by Laura Childs
On the other hand, Theodosia had to remind herself that, after water, tea was the most popular drink in the world, a much-loved, long-established beverage that had been around almost 5,000 years. Sipped, savored, or tossed back hastily, the peoples of the world consumed more than 700 billion cups of tea in a single year.
“Detective Tidwell.” Theodosia put her hands on the back of one of the creaky, wooden chairs and leaned toward him. “Do you remember the fellow who was involved in the terrible scene at Oliver Dixon’s funeral the day before yesterday?”
“You mean Booth Crowley?” he asked.
“No, I mean Billy Manolo,” she said. Do not allow him to fluster you, she cautioned herself. The man is obstinate only because he relishes it as great sport.
“You realize that Billy Manolo works at the yacht club,” she said. “He had access to the pistol.”
“Of course he did,” said Tidwell. “In fact, his fingertips were found on the rosewood box that the pistol was kept in.”
“What do you make of that?” asked Theodosia.
Tidwell shrugged. “A half-dozen other sets of fingerprints were also found on that box.”
“Was Ford Cantrell’s among them?” she asked.
“Do you really think Ford Cantrell would be foolish enough to leave his prints on the box if, in fact, he tampered with the pistol?” asked Tidwell. He picked up a silver spoon, scooped up yet another lump of sugar, and plunked it into his teacup.
Theodosia stared at Tidwell. He has a unique talent for deflecting questions, she decided. And answering questions with another question designed to throw you slightly off track.
“I take it you have elevated Billy Manolo to suspect status?” said Tidwell.
“The notion of Billy as suspect is not without basis,” said Theodosia.
Tidwell shook his great head slowly. “Doubtful. Highly doubtful. Billy Manolo seems like a troublemaker, I’ll grant you that. And he has a past history of being involved in petty thievery and nefarious dealings. But is our Billy cool enough, calculating enough, to plan and execute a murder? In front of two hundred people? I hardly see even a flash of that type of required brilliance. I fear Billy Manolo exhibits only limited capacity.”
Theodosia knew what was coming and steeled herself for it. She had sent Tidwell careening down this path, and she regretted it mightily. To make matters worse, her commitment to Lizbeth Cantrell felt pitifully hollow, as though there wasn’t a prayer in the world that her brother’s name could be cleared.
“Ford Cantrell, on the other hand, is a man with a grudge,” continued Tidwell. “A man who manufacturers his own munitions. Yes,” Tidwell reiterated when he saw Theodosia’s eyes go large, “Ford Cantrell makes a hobby of packing gunpowder into his own cartridges. If anyone knew how to rig that old pistol to explode, it would be someone with the critical knowledge that Ford Cantrell possesses. I am confident of a forthcoming arrest.”
CHAPTER 18
A LONE TERN RODE the crazed thermals, wheeling high above the yacht club where J-24s, Columbias, and San Jose 25s creaked up against silvered wooden pilings and tugged at their moorings as they pitched about in the roiling sea. The only sound, save the howling wind, was a sputtering bilge pump, somewhere out on the end of the long main pier.
Nobody home, thought Theodosia as she cinched her trench coat tighter about her and stepped onto the pier. In some places, the weather-beaten boards had two-inch gaps between them, so she had to really watch her footing. There didn’t appear to be anybody on this long, wet pier today, and the water looked cold and unforgiving. A misstep was unthinkable.
She’d first tried the door to the clubhouse and found that locked. Even pounding on the door and punching the doorbell hadn’t roused anyone. It was conceivable no one was here at all, that Billy Manolo didn’t work on Saturday or hadn’t come in because of bad weather or might be planning to show up later.
Theodosia did hold out a faint hope that someone might be hunkered down on the sailboat at the far end of the pier where the bilge pump sounded so noisily. It could be Billy Manolo, she mused, pumping out a leaky boat, working down below, trying to elude the wind’s nasty bite.
Halfway to the end of the pier, Theodosia gazed out toward Charleston Harbor. Only two ships were visible through the gray mist. One appeared to be a commercial fishing vessel; the other looked like a Coast Guard cutter, probably from the nearby Coast Guard station located just down from The Battery at the mouth of the Ashley River. It certainly was a far cry from almost a week ago, when the harbor had been dotted with boats, when the promise of spring had hung in the air.
“Anybody there?” She reached the end of the pier and saw that the pump was running full tilt, pouring a steady spew of frothy green water from a twenty-five-foot Santana into the harbor. She stepped down to the smaller pier that ran parallel to the moored boat. These side piers weren’t anchored by deep pilings like the main pier. Instead, they floated on top of barrels. Now, with the wind whipping in from the Atlantic at a good ten knots, the smaller, auxiliary pier pitched about precariously.
“Billy?” Theodosia called, fighting the rising panic that was beginning to build inside her as the small pier bobbed like an errant cork.
Get a grip, she admonished herself as she extended both arms out to her sides for better balance, then picked her way carefully back to the safety of the main pier. You’ve walked up and down piers your whole life. This is no time to get spooked.
Jory Davis’s boat was moored at slip 112, more than halfway back in the direction of the clubhouse, with side piers that were considerably more stable since they were sheltered. Theodosia walked out to Rubicon, the J-24 that he loved to pilot around Charleston Harbor and up and down the Intracoastal Waterway, put her hands on the side hull, and clambered aboard. Standing in the cockpit, she felt the rhythm of the boat, heard the noisy overhead clank of halyards against the mast. She leaned forward, stuck the key in the lock for the hatch, and turned it. Grabbing the handle, she braced herself and tugged it open.
Theodosia peered down into the boat. Jory had been right. Rubicon was seriously taking on water. At least three inches of green seawater had managed to seep inside and was sloshing around.
She searched for a bilge pump, found one, then wasn’t exactly sure how to connect the darn thing and get it started.
No, she finally told herself, leave well enough alone. The best thing to do was follow Jory’s advice. Find Billy Manolo and have him take care of this.
Still crouched on the deck, Theodosia searched for a clue that might tell her how to get in touch with the elusive Billy Manolo.
Flipping open one of the small storage bins, she found a clear plastic pouch that contained the boat’s user manual and a clutch of maps. Following her hunch, she unsnapped the pouch and rummaged through the papers.
On the inside cover of the user manual was a handwritten list of names. The fourth one down was Billy M. There was a phone number listed and an address: 115 Concannon.
Could this be Billy Manolo? The yacht club’s Billy Manolo? Had to be.
CHAPTER 19
UPRIVER, ON THE west bank of the Cooper River, sits the now-defunct Charleston Naval Base. Decommissioned some ten years ago, it is technically situated in North Charleston, an incorporated city of its own and the third-largest city in South Carolina.
With sailors and officers gone, the economy forever changed, real estate had become more affordable, zoning more forgiving.
Theodosia drove slowly down Ardmore Street, searching each street sign for the cross street, Concannon. Here was an older part of Charleston, but not the part that showed up in glossy four-color brochures sent out by the Convention & Visitors Bureau. Instead, these small, wood-frame houses looked tired and battered, many in dire need of a coat of paint. Yards were small, often with more bare patches than tended lawn. Those places that were better kept were often surrounded by metal fences.
Just past a tire recycling plant, Theodosia found Concannon
Street. She made a leap of faith, put the Jeep into a right turn, and searched for numbers on the houses.
She had guessed correctly. Here was 215, here 211. Billy’s home at 115 Concannon was in the next block.
A vacant, weed-filled lot bordered Billy Manolo’s house, a one-story home that was little more than a cottage. Once-white paint had been ground off from years of wind, rain, and high humidity, and now the weathered wood glowed with an interesting patina. As Theodosia strode up the walk, she noted that, aside from the paint, everything else appeared sturdy and fairly well kept.
Grasping a black wrought-iron handrail, she mounted the single cement step and rang the doorbell.
Nothing.
She hit the doorbell again, held it in longer this time, and waited. Still no one came to the door. Perplexed, Theodosia stood for a moment, let her eyes wander to an overgrown hedge of dogwood, then to a small brick walkway that led around the side of the house.
Why not? she decided, as she crossed wet grass and started around the house.
It was like tumbling into another world.
Sections of beautifully ornate wrought-iron fences and grilles danced before her eyes. Elegant scrolls, whimsical corn motifs, and curling ivy adorned each piece. Wrought-iron pieces that had been completed leaned up against wood fences and the back of Billy Manolo’s house. Other pieces, still raw from the welder’s torch and awaiting mortises and hand finishing, were stacked in piles and seemed to occupy every square foot of the small backyard.
Sparks arced from a welder’s torch in the dim recess of a sagging, dilapidated garage that appeared slightly larger than the house.
Billy Manolo lifted his welder’s helmet and glared at Theodosia as blue flame licked from his torch. “What do you want?” he asked. His voice carried the same nervous hostility he’d exhibited the other day at Oliver Dixon’s funeral.
Still in a state of delighted amazement, Theodosia peered past him, her eyes fixing on even more of the beautifully crafted metalwork. Most was stacked in hodgepodge piles, a few smaller pieces hung from the ceiling.
“These are wonderful,” she said.
Billy Manolo shrugged as he flicked the switch on his oxyacetylene torch. “Yeah,” was all he said.
“You made all these?” she asked.
Billy grunted in the affirmative. His welder’s helmet quivered atop his head like the beak of a giant condor.
“They’re beautifully done. Do you do a lot of restoration work?” Theodosia knew that Charleston homes, especially those in and around the historic district, were always in need of additions or repairs.
“Who wants to know?” Billy Manolo demanded.
“Sorry.” She colored slightly. “I’m Theodosia Browning. We met at the picnic last Sunday? You borrowed the tablecloth from me.” She moved toward him to offer her hand and almost tripped on a stack of metal bars.
“Careful,” Billy cautioned. “Last thing I need around here is some fool woman falling on her face.” He stared at her. “How come you came here?” he asked abruptly. “I don’t keep no pictures here. You got to go to Popple Hill for that.”
“Popple Hill?” said Theodosia. She had no idea what Popple Hill was or what Billy was even talking about.
“The design folks,” Billy explained impatiently as though she were an idiot child. “Go talk to them. They’ll figure out size and design and all. I just make the stuff.” Billy Manolo shook his head as though she were a buzzing mayfly that was irritating him. He leaned forward, slid a grimy hand into a leather glove that lay atop his forge. There was a hiss of air and immediately flame shot from his welder’s torch again.
“I see,” said Theodosia, averting her eyes and making a mental note to ask around and find out just who these Popple Hill designers were. “Actually, I just came from the yacht club,” she explained. “Jory Davis in slip one twelve wanted me to give you these.” She reached into her purse, grabbed the keys, and dangled them at Billy. “The keys for Rubicon.”
Billy Manolo sighed, switched the torch off again.
“He wants you to turn on the bilge pump,” said Theodosia, this time putting a tinge of authority into her voice. “He’s stuck out of town on business, and he’s afraid his boat is taking on water. Actually, it is taking on water. I was just there.”
Billy Manolo pulled the welder’s helmet from his head and strode toward her. He reached out and snatched the keys from her outstretched hand and stared stolidly at her.
“Great,” she answered, a little too heartily. She gazed about the backyard, realizing full well that Billy Manolo was an ironworker by trade, that he’d probably made some of the gates, grills, and balcony railings that adorned many of Charleston’s finer homes.
And along with that realization came the sudden understanding that Billy Manolo, with his knowledge of metals and stress points and such, could easily have been the one who had tampered with the old pistol. Billy Manolo, whose fingerprints had certainly turned up on the rosewood box that the old pistol had been housed in.
“Look,” Theodosia said, caught somewhere between losing her patience at Billy’s rudeness and a small insinuation of fear, “the very least you can do is be civil.”
He tilted his head slightly, gave her a surly, one-eyed glance. “Why should I?”
Theodosia lost it. “You might want to seriously consider working on your people skills,” she told him. “Because should you be questioned by the Charleston police, and the possibility is not unlikely, the inhospitable attitude you have just shown toward me will not play well with them.”
Billy Manolo snorted disdainfully. “Police,” he spat out. “They don’t know nothin’.”
“They are not unaware of your little public to-do with Booth Crowley two days ago,” said Theodosia.
“Booth Crowley has a lot to hide,” snarled Billy.
“From what I hear, Billy, you might have a few things to hide,” Theodosia shot back. She was fishing, to be sure, but her words were more effective than she’d ever thought possible.
Stung by her innuendo, Billy bent down, picked up an iron rod, and glared at her dangerously. “Get lost, lady, before you find yourself floating facedown in Charleston Harbor!”
CHAPTER 20
DOZENS OF SMALL white candles flickered on every table, countertop, shelf, nook, and cranny of the Indigo Tea Shop. Muted paisley tablecloths were draped elegantly across the wooden tables, and the overhead brass chandelier had been dimmed to impart a moody aura.
“It looks like someone unleashed a crazed voodoo priestess in here,” declared Haley.
“What?” Drayton’s usually well-modulated voice rose in a high-pitched squawk. “It’s supposed to look mysterious. I’m trying to create an atmosphere that’s conducive to an evening of high drama and new experiences in the realm of tea.”
“And it does,” Theodosia assured him. “It’s very atmospheric. Haley,” she cautioned the young girl, “ease up on Drayton, will you? He’s got a lot on his mind.”
Haley’s needling banter was usually welcome in the tea shop and easily parried by the often erudite Drayton, but tonight Drayton did seem a little discombobulated.
Haley sidled up to Drayton and gave him a reassuring tap on the shoulder. “Okay. It’s cool.”
“You do think the shop has a certain dramatic, stage-setting appearance, don’t you?” Drayton peered anxiously at Theodosia.
“It’s perfect,” declared Theodosia. “Our guests will be thrilled.” She gazed at the lineup of Barotine teapots borrowed from one of Drayton’s antique dealer friends. The fanciful little green and brown glazed teapots were adorned with shells, twining vines, and snail-like shapes, and lent to the aura of mystery.
Then there were the centerpieces. Here again, Drayton had gotten a few choice antique pieces on loan and let Hattie Boatwright at Floradora run wild with them. An antique ceramic frog peeked from behind clusters of purple hydrangeas, a bronze sculpture of a wood nymph was surrounded by plum blossoms, a jade statue
of the Buddha sat amid an artful arrangement of reeds and grasses.
“You’ve managed to instill elegance as well as a hint of mystery in our little tea shop,” praised Theodosia, “and I, for one, can’t wait to see what’s going to happen tonight!”
Truth be told, Theodosia wasn’t exactly sure what was going to take place, but she had complete confidence in Drayton and knew that, whatever menu and program unfolded, he’d pull it off with great style and aplomb. Besides, while she’d been out this afternoon, getting drenched at the yacht club and then insulted by Billy Manolo, four more people had called, begging for last-minute reservations. That meant they’d had to slip in extra chairs at a few of the tables.
As Theodosia laid out silverware and linen napkins, Haley placed tiny gold mesh bags at each place setting.
“What are those?” asked Theodosia.
“Favors,” said Haley. “Drayton had me wrap tiny bricks of pressed tea in gold fabric, then tie them with ribbons.”
“Drayton’s really going all out,” said Theodosia, pleased at such attention to detail.
“You don’t know the half of it,” whispered Haley. She glanced around to make sure Drayton was in the back of the shop. “He’s got five actors from the Charleston Little Theater Group coming in tonight. They’re going to do a kind of one-act play while they help serve tea and goodies. And, of course, they’ll drop clues as they go along. At some point in the evening, one of them will have a mysterious and fatal accident, and the audience has to figure out who perpetrated the dastardly deed!”
“You mean like Mr. Mustard in the library with the candlestick?” asked Theodosia.
“Something very close to it,” said Haley.
Drayton emerged from the back room, carrying a tray full of teacups. “Listen,” he instructed, one finger aimed at the ceiling.
Theodosia and Haley stopped what they were doing and listened to gentle drumming on the roof.