by Leena Clover
I cleared my throat.
“I have an announcement.”
Everyone froze and looked up at me. Salsa dripped down from the chip Dad held in his hand.
“What now?”
“Stan asked me to help out with Dot’s case. And I am going to say yes.”
“More tomfoolery!” Pappa growled. “Have you lost your mind, girl?”
Dad shook his head.
“That’s idiotic, Meera. Are you bored? Why are you doing this?”
I didn’t say a word. What was I supposed to tell them anyway?
“There’s a lot going on here, Meera,” Dad said, widening his eyes.
I knew he was referring to Sally but I acted dumb.
“Why not focus on the home front for a while?” Dad continued.
I knocked on Dad’s study an hour later. I didn’t want to hide anything from him.
“So they really suspect Ba?” he asked seriously. “Maybe I should call that lawyer.”
“That’s not a bad idea, Dad. Meanwhile, let me talk to a few people. That will keep us in the loop.”
Dad looked resigned.
“I’m sorry you have to do this, Meera. I know you’re having a tough time with your mother.”
I wondered how he was dealing with facing Sally all the time.
“I could use some distraction.”
Dad smiled. “Call it whatever you want. I trust you more than the police. You’ll get to the bottom of this soon.”
My Dad isn’t big on compliments. I took it. I just wished I had as much faith in my abilities.
Chapter 4
“You sure you’re up to this?” Tony asked.
I took a big sip of coffee and almost burned my tongue. I nodded, fanning my mouth.
“Are you with me?”
Tony smiled. “Bring it on, babe. What’s the first step?”
“I called Stan and asked for a list of people who were there at the party. A good thing too. Motee Ba barely remembers seeing half of them.”
“Is Granny losing her memory?” Tony asked, worried.
“No, silly. There were two dozen women there, all crammed into a room. Even I wouldn’t remember all of them.”
“So we’re talking to twenty four women?”
“No way! Stan will go through most of them. I am focusing on the women who were found next to Dot.”
“What about Dot’s family?” Tony asked.
“Them too.”
“Make sure I’m with you when you talk to Atticus Brown.”
“Her son?” I smirked. “I’m not afraid of him.”
“Whatever. He can be pretty nasty. Promise me, Meera.”
“Okay, okay.”
“So who’s first on your list?”
“Henry Thompson. She’s the first person I ran into when I went there. So let’s start with her.”
“I can pick you up. Do you know where she lives?”
I nodded.
“We’ve been to her place for a few parties with Dad. But I’m planning to meet her on campus.”
I drove to work and spent a couple of hours shelving books. I walked to the food court and grabbed a turkey sandwich from the deli counter. I made quick work of it and legged it to the History department. It was a couple of blocks away and I was shivering by the time I climbed the stairs leading up to the main entrance.
Henrietta Thompson or ‘Henry’ is something of an institution at Pioneer. She ran the History department with an iron hand in a university mostly known for its technical courses. She had grudgingly retired at 70, but only when they granted her an Emeritus status. She still had her own office in the History department building, and diligently appeared there for her office hours. She didn’t teach any regular classes but there was always a line of students wanting her advice on something.
A couple of students loitered outside her half open door. Henry had a way of clapping her hands suddenly, demanding constant attention. As if anyone would dare look away when she was talking. She spied me and beckoned me in.
“Come in, come in, Meera. Get out of the cold.”
There was a resounding clap as she motioned everyone out. The kids streamed out, giving me nasty looks. The couple by the door opened their mouth to protest.
“She’s here by appointment,” Henry boomed. “I’ll see you next time.”
I stole a look at her. Henry was barely over five feet, but she had a powerful presence, even at 75. Her gray eyes shone with purpose. Her colorful batik top and flowing silk pants gave a clue to her personality. Henry Thompson was larger than life. I wondered why she had fled the scene of a crime.
Henry clapped her hands and sought my attention.
“So, Meera! How are you dealing with the latest drama in your life?”
What did I say about small town gossip? Professors like to gossip as much as old women. By now, the whole campus knew Sally was living in our guest house.
I gave her the standard answers. I had them by heart now, considering almost everyone asked me the same questions.
“What brings you here today, Meera? I don’t suppose you just came in here to shoot the breeze with this old lady?”
“It’s always a pleasure meeting you, Henry.” She insisted I call her that. “I wanted to talk to you about what happened on Saturday.”
“You mean Dot Brown’s murder? The police already talked to me.”
“Motee Ba was standing next to Dotty, err, Dot. She’s one of the suspects.”
“What nonsense! Honey didn’t kill her. No more than I did!”
Motee Ba is Honey to her friends. Her name Hansa actually means Swan, which is funny because we live in Swan Creek. Sylvie started calling her Honey and the name has stuck.
“I’m just meeting a few people, trying to get their impressions about the day.”
“You’re snooping, you mean,” Henry guffawed, clapping her hands again.
I shrugged. “With Stan Miller’s blessing.”
“I wouldn’t tell people that,” Henry narrowed her eyes. “People are more likely to talk if you’re operating on your own.”
I thought about where to begin. I said the first thing that came to mind.
“Why were you rushing out?”
Henry’s eyes hardened. I had to tone it down a bit.
“I’m sorry. Let’s start over. When did you get there?”
“Around 11 AM,” Henry said readily. “The meeting was supposed to start at 12. But some of us had decided to go early.”
“Why?”
“For your grandma,” Henry smiled. “Honey’s planning to run for President this year, you know. I fully support her. Mary Beth is a fine woman but she’s been in that seat too long. We need some fresh blood.”
This was the second time I was hearing about Motee Ba wanting to run for WOSCO President. I made a mental note to talk to her about it.
“Wasn’t Dot planning to run too?” I asked.
Henry clapped her hands.
“Dot Brown was a pushover. And her area of expertise is kids. She might be able to make a bunch of teenagers do her bidding. But she was sorely out of depth when it came to grown women. Those old biddies will rip you apart, Meera.”
“Does that mean she wasn’t putting her name in?”
Henry shook her head.
“I’m telling you why I supported your grandma over Dot. Honey has a strong backbone, and she can sweet talk people. That matters a lot when you’re an office bearer.”
“So you got there around 11. Who else was already there?”
“Your grandma. And Sylvie, of course. So was Mary Beth.”
“What were you planning to do?”
“Sylvie and I were going to tackle the members as they came in, talk to them about supporting Honey. Mary Beth wasn’t too happy about it, of course.”
“Why not?” I mused. “She’s ruled over WOSCO for 10 years. Isn’t she tired of it yet?”
“Power can be like a drug, Meera!” Henry clapped her hands. “Ma
ry Beth Arlington is addicted to it now.”
“How many people supported Dot Brown?”
“None,” Henry said bluntly. “At least none that I talked to.”
“How many people was that?”
“About 6-7. Most people wanted a change, and many of them were in favor of Honey.”
“What about Naomi Lucas?” I asked. “Was she around all the time?”
Henry’s mouth twisted in a sneer.
“High and mighty Naomi Lucas? She didn’t make an appearance until 1 PM.”
“Who took care of you then?”
“The housekeeper let us in, and then people just drifted in. The front door wasn’t locked.”
“Why didn’t the meeting start at 12 as planned?”
“Half the women didn’t turn up on time,” Henry snorted. “And then they just attacked the food, as if they hadn’t eaten in days.”
“Sylvie called for an extra batch of dumplings.”
“They loved those samosas!” Henry beamed. “I didn’t get to taste a single one.”
“Why were you rushing out?” I reverted to my original question.
“I wanted to get home and eat. I am hypoglycemic, you know. Breakfast was at 7 AM sharp and I missed lunch. I was beginning to feel shaky.”
“Did you drive straight home?”
“I had a candy bar in my car – emergency rations. I ate it on the way. Carl had a plate ready for me. It took me a while to settle down, though.”
“Did you call 911?”
Henry shook her head.
“That wasn’t me. See, I had no idea something was wrong there. All I was thinking of was getting home.”
“You didn’t hear the scream?”
I was puzzled. The door had opened after I heard the scream.
Henry shrugged.
“Not really. Didn’t think much about it.”
“What about the women gathered around Dotty, I mean, the body?”
“I figured someone had fainted from shock. It’s very common in a large group of women. First, they chatter incessantly until all you hear is just a lot of noise. Then someone faints, someone screams, someone argues.”
She clapped hard, as if emphasizing her point.
Put that way, it made sense. Henry isn’t your typical woman. She certainly doesn’t twitter.
“Did your meeting start at all that day?”
“Sure did. Ninety minutes late. Maybe a lesson in punctuality should be the first thing on Honey’s agenda.”
“Did they talk about the election at all?”
“They’d just started to. Someone read a report on last year. Then they asked for names for the election. Dot announced her name. They wanted someone to second it. That’s when the lights went out.”
“Where was Dot when the lights went out? Do you remember?”
“Right next to me.”
“And where was that, Henry?”
“By the door,” Henry said. “I was getting ready to sneak out of there.”
“So you would’ve gone home early, regardless?”
“Three hours on my feet are more than I can take now, Meera. I don’t feel kindly toward people who hold others up.”
I thought for a minute.
“Do you think Dot Brown had any enemies?”
Henry laughed deeply, and I cringed as her hands came together.
“That mouse? Why would anyone want to harm her?”
Then her eyes gleamed.
“Maybe someone else was the target.”
I shook my head, dejected.
“The police have already squashed that theory. It seems more than one person tried to harm Dot.”
“You’ve finally managed to shock me, Meera. The Browns are poor as church mice. I can think of someone having pity on them. But murder?”
“As fantastic as it sounds, it did happen, Henry.”
“Then we’re missing a piece of the puzzle,” Henry declared. “You have your work cut out for you, Meera. Find out what Dot was hiding and you’ll have your answer.”
The answer, in this case, was the murderer.
“Can I come back if I think of something else?” I asked, getting ready to leave.
“Any time, Meera! Any time.”
Henry clapped her hands again.
“Tell Andy we’re all eager to meet the missus. Plan something soon.”
I promised to relay the message, but I had no intention of doing any such thing.
Chapter 5
“Maybe we should take these off the menu for a while, Meera.”
Sylvie looked worried. I was measuring out flour to make the dough for the dumplings.
“Nothing’s wrong with our dumplings. In fact, Henry said everyone just fell upon them at your meeting.”
“Everyone knows about the bleach, Meera.”
“That wasn’t us. If it was, the whole roomful of women would be ill.”
“Why take the risk?”
I sighed. I had already set five pounds of potatoes to boil.
“I guess I can make potato soup, or mashed potatoes. Or maybe some croquettes.”
Sylvie patted my back and went back to the counter.
The dinner crowd filtered in and I helped Becky load up our Blue Plate Specials. Our Indian inspired menu was quite popular among both the locals and students.
Everyone wanted the samosa dumplings.
“Do we have any left from Saturday?” I asked Becky. “We can refry them. They taste great that way. Extra crispy.”
Becky shook her head. Sylvie heard me talking.
“Guess I was wrong, Meera. We’ll make them tomorrow.”
I was exhausted by the time I reached home. Motee Ba greeted me with a smile. She was sitting at the kitchen table, noshing on cucumber slices.
“Are you ill, Motee Ba?” I asked with concern.
“Try this dip, Meera. It’s coriander chutney mixed in with sour cream. It’s great with raw veggies.”
“Why are you eating raw veggies? What’s for dinner?”
“Your mother says we need to eat five servings of vegetables every day. And at least two of them should be raw.”
I sensed someone behind me and turned around. Sally was at the stove, stirring something in a wok.
I got a sour feeling in my throat. I had really been craving a good home cooked Gujarati meal.
“I need to shower.”
“Dinner will be on in thirty minutes,” Motee Ba called out.
Sally managed to surprise everyone. She had stir fried potatoes and peppers and made a sweet & sour daal. This is kind of a lentil soup with all kinds of yummy stuff in it.
“Who made the phulkas?” Pappa grumbled, referring to the tortilla like Indian bread. “Meera?”
“I did,” Sally said.
No one said anything after that.
Motee Ba came into my room later. I handed her a comb. We have followed this ritual since I was a child. She always senses when I’m not feeling good. Motee Ba combed out my hair and braided it into two plaits.
“Are you running for WOSCO President?” I asked.
“Not anymore,” she said.
“That’s what I thought. But there’s a general impression you are. Henry said as much.”
“You met Henry Thompson?”
“She said she was starving. About to faint or something. That’s why she was fleeing the scene.”
“She’s been having some trouble with her blood sugar. Carl is very meticulous about her diet.”
“So you think she’s telling the truth?”
“Why wouldn’t she?”
“There’s two things you need to tell Stan, Motee Ba. Henry confirmed Dot Brown was near the door when the lights went out. That backs up your statement. And you have to tell him you’re not interested in being Club President.”
“How does that matter?”
“Dot Brown was in the running too. You would be running against her. They might think you got her out of the way.”
> Motee Ba burst out laughing.
“That’s nonsense! Who cares about that silly club?”
“You need to talk to Stan, Motee Ba.”
“Okay, I’ll call him tomorrow.”
“And why aren’t you putting your name in now?”
“I don’t have the time, Meera. There’s lots to do at home.”
I didn’t want to get into what was keeping her at home. So I bid her goodnight.
“Who’s next on the list?” Tony asked the next morning.
I poured two packets of sugar into my coffee and answered immediately.
“Mary Beth. Wanna go with me this evening?”
Tony nodded and we agreed to meet at 4. I worked through lunch, stepping out just long enough to grab a burger. I ate it at my desk. I got Mary Beth’s number from Motee Ba and made sure she would be home in the afternoon.
Tony was waiting outside the gas station. We turned around and drove back, going a couple of miles beyond the campus. Mary Beth Arlington lived in an older neighborhood. The winter landscape was stark with icicles clinging to the bare branches. This street would look beautiful in the spring and summer. The houses were big and well taken care of, set on half acre of land.
The door opened as soon as I rang the doorbell. She must have been looking out from a window. Mary Beth Arlington beamed at us, looking rosy and cheerful. She’s well known for her sunny disposition.
“Come in, come in,” she welcomed us. “You’ve never been here, have you?”
“Maybe once…” I murmured.
I vaguely remembered going there for a slumber party in Junior High. Tony flashed his thousand watt smile and she simpered. He knows how to charm the ladies.
A yummy aroma of fresh baked cookies filled the house, along with a more robust smell of meat and spices.
Mary Beth came out with a tray loaded with a pitcher of milk and a large plateful of chocolate chip cookies.
“Fresh from the oven. I always have some cookie dough ready in the freezer. Just in case, you know.”
We thanked her for the hospitality and did justice to the cookies. Tony nudged me about three cookies later. I wiped my mouth with a napkin and wondered where to begin. Mary Beth made it easy for me.
“Are you here to investigate?”
My eyes popped out.
“Hunh?”
“Don’t be shy, Meera. We know you solved those two crimes last year. I suppose you are looking into Dot’s death.”