Vera took a deep breath. “Okay, I did go to her room, but I didn’t kill her. You see, I have a confession.” She looked at Beau from under her lashes. “I’m not the person you think I am.”
“I don’t understand.” Beau looked confused. Martha didn’t seem bothered at all; on the contrary, this revelation appeared to make her actually like Vera better.
Vera took Beau’s hands in hers. “I wasn’t exactly honest about my past. You see, I used to be a showgirl and I knew Delilah. Well, her name was Agnes back then. One night at dinner, Miss Marsh said that Delilah’s dressing room was loaded with pictures of her stage life. I was afraid there might be one of me.”
Martha looked positively excited. “Oh dear! And was there one?”
“Yes, and I took it and hid it in the suitcase later because I didn’t want Beau to find out I was common.” She looked up at Beau, a tear sliding down her cheek. “I don’t blame you if you can’t forgive me.”
“Well, of course he’ll forgive you!” Martha chipped in.
Beau looked at Vera. “But that makes me wonder, how come I didn’t wake up when you snuck out to get the photo?”
“I might have given you some sleeping pills.” Vera grimaced, apologetic.
Martha whooped and clapped her on the back. “Girl, you are resourceful! I’m starting to see a new side of you and I like it!”
“Well that explains why I slept so good. I might have to look into a prescription.” Beau pulled her into a hug. “But there’s nothing to forgive. I don’t care what you did before. I care who you are now.”
Vera hugged him, then pushed back to look up at him. “Really? You’re not disappointed I was in show business or that I lied about being a preacher’s daughter?”
Beau mulled that over. “The lying part isn’t good, but I can see why you did it. Just promise not to lie to me ever again.”
Relief was evident in Vera’s smile. “I promise, pookie.”
“Well that explains why you were so insistent on doing all the packing.” Beau looked at Julia. “Vera couldn’t have killed Delilah because she was asleep in our room right beside me when the scream woke me up. I swear.”
Vera nodded profusely to back him up.
Artemis cleared his throat. “This is all very nice but all it proves is that you’ve done a great job of not catching the killer. Now if you’ll let me—”
“Not so fast,” Max interrupted. “I was at the scene early that night and remember seeing Beau and Vera come up together. They were in their pajamas.”
“That’s correct,” Julia said. “So, unless they were in on it together, they are likely not the killers. Now why don’t you tell us why you were there, Mr. Lawton.”
“I was there to meet Delilah.”
The crowd gasped.
“It’s not what you think. Delilah was working with me on a case. That’s why I was one of the first there. I remember seeing the Hinchcliffes arrive with a group of other pajama-clad passengers. I know who came on the scene right away and who didn’t.” Max scanned the crowd, his gaze coming to rest on Clifford Oxley. “Like Clifford Oxley, Delilah’s boyfriend.”
Oxley looked insulted. “You think I killed her? I loved her. Besides, I was in my cabin asleep. Any number of the entertainers can vouch for that. We all ended up out in the hallway about the same time.”
“Not all of you.” Aunt Julia looked at Joy Morgan. “Some people were on the scene way before you came up and in street clothes to boot.”
“Well, I… I got there quick,” Joy said.
“And who were you with?” Aunt Julia asked.
Joy’s eyes widened as if trying to remember. Nora recalled she’d been with a man. She must have been out partying with him. Of course, that was frowned upon—something Nora thought was ridiculously puritan in this day and age—and if she admitted it she risked getting into trouble, but then again the man might be able to provide an alibi.
“Joy and I were in our room when Delilah screamed,” Lily chimed in.
All eyes turned to Lily. Was she protecting Joy?
“But you came later, after the boat stopped. You walked up at the same time as Sven Nordby did. Joy was already there,” Max said.
Lily glanced at Joy. “It took me longer.”
Julia turned to Sven. “And you couldn’t see anything because the smokestack hides the view from the pilot house. You had no idea what was going on.”
“Ja. I tell you this already.” Sven looked at Julia as if she was not piloting with a full wheelhouse. “I was doing my job when someone ran up and said there had been an accident. To stop the ship. But you cannot just stop the ship in the middle of the river and let it drift aimlessly. Certain protocols must be applied. We did that and I handed over to my co-pilot, then I go to the stern where the crowd was gathering.”
“And Lily.” Aunt Julia turned to the singer. “I remember you coming right behind him.”
“So?” Lily said.
“You came from the direction of the pilot house, too.”
Lily shrugged and shook her head as if not understanding what Aunt Julia was getting at.
Sven looked at Lily. “She was not in the pilot house. No passengers allowed.”
“Of course, I understand,” Aunt Julia said. “She must have come up the stairs on the bow side of the boat.”
“Yeah, that’s right,” Lily confirmed.
“But the stairway closest to your room is in the stern.” Aunt Julia pointed toward the back of the boat.
“Yeah, so?” Lily looked uneasy.
“You weren’t in your room when Delilah died, were you?” Aunt Julia asked. “Joy just didn’t correct you when you claimed you were because she wasn’t in the room herself and, therefore, didn’t know that you weren’t either!”
“Not true!” Joy looked at Oxley, but he didn’t seem to mind that she’d broken the rules. He was too nervous about something else and Nora had a good idea what it was.
“Oh no?” Aunt Julia continued. “Didn’t Lily blackmail you into telling Clifford Oxley that you didn’t want the lead-singer role, otherwise she would tell that you’d been sneaking out with your young man?”
Joy chewed her bottom lip, eyes filling with tears.
“I didn’t!” Lily turned to Joy. “Tell them I didn’t!”
Aunt Julia stepped closer to Lily who was becoming quite distraught. “You followed Delilah, didn’t you? Maybe you were trying to get some dirt on her so you could blackmail her too. But something went wrong. Did you argue? Or did you just see it as a convenient opportunity to get rid of the one person who stood in the way of you finally getting your big chance on stage?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. No one believes that.” Lily looked around the room for confirmation but from what Nora could see pretty much everyone seemed to think it was plausible. Oxley most of all, though he was probably just happy that the finger wasn’t being pointed at him.
Aunt Julia stepped even closer. “Really? Then why did you come from the direction of the pilot house? I’ll tell you why. Because after you killed Delilah, you hid behind the smokestack. If it hid the paddle wheel from view of the pilot house, then it also could hide someone standing behind it from view of the crowd at the paddle wheel. And if you stood on the west side, Sven on the north wouldn’t be able to see you either. Once there was no one to see you come out from behind there, you hurried over to join the crowd as if you were just getting there.”
“You can’t prove any of that.”
“Maybe not, but there is one thing I can prove.” Julia pointed to the bracelet on Lily’s wrist. “That matches the necklaces I saw on Delilah’s dressing-room table. I think you took that from her room. Maybe after she died… or maybe before. But either way, I doubt Delilah would have given it to you. The two of you didn’t get along. You’d have only worn it if you’d known she wouldn’t have noticed. You had it on the night she died, which means… you must have known it was her in the paddle wheel.”
“That doesn’t prove I killed her!”
“Maybe not, but I think there is solid physical proof. You were wearing a black shawl that night and one of the threads was found under Delilah’s fingernail. I’m sure the police will be able to prove that thread came from your shawl.”
Lily clenched her fists in frustration. “She was horrible! She deserved it.”
“Now look here,” Artemis said. “This is highly unorthodox.”
Aunt Julia folded her arms over her chest. “Really? I believe I just got you a confession.”
“Yes, but… I need to look at the clues, interview suspects.” Artemis looked around the room.
Aunt Julia turned to Joy. “Are you still maintaining that you were with Lily when you heard the scream?”
Joy shook her head, looking at Lily in a scared manner. “No, ma’am.”
“Fine, I did it!” Lily sobbed. “I only wanted a chance.”
Artemis looked like he didn’t know what to do.
Julia shrugged. “Sorry, Artie, looks like I wrapped this one up for you. Look on the bright side, I saved you a lot of work.”
Artemis scowled and pulled out his handcuffs.
“Oh, and there’s one other thing.” Aunt Julia turned toward Max. “Agent Lawton wasn’t here to investigate a murder. He was here on another matter. He’s from the Bureau of Narcotics and Prohibition.”
Everyone shifted in their seats nervously. Some downed their drinks in one gulp.
“Prohibition? But we don’t have any illegal spirits on board, do we?” Dr. Montford said, looking down into his tumbler that appeared to be full of the same apple cider Aunt Julia had in hers earlier.
“Not liquor. Drugs.” Nora leaned over and sniffed Montford’s glass. Very strong cider.
Giles gasped. “There are no drugs aboard my ship!”
“Sorry, Giles, I know you have nothing to do with it, but someone in your employ was moving drugs upriver.” Aunt Julia turned to Clifford Oxley. “And he had the perfect hiding spot in the stage storage area. That is, until the murder investigation made him scared.”
“What are you talking about? There are no drugs in there.” Oxley turned to Max, a faux look of innocence pasted on his face. “Feel free to search it.”
“Don’t bother,” Aunt Julia said. “They’re not in there anymore. Oxley found a safer place for them. He was able to move them to the freight room. Very clever to use packing up Delilah’s dressing room as a cover for that.”
“What are you talking about?” Oxley feigned surprise.
“I saw you packing three trunks in Delilah’s room. You said her belongings were going to her mother. But only two are addressed to her. The third was addressed to Gregory Cavendish. I assume he’s some sort of accomplice. You must have panicked that the murder investigation would expose your—”
Before Aunt Julia could finish, Oxley made a break for it, jerking open the door and lurching out into the hallway. Max sprang into action, shoving through the group and sprinting out after him. He caught Oxley halfway down, leapt onto him and wrestled him onto the ground, before sticking his knee in his back and jerking the cuffs on.
“Well, that was exciting.” Aunt Julia straightened her jacket. “Now that everything is tied up, I imagine we are all free to go, Inspector Leonard?”
Artemis looked like he wanted to argue, but there was nothing left to say. “Fine. You can all go. The sooner I don’t have to interact with you, Miss Marsh, the better.” He slapped the cuffs on Lily and led her away.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Nora and Aunt Julia leaned against the railing on the deck outside their cabin and looked out over the passengers who were streaming onto the dock. The sun was starting to set and the evening light washed the scene with a golden glow.
“I don’t know how I can ever thank you, Julia.” Giles Hendricks pumped Julia’s hand then turned to Nora. “And you too, Nora. It was a delight to have you both on the cruise.”
“All in a day’s work,” Aunt Julia said. “I must say it was refreshing to actually have something to do. Cruises can get a bit tedious with all that eating and lounging about.”
“In that case, I’m glad you enjoyed helping,” Giles said.
“It’s good to see justice was served, but what will happen to Johnny Stokes?” Aunt Julia asked.
She had a soft spot for the man. Johnny had told Aunt Julia that his grandmother had raised him, and they didn’t have any money. She needed life-saving medicine and that was the only reason he was stealing. Delilah’s brother Rodney had been worried about Delilah. She’d visited him in jail and told him she was working on a way to get him out. He wanted Johnny to check up on her and Johnny figured he’d use the trip to acquire some valuables he could pawn for Gram’s medicine.
Nora supposed he could have made up the story, but all indications were that he was being sincere. The hand gestures, eye contact and position of his body all implied that he was telling the truth. He’d said he was in a discount room that was quite noisy as it was near the boiler and that was why he never heard Delilah scream. Nora had checked it out and found it was indeed noisy and far from the deck where Delilah was killed. She supposed that if he were a heavy sleeper he might not have heard.
Giles shrugged. “Artemis wanted to arrest him, but there was nothing to arrest him for. No one was missing anything. Nothing was found on his person, in his room or in his luggage. No one wanted to accuse him or press charges. Max Lawton talked Artemis into letting Johnny go, though I don’t think he could have charged him anyway.”
Nora smiled. Her assessment of Max Lawton had been correct. He was a good guy who fought for justice but still had a sense of fairness. Not as set in his ways as by-the-book Artemis Leonard.
“I hope his grandmother gets the medicine.” Aunt Julia turned to Nora. “You did say you thought he was telling the truth?”
“Yes.”
Aunt Julia pressed her lips together. “Maybe we’ll make some inquiries…”
She was probably already trying to figure out how to pay for Johnny’s grandmother’s medicine. She had a soft spot for sick grandmothers. She also had a lot of money and liked to help people with it when she could, as long as they were deserving.
“Oh, there you are!” Martha Hinchcliffe sailed over to Julia and gave her a hug. “It was so lovely meeting you, and the way you figured out who the killer was was so exciting! You should work for the police or become a private detective.”
Aunt Julia blushed. “It was nothing, really.”
“We couldn’t leave without saying goodbye.” Martha gestured behind her to Vera and Beau who were gazing into each other’s eyes, seemingly oblivious that Nora, Julia and Giles were even there.
“I see the events of the cruise have not strained the marriage.” Nora gestured to the happy couple.
“On the contrary! They are closer than ever.” Martha leaned in toward them and lowered her voice. “And honestly, I see Vera in a new light now. She’s not the simpering wilted flower I thought she was. The girl’s got moxie! And a very interesting past. She’s going to introduce us to a famous piano player she worked with and maybe some starlets!”
“That’s good. It’s always great to get along with your children’s spouses,” Nora said.
“And with your mother-in-law.” Vera hooked her arm through Martha’s. “I feel like we started a new chapter on this trip.”
Martha smiled at her. “Me too. I can’t wait to live out the rest of it. Let’s start with dinner at Delgado’s.”
Martha, Vera and Beau said their goodbyes and headed off to join the line of people disembarking.
“Well, I better go make sure everything is flowing smoothly,” Giles said. “Thanks again.”
“You’re welcome.” Aunt Julia shook his hand, then glanced over his shoulder. “Oh, there’s Max Lawton and he’s coming this way.”
“Ladies.” Max tipped his hat. “It’s been a pleasure investigating with you.”
> “Likewise.” Aunt Julia reached into her bag and pulled out a copy of Ridley Howes’ bestselling book, Murder in Marseilles. “I have this gift for you. The detective in it is quite clever. Perhaps you could learn something for your own investigations.”
Max looked over the book, an amused smile on his face. “You think I still need to learn something?”
Aunt Julia blushed. “Well maybe one or two things. The book is signed by the author, too.”
“Oh really? I wouldn’t want to take a signed book.” Max flipped open the cover. “It might be valuable.”
“Don’t worry, I know the author. I can get another one.”
“Thank you.”
“What’s going on with Oxley?” Nora asked. “Nice tackle, by the way.”
Max smiled. “Thanks. I was looking for you to fill you in on that and to thank you both for your part in helping. He’s locked in one of the dressing rooms downstairs.”
“Locked in?” Aunt Julia looked disturbed. “The locks on this ship are very flimsy. I hope he can’t escape.”
“Doubtful,” Max said. “Sven Nordby is guarding the door.”
“Sven?” Nora was surprised. “I wouldn’t think he’d want to get involved.”
“On the contrary, he was quite upset that drug smuggling was happening on his ship right under his command. He insisted on helping.” Max glanced out over the dock. “I’m waiting for a car from headquarters and we’ll take him in. He’s still trying to deny things but I think making a break for it counts as somewhat of a confession.”
“I would think so.” Aunt Julia laughed. “And you found the drugs?”
“Yep, exactly where you said they’d be,” Max said. “Artemis Leonard was peeved that he couldn’t take the collar, but he has his hands full with Lily Sumner. He’s taking her off the boat after all the passengers have disembarked.”
“That was uncustomarily nice of him,” Aunt Julia said.
“At first he wanted to make a big show of dragging her off the boat, but Giles talked him out of it,” Max said.
Murder on a Mississippi Steamboat Page 15