On my way to answer the door, I grabbed a pad of sticky notes. I marked OUT OF ORDER on one and placed it over the doorbell.
“Is the doorbell really out of order?” the Chief said.
I ignored her question and asked her to continue explaining why the Manor grounds had become a three ring circus.
“The team places pipettes where the soil appears nitrogen rich due to the foliage of the plants in the area. If ninhydrin-reactive nitrogen is found, then there’s a good chance that a decaying body is there. Flesh rotting gives off this pocket of gas and releases the gas which . . .”
“Okay that’s enough for now,” I said. I spotted a swarm of people in hazmat suits headed toward the back of the property.
“Are those your people?”
“Some of them. Most of them are on loan from the Atlanta Police Department,” the chief sounded proud of her crew. “The back fence is where we found two bodies and the others. . ”
“Whoa! Just how many corpses have you located?” I asked afraid of the answer.
“Let’s see. There were six in the back garden, one or two in the vineyard, and oh yes four in the . . .
~9~
The first thing I remember when I came to was Tom asking ‘are you okay?’ I rubbed my eyes and tried to remember. The bodies—all the bodies. That’s when I hit the dirt and from the looks of it a little mud too.
“I think I’m okay but I can’t say the same for my pants,” I tried to joke about the way I must look to all of those crowded around me. “I think the shock plus I didn’t eat breakfast – low blood sugar and all that.” Heads nodded in an understanding way. Hattie pushed through the crowd.
“Roxy, dear. What happened? I just heard and made Howard bring me down here to see about you,” she was pale and her eyes were sunken and dark-circled.
“I’m okay just had a little dirt nap,” I said and tried to laugh as I brushed dirt off my capris.
Tom put his arm around me and gave Howard that look that men give to one another when there’s a crisis that they have to convey. Our spouses escorted us back into the house where we got the facts.
“From what I’ve been told by the police and the other investigations, this manor/bed-and-breakfast played a part in sex trafficking. The couple that previously owned this place used it as a meetup for criminals who wanted to ‘buy’ girls either for themselves or for resale,” Tom hesitated. A tear trickled down his cheek.
“The ones who resisted were done away with. So far we’ve found fifteen corpses of females of varying ages. The cause of death in each one is yet to be determined but the medical examiner said that some were tortured before death,” Tom paused. I squeezed his hand. I knew this had to be hard for him to visualize and harder still to repeat.
Howard took up the slack and let Tom get a little reprieve. He looked at Hattie with tenderness and said, “I think you will agree my love that each one of these precious ones deserves a funeral and I would like to do that as the present owner of this place.”
“But what about the body under the dining room table?” I asked.
“Seems like that was a different case with a different murderer in another era,” Howard shook his head. “Damn shame.”
Hattie nodded in agreement. She covered her face with a lace handkerchief.
“Of course it will be a while before any of these bodies will be released. And the police are still going over the grounds to make sure there aren’t any more. Oh God! I hope there’s no more,” Tom’s voice cracked and he bowed his head.
“Let’s go into the den and give him a minute,” Howard suggested. When we reached the den, he rang a bell and Callie appeared.
“Sir,” she said.
“Please serve coffee in here,” he said.
“Of course,” she answered. “What about the reverend? Will he be joining you?”
“Give him some privacy for now. And yes include him in the coffee service,” Howard’s voice of complete confidence helped bolster us in the time when it seemed like the world opened up and threatened to swallow us. I had to let the girls know but right now I treasured this moment with Hattie and pondered what their next decision would be.
Tom joined us after he had taken some time to freshen up and recover his emotions. I suppose the subject of girls was just too close to his heart. It brought to my mind our lovely daughter and granddaughter. Any of those bodies could be one of them. I loved him for that. We sipped our coffee in front of the fire. It was a beautiful spring day yet a fire in the fireplace was comforting. This manor was such a beautiful place with a horrifying history. Howard had spent a lot of money and time redecorating it. I wondered if they could remain here after this nightmare was over.
I didn’t have to wonder long as Callie re-entered the room with a message for Howard. He thanked her, read it, and said to us, “Hattie and I have decided to return to her townhouse. We will be putting the manor up for sale as soon as all of this business is over. We can’t thrive knowing the history of this place. I spoke to Chief Browning and she has an APB out on the couple that I bought the Manor from. Of course they are in the wind and who knows if the names they gave were even legit. Anyway it’s in her hands now and I am making arrangements for us to move as soon as possible.”
Hattie was quiet—uncharacteristic for her obviously overwhelmed with grief. At this moment in time I couldn’t be more thankful for Howard. How in the world could we ever have managed without him?
“Hattie,” I said and she looked up at me with watery eyes. “You know I’ll do anything to make this easy for you. And I speak for the Thursday Club as well. Maybe a holiday while this investigation is cleared up would be in order. At least think about it, please.”
~10~
“I call this meeting of the Thursday Club to order,” I sounded very presidential if I do say so myself. Spoons were still clanking in the coffee cups, but I had everyone’s attention.
“Since Hattie’s . . . um residence has been invaded for lack of a better word, I am invoking the ‘let’s go on an adventure’ bylaw.”
“When did we. . .” Suzy began and got the stink eye from her sister.
“Clear you calendars for the next few days. Hattie and I have agreed upon some activities that will take our minds off the present investigation,” I said and nodded in her direction. I must say her move back to her familiar townhouse had done her a world of good. Hattie was looking like her old self.
“This is so exciting,” Clara said and began writing in the notebook that accompanied her everywhere.
“Where are we going?” Amy asked.
“I’m so glad you asked,” Hattie said and all eyes turned to the woman wearing an aqua caftan with embroidered sleeves. She wore a whimsy of the same shade with tiny gold stars in the netting.
“We will be boarding Scarlett tomorrow and checking into the Marriott Marquis in downtown Atlanta. At promptly 7:30 p.m. a chauffeur will pick us up at the Marquis and deliver us to Agatha’s Mystery Dinner Theatre. There the owners have arranged a special table for us where we will dine and watch this month’s production. Roxy and Tom have been there before and we are guaranteed a wonderful evening. Approximately 11:00 p.m. we will be chauffeured back to the Marquis,” Hattie sounded like she was back in form. She took a sip of her coffee and signaled for me to continue the agenda.
“The next morning we will have breakfast at the Marquis in their elegant dining facility. The chauffeur will whisk us to the World of Coca-Cola where we will peruse the history of the drink that made Atlanta famous, taste the flavors of soft drinks from other countries, and purchase merchandise if we choose to do so.
“After lunch and a brief rest, we will resume our adventure with a little shopping at America’s Mart or anywhere that suits our fancy,” I took a breath and sipped coffee.
“Can I ask a question?” Clara chimed in.
“Of course,” I answered.
“Is a Korean spa involved in any way?”
The entire group
broke into such laughter I thought we would have to break and go to the ladies’ room.
“No definitely not. The Marquis does in fact have a spa, a beauty shop, and facilities for facials and mani/pedis should you so desire. But no Korean stuff, I guarantee,” I had to wipe the tears from my eyes. God bless you Clara for making us laugh.
“Other questions for me or anyone?” I asked.
“We’re in,” chimed Suzy and Amy. “I just have to make a few meals and freeze them for Tony, but in the worst case scenario he can grab fast food.”
“Same here,” I said, “but Tom will be with Howard for a lot of the time and I believe they will manage.” I didn’t want to say anything more about the torn up lawn, tents set up for equipment and law enforcement, or the fact that FBI and Homeland Security had been called in for further graphing the property.
“Okay so we’re set. Suzy can you bring Scarlett to my house after picking up Hattie and Amy. Clara can you be there at 10 a.m. to meet up with us? I think that’s all. Now we can eat lunch if Pauline is ready for us to order.”
It was like the horror of the past week never happened. Clara, Amy, and Suzy did their best to keep the conversation upbeat. Best of all, Hattie was in her element. She kept regaling us with stories from their honeymoon trip. It was a shame that most of their furniture would have to go into storage but we all knew that it was for the best. After all you couldn’t house ninety years of living into a townhouse. How she ever got all her things into Golden Palms I’ll never know.
Speaking of which when this unfortunate incident is closed, I made a mental note to have a reunion/welcome home party for the inmates. Hattie always likes to get them together although she protests otherwise.
~11~
I was so excited about the prospects of another Thursday Club adventure, I barely slept. Ricky and Cat, the owners, confirmed out reservations at Agatha’s Mystery Dinner Theater. I loved this dinner theatre which was more comedy than mystery and was eager to share the experience with my closest BFFs. When I made the reservations I noticed that “Once Upon a Murder” was running its final week, so the show we will be seeing is “Murder and Stranger Things.” I had bragged on the actors, the food, and the general quality all around. My favorite dish was the salmon. No matter what sauce Ricky deigned to top it with it melted in your mouth. Tom’s favorite was always the beef but not everyone enjoyed their medallions of beef medium rare.
By 11:00 a.m. Scarlett was loaded and we were Hotlanta bound. We scheduled just enough time to reach the Marquis, settle in, and have lunch with a little rest before dinner. What I didn’t tell the girls was that I would be keeping in touch with how the investigation was going. Hopefully, nothing worse than finding x number of bodies on the Saunders’ property would arise. Right now I couldn’t imagine anything worse.
Manny greeted us at the door of Agatha’s and escorted us to our seats along with a slip of paper telling us our character names. If we had a speaking part, the paper was larger. Hattie got a speaking part and I knew she would be hilarious. After cocktails and appetizers, we ordered. Hattie got the beef, Amy and Suzy selected the pork tenderloin, with Clara preferring the tuna. I figured everyone would get a taste of everyone else’s so I went with my usual – the salmon topped with roasted garlic butter. My mouth watered at the thought.
After a perfect meal and a theatre performance where we laughed until the tears came, the crew was ready for the pound cake which the new dessert chef had drizzled with caramel sauce and almonds.
Emilio, Marc, and Emily, the actors in tonight’s performance, came by the table and asked if we enjoyed the show. We were able to compliment Ricky on yet another gourmet delight.
We waddled out to the limousine and barely made the trip to our suite. Coffee all around as we relived the evening. The night was perfect and no one mentioned the atrocities at the manor for six whole hours. It was the respite we all needed.
“I thought I would die when the female and male roles switched. It was hilarious,” Suzy said. “Your friends are so funny.”
“Yes I certainly wasn’t expecting that,” Amy chimed in. She poured some Bailey’s into her decaf coffee. I hope I don’t have to cut her off.
Clara said, “Before the adrenaline wears off, I promised Derek I would call before I turned in. Ta-ta everyone.”
After everyone retired but Hattie and me, we shared a little tete-a-tete over all the concerns of the moment. I assured her that all of us would back them no matter what the investigators dug up (unfortunate choice of words).
We parted with a good-night hug and “see you in the morning.”
I decided not to text Tom until the a.m. when I would be fresh and able to handle any unfortunate news. We were scheduled for a trip to the World of Coca-Cola for 11:00 with lunch to follow. If anyone is interested, we could lunch at the CNN Center Food Court and take the media tour afterward. That is if Hattie isn’t worn out. That’s a lot of walking for us and she does have her scooter, but she is ninety years young after all.
~12~
I must say the Marriott Marquis beds are a bit of heaven especially when you don’t have to share it with a snoring male. Let’s just hope the others had a restful night. I should have taken Hattie’s phone away (on the pretense of charging it) just to make sure.
Tom’s text was brief. He said fifteen bodies – all female had been discovered on the property. The medical examiner had called in other MEs for help on identification, cause of death, and any other clues as to when they were murdered. The police had an APB out on the former owners of the Manor but no one had real hopes of them being found. The identities were obviously fake and there was no paper trail as to who they did business with. Howard called in Neal, Hattie’s nephew in the FBI. The GBI and Homeland Security were already there along with some of Neal’s counterparts.
I noticed that our part of Georgia had gotten quite a bit of spring rain. That would make things more difficult for the exhumation of the bodies. Is that even correct to say? After all they weren’t officially interred. Anyway the law enforcement teams had their jobs cut out for them.
Howard went ahead with the improvements he had planned inside the manor. After all, it would only increase the value. Yeah right! Who wanted to buy the manor that sat on the Killing Fields of Georgia. But you never know, there are weird people out there but do we want them in Watsonville?
The Manor isn’t exactly remote but it does have a large garden area, a vineyard, and a pond. I suppose if you are in the market for dumping bodies it’s a pretty good venue. I wonder if we’ll ever know the complete story. But with Neal on the case, you can bet he will hunt down the murderers and bring closure for the victims’ families. After all, he turned in his own sister – his twin – when she took justice into her own hands. You gotta hand it to him – the man has guts and principles.
I decided not to mention that Neal was in Athena. Hattie would find out soon enough. Her nephew would walk through hot coals for her, so he wasn’t about to leave until the case was solve.
Meanwhile I have to put on my happy face and prepare for a wonderful day in downtown Atlanta. Our limo awaits and for the sake of my adopted mother I’ll erase any doubt and push on.
Of course being raised in Georgia, I and the rest of my posse had been Coca-Cola drinkers all of our lives. We snubbed Pepsi as the imitators of perfection. But the refresher course that our tour guide offered was excellent. She reminded us that Dr. Pemberton, a pharmacist, came up with the ‘secret formula’ and mixed it with carbonated water. It was touted as a cure for many ailments and sold for a modest 5 cents per glass.
Asa Candler, an Atlanta businessman, saw its possibilities as a distributed beverage and purchased the rights. In a few years others began bottling Coca-Cola but it took 30 years for the contoured bottle to become standardized and another sixty years to become trademarked. Later in the tour of the World of Coke, we would be able to sample versions of this favorite beverage from all parts of the globe. Clara insis
ted that she would record her mixtures. I didn’t ask where she thought she would obtain the ingredients. I didn’t want to burst her bubble while the rest of us would just mix and slurp.
“This is great fun,” Suzy remarked. “Tony and I will have to bring the grandkids here. They would love it.”
“Yes they would,” Amy agreed.
“I think I’ll go into the amphitheater the presentation on Coke’s history is just starting. Any takers?” Hattie asked.
“Yes I’ll go,” Clara said. The sisters were right behind her. I said that I would stay in the gift shop and peruse the merchandise. It hadn’t been long since Tom and I had visited and seen the video. Of course no visit is complete without a tour of the vault where the legendary Coca-Cola formula is secured. When the girls came out of the theater that was our next stop. This was my favorite part where you can invent drinks using five dials. The Bubble-izer converts your face into an effervescent bubble and the polar bears await you for an extra special portrait.
We got a limited time at the controls since there were a lot of school groups visiting the World of Coke but it was exhilarating just to be outside of our troubles if just for a limited time. Unfortunately we only had a precious few more hours before we had to head back into the bedlam which had become our life – at least for now.
I vowed not to bring up the issues at the Manor until we were headed home in Scarlett. She had been sitting in the Marquis lot and we had hired a limo for our various excursions, but I wondered if we should take her to America’s Mart tomorrow. Maybe the concierge could advise.
With t-shirts, cups, and souvenirs for the husbands we were ready to roll. On the way back to the Marquis, we had a lively discussion about dinner.
“I vote for the Varsity,” Amy said. “I love their orange whatchamacallits.”
“Frosted orange,” I said.
“Why go there when we are in Atlanta? We have one in Athena?” her sister countered.
Thursday Club Mysteries: All 7 stories Page 34