04 Lowcountry Bordello

by Boyer, Susan M.

  Finally, she said, “The poor girl has been under so much strain. It’s no wonder she’s hallucinating. I would’ve dealt with the issue between her and Seth and saved her so much anxiety. I only wish she’d come to me sooner.”

  “Have you? Dealt with Seth? Can Olivia now stop paying him blackmail money?”

  She looked away. “I’ve taken steps. Spoken to a few family friends I trust.”

  “Why not speak directly to Seth? Are you afraid of him as well?”

  “Goodness gracious, no. Why would I be afraid of Seth?”

  “I can’t think of a reason, unless he’s a bit unstable to begin with, and the prospect of losing his home has unhinged him.”

  “He won’t ever lose his home. That provision is in both Mary’s will and mine. He is to live in the guesthouse for the rest of his life or until he chooses to leave. Olivia is to continue to employ him as handyman unless he quits.”

  “Why not just leave the house to him? You must know the problems this creates for Olivia.”

  She shook her head slowly.

  “Seth has no head for business. He couldn’t manage the boardinghouse on his own. He would end up losing it. It’s our family home. Olivia must take care of our family legacy. It’s a matter of duty. She’s the last remaining Beauthorpe woman.”

  “So again, why not speak to Seth yourself about how family doesn’t blackmail family? If you’re not afraid of him, that is.”

  “Seth is mercurial. I didn’t want an incident with him. I’m an old woman. I don’t like drama. I thought it would be better for all of us to let friends handle the matter. Maintain peace in the household.”

  “Who did you ask for help?”

  “I’d rather not say. This is a family affair.”

  “Getting back to Olivia, and her ‘vision,’ don’t you find it odd that she had this experience the evening before Thurston Middleton turned up dead in White Point Gardens, not a block away?” I said.

  “Well of course it’s odd. Odd things happen every day. But his death has nothing whatever to do with us.”

  “So you are certain Thurston Middleton could not possibly have been in your home Monday evening?”

  She hesitated, looked away.

  “I wouldn’t go quite that far. I can’t think of a reason why he would be. That doesn’t mean he didn’t have one.” Miss Dean was practiced in the art of ambiguity.

  “Can you tell me who all was in the house Monday night, to the best of your knowledge?”

  “And how will that help Olivia, pray tell?”

  I shrugged. “It’s possible someone played a practical joke on her.”

  Miss Dean raised an eyebrow at me.

  I returned the gesture. “It’s also possible someone murdered Thurston Middleton, who was in your parlor for reasons unknown. Then the killer, or someone else accustomed to cleaning up messes around here, moved the body to a bench in White Point Gardens.”

  “You’re suggesting Seth killed Thurston and moved the body?”

  “That’s one possibility among many.”

  “That’s preposterous. In the unlikely event that Thurston was in my house, why on earth would Seth kill him? He’d be more likely to offer him a drink.”

  “So they knew each other.”

  “Yes, of course. As I said, we were neighbors.”

  “But if someone else killed Thurston, and Seth found the body. He would remove it from the house to avoid exposing the house to police scrutiny during an investigation, would he not?”

  “What are you implying?”

  “Just that Seth would know you wouldn’t want the police marking the parlor off with crime scene tape, interviewing your residents, making their family members uncomfortable coming to visit and all.”

  “Miss Talbot, I fail to see how this discussion will help my Olivia in any way. As I mentioned on the phone, I’m exhausted. I don’t think I can help you.”

  “Liz,” Nate said into my ear, “get out of there. Seth is leaving the guesthouse. Could be heading your way. Nothing to be gained by tangling with him.”

  I stood and handed Miss Dean my card.

  “If you think of anything, please don’t hesitate to call.”

  She stared at my card for a moment. “You failed to mention you were a private investigator.”

  I passed through the kitchen. “Did I? My goodness gracious. I’m so sorry. You know, I’ve been under a great deal of stress myself. Forgive me. Yes. I am a private investigator. Robert and Olivia are my clients.”

  Nate said, “I’ve lost him. Should’ve put a camera outside.”

  “And what have you been hired to do, exactly?” Miss Dean followed me, moving quicker now than she had earlier.

  “I’m afraid that’s confidential. You have my card. Good night, Miss Dean.”

  She followed me to the front door. “I’ll see to it Seth leaves Olivia alone. I’ve already told her I would do that. There was no need for you to get involved in our private family business.”

  I winced, my hand on the doorknob. “Yeah…if it weren’t for the body in the parlor, I’d almost agree with you. But you see, it became my business when Olivia called me and asked me to come over. After that point, if a crime was committed, I could be an accessory after the fact, or perhaps be charged with obstruction, if I don’t give the information to the authorities.”

  “Liz. He’s coming in the back door to the keeping room.”

  I continued, “Oh, and one of your family members hired me. There’s that. Good night, Miss Dean.”

  I closed the door behind me, then listened to the sounds of her locking up.

  “I’m out. Heading back.”

  “That was too damn close.”

  “Listen to them. I’ll be right there.”

  Ten

  Nate was staring at the screen when I rushed into the room.

  “What’d I miss?” I asked.

  He held a finger to his lips, then unplugged his headphones so the sound played over the laptop speaker.

  Aunt Dean was speaking. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  I hurried over to watch the feed.

  Seth sprawled on the sofa where I’d sat moments before. “I didn’t want to upset you.” His tone with her was solicitous. His expression one of genuine concern.

  “Seth, we can’t keep things from one another. Promise me you won’t ever do that again.”

  “I promise, Aunt Dean.”

  “Are you certain you removed all traces of this unpleasant incident?”

  “Yes ma’am. I swapped out the rug for the new one you had me order for the Rutledge room—it looked the same to me. I ordered another one just like it already.”

  “What did you do with the soiled rug?”

  “I put it in a dumpster in North Charleston. Someone’s probably already swiped it out of there, taken it home, and put some bleach on it. That or it’s in the landfill.”

  “And you give me your word you didn’t harm Thurston?”

  “Yes ma’am. Had no call whatsoever. Hel—heck, I liked Thurston. I’da voted for ’im.”

  “Why on earth did you leave him in such a public place—make such a spectacle? I’ve always admired your discretion in such matters.”

  “I figured if he disappeared, him being a politician and all, folks would be digging up his past like it was money in the backyard, trying to figure out what happened to him. Now they have a murder to solve. The focus will be on who wanted him dead right now. Who he’s piss—made mad lately.”

  “I hope you’re right, but I suspect his background will be explored exhaustively regardless. Have you any idea what he would’ve been doing here?”

  “No ma’am. That right there is a mystery to me.”

 
“I can’t imagine, either. Nor how he got in, for that matter. He hasn’t had a key in years. Not since he married Julia.”

  Seth changed position on the sofa. He studied the ceiling, shook his head.

  Miss Dean didn’t take her eyes off of him. “Who all was here Monday night?”

  “Aside from the girls, just you and me. And Raylan. He dropped by to see me.”

  “Raylan?”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  “I wasn’t aware the two of you socialized.”

  Seth shrugged. “We don’t much.”

  Miss Dean looked at her watch. “I’m very tired. I’m going upstairs now. This entire affair has me quite rattled.”

  “Aunt Dean, you don’t need to worry. I took care of things.”

  She leaned forward, eased to the edge of the chair.

  He jumped up, held out a hand to help her.

  “Thank you, dahlin’. You get your snack now. I know you didn’t care much for your dinner.”

  “Girl food,” he snorted.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night.” She offered him her cheek.

  He obliged, leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.

  “Good night, Aunt Dean.”

  She patted his shoulder. “You’re a good boy. Thank you for lookin’ after me.”

  “You know I’ll always take care of you.”

  She smiled.

  “I know you will.”

  Nate let out a long whistle.

  “My thoughts exactly,” I said. “Now what did I miss?”

  “Just her explaining to him how Olivia had forgotten her purse on the foyer table and had come back for it. He heard her talking to you. She didn’t tell him anything about you period. And she didn’t mention Olivia saw the body in the parlor last night. She told him she’d heard noises, and was concerned when Thurston’s body turned up close by. Made it sound like a fishing expedition. He told her the truth right off—about him moving the body anyway. There could be quite a lot he didn’t tell her. There’s plenty she didn’t tell him, in spite of her insistence that they tell each other everything.”

  “Interesting. So Seth has no idea Olivia was even there.”

  “If he saw her, he didn’t mention it.”

  Our eyes were still glued to the screen. Seth made himself a sandwich.

  “I’m starved,” I said. “We need to order a pizza or something.”

  “Already taken care of. I ordered sandwiches from Bull Street Market over on King. They should be here momentarily.”

  “Oh, thank heavens.”

  Miss Dean passed by the foyer camera and started up the stairs. The young ladies were in their rooms.

  I glanced back to the kitchen feed. “He sure doesn’t look worried, does he?”

  “Not in the least.”

  “I’ve got to tell Sonny about that rug. There’s a chance it’s still wherever Seth dumped it.”

  “How are you going to do that without spilling everything?”

  “I’m thinking.”

  After a moment, Miss Dean appeared in her room. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it for a moment. Then she moved over to the sitting area and set her purse on the chaise. She rummaged through it and came out with a notebook of some sort. She moved her purse to the floor and stretched out on the chaise. Then she reached for the cordless phone on the table beside her. She consulted the phonebook, then punched a number into the phone.

  Nate switched the audio feed to the wiretap.

  After three rings, a man answered. “Hello, Miss Dean. How are you this evening?”

  “I’m well, John. I hope you are.”

  “I am, thank you. What can I do for you?”

  “Do you recall the matter we discussed on Monday? The one I mentioned to two of our friends as well?”

  “Yes. I’m terribly sorry we haven’t had time to see to it yet. I promise we’ll take care of it tomorrow.”

  “Oh, that would be a weight off of me. Thank you, John. I know I can depend on you to look after me.”

  “Yes, you most assuredly can. Do promise you’ll let me know if there’s anything you need. Call me anytime, for any reason.”

  “I will, thank you.”

  “And I do hope to meet with Olivia soon. It’s important we all get to know her—important she understand she can depend on us as well.”

  “I will speak to her straightaway. It may be after the holidays, will that suit?”

  “Certainly. Just let us know.”

  “I will. Good night, John. And Merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas to you.”

  She ended the call.

  “Which one of these men is John?” I asked.

  There was a knock on the door.

  “Food,” said Nate. “It’s paid for, and the delivery guy has been tipped.”

  I opened the door only as far as I had to and exchanged my thanks for the bag of food. I opened the bag, unwrapped a sandwich, and grabbed two Cheerwines from the cooler. By the time I got back to the screen, Miss Dean was back on the phone. I handed Nate half a turkey sandwich.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  On the screen, we could see Miss Dean with the phone to her ear. It was ringing. From the kitchen, Seth walked through the keeping room, then out the back door.

  A woman answered the phone. “Hello?” Her voice had the thick sound of someone who had been crying.

  “Julia, dahlin’, it’s Aunt Dean. I’m so sorry to hear about Thurston. I wanted to see how you were gettin’ on. Is there anything I can do?”

  “Oh, Aunt Dean,” Julia said. “I just can’t believe it. My heart’s broken. If it weren’t for the boys, I’d probably fall completely to pieces.”

  “I can imagine how difficult this must be. The two of you have always been so very close. Made for each other. I’ve always said it.”

  “Who on earth would do such a thing—to Thurston, of all people?”

  “It must’ve been some gang initiation ritual, is all I can think of. You hear about that sort of thing more and more often it seems. This stunt they pulled with poor Thurston smacks of random violence, I’d say.”

  “Perhaps you’re right. Thurston never had a single enemy. Everyone who knew him loved him.”

  “Well, of course they did. I loved him very much. Have you made plans for the service, dear?”

  “No, I have to do that tomorrow. Aunt Dean, I just don’t know if I can do this.”

  “Nonsense. You’re very strong—always have been. And your boys need you. You can be strong for them, can’t you?”

  “Yes.” It was a whisper.

  “Of course you can. And please do let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

  “I will.”

  “You know I’ll always be here for you, Julia.”

  “I know—thank you, Aunt Dean.”

  “Get some rest now, dear.” She ended the call.

  “Is it just me?” I asked. “Or is Miss Dean awfully friendly with the widow Middleton?”

  “They are neighbors. Folks in Charleston are friendly as a rule.”

  I felt my face squinch and forced myself to smooth the lines. “I think there was something more there.”

  “Could be, I guess.” He sounded skeptical.

  “And there was something in Mrs. Middleton’s voice that rang a bit off.”

  “What do you mean?”

  I winced, shook my head. “Something wasn’t right about that conversation.”

  For a long time Miss Dean sat there while we munched on turkey sandwiches and waited to see if she had more business to tend to. Eventually, she put the phone back in its cradle, maneuvered herself to a standing position, and went i
nto the bathroom.

  Nate tapped a few buttons and closed the video on her room. “She’s getting ready for bed most likely. If we hear anything we think we need to see, we can turn it back on.”

  “Agreed.” I fetched another sandwich and divided it, giving Nate half. “As soon as I finish eating, I’m going to go through Miss Dean’s ledger pages. I think I remember seeing a Middleton in there the first couple years. It must’ve been Thurston. That’s the only reason he’d have had a key before he married Julia.”

  “True. And that gives him a solid reason for being in that house. He’s getting ready to run for office. To quote our buddy, Seth, the media and the opposition will be digging up his past like it’s money in the backyard. Thurston had to know that. If he knew about that ledger, or even suspected such a thing existed, he very likely went looking for it.”

  “And if the desk is normally in the front parlor, but was moved to make room for the Christmas tree, then it makes sense that’s where he’d look first.” I chewed for a few moments. “So we have answers to the two biggest questions we started out with. There was a body in the house. It was Thurston. And, we know he must have been the intended victim, and we most likely know why he was there. And Olivia isn’t crazy.”

  “I wouldn’t carry our budding narrative of the crime quite that far.”

  I punched him in the arm.

  “Hey, look at this.” He pointed to the feed for the keeping room. Heather, the blonde, stepped out the door to the pool deck and closed it carefully behind her. “What is she up to?”

  “She’s sneaking out. I’m going to follow her, see where she goes,” I said.

  “Keep your earwig in. Hand me your iPad so I can follow you on GPS. Times like this, we need more screens.”

  I passed him the tablet, kissed him, and was out the door.

  Eleven

  I waited in the shadows behind the gate at the bed and breakfast. Moments later, I caught movement to the left of Miss Dean’s garage. My eyes adjusted to the darkness. A low brick wall ran along the side yard between 12 Church Street and its nearest neighbor to the north. Heather scrambled over it and jogged to the end of the neighboring driveway. “Got her,” I said. She’d circled behind the garage.