Death of a Mad Hatter (A Hat Shop Mystery) (23 page)

“You are such an idiot,” she said.

Given the situation, I knew better than to argue, and instead I hugged my dear cousin back in a grip that I was pretty sure strangled.

An ambulance was called for Cara. I mentioned that I was worried about Buckley and another uniform went looking for him and found him unconscious in the kitchen. He had a knot on his head that needed to be looked at, but otherwise he appeared okay.

We took up residence in one of the back rooms. I held an ice pack to my swollen lip while Dotty told her rather scattered version of events to the police and I tried to fill in where I could. Finchley looked supremely unhappy with me, but he was so busy taking down the facts that he didn’t pause to lecture me.

Through the open door, I saw Liam arrive. He led Viv to the side of the room to talk. He was visibly rattled, and I saw her give him a bracing hug before he joined his mother.

When she joined me, I asked, “All right, Viv?”

“I will be,” she said. “Poor Liam. He knew his brother resented being the second born, but he had no idea that it had festered so.”

I gave her a sympathetic half hug. “Probably, it wouldn’t have if he hadn’t had the misfortune to hook up with Cara the master manipulator.”

“Maybe.” Viv shrugged. “Or maybe the demon was inside of him all along. His mother certainly seems to think so.”

“Or did his mother contribute to it by always favoring her older son?” I asked.

“What a mess,” Viv said.

“Agreed.” I glanced at her. She hadn’t yelled at me for ditching and coming here, and she certainly had every reason to do so. “I’m sorry I left the shop without telling you. I just knew that I had to see Tina, and you all seemed determined to stop me.”

“Impulse control,” Viv sighed. “Harrison says we have none.”

“Harrison?” I asked. I felt my heart thump hard in my chest. “When did you speak to Harrison?”

“I called him while you were holed up with Finchley.”

I swallowed hard. “Did he sound mad?”

“After he stopped yelling, no, not so much,” she said. “He said he’ll be over later to speak to you.”

“Did he say anything else?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

Viv turned and looked at me. She was studying my face intently. “Should he have?”

“No!” I said. “Not at all.”

“Hmm.” Viv hummed but said nothing more.

Tina approached us hesitantly and I noted that Rose followed closely behind her as if not wanting to let her out of her sight.

“Is it sorted?” Tina asked.

“As much as it can be,” I said. “Apparently, George was in cahoots with Cara to murder Geoffrey and take over the estate. He was convinced he could manage his brother, but he didn’t expect you to be pregnant.”

“Yes, I imagine that was a surprise,” Tina said. “Among other things.”

I gestured between her and Rose. “So, how long have you two been a couple?”They gave each other a wary glance and looked like they would deny it.

“My friend Nick, the one in the orange jogging suit, saw you two picnicking in Hyde Park,” I said.

Tina took a deep breath and then sighed. “We . . . It just sort of happened over the past few months.”

“We didn’t mean to fall in love,” Rose said. “We didn’t want to hurt anyone, but there it is.”

I studied Rose. When she looked at Tina, her face lost its submissive pallor and became flushed with affection. It was a good look on her.

“Geoffrey became increasingly difficult over the past few months, always pressuring me to have a baby,” she said. “I was so sad and lonely and Rose was so kind and helpful and then one day I realized that I was in love with her.”

“We planned to tell Geoffrey and leave together to go live on the continent, but then I discovered I was pregnant,” Tina said.

“Geoffrey would have fought us if he’d known,” Rose said. “So we kept it quiet, trying to plan what to do and then the tea happened and he was murdered. We never wanted that. Never.”

Rose looked miserable and I couldn’t help but feel for her. Falling in love with her brother’s wife had to have been horrifying but then to have him murdered on top of it. What a mess.

“Ms. Parker,” Inspector Finchley said as he approached. “You are free to go—for now.”

“Thank you, Inspector,” I said. I glanced at the wreckage in the foyer and had to ask, “What will happen to Dotty?”

Finchley gave me a hard look. “That’s for the Crown Prosecutor to decide.”

“But she’s not all there, is she?” I asked. Finchley continued to stare at me. “And she did save my life.”

Finchley did not look as if he thought this was as big of a deal as I did.

“I’m sure you’ll get an opportunity to speak on her behalf,” he said. With a nod, he left us.

“Thank you,” Rose said. “I’m sure George played on Mother’s confusion and manipulated her into helping him.”

“It’s the least I can do,” I said, “since I thought you two were Geoffrey’s killers.”

“No!” Tina looked aghast.

“I’m so sorry,” I said. “But when Nick said you were a couple, I thought—”

Rose put her arm around Tina and hugged her close. “We do look to have motive.”

“I suppose we do,” Tina said. Still, the look she gave me was reproachful.

“Well, I did come here to talk to you first,” I said. “I didn’t call the police.”

“Why not?” Tina asked.

“I just couldn’t believe it,” I said. “I didn’t believe that you could kill anyone.”

At that, she stepped forward and hugged me. “All is forgiven, then.”

I hugged her back. Now I could only hope that the rest of the people in my life were as generous as Tina Grisby.

They were not. It started with Fee, who was outraged that I had gone off half-cocked, as she put it, and nearly gotten myself killed.

“You scared us to death, yeah?” she cried.

“I’m sorry,” I said. I leaned over toward Viv, who was sitting beside me on the floor in front of the fireplace in our flat above the shop. “Was I this hard on you when you disappeared to Africa a few months ago?”

“Worse,” she said.

“I’m sorry,” I said. I felt like my vocabulary had been whittled down to just those two words.

“You can stop saying that now,” she said. “To me, anyway. I forgive you. I understand the impulse thing. The others, I’m not so sure.”

“Thank you,” I said.

Down below the shop was closed. The rain was pouring outside, making the evening sky dark and gray. Viv, Fee and I had escaped upstairs to enjoy a glass of wine by the fire.

Andre and Nick showed up shortly after that, bearing a box of raspberry and pear tarts. The raspberry was my favorite, as it had a thick layer of cream beneath the raspberries that tasted just heavenly with the crunchy, buttery pie crust.

When I reached inside the box, Andre smacked my hand away. “Those are for after dinner, assuming we let you have any dessert. I am still very unhappy with you, Scarlett.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. I glanced at Nick and puffed out my lower lip just slightly and batted my eyes. “You forgive me, don’t you?”

“Oh no, you don’t,” he said. “Puppy eyes do not work on me. I am immune. What were you thinking? You could have been killed. No, don’t speak. Save it for dinner, when we’re all here.”

I glanced over my shoulder at Viv. “All here? We’re expecting more company?”

“Harrison is coming over with food,” she said.

A flare of alarm coursed through me. “Cooking with his head injury? Is that wise?”

“I think he’s picking up takeaway,” Viv said. “He said something about braised pork, black pudding and apple three ways.”

Okay, I can admit it. If he brought food, I was absolutely letting him in, damn the consequences, which I expected would be significant.

Nick poured wine for us all and I sipped from my glass while the others chattered about the day’s events. Shortly after, the door to the apartment opened and in came Harrison bearing several bags of carryout food.

Nick and Andre popped up to help him. Viv and Fee joined them, but I stayed by the fire. I watched Viv kiss Harrison’s cheek and check his bump. He winced. Fee kissed his cheek, too. They exchanged a smile and I felt a tiny spurt of jealousy ignite in my chest. What was going on between them, anyway? They made goo-goo eyes at each other, but then he kissed me. What was that about?

Maybe he didn’t remember kissing me. Maybe he had been loopy from the bump on his head. Oh, horror! Maybe he thought I was Fee and the kiss hadn’t even been meant for me!

“So, how is our reigning hero?” Nick asked Harrison.

“Yes, how is the noggin?” Andre asked. “Did Scarlett nurse you back to health?”

It was then that Harrison’s gaze sought me out. His green eyes were positively magnetic, and I couldn’t look away even when I tried. I felt my mouth go dry. Did he remember?

“Yes, yes, she did,” he said.

“Well, since you were so gallant in saving her life, I suppose it was the least she could do,” Nick said.

“Oh, I brought those pictures you bought at the opening,” Andre said. “They’re all wrapped up over there.”

He gestured at three brown-wrapped packages leaning against the far wall.

“Brilliant,” Harrison said. “It’s been pointed out to me that my flat has less warmth than a low-budget hotel room.”

He moved into the kitchen area and began to help Viv gather plates and silverware. The table only sat four, so it seemed by mutual agreement that we would all eat picnic style in front of the fire.

Viv spread a large tablecloth on the floor and Andre opened up more wine. The boxes of takeaway were placed in the center, and everyone helped themselves.

Fee sliced up a loaf of fresh bread that Viv and I had picked up at Saturday’s market. Nick scrounged in our refrigerator until he found the fixings for a salad. It was mostly made of sliced cucumbers and tomatoes with crumbled feta cheese on top, but no one seemed to mind.

“Well, now that we’re all here, Scarlett, you have to tell us everything from the very beginning,” Nick said. “Do not skip out on any details.”

“Fine,” I said. I put my fork back down on my plate. I glanced around to find everyone watching me. I realized I had to make this good but also much less life-threatening if I wanted their forgiveness.

So I launched into what one might call the Disney version of the events that transpired, starting with my need to see Tina, then George admitting he had attacked Harrison and me, and wrapping up with Dotty bashing Cara on the head after George had admitted that he and Cara were in cahoots to take over the Grisby fortune.

My audience was rapt and when I finished, Nick refilled my wineglass, this telling me more than anything else that all was forgiven, at least by him.

Theories flew around the room as to who had instigated the relationship between Cara and George. Andre and Nick thought Cara had corrupted the young man, while Viv speculated that George’s own mother issues had caused him to seek out his grandfather’s mistress and lure her into a relationship.

“Well, it could have been a business relationship,” Fee said. “Like me and Harrison, yeah?”

“Business relationship?” I asked. I was trying to look casual but I could feel Harrison’s gaze on my face while I waited for Fee to explain.

“Didn’t I tell you? Harrison is teaching me how to invest my money so that when the time comes, I have enough capital to open my own shop.”

“I tried to tell you,” Viv whispered in my ear.

“So you did,” I said. I tried to ignore the silly burble of happy that was bubbling inside of me. There was no point. I was not going to date anyone for at least another ten months, and Harrison was our business manager. It would be positively stupid to be interested in him. Right?

“Well, it was very apparent that there was more going on with Cara and George than business,” I said. “I think he was in love with her and I think she was using him to maintain the lifestyle to which she had become accustomed.”

“And Daphne called
us
a pair of oxpecker birds on a hippopotamus?” Viv asked.

“She did not!” Andre cried.

“She did,” Viv said.

“Rude!” Nick huffed.

“A show of hands for tea,” I cried. They all raised a hand and immediately resumed their discussion of the Grisby family dynamic, which to my mind could easily be called dysfunction junction.

My legs were cramping, so I rose from my seat and took a stack of dirty dishes to the kitchen. I left the plates in the sink and took up the kettle. That raspberry tart simply demanded hot tea to wash it down.

I had just put the kettle on the stove when I heard someone move behind me. I turned to find Harrison standing by the sink with his arms crossed over his chest, watching me.

“You’re looking positively domestic, Ginger,” he said.

“Boiling water is a big step for me, Harry,” I said.

“It’s Harrison,” he grumbled. He stepped forward and brushed my swollen lip with his thumb. “Does it hurt?”

“No worse than your head,” I said.

He reached around me for the teapot and canister of tea. He made the cramped space seem even smaller and as I caught the scent of his particular cologne my mind immediately flashed to that moment in his room. Yes, that moment. I shook my head. It was best not to go there.

“So, how is your head, anyway?” I asked.

“It’s good,” he said. He filled the infuser with loose tea leaves and dropped it into the pot. “Or it was until I got a call that a certain someone had gone out to Grisby Hall even though she’d promised me she wouldn’t.”

He turned and faced me as he spoke and when he finished, he was looming over me, a habit of his I did not appreciate.

“The promise was broken once Tina asked me to help her get to the States,” I protested. I tried to put more space between us, but I was wedged between him and the counter. There was no place to run, because believe you me, I would have.

“No, it wasn’t,” he said. “Another person’s cry for help doesn’t invalidate a promise you made to someone else.”

“Yes, it does,” I said. “It’s called an extenuating circumstance.”

He leaned back and shook his head at me as if he didn’t know what to do with me. Well, that was mutual.

“Speaking of circumstances, why did you leave so abruptly this morning?”

“Oh, well, I heard you in the shower, so I figured you were fine,” I said. Maintaining eye contact was suddenly uncomfortable, so I glanced over at the paper-wrapped pictures Andre had propped against the wall. As a diversionary tactic, I said, “That was very nice of you to support Andre by buying some of his work. Which pieces did you choose?”

He didn’t answer right away, so I glanced back at him to see if he’d heard me. He was studying me intently and I felt that traitorous fluttery feeling that liked to surface whenever he was around. I tried to tamp it down, but his bright-green gaze was wreaking havoc with my ability to concentrate.

“I bought the pictures of you,” he said. “Well, you and Viv, actually, but mostly, it was the one of you that I wanted.”

I stopped breathing and had to force the air out of the bottom of my lungs to ask, “Why?”

“At the time of the opening, it was because I liked them,” he said. “Andre really captured the essence of you in that shot, but now . . .”

He paused and I held my breath.

“Well, after last night—” he began, but I interrupted. I had to know.

“What do you remember about last night?” I asked.

A slow smile spread across his lips and he answered, “Everything.”

“Oh.” My voice was little more than a puff of breath, and I was a bit afraid I was going to pass out. I forced myself to inhale.

“Well, now I guess your picture will have to keep me company, until I get the chance to kiss you again,” he said. He looked at me from under his lashes. “Still determined not to date anyone?”

Okay, this was too much. He was too handsome, too charming, too much to resist. A girl could only take so much, after all.

“I—”

The kettle chose that exact moment to emit an ear-piercing whistle. It interrupted what I had been about to say, and I took it as a sign from the universe that the answer I had been about to give had been wrong.

“Tea time!” I cried and bustled around him to retrieve the kettle. As I was pouring the water into the teapot, I could have sworn I smelled the faint, very faint scent of lily of the valley. Mim.

I got the distinct feeling that Mim was a-okay with my decision not to date for a year and that she didn’t want me to give in to the first handsome man who came along.

Harrison stepped up behind me and leaned close to whisper in my ear, “It’s quite all right. I’ll wait for you.”

Well, if that didn’t make my eyesight go fuzzy and reduce my innards to jelly. I couldn’t even draw a breath until he walked away and joined the others.

To think I could have dated him when we were ten and twelve and he would be completely out of my system. In fact, the old me probably would have dated and broken up with him twice by now. The floral scent grew just a little bit stronger and suddenly it made sense.

“All right, Mim,” I muttered as I arranged cups and saucers on the tray with the teapot, cream and sugar on it. “I’ll take my time with this, but if I lose out on a good one because I waited, I’m blaming you.”

The scent flared a teeny bit stronger and then disappeared. Mim approved. Great. It looked like I was going to learn impulse control whether I liked it or not. Ten more months until I was datable again; surely if Harrison could wait so could I. Right?