“Him,” she said quietly, nodding her head in his direction. Colin didn’t say anything. “Or perhaps Matilda, she’s one of the other boarders and doesn’t quite like the rules around here.”
“Is she around?”
“No, I shouldn’t think so. She’s a nanny for a family not far from here. She should be back around six.”
“And why do you suspect her?”
Madge took a moment to crane her neck around and clicked her fingers to get Jeremiah’s attention. She told him, with little kindness, to get her cigarettes, which he obediently did with the same cherubic smile on his face.
“At the end of last year I told her that boarders weren’t allowed guests in the home after ten p.m. I found her with a young man in her room well past that time and I ordered him out.”
“It was barely after ten when you went snooping around. He was just about to leave. But you always make such a scene of things,” said Colin.
“And who was this young man?” asked Frances.
“I don’t know, just some hanger on who was up to no good, I’m sure.”
“He was Maxwell Blacksmith and the two of them had been exclusive for some months by that time already. You have an easy way of upsetting most people around you, my dear Madge,” said Colin, taking his nose out of his book.
Jeremiah came back into the living room quite hurriedly. He gave the packet of cigarettes to Madge and she took one out and placed it in the cigarette holder after taking the spent one out. She looked around for a moment, confused.
“And where is the bloody lighter, Jerry?” she screeched at him.
He bowed obsequiously.
“Sorry mum, my mistake.”
He trotted out of the living room.
“The incompetence,” said Madge under her breath. “Why I’ve kept him on all these years I sometimes wonder.”
Jeremiah was back quickly and held out the lit lighter for Madge with his hand trembling ever so slightly. Frances watched the whole spectacle, thinking to herself that it was no wonder Madge was getting letters the likes of which she had just shared. She was a very difficult woman to like. Jeremiah skulked back to the far wall where he stood still as a statue, a bead of sweat trickling down his cheek.
It was stiflingly hot in here and Frances couldn’t imagine how Madge could be dressed in a dressing gown and slippers. Colin, in his suit jacket too short for his long arms, was also a mystery. And he wasn’t sweating at all. In fact he seemed as dry as the Sahara and oblivious to the heat in the house.
“And I take it that Matilda was quite upset with you for embarrassing her in front of Maxwell?”
“You might say that, though she’s quite a sullen young woman. How on earth that man takes a shine to her, I’ll never understand. She’s got a camel’s face, really quite awful to look at.”
Frances was amused that Madge, who seemed to be no catch by any liberal standards, was quite comfortable talking about her boarder’s looks. Off to the side, Lady Marmalade could see Colin shaking his head slowly from side to side and clenching his teeth.
“You mentioned that you had three boarders. Who is the third?”
“Penelope Sallow, and the name suits her to a T. Her complexion is as sallow as her temperament. Quite the wallflower and very meek and mild. She doesn’t make much trouble. Keeps to herself, really, but you never know. It’s the quiet ones that you have to keep your eye on. Something about her makes me nervous, though.”
“Something about everyone makes you nervous, Madge. I make you nervous just being in the same room. Besides, Penelope is very kind and intelligent. If you just took a moment to speak with her you’d find she’s quite well read.”
Madge waved off Colin’s comments with the cigarette in her hand. She reached for her cup of tea and drained it. She placed it back onto the saucer and onto the table. Frances took her last sip and also placed her teacup on the table. Alfred had finished not long ago.
“I don’t care for intelligence, Colin, but rather kindness. And none of you have shown me any kindness, except for sweet Lula.”
“That’s because you haven’t bloody well earned it.”
Colin was exasperated. She was slowly getting under his skin.
“So you have the three boarders and Lula. Is there anyone else who lives here?”
“Jeremiah and Mollie, though they share a small residence in the back.”
“And who might visit on a regular basis?”
“Not many visitors. My doctor, Dr. Kenyon Dankworth comes by once a week. He should be round tomorrow, actually. The postman comes around twice and the milkman comes by once a week. The boarders get assorted guests, though you’d have to ask them about that. My solicitor comes round once in awhile when I need to sign some business papers. Nobody else really.”
Frances nodded.
“And do you mind if I ask how you’ve managed in this place. Besides the boarders, the costs must still be substantial?”
“They are. My grandmother left me a substantial sum when she passed.” Madge leaned in and whispered. “Almost three hundred thousand pounds,” and then her usual voice. “Still, one needs to be cautious and watch the pennies or the pounds might run away I’ve managed to increase it a bit since then.”
She laughed at her own joke which turned into a coughing fit. She reached forward for her glass of water and took a small sip. The coughing stopped and she took her time, wheezing and catching her breath.
“Careful,” said Colin, “you might cough up a lung and we can’t have that.”
Frances looked at the letters on the table and put her finger down on them.
“These worry me. It appears you might be due one more if whoever wrote them is serious.”
Madge looked at them.
“Why do you think just one more?” she asked.
“Well, they’re all signed off slightly differently. With the first one I couldn’t quite make out what it meant, but then the second one gave it away. ‘Three dash six’, ‘four dash six’, and then ‘five dash six’. I think the last one will be signed six dash six, indicating the end of the series.”
“My God,” said Madge, “then I’ll likely receive it on Thursday. What do you suppose it means when I’ve received the last one?”
Madge seemed unnerved. There was the specter of fear draped around her like a spider web.
“I can’t say. I don’t believe anything will happen, if indeed whoever wrote this is committed to harming you rather than scaring you, until after you’ve received the last letter. Do keep your eye out for anything or anyone suspicious.”
Madge nodded and then looked over at Colin. He felt her stare and looked up at her.
“If I wanted to kill you, I’d hang you up like my Murdered Madonna,” he said with more relish and spite than was perhaps warranted.
“Colin, I dare say that’s awfully mean of you,” said Madge.
“I agree. That’s not the way to speak to a lady,” said Alfred.
“She’s no lady.”
Frances put her hand on Alfred’s knee to persuade him not to do anything rash. He held steady, though what he wanted to do was box the young man’s ears.
“This handwriting on the letters, do you recognize it?” asked Frances.
“No, not at all, it’s not written by anyone whom I might have recognized.”
“What I’d like,” said Frances, “is to get handwriting samples from everyone who lives here. I’d like samples from Colin, Lula, Matilda, Penelope as well as Jeremiah and Mollie. If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to come back this evening before eight and collect them. I’d also like to meet with Matilda and Penelope.”
“Yes, of course,” said Madge, gaining courage from Lady Marmalade’s confidence and air of authority. She puffed on her cigarette and blew billowing smoke to the ceiling.
“I want to ask you about the content of the letters,” said Lady Marmalade. “Do the words mean anything to you?”
“No, nothing at all re
ally. As I said, I vaguely remembered the words were from the bible. I had to look them up.”
“I know this next question might be difficult and I don’t mean to be impudent, but can you think of any reason why someone might perhaps want revenge against a perceived resentment?”
Frances looked at Madge as she smoked her cigarette and looked up thoughtfully. Madge shook her head.
“I can’t say, really. I suppose there have been lots of little things that might have upset some people. You can’t get through life without jostling a few lost souls, you know, Frances. And I suppose some might consider my insistence upon decency and good manners as an affront to their chaotic ways.”
Frances nodded and smiled at her. Colin looked up from his book and was about to say something before he thought better of it as he looked over at Alfred and bit his tongue.
“Lula also said that some things have been going missing. Is this correct?”
“Yes, that’s right. Odd things, I should say. Started happening when the first letter appeared. Now that I think about it, within a week of receiving a letter an item of mine has gone missing. Been stolen by one of the riff raff, I suppose.”
“So now you’re taking to calling us riff raff. How charming,” said Colin sarcastically.
“If it is such a pain to be here, you are more the welcome to leave,” said Madge indignantly.
“I’d rather not. The price of admission is terribly cheap. And you put on such a show. You know, Lady Marmalade,” said Colin looking over at Frances, “I should think that she might be making this whole thing up just for a laugh. I wouldn’t put it past her to write those letters all by herself.”
Frances didn’t say anything.
“That’s rubbish,” said Madge, “and I’ll give you a sample of my handwriting too.”
Frances nodded.
“If you wish, though I tend to take these sorts of things seriously. In any event, I should like to have my friend, Inspector Pearce of Scotland Yard take a look at these letters, if you don’t mind.”
Madge smiled and puffed herself up with pride. Lady Marmalade certainly was well connected and she was terribly pleased that an Inspector of Scotland Yard would show interest in her case.
“That would be wonderful,” said Madge. “I’ve always held the highest regard for the members of Scotland Yard.”
Not bloody likely, thought Colin.
“Back to these items that have been stolen or gone missing. What are they?”
“I should say certainly stolen. I’ve had the house turned upside down looking for them and I can’t find them anywhere. The first item to go missing was a gold chain with a cross on it. I got that from my grandmother when I was just a young girl. It’s terribly valuable to me. That was in January. In February a pearl necklace was stolen that was my daughter’s which I got after she passed. In March somebody stole my hairbrush, an odd sort of thing to steal...”
Frances thought that might explain her mess of hair. Though she doubted that Ms. Hollingsberry’s only brush had been stolen.
“April they stole my favorite lipstick and May they took a photograph. Not a valuable photograph but one that held a lot of sentimental value to me. It was of my daughter, Celia, me, and Lula when she was just a baby.”
Madge finished smoking her cigarette and squashed it down next to the first one. Then she took a moment and steadied her eyes on Lady Marmalade.
“Will you take my case then?” she asked, almost scared of the answer.
Frances looked at her, nodded her head and smiled.
“Of course, why do you think I wouldn’t?”
“Well, you’ve come to see me and I appreciate that and you’ve asked a lot of questions, but you haven’t jotted anything down. So I wasn’t sure.”
Madge wheezed as her breathing remained belabored.
“I have an eidetic memory. I find that notes just slow me down.”
“I see. I’ve never met anyone who had such a memory, I’ve been skeptical of such things in the past.”
“Ask me anything you wish about what I might have noticed since I’ve been here.”
Madge looked past Frances at the wall behind where she and Alfred sat. There was an Indonesian batik in a frame.
“Behind you,” said Madge, “is a prominent item on the wall, can you describe it. I know this is sneaky, you might only have glimpsed at it as you came in, but still, if you’d humor me.”
Frances smiled.
“Of course. You’re talking about the Indonesian batik that is indigo in color. I’d say it was two feet by four feet. I believe it depicts Vishnu, the protector. He is seated in the lotus position with his hands together in front of his chest, his index finger and thumbs creating circles and the rest of his fingers perpendicular. He sits on a small table on top of six people kneeling, three on each side of a pyramid. His head is circled by three radiating halos each with heart-like patterns around the circumference. The first halo contains five hearts, the second six and the third nine. To each side of him, in line with his body, are two squares each containing a single line. Should I go on?”
Madge’s smile was getting wider as she listened to Lady Marmalade depict the batik as if it were right in front of her. Colin was looking at her with an arched eyebrow and Alfred was smiling smugly.
“I think that was very well done.”
Frances smiled.
“And Colin is reading ‘Psychologische Typen’ in the original German by Carl Jung.”
“Very good,” said Colin, putting down the book and clapping his hands sarcastically.
Lady Marmalade looked at her watch. It had gone half past ten.
“If you can’t think of anything else that could be of assistance, I’ll be going, only to return again around eight.”
“Yes, not at all. I’ll make sure that I have those handwriting samples collected by then. I’ll start with Colin, seeing as he’s right here.”
Madge started to get up, with much effort.
“No need to get up,” said Frances, as she and Alfred rose.
“Nonsense,” wheezed Madge, as Jeremiah came to her side to help her. She shrugged him off with much effort. “I need to be getting upstairs, lying down is so much better for my health.”
“Her health is fine,” said Colin, “she’s a hypochondriac, I’m sure she could dance a jig around all of us if she wanted to.”
Madge was up by the time he finished speaking and she grabbed her cane and shook it at him.
“Why I put up with you, I have no idea.”
Frances and Alfred followed her as she shuffled herself out of the living room. Frances paused as they walked by Colin.
“I’ll see you later, Colin,” she said.
Colin had not stood. He was ill mannered and by all accounts appeared ill tempered as well. Frances wasn’t put off and she and Alfred continued on their way. Jeremiah was exceedingly flattering in ushering them out the door, almost to the point of embarrassment.
Once outside, the two of them clutching their jackets, the spring morning felt almost frigid compared to the oven they had just stepped out of.
“Not sure I could’ve lasted much longer in there, Alfred. I thought I might have been cooked hours ago.”
Alfred chuckled.
“It was quite stifling, my Lady.”
He put on his bowler hat and folded his jacket over his forearm as they ambled leisurely towards home.
“What do you think of it all?” asked Frances.
“I think the young man, Colin, needs to learn some manners. I find him insolent and boorish, though I might add he could have useful information to offer.”
“I quite agree.”
Alfred looked over at Lady Marmalade.
“Having said that, mind, I think the lot of them are quite odd. Ms. Hollingsberry is gruff and ill tempered with those around her. Lula seems like a frightened bird stuck in a cage being rattled by horrible children...”
“That’s a very good way of putting
it.”
“The only decent people in that home seem to be the house staff, and I’m not certain their good naturedness is terribly sincere.”
“This is why I love to have you with me on these excursions. You have a very erudite manner about you Alfred. You’d make a remarkable sleuth.”
“You’re very kind my Lady, though I confess to enjoying butlering quite enough.”
“I wonder what the others will turn out to be like?”
“Could be we’ve entered a pit of vipers my Lady, and visited the best amongst them.”
Frances slapped his shoulder softly, laughing out loud.
“We shall see, though I think in all earnestness, Ms. Hollingsberry does have reason to be concerned for her safety.”
FIVE
Chapter 5
IT was just about eight p.m. when Lady Marmalade and Alfred made it back to the Hollingsberry home. Frances was in a summer dress, she had changed into something lighter for the Hollingsberry heat. Alfred had done the same. He wore gray slacks and a white shirt with a light sport’s jacket and he had left his bowler behind.
Jeremiah answered the door, beaming a big smile at them.
“So nice to see you, again,” he said. “Please do come in.”
And although it sounded sincere, you couldn’t help but wonder if he might say the very same thing to robber or thief. Jeremiah looked as if he had changed his suit. He still had a sheen of sweat upon his face, but his suit looked dry and crisp.
Frances took off her light cardigan and gave it to Jeremiah to put away. Alfred gave him his sport’s jacket.
“Everyone is in the living room,” said Jeremiah, turning to lead them to it.
And as he promised, everyone was present. Everyone that is, except for Madge.
“If you need Ms. Hollingsberry, she’s upstairs resting. Just let me know and I can take you up, Lady Marmalade,” said Jeremiah.
He left the living room to do some chores. Lula came up to greet Lady Marmalade and invited her and Alfred to sit down. The chairs and couches had been rearranged around a couple of coffee tables so that everyone could converse more easily.
Frances and Alfred sat down in the very same couch they had sat in earlier during the day. Across from her sat Lula in Madge’s smoking chair, though Lula wasn’t smoking. Nobody was smoking, something that Frances was grateful for.
Lady Marmalade Cozy Murder Mysteries: Box Set (Books 1 - 3) Page 26
