Christmas Caper

by Jennifer Oberth

  “Family?” I asked.

  He leaned in. “Oscar isn’t faring too well in business of late. I’m not betraying a confidence. It’s common knowledge but probably not conversation appropriate at such a charming party as this.”

  “Oh, Mr. Cryer, if not here, where? I think this is a perfect venue for such discussions.” I attempted a light laugh, but Doris’s scowl indicated I’d fallen short. Luckily, the male of the species is less discerning of such feminine attempts.

  “I suppose you’re right, Mrs. Westin, but I wouldn’t want it to spread I was a gossip. And please, call me Seth. Both of you.”

  “Call me Doris.” She touched his smooth, brown sleeve. “You’re a gossip if you’re just complaining about someone or judging them. However, if speaking about an issue might help resolve it, that can’t possibly be misconstrued as idle gossip, now can it, Seth?”

  He made a face, as though weighing Doris’s words with great concentration. “You might be right. I never thought about it like that.”

  “So how is your brother?” I asked.

  “Fine, fine.”

  “Is he enjoying the party?”

  “Yes, I think so. I haven’t seen him lately.” He angled his head, searching the ballroom with sharp eyes.

  Had he seen Oscar earlier? Of course not. But did he think so or was he lying to make it appear as though Oscar were here and very much alive? When Oscar’s body was eventually found, Doris and I—and anyone else Seth may have spoken to—would report that Seth thought Oscar was at the party. “We met Mrs. Cryer, earlier,” I said.

  Seth’s face clouded, but he didn’t speak.

  “She said they didn’t come to the party together,” I pushed.

  “No, they didn’t.” Seth took a sip of brandy.

  “How did your brother get here then?”

  Studying me over the brandy glass, he shrugged. “I’m not sure, to tell you the truth. I’m a bit miffed at him.”

  “Oh?” Doris sidled up closer. “Do tell.”

  “Well, I was supposed to bring him.” Again, Seth froze, almost in mid-thought this time.

  “Supposed to?” I asked. “You didn’t?” When I received nothing more than a nod from the man, I continued prodding. “Why were you to fetch him when you weren’t even supposed to be in town? Wouldn’t he have escorted his wife?”

  “Oh, no. Hope met her friends at Henrietta’s house to have their hair done.” Seth took a deep breath. “Oscar came to me last night. He…we spoke.”

  “Spoke?” I asked.

  “We discussed things.”

  “What kind of things, Seth?” Doris asked point-blank.

  He took another deep breath—I held mine—and tilted his head. “We arranged for me to pick him up on my way to the party. Hope and Oscar haven’t been on speaking terms for a couple days or so and were not traveling here together.”

  Doris adopted a wistful expression. “Oh, poor Hope and Oscar. Marriages are so difficult at times, aren’t they, Ella?”

  “Um…well, I-I haven’t been married long enough to know.”

  “Oh, you will,” Seth said, the touch of a smile tugging at his lips. “Annabelle and I were happy as could be, but it didn’t mean we didn’t have our stormy moments. You can’t not, really. It’s a part of marriage as much as it’s a part of life. Sometimes I miss those the most.”

  I nodded and couldn’t tell if he was trying to downplay his brother’s marital problems or if he was truly imparting a bit of philosophy. That’s when he set his brandy down and inched closer to Doris and me, and we couldn’t help but bow our heads conspiratorially.

  “They’re keeping up appearances tonight, though.”

  “Are they?” Doris asked, a little breathy.

  Seth nodded. “Oh yes. It’s not gossip because everyone knows they aren’t doing well. It’s sad and not only because he’s my brother.”

  “Then who’s keeping up appearances?” Doris asked.

  “It’s mutual, as far as I could tell, though I think Hope suggested it.”

  Doris nodded. “Usually women try to act as if everything is fine. We don’t want to bother anyone else with our troubles.”

  I was about to protest when she added, “Not when we can handle them ourselves or they’re so far out of our hands we’re just biding time to figure out how to handle them.”

  That was true. So either Hope could have been lying to me about expecting to see Oscar because she’d killed her husband or because she was keeping up appearances. I was split; it could have been either or. She was still a viable suspect.

  I certainly didn’t want to think the worst of Seth, but it was possible he murdered his brother. They had many business dealings together; they were tied financially. By all accounts, Seth was a better businessman because of his reliability and attention to detail, but he was reliant on Oscar who had the right connections. Oscar refused to allow Seth to handle his associates despite the fact Seth had the better business acumen and reputation.

  Did Seth tire of the hold Oscar had over his whole life? Seth was on a trip and had to cut it short—in the dead of winter—in order to come home and attempt to fix whatever Oscar had broken. Had it been the last straw? “What happened when you picked your brother up this evening, Seth?”

  Doris’s eyes widened and she stopped blinking, surprised at my audacity.

  “Oscar never came out of the house. I pulled up a few minutes before the appointed time, and I waited until a few minutes after. I know Oscar isn’t much of a clock-watcher, but I was getting restless and rather cold, as you can imagine.”

  “Did your driver mind waiting for so long?”

  “I drove my own carriage. I prefer to do things myself as much as possible.”

  Like killing family members? As much as I wanted to rule him out, nothing he said thus far allowed me to do so. And I was searching.

  “I went in after him, ready to drag him out by his ear half-bathed if I had to.”

  Doris giggled politely, and I was grateful. I’m afraid the tension was so thick it was palpable, and I didn’t want Seth to stop talking until I got to the bottom of this thing.

  “But he wasn’t there. I searched every single room of the house and no Oscar. No anyone. I was vexed but then I became concerned. Perhaps I’d misunderstood or missed a message that he’d made other arrangements.” Seth rubbed his nose, dislodging his glasses. He righted them and continued. “Anyway, I didn’t want to be late to the party so I hopped back in the carriage—useless now, for one person—and got here as quickly as I could.”

  “When was that?” I asked boldly.

  “Oh, I arrived about six o’clock, I should think. I wasn’t late.”

  Doris touched his wrist for a few seconds. “I’m sure Dad wouldn’t have keel-hauled you, Seth.”

  Seth’s boisterous laugh broke any remaining tension.

  “What did Oscar say when you found him?” I asked, just to hear Seth’s response.

  “I haven’t seen him.” He turned to look at me fully. “Mrs. Westin…you don’t think anything’s happened to him?”

  “Oh, what could happen on Christmas Eve? And please, Seth, do call me Ella.”

  “Oh, of course, Ella. Thank you.” He actually blushed when he bent forward in a tiny bow. “But…well, I know you have much experience in these matters. Could you help me find him? What would you do? My mind won’t be at ease until I see him. I’ve felt edgy all night.”

  I was conflicted. On one hand, I had to pretend Oscar Cryer was still alive. On the other, I wanted to soften the blow when Seth found out his brother was dead. But this man may have been the one who murdered him. As much as I didn’t want to believe it, it was still a possibility I couldn’t ignore.

  “Please, Ella?”

  “If you insist…”

  “I do, please.”

  “To start with, I’d ask you if everything looked usual at Oscar’s house.”

  “Yes. Everything seemed normal. I don’t remember a
nything out of place.”

  “See?” Doris said, patting his arm. “Nothing to worry about.”

  “I’m sure everything’s fine, Seth.”

  “Of course it is,” Doris said. “And Ella will find Oscar and make him apologize to you.”

  Seth smirked. “Don’t go to that much bother.”

  “Nonsense,” Doris said. “Dad would have a fit if he thought you were distracted at his party. Don’t give it another thought.”

  “I suppose I am a worrier.”

  If nothing was out of place in the Cryer home—assuming Seth was innocent and telling the truth—did that mean Oscar died elsewhere? Did the poison kill him somewhere outside the house? Where would he have gone? His brother was to pick him up and they were to ride here together. The mud stains on Oscar’s pants indicated he was outside at some point; I had assumed it was after death. Perhaps he’d dragged himself outside somewhere as he died from poison. “Did you see anything strange at the house?” I blurted out.

  Seth’s face melted into suspicion. “Strange?”

  “Did you happen to notice if Oscar’s horse was gone? Perhaps he’d forgotten his plans with you, and he simply rode here himself.”

  “That’s easy enough to find out,” Seth said, about to walk away.

  Doris grabbed him. “Seth, hold on a minute.”

  “I need to find Oscar.”

  “Ella didn’t mean to worry you. You asked her what she would do, that’s all.” She glared at me.

  “I know,” he said. “She’s making good points, though.”

  Doris latched onto his elbow. “Ella is only asking these questions because…” Doris glanced around as though making sure nobody was listening in. “We know about…the incident.”

  Seth took a moment to glance between Doris and me before allowing his soft, blue eyes to close for a moment. “You do?” he finally breathed.

  Doris nodded. “We won’t say anything, of course.”

  “I should hope not.” Tugging at his burgundy tie, he appeared increasingly uncomfortable. “I didn’t realize word had gotten out.”

  “It’s not out,” Doris continued.

  I wondered if she actually knew what she was talking about, but her face took on a solemn expression. So often she would make wild statements to me and I responded as though she knew things she shouldn’t. This time, however, I’d bet Doris had vital information, and I’d have to wait for her to fill me in.

  “Are you sure, Doris?”

  “Oh, Seth, of course not. A thing like that? It changes everything, doesn’t it?”

  “It does.” Seth gazed at the floor.

  “It’ll take time to sort it all out. Ella and I wondered, now you know we know, if we could be of any assistance in the matter. Not that it’s any of our business, of course, and we wouldn’t dream of embarrassing you.”

  Seth perked up, staring at both of us. “Oh, I’m sure not. Well, not me, anyway.”

  Doris spread her arms. “Not directly.”

  What did she know? The second we were alone again, I would demand answers as to why on earth she hadn’t informed me the moment Annie, Copra, and I had taken her into our confidences.

  Seth took a deep, cleansing breath. “It’s kind of nice to feel I’m not alone in this. You realize how it is. Once it gets out, everyone will say they knew. I suppose everyone might suspect, but no one’s been daring enough to mention it. I appreciate your kindness, Doris.”

  “It’s Christmas.”

  Seth nodded. “I don’t think they’ll do anything until after the new year. But she really is angry. In fact, I was a little nervous she might do something tonight.”

  She who? And was she upset enough to kill?

  “No!” Doris raised her head and laughed as though it were an absurd idea.

  “She’s bound and determined to leave him, and, even though he’s my brother, I can’t say I blame her.”

  Hope was planning on leaving Oscar? So he’d done something bad enough for her to leave him. Perhaps she decided to get rid of him instead. Mrs. Cryer just became my number one suspect. Again.

  “I’ve actually thought about taking her in, you know. I have the room, but you understand how that would appear.”

  Doris pouted. “I don’t think it would look so improper. I know Joe is like you—a loyal brother to the end, even if he might not condone all my actions.”

  Seth frowned, lowering his eyes in sadness. “To do that to a wife is merciless, but to take up with a maid—of all things.”

  My chest constricted, unable to take in the pine-scented air.

  “Poor Hope has such high standing in the community,” Seth continued. “It would almost be better if it’d been one of her friends, and I hope God doesn’t strike me dead for saying so.”

  I was so off-kilter tonight I wondered if I shouldn’t take myself to bed right now. First I thought Annie and Copra were having some sort of twisted affair with a third party, and now I found out the dead fellow was having a dalliance with a maid!

  Thank goodness Doris continued speaking because I was drawing a blank. “Well, at least she’s a maid of an upstanding citizen.” She glanced at me, and I saw the tiniest bit of doubt around her eyes.

  Doris had no idea of any of this! And she was now grasping at straws. I stood in awe, thankful the woman was on my side.

  Seth grabbed his brandy glass and took a deep sip. “That’s true, I guess. For whatever it’s worth. A Stoker maid is about as high society as one can get. But couldn’t he have taken up with a daughter or something?”

  Stoker? One of Stoker’s maids was having an affair with Oscar Cryer—who was found dead in Nora Copra’s bed inside Stoker’s mansion?

  Doris’s mouth hung open as she stared at me. I held my tongue and refocused on Seth. We were supposed to have already been privy to this information. We couldn’t let the man think we’d tricked him and he’d spoken out of turn.

  “It breaks my heart to think my own flesh and blood could be so…so…” He wiggled his fingers, searching for an appropriate word.

  Doris offered, “Uncontrolled?”

  “Yes, uncontrolled. It’s not civil. Oh, I know many people are guilty of being unfaithful, but not in our family. Not until now.”

  At least not that he ever knew. Most people kept their infidelity a secret. I’d investigated too many deaths that happened as a result of infidelity, and I had a sneaking suspicion I’d run into plenty more before I quit. “It is a terrible action, but you are not your brother or the victim. It’s not a reflection on your person.”

  Seth frowned at me, and Doris spoke up. “She’s an orphan, Seth. She doesn’t have family ties. Well, not until now, that is. We have a lot to teach her, and she’s a slow learner.”

  I took exception to that. “I beg your pardon!”

  Doris patted me on the head—she actually placed the palm of her hand on my coiffure and patted my blond hair. “My dear sister. My dear, new, sister.”

  Seth regarded me. “I don’t know if I should envy you or not.”

  Doris’s laugh was forced, but it didn’t appear as though Seth realized it because he joined her. Doris had lightened the mood again. Taking me by the elbow, she tossed out a gracious and overly polite excuse before leading me away from Seth Cryer and out of the ballroom. When we stepped into the hallway, she gripped my arm so tightly my flesh turned pink.

  “A Stoker maid? Stoker! That can’t be a coincidence, Ella!” Her excitement waned. “Can it? I assumed this meant something significant, but what if it’s a random happenstance? I hadn’t thought of that. I thought we were onto something, but maybe we’re getting ahead of ourselves.”

  I pried her fingers off my skin. “We are not jumping to conclusions. But I think it’s safe to say it is not a coincidence. The husband was having an affair with a maid, and his body was discovered in the mansion where the maid worked.”

  “But in Mrs. Copra’s bed. Why Mrs. Copra’s bed?”

  I shrugged, unsure
what to make of this new information. Not yet.

  “Unless the killer is the maid herself.” The death grip was back. “Did we think of that?”

  “It is a possibility.”

  “What’s her motive?” Doris pressed. “Maybe Oscar wouldn’t leave his wife. Or maybe he threatened to. Or maybe she demanded money, and he wouldn’t give her any. Or she demanded more time or maybe he was going to leave her. Maybe she simply didn’t like him.”

  “If people murdered people because they didn’t like them, there wouldn’t be enough investigators in the world.”

  “Especially if the investigators were killed because the murderers didn’t like them.”

  “Uh-huh. Don’t you think we ought to reconvene in Annie’s room?”

  “Oh, yes! Let’s.”

  Doris led the way up the stairs, and we spotted Chris, who tensed as we approached. Once he saw it was us, he relaxed. “Ella, how goes it?”

  “Everything is fine, Chris. What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be dancing downstairs.”

  “I found out Doug took an extra shift, so I relieved him.” He eyed me suspiciously. “Your shift is over. What are you doing here?”

  “We’d like to speak with Annie, if you don’t mind.”

  “Oh, of course not.”

  Doris held out a hand and said, in a rather sultry voice, “Hello, Agent Lanten.”

  Chris’s mouth moved, but no voice emerged.

  “You’re not going to say hello? I know you’re on duty, but I was hoping you were having a marvelous time at our party.”

  Chris nodded, gaping like a fish. He took Doris’s hand and kissed the back of it, his entire face turning red. His ears and neck matched it after a few seconds.

  Steering Doris through the door into Annie’s room, I admonished her. “You shouldn’t tease Chris.”

  “Whyever not? It’s a lot of fun. The poor man can’t utter two words around a pretty woman. It boosts my self-esteem.”

  “Your self-esteem needs boosting like I need a noose around my neck.”

  “Don’t even joke about such a thing.” Doris touched her throat before turning to Annie and Copra.

  I smirked behind her back. Never talk about nooses to a thief, even a smart one who’d never been caught.