Tainted Teacup

by Michelle Busby

  “Henry, did you touch Miss Cantrell’s coffee either before or after she spilled it?” he asked, keeping his voice quiet.

  “No. Made that mistake already. Wouldn’t do it again. Glad I didn’t take a sip, though. Wish I hadn’t brought her in here, Finbar, but I thought I could make a go of it with her, since Coral’s gone. But now, Beverly’s gone, too. Maybe I’m a jinx when it comes to women.”

  “Coral was the one you went for?”

  “I liked Beverly.”

  “But she wasn’t yer girlfriend, was she Henry?”

  “Not yet, but she would have been. She liked me.”

  “It was Coral you wanted, though. She’s the one you were watching when she came in Watson’s.”

  “I wasn’t stalking her, Holmes. I was just watching.”

  “Sure, sure, I understand. So sorry, Henry.”

  Tommie exited the storeroom, and Charles went in with Earl. Finbar caught Tommie’s eye when she came back and sat down beside him.

  “Missus, yer foot must be hurting. I see you limping. Here, put it up on this chair.” He moved it closer to her, helping her lift the heavy boot onto the seat.

  “Hey, Earl said to stay put,” Dale warned.

  “I’m not going anywhere, young man. Ms. Watson needed to elevate her ankle. I’m just taking the chair behind her,” Finbar explained.

  The change of seating put him closer to Linda.

  “Halloo, Mrs. Beadwell. I remember you from the Bingo. We had to leave early. How did you do?”

  “I won a couple,” she replied tersely.

  “Good on you. I could tell you had a foolproof system going there. Maybe I can go again, and you can teach me the finer points. I’d very much like to get the paper cards and a stamper like what yerself had.”

  Linda responded favorably to his flattery despite her dislike for Tommie. She gave him a smile that almost seemed to touch her eyes.

  “I’d like that, Mr. Holmes, if you happen to come by yourself some night,” she said, making it clear she wanted no part of Tommie Watson’s company.

  “Right. ‘Tis a date for sure then, lass. And perhaps, you’ll introduce me to yer leprechaun. I may well bring himself a tiny pot of gold.” He winked, and she giggled.

  “Terrible thing, this what’s happened to Miss Cantrell. What d’you make of it?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. Mrs. Brewster’s shop has always been very clean. I will tell you one thing, though, Mr. Holmes,” she said leaning in closer to him and speaking in a hushed voice. “I stepped out to my car to get my sweater about 6:40, and on my way in, I heard Beverly arguing with Henry. She didn’t want to have coffee. Said she hated it. He made her come in and drink that coffee.” She sat back just as the door opened, and Charles came out of the storeroom.

  “Mrs. Beadwell, I’d like to talk to you now, please,” Earl said, ushering her into the storeroom.

  While Linda was in with Earl and Jenny, Charles sat at the table pulling on his thin mustache and glaring at everyone else in the room. Finbar took the opportunity to speak with him.

  “Halloo, Charlie. We seem to keep seeing one another. What an active town this turns out to be,” Finbar said.

  “It’s not usually like this, Mr. Holmes. I’m sorry you’ve arrived when everything seems to be so screwed up,” Charles admitted.

  “From what you tell me, this shop proprietor has good hygiene practices. Is that not what you said yesterday?”

  “Well, normally, I’d say so. But now, I’m wondering if her equipment needs upgrading as well.”

  “Sure, it could be that, or it could be someone is on a killing spree.”

  “What are you implying, Holmes?” Charles glowered.

  Finbar leaned in closer. “That lad up there has ties with both the dead women. What d’you make of that?”

  “You could be right, Holmes. Jilted lover, maybe? Don’t know why he’d kill his newest squeeze, though.”

  “Maybe he was not so interested in Miss Cantrell. Maybe she was making demands. Maybe even blackmail?”

  “Who said anything about blackmail? I’m sure Beverly wouldn’t have a reason to blackmail anyone, for crying out loud. Though, I have to admit, she was a shark, and I wouldn’t put it past her. You don’t know what kind of illegal things those UPS employees ship back and forth,” he said, tapping his mustache with his finger. “Weapons, stolen merchandise, drugs. Who knows? And that Coral Beadwell was well known for opening up other people’s mail and packages.”

  “That’s right. Ms. Watson said she thought one of yer packages had been damaged by the woman.”

  “That wasn’t the only one she opened. She was a hateful, spiteful, conniving woman.”

  “D’you think Mr. Erving was in on the scheme to fence stolen merchandise?”

  “Wouldn’t surprise me in the least, and maybe Bev knew it and confronted him.”

  “But Miss Cantrell, she seemed to be a nice woman. Well put together, if you know what I mean? What would she see in that Mr. Erving? Pardon me, but he’s no Charles Williams, is he?”

  “That’s for damn sure.”

  “Sometimes ‘tis a curse to be attractive, eh?”

  Charles cast his eyes toward the storeroom and back at Holmes. “Yep,” he said with an evil grin and squinted eyes, “sometimes it can be a real curse.”

  “All right, Henry. Let’s have you now,” Earl said when Linda finished her meeting with him. Henry moved toward the back slowly, as though in a daze, and disappeared into the storeroom.

  There was a knock on the front door, and Dale opened it to the same two gloved technicians that had processed Tommie’s shop. They carefully retrieved the broken coffee mug and used soft white cloths to absorb the liquid on the table and the floor. They took pictures of the entire shop, as well as where the people were sitting. Tommie, Charles, and Henry had already been printed, so the techs printed Sarah Beth, Linda, and Holmes. Then, they began dusting the shop surfaces for fingerprints.

  Earl released Henry and walked back into Brewster’s, nodding to the techs.

  “Sarah Beth, I’m going to need you to stay behind and talk with me. Everyone else, you can go home, but don’t leave town. Stick around, because I’m sure I’ll have more questions,” he said, fixing Tommie with a meaningful stare.

  Charles and Linda moved to the back door where Jenny was standing guard, and Henry walked to the front. Finbar helped Tommie stand and escorted her toward the back. As they reached the open end of the counter area, Tommie made a beeline into the U and shoved past Sarah Beth. She hobbled up to the back counter and grabbed a Besame Bagel Bite, a couple of Double Sweet Kisses, and a handful of the Salty Sweetheart Mix.

  “Just in case any of you have doubts about the treats I made, here’s to you!” she said, putting all of them in her mouth at once. She chewed and swallowed and stared at the open-mouthed group inside Brewster’s Coffee Shoppe.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day to one and all!” she quipped.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Zed and Red were happy to have Tommie home, even though she could tell they hadn’t moved from the bed where she left them earlier that morning. She opened the back door and let them frolic around the yard with Sherlock while she sat huddled in the Adirondack chair with her eyes closed. Finbar pulled one of his dinette chairs outside and placed it on the uncovered part of the cement patio in the sun. Neither of them talked; they just sat while the dogs played happily in the grass. It was Finbar who eventually broke the silence.

  “Missus?”

  “Hmm?”

  “This was none of yer doing. Nobody knew you’d be there at Mrs. Brewster’s shop. This is something else entirely.”

  “How so?”

  “Who was the target?”

  “Beverly.”

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  “Sarah Beth? It wasn’t me, I’m pretty sure, this time.”

  Finbar sat contemplating an ant making its way across the concrete carrying a leaf of gra
ss. He shook his head slowly and crossed his legs, his hand to his chin. Then, he got up and went into the house. When he returned, the calabash pipe was in his mouth.

  “Thomasina. We’ve missed something. I’m not sure what, but our investigation is flawed.

  Tommie was tired, but he was in the mood to puzzle. “What’s missing?” she asked with a deep sigh.

  “Motive. Always motive. Who had reason to kill both Coral Beadwell and Beverly Cantrell?”

  “Besides me? I don’t know.”

  “Think, lad. Let’s talk this through.”

  “Oh, Finbar. I’m so tired. I’ve been up since 5:00, another person has died gruesomely in my presence, and I just want to shut down and decompress. Let’s leave it for today, OK? I … I just can’t think.” She was dangerously close to tears again, so he backed off. At least he backed off talking about it. His mind, however, would not quit.

  “Ah, sure. Why don’t you go in and lie down on yer bed and put on a film?” He pronounced it fil-em, but she was too exhausted to even smile at him. “I’ll keep the lads with me, whilst you have a rest, maybe even a nap. When you feel like it, come ‘round, and I’ll feed you. How does that sound?”

  Tommie smiled with her lips closed and nodded, grateful for the chance to sink into oblivion for a little while. He helped her up from the chair and escorted her to her house, patting her on the back awkwardly before she pulled the door shut. Taking the dining chair back inside, he grabbed his legal pads and returned to the yard, taking a seat in the blue resin chair. As the dogs laid on the grass soaking up the sunshine, and Tommie queued up a movie (he heard it though the wall of her bedroom), Finbar worked his magic with the legal pads.

  Four hours later, Tommie awoke with a start. Taking a glance at the clock, she was surprised to see it was noon. She sat up in the bed, wondering where her dogs were, and then she remembered what her mind had blessedly blocked out while she slept: Beverly Cantrell was murdered that day.

  Tommie groggily limped to the bathroom, splashed her face with water, and brushed her teeth. She ran a brush through her disheveled hair and put on a fresh pair of scrubs. Then, she went out the kitchen door and walked to Finbar’s.

  “Haloo, here’s yer missus, boys. You look better, Thomasina. C’mon in. I’m just finishing up from peeling and boiling these spuds for our lunch. I’ll let them steam for a bit with the cabbage, and we can have a lovely meal of colcannon. Take yer seat on the sofa. The afghan’s there waiting.”

  Tommie dutifully took her place on the couch and propped her leg on the blanket, dropping her hand to pet her dogs, who were happy for the attention but happier to curl up on the floor with Sherlock. She could see the notepads on Finbar’s side table, full of writing. He had been busy.

  “Have you solved it?” she asked.

  “Not altogether, but I’ve made a right dent in it. I’ll tell you more in just a minute. Let me just cover the pot.”

  Holmes came over and took his seat, the pipe hanging on his lip. He picked up the legal pads and laid them on his lap. “Thomasina, whilst the lunch is steaming, I think we’ll do a little question and answer between the two of us and see what we can uncover in our minds, if yer up to it.”

  “I feel much better, thank you.”

  “Would you like a sup of tea before we begin? I’m having a Guinness. You can have one as well, if you’d prefer.”

  “I’d just like some water right now, but I can get it. You get organized.” She got to her feet and went to the kitchen. Taking a washed glass from the dish drainer, she filled it with water and resumed her seat. “Ready for the Q & A.”

  “Right, then. I’ve written down some questions, and let’s see if we can answer them. I’ll be the scribe. First, two related questions: Why would someone want to kill Coral Beadwell? What was it about her that made her the target?”

  “OK. I’m assuming you want me to answer in terms of each of our main suspects.”

  “Yes. In the order we interviewed them, please.”

  “OK. Sarah Beth. The only thing I can say is that she was very angry that Coral convinced the Ladies’ Charity Organization from Trinity Episcopal Church to have their monthly meetings at Watson’s. She told me she felt betrayed because she went to the same church with Coral and was in the LCO. Coral taking business away from her from among her own friends was really pretty cold hearted.”

  “Sure, it was. Go on.”

  “Henry. Unrequited love. Coral rebuffed him and humiliated him in front of others. Revenge. Coral engineered the promotion for herself that Henry deserved. Beverly. She was jealous of Henry’s obsession with Coral. But that’s kind of a moot point now that she’s been killed, too.”

  “True. It does put a kink in our theories. Charlie?”

  “Ugh. Charles. He had a beef with Coral because of the way she treated him at the UPS Store. He’s used to being kowtowed to, and she didn’t do it. Also, she had been opening his mail and packages. He said so himself, didn’t he? I wonder what he was getting in those packages that she found interesting enough to blatantly snoop into?”

  “I don’t know, but that may be a key detail we need to find out. Linda Beadwell?”

  “Greed. She wanted that historic house, and the only way she could get it was for Coral to die. That’s a fact! Plus, she has a fling going with Charles. If Don Lareby and his sisters knew about the affair, and Sarah Beth also knew, then I guaran-dang-tee Coral Beadwell knew! I wouldn’t be surprised if she was blackmailing both Charles and her sister-in-law.”

  “Yes. That’s an excellent observation, lad. Brilliant deduction. OK. Why would the killer use cyanide poison?”

  “Hmm. That’s a little trickier. Poison is fairly easy to obtain, and it’s not immediately evident, not like a stabbing or a shooting.”

  “Did you know poison is more likely to be used by a woman than a man?” Finbar asked.

  “No, I didn’t. Why is that?”

  “It’s fast acting, efficient, and it’s almost certainly successful in the right dosage. Plus, it can be administered anonymously. The murderer need not be present for it to be effective, and one need not be face to face with the victim, which is a method more common amongst male killers.”

  “Those are good points. But think of this: couldn’t a man use it to cast suspicion on a woman for the same reason?”

  “Oh, ho! Now yer thinking, missus. That lets none of our suspects off the hook. Good on you.”

  “I have my moments. What’s next?” She was beginning to get her second wind.

  “Who had access to Coral? What insured she would be the victim?” he asked.

  “Sarah Beth has a key to the adjoining door. She could come in anytime she wanted and tamper with the cups.”

  “Yes, but what how could she be sure Coral got the poison instead of someone else?”

  “Oh, yeah. I see what you mean. Hmm. Henry worked with Coral at the UPS Store. If he’d had his fill of her mean treatment, couldn’t he have put the poison on something that she handled daily, like stuff on her desk? He wouldn’t have had to put it in her cup,” she reasoned, “and Coral could’ve transferred it to the cup inadvertently when she added sugar or squeezed her lemon.”

  “That’s a possibility. And then afterwards, cleaning up the mess gave him just enough poison in his system to make him sick and to take suspicion off himself,” he suggested.

  “Oh, that’s true. Now, Beverly, once again. Do we back off of her as a suspect because she was killed?”

  “For now. Let’s go to Charlie-boy,” Finbar said.

  “You really ticked him off by calling him Charlie,” she laughed. “He was livid.”

  “Of course. That’s why I did it, to get a rise out of him. When people get angry, they slip up, and he did. We know he touched Coral’s cup, so that’s his access to her.”

  “And Linda was her sister-in-law and lived right next door, so there was plenty of access. Plus, she was in the shop that day when I was in the window. She knew where my c
ups were stored, even though she’d never been in there before.”

  “That brings me to the poisoning itself. I want you to consider several questions. First, who had access to yer shop, and who had access to the cups and could make sure Coral got the poisoned one?”

  “I think I answered that. Sarah Beth, Charles, and Linda all had been in the shop at one time or another. Charles, and probably Linda, touched the cups on that day. I actually saw him put his hands on her cup. And Beverly touched them, too, but she doesn’t count now. Henry was never in until after Coral died. Anyone who frequented the shop when Coral was there knew she had a favorite cup. Don and his sisters knew, but I don’t know if Charles did.”

  “And Sarah Beth?”

  “I don’t recall if we ever discussed that. Coral was not really a topic of my conversations with Sarah Beth since the charity group thing. I didn’t want to rub salt in the wound, you know? And Henry doesn’t figure in for that question either. But Linda? She may have been aware because, like the sisters said, Coral was a creature of habit, and Linda surely knew it.”

  “Thomasina, we know the cup was tainted, but what if you hadn’t given Coral that particular cup? Did she ever drink from another?”

  “I always gave her that cup, Finbar, unless it had gotten dirty or something. When she was running late, though, sometimes she’d have a cold tea from the cooler.”

  “So, she might just as likely have drunk from a different cup. Is that possible?”

  “Yes. It’s certainly possible, if I had a busy day, and if her cup was still been in the dishwasher from the night before. Instead of waiting, she drank from another jumbo cup. That did happen occasionally. Do you have another theory?”

  “I’m thinking, in light of Beverly’s demise in the coffee shop, that it’s possible Coral was not the intended victim. In fact, I’m thinking there may have been no intended victim at either shop.”

  “You’ve lost me.”