The Harrison: A Beautiful Place to Die (Madeline Donovan Mysteries Book 2) (10 page)

Chapter Eight

Hidden Clues

Madeline and Hugh spent the
next few days in relative calm, renewing their friendship and having evening talks by the window seat.

They had spent Sunday planting the moonlight garden florae Hugh had brought from London for her.

"Do you think they have a chance of surviving the harsh winter?" asked Madeline.

"They are hearty, but you may have to dig them up by Christmas and keep them inside to be sure they don't die. Our winters can be equal in chill to yours so they may stand it," said Hugh.

He had brought her different plants that thrive from moonlight, including the Night Phlox,  Moonflower, and the Queen of the Night. She had been fascinated by them when she saw them in his mother's garden and having not been familiar with them beforehand.

Now they were both seated, looking out at the flora. The light of the moon pierced through the trees and cascaded upon the plants, highlighting their beauty. The Queen of the Night's fragrance was so bold, the aroma of the flower drifted all the way to their open window some twelve feet or so above the garden. The Night Phlox smell of candy had made them both nibble on the chocolates Mrs. O'Malley had left for them.

"How beautiful! I cannot thank you enough for such a thoughtful gift. I will spend many hours enjoying their beauty―it will give me a kind of peace."

"I am happy they please you."

"We have spent so much time talking of other things, and still have not spoken of your inheritance.  How did it all come to be?"

"A cousin, who had moved to Scotland, left me a substantial amount of money. We had been close as children, but for the last few years kept in contact only through correspondence. He never married and was thoroughly absorbed in business, but that's what he enjoyed. None of us ever realized his worth. I suppose he must have been a wise financial investor. He had a good size estate, but that he bequeathed to another cousin. I received his financial holdings, and I decided while I was still young and have the opportunity, that there was more to life than the law. I have some fondness for it, yet it was more my father's choice for me. I had always wished to be an architect, but that was considered a frivolous choice in my family.

I had dreamed someday of visiting America, but knowing you are here made the choice quite easy. I had read about Frank Lloyd Wright and his unique home designs. I believe I have enough funds to purchase one of the homes designed by him."

"You are fortunate indeed to be able to live independently and choose how to spend your time without the worry of money."

"I will not be idle. I hope to travel and perhaps design my own home someday. I would like to attend university to acquire the knowledge to do so."

"That sounds wonderful. My goals are to get my little business off the ground."

"I think you are amazing. You had to overcome personal tragedy, and it is not easy for a woman in this day to be taken as serious as a man in any business. I admire your fortitude and spirit. I have never met anyone like you, Madeline."

Madeline felt a sudden uneasiness at his comments and replied, "You are a flatterer, Hugh, but I'm sure you are exaggerating."

Changing the subject, she added, "I just am not satisfied that I could be so completely wrong about the dress. I think I will have another look."

Hugh lit up a cigarette and poured them each a glass of wine. It was nearly midnight; the time had escaped her without notice. When she was with Hugh, the hours passed like minutes.

"What do you hope to find?" asked Hugh.

"Honestly, I don't know―something―anything, a clue of some sort."

She laid the dress on the floor and spread the folds out. Kneeling on the floor, she touched the fabric as if it were made of glass, going over every part of it to see if she had missed something. Hugh knelt down and joined her in the search.

"I don't suppose there is anything. It was just my imagination hoping there would be something," said Madeline.

"Wait, what is this, shoved inside this torn area?" He pulled out two small items. "It's chocolate pieces. Why in heavens name would anyone put chocolate in the folds of their dress?"

"Unless it was what I suspected all along. This is where the drugs are, in the chocolate. She probably hid them to make her captor or captors think she had consumed the candy and possibly she would then either sleep or be in a malleable state of mind that they could control her."

"It does seem a likely scenario, no one would hide something like that in their clothing without an unusual reason."

"I'll get something from the kitchen to wrap them in and bring them to Marilyn. Tomorrow is my meeting with the brothers, so I will be able to do both."

"I hope you don't mind that I have made other plans for tomorrow. I plan to take a carriage tour through some of the neighborhoods."

"Of course not. I will be busy also. Good-night then."

She looked through the window one last time to admire her moonlight garden and thanked Hugh again for bringing her the plants.

She said good night to the photograph of her family, ritualistically tracing her fingers over their smiling faces. She felt somewhat guilty for enjoying her time with Hugh but knew if she were to survive she had to move away from her grief.

The next day found her feeling jubilant that she had secured the interview and she felt it would give her a chance to assess the brothers. She arrived early at the Harrison to see if perhaps Marilyn or Nancy were at the French cafe. She saw Nancy as she entered.

"Good afternoon, the man we met the other day, Alfred, was here looking to see if you had arrived," said Nancy.

"It is good to see you. Thank you for telling me. I will tell the man at the concierge that I am here. Is Marilyn with you?"

"Not today. She had some a class to make up. Can I help you?"

"I have some exciting news. Hugh and I combed through the dress yesterday, seeking any additional clues, and to my delight, Hugh found two pieces of chocolate in the gathering of the dress. The seam had been pulled apart to create a small pocket, and there they were. I think this time Marilyn might find there had been drugs injected somehow into the candy."

"Amazing. Certainly if she took this action to conceal them, it sounds like the most plausible answer."

"There is Alfred coming this way. Please do not let anyone know about this. I believe it to be prudent to keep this amongst our small group."

"Of course. I will tell my sister about this. If you have the chocolates, I will take them to her."

"I do."

She turned her back so that the approaching figure of Alfred could not see what she was doing. It was an inconsequential action, still...she did not want anyone to observe her.

"Thank you, Nancy. If you have access to a telephone, you can call with the findings. Otherwise, may we meet again tomorrow at this time?"

"Yes. Either way, my sister or I will be here."

"Mrs. Donovan, so good to see you," said Alfred.

"Good afternoon."

"I believe your interview will have to be delayed, but not by very long. They are meeting with a new business owner that plans to open a shop here soon."

"I don't believe there is another hotel in the city that has the same atmosphere. Is it true that guests only stay on the second floor?"

"It seems to be working to their advantage. The shops on the main floor maintain a steady flow of customers, many of which book a room for an anniversary or some such event. Because of the limited amount of rooms, they are almost always full to capacity, and this creates a rather wanton lust for the rooms. There is currently a waiting list to reserve a room. The third floor is for business and also has private areas such as a billiards and exercise room. It also has a grand dining area, where they have private parties for associates and family."

"How interesting. I am sure I would like to stay the weekend sometimes."

"I am certain the experience would meet with your approval. Will you join me for a beverage while you wait?"

Normally, she would have declined such an invitation. She was amused at the words he used "
wanton lust
" when referencing the hotel―not the typical talk a man would use in polite company. It was obvious his grandiose style conveyed that he thought he was the most handsome man in the room, or for that matter, the city. However, she could not fault him for that, because he just might have been. She thought he probably was accustomed to being treated well. Still, there was something charming about him that drew one in. However, the reason she said "yes" was to see if he might inadvertently tell her something of importance.

He obviously had a presence there, for when he waved over the waiter to their table, the man practically flew over in haste, seemingly out of breath when he asked for their order.

"May I take the liberty of ordering you an absinthe, it is the most popular cordial at the moment. Many of the ladies have a fondness for it."

She almost said no, but then reassured herself that an absinthe once in a while could certainly not hurt her. Her addiction to its sweet nectar was something she had to fight against while in London, but now she felt she had that part of her life back in control.

"Yes, I have tasted it and it is a most pleasing flavor. Thank you, I will have one."

"So tell me, what is it you do that you should be so concerned with these girls?"

"I developed an interest in becoming a female detective after having some experience at it in London last year. As I am a widow, I was searching for a career path for myself, and this presented itself to me. I find it quite stimulating, and feel it is a worthy way to spend one's time, in the assistance of others."

"How did you like London?"

"I found the fog beautifully enchanting. It gave you the feeling you were walking about inside the home of some great mystery. The people were different from Americans, and I enjoyed the differences in behavior."

"How did you come to be the Harrison brothers' assistant?"

"It had to do with Lady Mary, but that's a story for another day. My assistant is waving us into the elevator―they must be waiting for us."

She was taken to the third floor. Alfred continued chattering about the construction of the hotel, to which she paid little attention, for she was mesmerized by the maze he took her through. They wandered down different corridors, some areas filled with staff talking and moving about and others eerily quiet. There seemed to be an inordinate amount of doors along the way and almost every door was ornate in some way. Some were elaborately carved, still others had gold and silver adorned handles. Many of the door knockers were shaped in jungle creatures such as the lion and jaguar.

She remarked on this to Alfred to which he replied, "It's is quite like any other hotel, just more elaborate."

It seemed almost everything she said to him he replied with some defensive remark, even such an innocuous comment about the unusual doors.

She believed she would never find her way back to the offices if she had to do it on her own.  She thought it might have been planned to be deliberately confusing, and designed to make it difficult to find the Harrison brothers' offices.

Once inside, she saw they had their own private elevator, and this explained how they avoided the complicated path.

The Harrison men were all similarly dressed, with only variances of their garments, all in the color gray. They all wore spectacles, but in this they were different. Patrick wore a monocle, Christopher had gold, circular frames, and Joseph wore silver frames. But although they were all similar in attire, their individual looks and even the way they carried themselves varied greatly.

On just casual observance, it was obvious to Madeline that Christopher was the head man. He stood with authority, rigid and without even a glimmer of a smile. Patrick, the stocky one, bumbled about, straightening his coat, and squinting every few minutes. Joseph was the most relaxed but still fidgeted with his glasses, taking them on and off, wiping them and putting them back on. He was the only one who looked her squarely in the eye and spoke first, "Mrs. Donovan, as you know, we are busy men, but we have taken the steps to allow this interview. We have heard little of these missing women, but we will try to answer your questions."

"There are as many as six missing women reported in the newspaper, all of whom were seen at your hotel. It's a possibility that a guest who resides here, or even a staff member may be involved in some way.

" So I would like to see your registration book to see if any of the girls may have stayed here or participated in the events that you showcase, such as the recent fashion event. I would also like your permission to question the business owners."

"It does not seem an unreasonable request. If you do it discreetly, I do not see the problem with it, " said Patrick.

"There is a question of the privacy of our guests. I don't want any of them bothered by you and no one who is within the lobby will be assaulted with your questions," said Joseph.