by Leena Clover
A couple of people had entered along with Stan. They followed Ted Junior through the hallway.
“This is a crime scene now. And there’s a storm raging outside.”
Pappa tapped his cane and shook with indignation.
“We have four wheel drive, boy.”
“That doesn’t matter, Mr. Patel,” Stan told him. “I suggest you settle down and make yourself comfortable. It’s going to be a long night.”
Stan went down the hallway and I heard him talking to his people. I averted my eyes as they came out pushing a trolley. I heard a truck start up outside.
“Let’s hope they make it into town,” Stan said.
He ushered Ted Junior and Noah into the room.
“Why don’t ya’ll sit here for a while? Room seems big enough.”
“What about Dad?” Ted Junior asked.
“There’s nothing we can do for him now, Mr. Frank,” Stan consoled.
Chamberlain cleared his throat after Stan left the room.
“Perhaps some brandy?” he asked Amanda suggestively.
Amanda reverted to hostess mode.
“Oh my God, yes, Chamberlain. Tell Mrs. Jones to put the kettle on. And a fresh pot of coffee.”
She looked at Noah.
“A shot of brandy for everyone, I think.”
Noah calmly took charge and picked up a crystal decanter from the drinks trolley. He poured two generous fingers in a tumbler and handed it to Ted Junior. Junior threw it back and flung the glass into the fireplace.
Everyone stared at him. No one said anything.
A meow sounded in the corridor and Stan walked in, cradling Chorizo in his arms.
“She was hiding under the desk.”
Julie stood up and took the cat from him. She kissed the kitty and petted her as tears flew down her cheeks.
“He’s left us forever, Chorizo,” she sobbed.
Dad and I sat on a couch next to Motee Ba and Pappa. Tony stood behind me, a reassuring hand on my shoulder. I wondered why someone had chosen that particular night to do away with the old man. The shadowy figure I had seen walking away in the grounds flashed before my eyes. I wasn’t even sure if I had really seen anyone.
Chamberlain came in with a tray loaded with a fresh pot of coffee.
Stan was right. It was going to be a long night.
Chapter 4
Every corner of the ornate living room in the Frank mansion was witnessing something different.
Julie had finally stopped sobbing and was whimpering softly. Her brother Ryan sat next to her, looking stonily in the distance.
Sophia Frank sat near them, her face set in an inscrutable mask. I wondered what was going on in her mind. Maybe she was worried about making that annual cruise.
Madam Isadora sat at the table, her head held in her hands. She muttered periodically, shaking her head from side to side, looking ominous. I wasn’t sure if all that was part of her performance. Was she shocked her dire predictions had come true?
Chorizo sat huddled on a chair near the fireplace, the same one old Theodore Frank had sat in a couple of hours ago. She stretched lazily and let out a meow or two, looking around for her master.
Pappa wasn’t looking too good. He sat tapping his cane, suddenly looking his age. My grandma was worried about him.
“Your Pappa needs to rest, Meera.”
“What can I do, Motee Ba?” I shrugged.
Amanda walked up to us just then. She provided a solution.
“I’ve asked Chamberlain to prepare some rooms for you. Would Mr. Patel like to rest a bit?”
Pappa’s eyes welled up.
“You’re an angel, child. I don’t think I can stay up any more.”
I helped Pappa up and Chamberlain appeared to escort my grandparents to their room.
“Wait a minute,” Stan called out from the foyer. “No one leaves. I want everyone right here where I can see them.”
“Don’t be a jerk, Stan,” I began.
His face settled in a hurt expression. I hastened to correct myself.
“I mean, think about it, Stan. Pappa’s not strong enough to sit around here all night. Besides, he’s not going anywhere. Let him lie down a bit. You can call him whenever you need him.”
Stan grudgingly gave his approval.
“I’ll make an exception for him.”
There was a murmur of voices at the other end of the room. Amanda was talking to Crystal and Madam Isadora.
“I don’t mind,” Crystal was saying sweetly.
“But I do,” Madam Isadora glared at her. “I was promised a room of my own. And a certain fee. Who’s going to pay me now, I want to know.”
Amanda sighed and patted her bun.
“You’ll get what you were promised, Madam Isadora. But I am afraid I can’t help you with the room. We have some unexpected guests. I need to see to everyone. If you don’t want to bunk with Crystal, I can have a sleeping bag set up here for you.”
Madam Isadora huffed and crossed her arms. She looked away, refusing to answer Amanda.
“Who have you paired me with, Amanda?” Sophia drawled.
“I moved your stuff to Julie’s room, Mom,” Amanda said hesitantly. “Just for tonight, I hope. Our guests will leave once the storm clears up.”
Julie squealed and hugged her grandmother.
“Will you tell me a story, Grandma?”
“Stop acting like a child, Julie!” Amanda snapped.
Julie ignored her mother and started whispering something to Sophia.
A resounding clap sounded, snapping everyone to attention.
“Have you thought about us?” Henry asked.
Amanda began telling her where their room was.
There was a heavy air of anticipation around us. My Dad had dozed off in a chair. Tony was sprawled on another couch, eyes closed, tapping some kind of tune on his chest with his fingers. He seemed to be unfazed by what was going on.
I went and sat next to him. My eyes fell on William Derry. He was sitting in a corner, almost forgotten by everyone. He was writing something on a piece of paper, oblivious to his surroundings. I would have felt really awkward in his place, stuck in a gathering of virtual strangers. But he seemed to be doing quite alright.
Teddy Junior paced across the room, his hands tied behind his back. His gaze was leveled on the floor. He let out a shudder every once in a while. His gaze traveled over the room, trying to locate someone. It skimmed over Amanda so she wasn’t who he was looking for.
Noah was propped up against a wall, looking bored.
“Why don’t you sit down for a minute, Teddy?” he asked. “You’re making me dizzy.”
“Stop looking at me then,” Junior snapped.
Stan walked up to Ted Junior and looked at him expectantly. Junior finally stopped pacing and leveled his gaze on Stan.
“What do you want, Officer?”
“I need to talk to everyone here.”
“Go ahead,” Junior said. “I want you to find out who did this. Who would do this kind of heinous thing at Christmas?”
“Let us do our job, Mr. Frank. Nobody’s going anywhere.”
I suddenly had an epiphany. Every person who had come to dinner was right there in that room. As far as I could tell, no one else had come in after we started the meal. So the killer was probably right there in that parlor, sitting around amongst us.
Goosebumps stole up my arm as I realized our situation. We were all trapped in that room with no one to protect us. What if one of these people pulled out a gun and went on a shooting spree? Stan Miller wasn’t going to be able to protect us.
I didn’t have a choice. I could sit around twiddling my thumbs like the rest of them. Or I could pitch in and help Stan. I had done my best to stay on the straight and narrow the last six months, not allowing a hint of crime or mystery around me. But my fate had once again landed me in the middle of a murder investigation.
I pulled Stan aside and whispered urgently, “What’s the
plan now? Do you realize one of these people is a cold blooded killer?”
Stan sighed and slumped his shoulders.
“You think I don’t know that, Meera? What am I supposed to do here? I have called for backup but the storm’s getting worse. Good luck with getting any help out here tonight.”
“So we are on our own then.”
“Actually, I’m on my own.”
“If you ask me, you can use all the help available.”
“Look, Meera. I know you helped us out a couple of times before. But it’s different this time. I don’t want you getting hurt. Plus your Dad is right here. You think he’s going to let you go snooping around?”
“I’m not going anywhere. What if I promise to stay in front of you all the time?”
Stan hesitated but didn’t say anything.
“What are you going to do next?”
“I have to start questioning these people. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to have an extra opinion.”
“Just like old times…” I smiled. “What about Tony? Can he sit in too?”
“Don’t push it, Meera.”
I gave it some thought. If Tony stayed out here among the crowd, he could keep an eye on what they did. An extra pair of eyes out here couldn’t hurt. I didn’t have much of a choice anyway.
Stan looked around for Amanda and hailed her.
“I need to start my interviews, Mrs. Frank. Is there a room I can use?”
“You can have my office,” Ted Junior offered, stopping mid stride in front of Stan. “Just don’t disturb any of my stuff. There’s a lot of sensitive material in there.”
“Rest assured, Mr. Frank,” Stan spoke. “I have no interest in your business.”
“How about some coffee?” Amanda asked, trying to mollify Stan. “I’ll send it in.”
Chamberlain appeared next to Stan, ready to escort us.
“This way, Sir.”
I stepped behind them, ready to follow Stan to the interview room.
“Meera!” Dad called out. “Stay out of this.”
I marveled at his parental radar. He had been dozing peacefully all this time. How had he snapped awake at just the right moment?
“Relax, Dad!”
Dad was working himself up to a tirade. To my astonishment, Ted Junior spoke up.
“I say, Andy…I’ve heard about your girl. We can take any help we can get. I want to find out who did this to us.”
“But…” my Dad protested. “Meera’s teaching a class. She’s just beginning to get her life back on track, Teddy.”
“I don’t see any class out here, Dad,” I butted in. “And I’m just sitting in on the interviews with Stan.”
Dad shrugged and looked away, but the vein that had popped up on his forehead told me he wasn’t pleased. He was just being polite.
“Where are you off to?” Tony asked.
I signaled him to get up and talk to me. We huddled together in the hallway, standing outside the door Stan had just entered.
“Keep an eye on the natives, will you? We’ll swap notes after a while.”
Amanda walked up and handed me a piece of paper.
“This is a list of all the people in the house. It includes all the guests and the staff we had on hand. Some of the kitchen staff had already left by the time we heard the shot.”
I couldn’t help but admire Amanda. She was holding it together without much effort. Maybe she didn’t care much for the old man.
“I didn’t have a chance to say this before, but I am sorry for your loss, Mrs. Frank.”
Amanda’s eyes flickered and she clasped my hands.
“Thanks Meera. It feels so unreal. Almost as if I am walking around in a bad dream.”
“It’s very much real, Mrs. Frank,” I said, making a face. “We are all sorry for your family. Don’t worry. The police will find out who did it and we’ll bring him or her to justice.”
“Dad was old, you know,” Amanda said, a tear rolling down her eye. “But he had a lot of life in him. He wasn’t ready to go.”
Are any of us ever ready to leave this world? I kept this piece of wisdom to myself.
“He could seem cranky,” Amanda continued, “and he liked to throw his weight around. But he was just a big old softie. Julie’s going to feel it the most. She was really close to her grandpa.”
Amanda turned around and walked back to the parlor. Stan rapped the table inside.
“You ready to get started, Meera?”
Tony waved at Stan and went back. I stepped into Ted Junior’s home office. It was as lavishly decorated as the rest of the house. A large walnut desk was placed in the center of the room. Stan sat in a tall swivel arm chair, leaning back as far as the chair would go. Two straight back chairs were placed in front of the desk. A pair of couches were arranged in a more relaxed seating arrangement at one side. One of the walls was lined with trophies and awards that Frank Foods had won over the years. The desk had a photo of Ted Junior with Amanda and the kids. A life-size portrait of the old man graced another wall. The Frankenstein looked almost real, creeping me out. How did Junior ever get any work done here, I wondered.
“Amanda brought over this list.”
I handed the paper to Stan and we went over the names.
“Who do you want to talk to first?” I asked. “Do you want to start with family and move on to the guests and staff, or do you want to start with the old people first?”
Stan raised an eyebrow and I explained.
“You know – Pappa, Henry, Sophia…”
“Not a bad idea,” Stan said. “The guests won’t take long anyway.”
“Shall I go get Pappa?”
Stan nodded and I went out, looking for Chamberlain. I followed his directions and went up the stairs to a big landing. The guest rooms were all in the west wing, but I didn’t know which way that was. I started knocking on doors and stopped when I heard Pappa’s voice.
“Time to go down for a bit,” I told him.
Chapter 5
I helped Pappa settle down and made sure he was comfortable. Motee Ba sat next to him. He had insisted that she be present while he talked to Stan.
“Mr. Patel, you were the last person to see old Mr. Frank alive,” Stan began.
“Watch your mouth, boy!” Pappa thundered. “What are you implying here?”
Stan looked bewildered but caught on soon.
“I mean, you were one of the last people to spend time with Mr. Frank today. Did you talk about anything in particular?”
“No,” Pappa said.
“Care to elaborate?”
“I have been talking to Theodore since I got here. Do you want a word by word account? I don’t remember everything!”
“Did anything strike you in particular, Mr. Patel?” Motee Ba asked.
“Well, he was in a tizzy about the company. The business hasn’t been doing good from what I hear.”
“They still had the Christmas party though?” Stan observed.
“They are not about to starve anytime soon, boy. I’m sure Frank Foods has a nice cushion to fall back on.”
“What’s wrong with the company?”
“You should talk to Junior about it,” Pappa grunted. “I don’t understand much about their business.”
“I know that, Mr. Patel,” Stan soothed. “I’m not going to hold you to anything you say. I just want your opinion, your read of the situation.”
“Father and son didn’t see eye to eye,” Pappa said bluntly. “That’s the crux of the matter.”
“What was the point of contention?” I asked.
“The boy wanted to get in some partners,” Pappa said, “expand the product line. The old man wanted to retain control and spruce up the plant.”
“That would cost them a pretty penny, I suppose,” I asked.
Pappa nodded. “Junior wanted the new partners to put up the money. They would also shell out for some fancy equipment the plant needed.”
“And Mr. Frank was against pu
tting in this new stuff?”
Pappa thought for a minute.
“I don’t think so. He did mention how everything in their plant was outdated. The old boy just didn’t want to relinquish control. And then there was the vegetarian thing.”
I smiled. I remembered what the old man had said during dinner. Stan wasn’t up to speed on the dinner conversation, though. So he looked blank.
“Vegetarian? Sausage?”
“That’s exactly what Theodore thought. See, there are some new companies making meatless versions of sausage. I don’t know how they do it exactly.”
Pappa lost his chain of thought and I steered him back to the conversation.
“The old guy was livid. He didn’t want to sell fake sausage.”
Stan noted something down.
“I’m sure this didn’t come up today, Stan,” I mused. “They must have been talking about it for a while.”
“Talking, or fighting?”
“More like arguing. Mr. Frank was old fashioned. Teddy Junior’s bound to have some new ideas.”
Stan shook his head. He pointed his pen at Pappa.
“What else did you talk about, Mr. Patel? Did something special happen today? I mean, something unexpected.”
“Sophia turned up,” Pappa said. “She’s always been good at riling him up.”
“Sophia Frank,” I elaborated. “The old man’s ex-wife.”
“So she doesn’t live here?”
“She lives in some fancy senior center up north. I don’t know why she landed here today.”
“Were they actually divorced?” Stan asked.
I shrugged. How was I to know? Pappa wasn’t sure either.
“Sophia was the one who walked out on him,” Pappa supplied. “He took care of her though. Paid for that fancy place she lives in.”
“Didn’t they mention a cruise?” I asked Pappa. “Did she come here to get money?”
“I don’t know about that,” Pappa said. “But he was a bit irritated she came here for Christmas.”
“So she doesn’t spend her vacations with the family then?”
“That’s a question for Teddy Junior,” Pappa sighed. “Are we done here? I want to turn in now. It’s almost midnight.”