9
The trendy Rice Village shopping center has been around for as long as I've been alive, but in the last few years they've added enough pubs to make Ireland and England jealous. Nice for business so close to Rice University, where plenty of beer drinkers reside, but the parking problems have grown worse as a result. Cars cram not only the parallel slots in front of the stores but every narrow little street within a half mile. To avoid this, I walked the five blocks from my house to visit British Imports on Tuesday morning, the pictures I'd printed of the blanket tucked in my purse. Hoping for clues there was a long shot, but it was better than interviewing everyone at the Galleria or Highland Village, two other places that might have sold expensive imported baby blankets back then.
Someone in a magazine article once described Rice Village as ''like shopping in New England, only with humidity,'' and today I had to agree. Though it was just past noon, the temperature had already climbed to ninety. I was damp with sweat when I entered British Imports, and the air-conditioning offered welcome relief.
Standing inside the door, I blinked several times to stave off sensory overload. Floor to ceiling shelves to my left held knickknacks, blankets, sweaters, everything Shakespearean, books, posters and flags. The right side was reserved for china—and lots of it. Made me afraid to step in that direction. I'm clumsy enough to get thrown by a stick horse and could see myself toppling over ten-grand worth of Wedgwood.
I made a beeline for a stack of blankets but found nothing babyish. They were mostly plaid lap blankets with fringe or heavy cable knits from Ireland. I was about to approach the man behind the counter, a fiftyish guy who, in keeping with the neighborhood, looked very much like a university professor. He had a trimmed red beard and graying hair, and even in the warmth of June wore a sweater vest.
But before I could introduce myself, a well-dressed couple beat me to the punch, mentioning they had just returned from England. The storekeeper greeted them in a British accent, treating them like old friends. They began a conversation about train rides through the countryside. Since I had plenty of time and wanted the man's undivided attention, I made my way around the center glass counter and found three aisles of marmalade and candy, as well as a cooler filled with frozen items, most of them hot dogs. The labels called them bangers or beef sausage, but they were still little hot dogs. You didn't need a PI license to know that. The shelves above the cooler held dozens of cans of pork and beans. Hot sellers, no doubt. To the right of this section, a small corner had been set aside for baby items, mostly rattles and stuffed animals, but I did find blankets. Problem was, they all had Winnie the Pooh stamped or sewn on them.
By the time I'd examined every jar of marmalade and lemon curd, noted that tea comes in a hundred varieties and realized that toffee and chocolate are staples of the British diet, the couple left and I had my turn.
I walked up to the counter. ''Hi, there,'' I said. ''My name is Abby Rose.''
''Gerald Trent,'' the man replied. ''How can I help you?''
''I'm a private investigator and—''
''I'm being investigated, am I?'' he said with a lopsided grin.
''Oh, no. Nothing like that,'' I said quickly. ''I'm tracking a clue on a case I'm working. Can I ask how long you've been here?''
''I opened shop in 1993,'' he said with genuine pride. My face must have shown my disappointment, because he said, ''Is that a problem?''
''This clue dates back to 1987, so yes.''
''And what is this cryptic clue, if I might ask?''
''A baby blanket.'' I took the pictures out of my purse and placed them on the glass counter. ''But if you weren't here before 1993, then—''
''I wasn't, but Marjorie McGrady was. The shop was called the British Emporium back then.'' He took a pair of reading glasses from his shirt pocket and studied the pictures one by one. ''Marjorie had plenty of rubbish in her inventory, but she also had some very nice items, things like this. Probably cost her a pretty penny to import, but then she wasn't the wisest woman when it came to running a store.''
''So you've never carried any blankets like this?''
''Can't say as I have. Never heard of this Posh Prams brand, either.''
''I researched the name on the Internet and found nothing.''
''Could have come from a store in Britain she did business with. You should ask Marjorie, not me.''
I smiled. ''I'd love to. Can you help me find her?''
''Find her? She's my best customer,'' he said.
''Would you mind contacting her? See if she'll talk to me?''
''Don't mind at all, though if you wait five minutes, she'll probably show up.'' He laughed and reached for the phone. ''Let's just see if she's home.'' He dialed a number without having to look it up, and explained to the person on the other end who I was and what I wanted. Then he handed me the phone. ''She'd like to speak to you.''
''Hi. This is Abby Rose,'' I said.
''Marjorie here,'' she answered. She was British, too. ''You have one of my blankets, do you? Quality item if it's indeed from Posh Prams.''
''You did sell that brand?''
''Yes, but I'd have to have a look-see at what you've got there to be certain. I imported a number of items from them.''
''I could bring the photo to you, or . . . we could meet here at the store.''
''I have no plans to leave the house today,'' she said curtly. ''I suppose you could bring the picture by. Join me for tea.''
Her enthusiasm was underwhelming, but who was I to complain? ''Great. Where do you live?''
She gave me directions and told me tea would be ready at three on the dot. After I hung up, I said, ''She didn't sound all that excited about helping me. Maybe I could bring her something from your shop to go along with tea?''
''Marjorie does like her sweets,'' he said with a nod. ''Let me give you a few choices.''
After I walked back home, I did a little more computer sleuthing on the Posh Prams angle, focusing on British importers, but still found nothing. I printed out an extra set of blanket pictures and added them to Will's file. Then I wrapped up the paperwork on a few cases I'd finished in the last few months—easy adoption reunions with happy outcomes. Nothing complicated like this case. By the time I faxed the completed files to Angel's office, it was time to leave for tea with Marjorie McGrady.
She lived in the Heights, an old and well-known residential area west of downtown. I turned off Heights Boulevard onto her street about five minutes before three and quickly found her restored home. Many of the houses in this area had been renovated in the last decade, making the Heights prime real estate. Her place looked like pictures I'd seen of British cottages, the stone and brick home surrounded by a low wrought-iron fence and a vibrant garden of violet heather and fuchsia wildflowers.
''No trouble finding me, I see,'' said the cherrycheeked Marjorie McGrady after she answered the bell—a bell that played ''God Save the Queen,'' if I'd heard right. She had on an old-fashioned halter-type apron complete with ruffles over her gray skirt and white blouse. I noticed a little jeweled Union Jack pinned to her silk collar.
I offered her the tin of toffee Mr. Trent had told me she liked, and this prompted a small smile that lasted about a millisecond. She placed the tin in her apron pocket and gestured for me to follow her. By the time we reached the dining room where tea had been set up, I knew I was right about the doorbell music. The entire house I'd passed through—foyer, parlor, as well as what I'd glimpsed in the kitchen— looked like Gerald Trent's shop gone mad. I'd never seen so much British crap in my life. Not quaint, organized, make you go ''aaahh'' crap, either. I spied an ugly, uncomfortable-looking green velvet sofa and gaudy gold-brocade wing chairs in the parlor. Portraits of the royal family and their many castles lined the hall. Plenty of photographs of places and people looking definitely regal hung there, too, but I didn't recognize anything or anyone. She just had stuff everywhere, even little British flags in the flowerpots and fake crowns hanging from the ceiling.
Mrs. McGrady gestured to the mahogany table where a silver tray held a floral china teapot and matching sugar and creamer. I noted a basket of what looked like buttermilk biscuits as well as a bowl full of jam and another bowl of . . . what? Whipped cream?
''Have a seat, Ms. Rose. I don't often have guests for tea. Don't care much for company, to be honest.'' She made an attempt at another smile, her gunmetal gray curls framing a round, puffy face. Matched her puffy body. Yes. Puffy. That was the word that best described Marjorie McGrady.
I took the chair she pointed to and sat in front of a china cup and saucer with a different pattern than the teapot. ''Please call me Abby.''
''If you wish. And I'm Marjorie. I've chosen a Darjeeling, if that's acceptable. But if you'd rather—''
Just then a clock bonged three times—bonged so loud I nearly jumped out of my skin. My punishment for being early, I decided. I turned and saw the offender, a standing replica of Big Ben. How could I have missed that? Maybe because my attention had been drawn to the life-size stuffed Shakespeare in one corner and the massive sideboard next to him that held stacks of mismatched china and a glass display case showing off a copy of the velvet and jeweled crown used for British coronations. And I thought Verna Mae's house was overdecorated.
''I do so love the sound, don't you?'' said Marjorie, her eyes moist with joy. ''Very much like the original, you know.''
''Never heard the original,'' I said, resisting the urge to massage my temples. That damn clock was loud enough to jar the pecans off the tree I could see through the dining room window.
''I'll pour, if that's acceptable,'' she said. ''I must have my tea directly at three every day.''
''Go for it,'' I replied. ''Those are scones, I take it?'' I nodded at the basket.
''Yes. Strawberry jam and clotted cream for accompaniment.'' She took a plate from the sideboard for me and used silver tongs to place one on the plate. She did the same for herself. I followed her lead, splitting the scone and spreading each half with jam and cream.
The sugar was cubed, making the tea far too sweet for my taste, but all negative thoughts were obliterated by the scone. My mouth rejoiced with each delicious bite. When I'd finished the first half and politely taken a few miniscule sips of tea, I said, ''What part of Britain are you from?''
''Oh, I'm not from Britain,'' she said, smoothing more jam on another scone. ''I'm from Waco.''
I blinked. ''Oh. But you lived in England, I take it. I mean, your accent . . . your home . . .''
Her gaze met mine. ''I have visited London and the English countryside often, and find being British far more comfortable a demeanor for me than Texan. When I ran the shop, the accent helped quite a bit with sales. It's natural for me now.'' Her eyes glistened with what I decided was either humor or insanity. I wasn't sure which.
''Very . . . authentic,'' I said. ''Tell me about the store. Why did you sell?''
''I wasn't very handy at shopkeeping,'' she said. ''Had a difficult time parting with my items, as I'm sure you've noticed by a glance around here. My dear husband bought me the British Emporium so that I'd move some of my collection out of our home. Then the bloody bastard died on me. Still haven't quite forgiven him. After a period of mourning, I sold the Emporium and returned to what offers me the most comfort.'' She spread her arms. ''This and Mr. Tibbetts.''
''Mr. Tibbetts? You remarried?''
''Mr. Tibbetts is my cat,'' she said, her tone implying I was an idiot for not knowing this. ''You'll meet him soon, now that the clock's sounded. He does like his clotted cream.''
''Can't wait,'' I said, feeling as if I needed to put a ''cheerio'' in my voice. I turned and retrieved my purse—a leather backpack type that I'd hung on the back of the chair. I took out the pictures of the blanket and spread them in front of Marjorie. ''Does this look familiar?''
Her hand went to her mouth to stifle her gasp. ''Oh my word.''
''You recognize it?''
''Hang on,'' she said, her fake accent momentarily lost. She bolted from the room, her puffy body bouncing with the speed.
I thought about following her, but when I turned, I saw Mr. Tibbetts lumbering into the room. I laughed out loud at the sight of him—all twenty pounds of black and white fluff. He was as puffy as his owner and knew where the cream was.
By the time Marjorie returned, he'd helped himself to the bowl.
''Mr. Tibbetts,'' she cried.
He raised his head for a second, revealing dripping whiskers, then resumed lapping.
Marjorie said, ''If you'd like more cream, I can—''
''No, thanks,'' I answered, my eyes on what she held. ''I'm far more interested in what you've got there.''
She had a duplicate of the blanket from Verna Mae's house, same color, same two-inch satin binding. She offered it out to me and I took it, ran my hand over wool as soft as a cloud.
''I bought two of these,'' she said. ''Sold one and kept the other. Mr. McGrady and I never gave up hope for a family, and if I had been blessed, my babe would have rested in this blanket. I was forty-five at the time. That's what a fool I was.''
I found the label. POSH PRAMS
.
''The woman who owned Posh Prams died not long after she sent me those blankets,'' Marjorie said. ''She had the most wonderful baby things. These last two blankets, however, were far nicer than any she'd sent before.''
''Do you remember who bought the other one?'' I said.
''I don't recall the customers all that well. Mr. Trent is so good at remembering his customers, knows all the regulars by name. Myself? Besotted by my inventory. Yes, that sounds materialistic, but I love England, the queen, all the history and pageantry. I had my genealogy chart done and am related to the royal family. Remotely, yes, but all the items I've saved only strengthen that connection. I do remember my inventory, but not much else.''
''Did you keep receipts, by chance?''
Her already bright cheeks fired up. ''Paper takes up
room that could be best used for other items. I'm afraid I wasn't all that adept at bookkeeping.''
''You saved nothing from the year you sold that blanket? Which was probably 1987, by the way.''
''Ah, 1987. I parted with so many wonderful things in the shop that year.'' She sighed heavily.
Mr. Tibbetts, snout now covered with cream, paused and offered a liquid meow in sympathy.
''Since you had those identical blankets and kept one yourself, is there anything you could pull from your memory about the sale?''
''I should be able to, shouldn't I? They were pricey. One hundred and fifty pounds each. Worth every quid, too. See how well this one has held up?'' She reclaimed the blanket and held it against one cheek.
''Someone well-to-do bought it, perhaps?''
''Most of my customers were well-to-do. Of course, when you buy items for your baby, price sometimes means nothing and—'' She blinked hard. ''Oh, my goodness. It was then. Him.''
''What do you mean?'' I could tell from the far-off look in her faded blue eyes that she was remembering something.
''I'm almost certain a young black gentleman picked it up. Very young.''
''You mean he bought it?''
Marjorie McGrady eased down into a chair. ''No, he didn't. Someone else did. A telephone order. The details are all so fuzzy, but I recall thinking he was the limo driver. I probably wouldn't even have remembered that much if I hadn't seen his photo a week later.''
''Really? Where?''
''In the newspaper. How could I have forgotten all this? He was arrested. A man in possession of one of my beautiful things had been arrested. Shameful turn of events.''
They didn't put photographs in the paper of your everyday car thief or cat burglar—not then, not today. This must have been far more serious. ''Arrested for what?''
''Murder, I believe.''
At that appropriate moment, Mr. Tibbetts knocked the bowl off the table, and clotted cream splattered everywhere.
10
> ''Mr. Tibbetts!'' cried Marjorie McGrady. ''Look what you've done!''
The cat, however, was too busy licking cream off the floor to pay any attention. Diva would have raced up the stairs in terror if she'd done anything like this, but not Fats Domino. He wasn't about to miss a drop.
While I picked up the shattered china bowl, Marjorie hurried to the kitchen for sponges and cleaners. She returned a minute later with a small pail, and we started in on the mess.
I worked on the Union Jack area rug beneath the table while Marjorie wiped up the wood floor and baseboards.
''This man who picked up the blanket,'' I said. ''You're sure you recognized his picture in the newspaper?''
''Yes, it's all quite clear in my head now that I know this has to do with my blanket. He seemed like a polite, quiet young man when he'd come to the shop. Shocking for him to be accused of murder, I remember thinking.''
Dead Giveaway Page 9
