Take Stock in Murder

by Millie Mack

  Carrie giggled aloud. “Charles, you better behave. I believe we’re the subject of everyone’s attention. Plus, as I look around, most of our suspects are here too.”

  “Well then, let’s give them something to talk about. What are you ordering?”

  “Oh, something light, maybe a salad.”

  “Oh, no you don’t.” Carrie looked surprised by the intensity of Charles’s voice. “If we’re going to sit here with all these fools staring at us, we’re going to have a splendid meal—unless you feel it’s too uncomfortable for you.”

  Charles took her hand very gently under the table and squeezed it.

  “I never feel uncomfortable when I’m with you,” Carrie said.

  Charles signaled to the waiter that they were ready to order. “What do you think, darling? Chateaubriand for two, with vegetables?”

  “Works for me, provided there’s a good wine to wash it down.”

  Almost two hours later, after a leisurely dinner with dessert, Charles and Carrie were finished. Although they would have preferred to stay and watch, many of the original diners had been forced to give up their tables to the next seating. Even those in the second seating must have been disappointed when they found nothing more significant than a couple having dinner.

  “A little more wine, dear?” Charles asked.

  “Not unless you’re serving it with a bromide. I can’t believe we ate all that food!”

  “Every time we eat here, I know why I belong to this Club. It’s the food. It really is excellent.” Charles made the statement after drinking the final drop of wine with the last forkful of dessert. “Do you think all these people are just curious, or do you think they really believe I’m a murderer?”

  “Charles, stop talking that way. You’re not a murderer.” Carrie looked him straight in the eye. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

  Charles signaled the waiter for the ticket and signed the slip with his name and membership number. However, before the couple could leave, Joanne and Dan Quinn arrived in the dining room. The couple headed straight for Charles and Carrie.

  “Hey, you two. I see you’re enjoying your Saturday night ritual.” Dan turned to the maître d’. “We’ll sit at this table.”

  “I believe the Faradays have finished their meal, and we’ll want to get you a fresh cloth and setup,” William suggested.

  “The Faradays are very neat eaters. I think this cloth is fine. Thank you, William,” Joanne added with a big smile.

  “Very well.” William shrugged and left.

  “Thanks for the compliment about our eating habits, but are you two sure you want to be seen with us? It could hurt your political chances at the Club,” Carrie said.

  “There is nothing you two could do to damage my chances at the Club. I’m sure my name was removed long ago from the list for important positions,” Dan said.

  The waiter arrived and took their drink order.

  When he departed, Carrie said, “Joanne, I hope you’re wearing your best underwear, because everyone seems to have x-ray vision tonight.”

  “Don’t worry. My mama taught me how to properly dress,” Joanne said.

  “And besides, we’ll be viewed as winners as soon as the real killer is caught,” said Dan confidently.

  “We appreciate your vote of confidence.” Charles saluted Dan and then added, “And to show our appreciation, we’ll turn over this fine table to you.”

  “Well, before you two leave, we did want to pass along some thoughts we had about the case,” said Dan. “First, about a year ago, there was a rumor floating around that Todd was gambling and had run up some pretty large debts. I haven’t heard anything lately, but I thought I would at least throw that information out there.

  “Second, I’m sure you’re aware that Todd’s name has been associated with many of the women here at the Club. And any of these women could have a jealous husband or boyfriend.” Joanne thought for a moment and then added, “Or maybe even one of the women who thought she was the only one in Todd’s life.”

  “Do you mean Delores, Judy, Terry, Marilyn, Pat, Jennifer, Dawn, and Linda?” offered Carrie.

  The couples laughed.

  “I see you have the same list, but you can probably eliminate Linda Barrington from the group,” said Joanne.

  “Why do you say that? I thought she had equal possibilities with the others,” said Charles.

  “I was here a couple of months ago for a committee meeting. I decided to stop for some late lunch, and when I entered the bar, I saw Linda and Todd in a deep conversation. I was heading for the bar when suddenly Todd jumped up in a huff, practically knocking me over on his way out.”

  “Being in a huff was standard behavior for Todd,” Carrie said.

  “True, but then Linda joined me at the bar,” continued Joanne. “She proceeded to tell me that the family had asked her to talk to Todd about his behavior. Apparently the family was very much aware of Todd’s reputation with the ladies.”

  “I wonder why they would ask Linda,” said Charles.

  “I wondered the same thing. But Linda went on to explain that Todd and she are the same age and even attended the same schools, including their first year of college.”

  “I guess that also eliminates Brad, since there was no reason for him to be jealous,” said Carrie, almost disappointed. “Well, we’ll leave you two to enjoy your dinner. Hey, thanks for the info.”

  “More importantly, thanks again for your support,” added Charles.

  s they departed the room, their presence was like that of Moses parting the Red Sea. People waiting to be seated stopped chatting and stepped aside to allow the couple to pass. Charles and Carrie didn’t speak; they nodded to the few people they recognized. Charles waved at Jake, who was behind the bar, as the couple continued to walk down the hallway.

  “Whew, I’m glad we’re out of there.” Carrie turned and started to head for the exit closest to where they’d parked their car.

  “We’re not leaving yet.” Charles steered her down another hallway.

  “I wondered why you parked the car so far away from the dining room. Where are we going? Out the delivery entrance?”

  “No, there’s something I want to check.” Charles guided Carrie out on the veranda and they walked around to the other side of the building. There were several people on the walkways leading to the parking lot, but they were too far away to recognize the couple.

  “Does this diversion have to do with the murder?” Carrie asked.

  “Yes. With everyone watching us, I didn’t want to make a beeline for the library.”

  “But Charles, we just passed the library.”

  “The library, as you can see by the yellow tape on the doors, has been sealed by the police. Besides, I feel like playing a game. Don’t you, my dear?” He guided her around the corner of the building and opened another set of French doors into the game room. This room was decorated in style similar to the library. It was paneled in rich mahogany and was about twice the size of the library. Two card tables and two round poker tables were located on one side of the room, while three pool tables formed an open U at the back. At the first table, there was another couple enjoying a game of pool. Charles and Carrie nodded and smiled. They didn’t know the couple, but they’d recently seen them at the Club.

  Charles racked the pool balls at the third table. “Do you want to break, or shall I, darling?”

  “No, dear, you break. Then I’ll show you how to put them in the pocket,” Carrie said.

  Charles lined up his shot and sent the cue ball spinning into the middle of the triangle of balls. They broke apart, but none went into the pockets.

  “Great break, darling.” Carrie stepped up to the table and proceeded to sink the first ball. She made a face at Charles. She was lining up her second shot when the other couple spoke.

  “How about a drink, honey? This game has made me thirsty.” The gentleman was placing his cue back in the rack.

  “But Joe
y, we haven’t finished the game,” his partner responded in surprise.

  “We can get a drink and then come back and finish.” He took her cue stick, placed it in the rack, and escorted her out.

  “My, my, we are the couple with the plague.” Carrie found it amusing.

  “I’m sure they’re new members and probably still on probation, unlike us older members of the murdering kind. They probably don’t want to hurt their final vote on their Club membership by being seen with us,” Charles added.

  “OK, we’re alone now. Why are we playing pool in the game room, Charles?”

  “Because it’s the best way to get into the library without anyone knowing.” He took their cue sticks and placed them in the rack on the wall. “Come, darling.” He took Carrie by the hand and led her to the closet. He took out a small pocket flashlight with a powerful beam, turned it on, and shut the door behind them. He stopped for a minute and took Carrie in his arms and kissed her.

  “Charles, stop being naughty. You said we were here to work on the murder.”

  “I’ll always take an opportunity to kiss you, but I really do want to get into the library. Come on.” It was a large walk-in closet, and Charles led the way with his light. At the far end of the closet was a floor-to-ceiling bookcase. Charles pushed on the right side of a shelf near the bottom and swung the bookcase back to reveal the closet on the library side of the wall. The library closet was loaded with blankets.

  “Wow, look at all these blankets. Why so many?”

  “The library is very drafty because of all the French doors. And if there is no fire in the fireplace, it’s nice to have a blanket to keep you warm while reading and napping,” Charles said.

  Charles slowly opened the door out of the closet, and they emerged in the library. A single lamp was lit on the far side of the room.

  “Nothing like a lamp on a timer to light your way,” Charles said as he turned off his flashlight and put it back in his pocket.

  “Well, what do you know—a secret passage in the old, upright Tri-County Country Club. Pray tell, what were the old boys doing that they needed a hidden passageway?”

  “The passageway was for protection. If a gentleman were playing poker or had a female visitor in the next room and his wife came looking for him…Well, he could escape to the library, where he would be found quietly reading. At least that is what the Club historians claim.”

  “How many historians know about this passageway?”

  “Believe it or not, probably less than a dozen. It’s not something that’s advertised. I learned about it when I sat on the renovation committee.”

  “Who else was on that committee? I bet our two resident architects, John Chaney and Bill Conan were there.”

  “Actually, most of the husbands of the people involved with Todd: the Barringtons, both father and son Brad—not sure about Todd; the two architects you mentioned; Marilyn Armstrong’s husband, Frank; and our two favorite elderly gentlemen, Mr. Heathrow and Mr. Albright. In fact, if I remember correctly, it was Mr. Albright who first told me about the connection between the two rooms.”

  “While at this committee meeting, did one or more of you need to escape through the secret passage?”

  “Very funny. Actually, we were thinking about opening up the connection. But then it was decided that separate rooms really had greater function because of the need for meeting rooms. I’m glad we made that decision, because tonight I wanted to see exactly where the body was found, and I knew the library was sealed off by the police,” Charles stated.

  “Secret passages. Dead bodies. I feel like I’m in the middle of an Agatha Christie mystery.”

  “I just hope this one gets solved like in her books—you know, where the guilty party is discovered and the innocent lovers live happily ever after.”

  Carrie tried to sound cheery. “Don’t worry, darling. We’ll figure it out.”

  The library had two separate sitting areas. Each had its own sofa and several overstuffed chairs. The right side of the room was larger and more popular, since it looked directly out the French doors across the veranda to the grounds. Of course, tonight the drapes were drawn across the doors. The left side of the room, farthest from the game room passageway, had its sofa and chairs placed near the large fireplace. Charles had been seated in this section on the night Todd and Carrie entered the room.

  “Charles, here it is. The police outline of the body.” The chalk outline was right in front of the fireplace.

  “Does it mean anything that Todd’s body was found on the opposite side from our encounter?” Carrie asked.

  “I don’t think so. After all, everyone saw us leave the room. My question is, did Todd stay here the whole time, or did he leave the room too?”

  “Knowing Todd, he left the room.”

  “Why do you say that, Carrie?”

  “Todd was like a little kid. When confronted with a situation where he was clearly the loser, he would have gone off somewhere to lick his wounds and most likely get another drink. And remember, Mr. Heathrow and Mr. Albright came into the room. They’re both very good friends of his father, so I’m sure he would have wanted to get away from them.”

  “Agreed! So how did he spend the time prior to his death? And where was he when he was killed?”

  “Do you think he was killed somewhere else, and his body moved back into this room? I’ve another question. Did someone move the body to protect themselves or to deliberately incriminate us?” Carrie was staring down at the chalk outline of the body and suddenly had an idea.

  “I’m not sure.” Charles looked over at Carrie. “You know, dear, I better get you out of here. You’re starting to look a little pale.”

  Charles had no sooner spoken the words than Carrie collapsed on the floor.

  “Carrie, Carrie, darling!” Charles raced to her side and started to lift her.

  “No, don’t touch me,” she said quietly.

  “Are you hurt? Don’t move. I’ll get help,” he said, panic stricken.

  “Charles, stay here,” she commanded. “Look at the way I’ve fallen.”

  “What?” He was still in shock.

  “Look at the way I’ve fallen. I fell in a heap.”

  “I think you fell on your head.”

  “I pretended I was shot unexpectedly. How would I collapse? See, I didn’t fall within the outline the police made of Todd’s body. It looks like he was placed in this position.”

  “Don’t ever pull a stunt like that again. You gave me quite a scare,” he said sternly. Then he smiled and said, “But you’re absolutely right. It looks like he was nicely placed.”

  “I’ve answered one of your questions.” Carrie took Charles’s arm as she stood up and straightened her clothing. “He obviously wasn’t killed in this spot.”

  “You partially answered the second question too.”

  “How?”

  “You can’t arrange a dead body too long after it’s dead. The limbs become too stiff to manipulate.”

  “So he must have been killed somewhere nearby.”

  “I also think it means two people were involved. It would be difficult for one person to carry dead weight, and I don’t see any drag marks on the carpet or floor,” Charles added.

  “Let’s get out of here.” A chill went through Carrie. “I’m beginning to feel the presence of ghosts.”

  “I agree there isn’t anything more this room can tell us.” Charles took out his flashlight and grabbed Carrie’s hand. They returned through the closet, and Charles carefully closed and secured the bookcase. As they walked through the passageway, Carrie’s foot kicked something, and they heard it bounce against the wall.

  “What was that?”

  “I kicked something with my foot.”

  Charles shone the light into a far corner of the passageway, where something gold was illuminated. Charles picked it up and turned it over in his hand. It was a gold cuff link with the letter B etched into the metal.

  “Charl
es, this cuff link is just like the one Todd was wearing. I pulled it off when he had me…”

  Charles took Carrie’s hand. “I’m sorry finding the cuff link brought back bad memories, but it’s provided another piece of the puzzle. Apparently, when the murderers were carrying him through the passageway, his cuff link fell off. Now we know how Todd’s body got to the library. The same way we did.”

  “It also confirms our theory that he was murdered somewhere else, not in the library,” Carrie added.

  Carrie was already at the door to the game room when Charles called to her quietly. “Carrie, look here.”

  Carrie returned to look at the spot on the floor where Charles’s flashlight illuminated the hardwood floor. “Is it blood?”

  “It sure looks like it. But it’s hard to know for sure without proper testing.”

  “Do you think he was murdered in here?”

  “No, but I think the body was stored in here until it was moved to the library,” suggested Charles.

  “This is exciting. We’ve solved part of the mystery,” she said.

  “The only problem is, we still have no clues as to the identity of murderer.”

  harles carefully opened the door into the game room.

  The room was empty.

  “What would you have done had someone been in here? How would you explain our being in the closet?”

  “I wouldn’t explain. I would allow them to use their imagination to its fullest extent.” Charles threw Carrie a cue stick as he grabbed one for himself.

  Carrie was about to make her shot when she saw something on the side of the table. “Charles, look at this.”

  Charles looked where Carrie’s finger was pointing. It was a tiny speck of red.

  “Do you think it’s blood?” she asked.

  Charles got down on his knees and looked closely. “It sure looks like it, and it would make sense. Todd died in the game room, was hid in the closet, and then moved to the library.”

  “What should we do?”

  “Move our game to another table. If it is Todd’s blood, let’s leave it for the police to find. Pointing it out doesn’t help us and could hurt us. It’s such a small speck; the police might assume we knew where to look.”