in a white-gloved hand that trembled and read in a monotone.

“Happened to overhear Mr. Nigel having words with Miss Snooperton. That I did, early this morning. And later, after tea, I saw Mr. Hoxton with a tire tool, and he looked very disagreeable. And Miss Susannah was crying when she crept up the stairs this afternoon. And there’s more that could be said about some of these fine ladies and gentlemen.”

And wasn’t that the truth, Annie thought grimly. She lifted the microphone and forced a lilt into her voice. “It’s all yours, detectives. The suspects will repair to the Interrogation Tent, and I will be in charge in the police tent as Detective-Inspector Searchclue of New Scotland Yard. And—one last point, which I’m certain you will all appreciate—Mrs. Gordon at Swamp Fox Inn has volunteered her restrooms for use by the participants and staff of the Mystery Night. Also, the Inn coffee bar will be open until midnight.”

The throng of eager detectives swept toward the tents. It wasn’t quite a mad enough rush to imperil life and limb, but it bordered on the frantic. It matched the festival exuberance in Phoebe Atwood Taylor’s Figure Away, but at least it lacked loon calls and shotgun blasts. The comparison was disturbing, though, when she recalled the fate of the person in charge of that celebration. She started down the steps and saw the dour face of the policeman who’d refused her entry to Ephraim Street that morning. Was he assigned to watch her?