Tatania purred close to the baby. Zeus nudged her with his head. Charlotte laughed. She reached for Tatania’s white fur. Tatania hissed. Zeus was more indulgent when Charlotte tried grabbing his fur next. He simply took one paw, put it on top of her hand, and firmly held it down.
“Oh that woman should burn in hell for all eternity. That horrible woman.” Charlotte shook her head.
“The daughter in law?” Grace asked. A shot rang out from the rifle range.
“She could make your former Aunt Alice seem nice,” Julia said.
Quite a statement from the former mistress of Grace’s late uncle. She’d never planned on forming a family with her uncle’s former mistress, but it felt right. Her former aunt had fled to Europe with the life insurance money after Uncle Charles’ murder.
“You only say that because you haven’t seen or talked to Grace’s former Aunt Alice in awhile.” Jack stroked the baby’s cheek.
“Is she back in Coronado?” Julia gasped.
“No, I called her. Grace and I bought the lot on Glorietta Bay where she and Charles were going to build their home. When she asked about Grace, I said, ‘Grace who?’, so the price didn’t go up. She was happy to sign it over to me for a thousand dollars. She’s husband hunting for a cash strapped aristocratic husband in England.”
“May God protect the English Aristocracy,” Grace said.
“Congratulations, Grace. You’re going to have your home. You deserve the best.” Julia smiled at Grace.
“Thank you. Did you know Luke well? He sounds like such a nice man,” Grace said.
“He was kind. I told him he must be the cat’s pajamas of Grandpas when I saw him watching Charlotte. He looked so sad. He told me he never got to see his son in L.A. anymore. Said the son was only a ferry ride or train hop away but the daughter in law always created a problem when they made plans to visit. Right before Christmas, I saw him looking wistfully at Charlotte and me again, and I said, you might have a granddaughter or grandson soon, why don’t you call your son? Give it another chance.“ Julia swung her Mary Jane pumps back and forth.
She bit her lips together. “And the next day, he came back so excited. His son had agreed to meet him on Christmas Day. The daughter in law wanted him to take her to dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel. He went all over town buying presents for them. It was pricey but he acted like he’d been saving his whole life for this moment. I saw him all dressed up and happy to be leaving to spend Christmas with his family. He got the early train to Los Angeles.”
“When did he come back?”
“I saw him the next morning.” She shook her head.
“He got all the way up there. And found out the daughter in law had charged all kinds of things to the account he’d set up at the Beverly Hills Hotel when he made reservations for dinner. And then she demanded that the son leave before his Dad arrived.”
“What?” Grace felt flabbergasted.
“They were gone when he got to the hotel. The daughter in law, lets just call her Helga the Horrible, left the message that they changed their minds and were doing something else for Christmas. And he looked like he was almost dead. I didn’t know what to say.” Julia stared at the ground.
“Poor guy. He deserved so much better,” Grace said.
“He went all over San Diego shopping for presents. I saw him carefully wrapping each one outside his cottage. He paid the bill the daughter in law amassed. Then, he went back to the train station and gave the presents to a Salvation Army Bell Ringer.” Julia kept twirling the feather in her hair, catching Zeus’s interest, who batted it once.
Before he left for L.A., Luke seemed so spry. He bounded through Tent City like a twenty year old. When he came back, it was like he’d aged twenty years in one day. He shuffled like an old man who couldn’t pick up his feet any more. His shoulders were hunched.” Julia watched Zeus indulgently groom Charlotte’s tiny fingers. Tatania stuck her rear end up to be patted.
The pigeons were circling around Tent City. One landed next to Tatania. She didn’t pounce on it. Neither did Zeus. They didn’t even make the clicking noise they used to greet prey.
“Once a pigeon landed on Luke’s arm. His eyes lit up and he reached in his pocket for the bread crumbs he always carried. He said, ‘I’m happy my son is alive. My son served in the battalion Cher Ami saved. I hope my son will go with me to the Smithsonian to see Cher Ami.’Luke was a veteran of the Spanish American War.
I asked where his wife was and he said she died a few years ago. It’s probably a good thing because the way the son was acting would have broken her heart. Luke died of a broken heart. I just know it. I hope he’s in heaven now with his wife and all the birds.”
“You’re right,” Grace said.
“You think he died of a broken heart too?” Julia asked.
“Yes. And I think she makes my former Aunt Alice seem nice too. I didn’t think that was possible.”
Charlotte fidgeted, protesting being kept out so long.
“I’ll walk you home,” David said.
Julia smiled gratefully.
“We’ll pack your bags and wait for you at the train station, David. You need to get back to U.S.C. today. You don’t want to miss the next train to Los Angeles.”
“Thanks for the hospitality brother.”
Grace hugged Julia and Charlotte.
“We’ll meet at the Merry Go Round soon. On Ladies Ride Free Day,” she suggested.
“Come right back, David. We’ll be at the station,” Jack said.
Chapter Four
“Jack, your brother’s a nice guy.” Grace whispered, watching him escort Julia out of the cafeteria.
“Lets keep him that way. That phone hasn’t stopped ringing.” Jack motioned to the candle stick phone behind the counter.
“People must be cancelling reservations. It’s almost time for dinner. And no one’s here.” Grace pointed to the empty tables.
“Two deaths can really kill your appetite for eating somewhere,” Jack said quietly, seeing the beleaguered manger on the phone. Grace gently patted Enrico’s arm as they walked out.
Jack’s cottage was only steps away from the cafeteria — making it a convenient stop for his morning cup of joe. Some Coronado Tent City Residents hung names on their cottage doors. They walked past Dew Drop Inn and Barely Inn to the cottage named, ingenuously enough, Jack’s Place.
Grace packed David’s bags while Jack fell on the bed.
“Damn,” he said, “Luke was a good guy.”
Eyes tearing, Grace nodded. “I know. He kept feeding those birds to honor Cher Ami for saving his son. And the son treated him like garbage.”
“ France awarded Cher Ami the Croix de guerre. Cross of war. It’s the medal that recognizes bravery. Major Whittlesey’s battalion had been fired on for days. They were out of water and food. Out of medicine for wounded soldiers. Cher Ami was a hero.” Jack swung his legs off the bed and picked up David’s bags. He carried them to the train tracks at Coronado Tent City where David waited like the good guy he was.
“You owe me dinner next time.” David took his bags from Jack.
“How ‘bout at Tent City Cafeteria?” Jack suggested.
David coughed. The next train to Los Angeles arrived and David boarded, waving back at them, with a smile that mirrored Jack’s own. It was easy for Grace to like someone who looked so much like Jack.
“Don’t worry, Grace. I slipped money in one of his books. He’ll eat in the dining car.”
“What if he doesn’t see it?”
“My brother will open one of his books as soon as he sits down.” They watched the train pulling away.
“I don’t feel like eating tonight,” Grace said.
“There’s a drink for that.” Jack took her hand and led her up the steps of the Hotel del Coronado.
“We’ll stick to Moet champagne. The monks spent years perfecting it in France. They must have enjoyed their work.” They could hear musicians in the Crown Room playing Co
le porter’s Nothing but Blue Skies from the booths above the diners.
A waiter bowed and poured Grace a glass of French bubbly.
“Will the Hotel del Coronado ever run out of champagne?” She asked.
“I hope not, Miss. And it’s all legal. We stockpiled it in our cellar before Prohibition went into effect.”
“They were supporting French products even before the Great War,” Jack said.
“Darling, we wouldn’t have won our own Revolution without French aid.” Grace rose her glass.
“Tres Juste. You are so right. Very true.” Jack clinked his glass to hers.
Chapter Five
Grace kept waking up, thinking of Luke, his son, and the daughter in law that forever separated them. She watched Tatania and Zeus leave out the window. Tatania turned and saw Grace move to the middle of the bed to be closer to Jack. Cat fur tickled Grace’s nose. Tatania liked to remind Grace now and then that she found Jack first.
With Tatania leading the way, Tatania and Zeus followed a scent she picked up at the cafeteria to a local house. Tatania jumped in an open window. She’d never seen anything like the interior. It looked like a maze of stacks comprised of magazines, newspapers, empty cigarette packs, random shoes and old socks. She kept smelling such a cacophony of scents she couldn’t properly set them apart. The stacks were about five feet high and teetering. She decided against jumping on one.
Zeus batted something around. A grown male tomcat, he sometimes had the attention span of a kitten. She looked more closely. He was batting bread rolls around the floor like polo balls.
Tatania grew fond of Zeus despite his kitten like impulsiveness. She preferred to stay focused on the case. No one ever solved anything batting old bread around. She glared at Zeus. The black and white tomcat looked sad and chastised by just one damning look. At least for half a minute. Then he went back to leaping on the maze of clutter. He rolled around in the bits of magazines, newspapers, old containers, and empty bottles. Marking the garbage with his scent in case another tomcat tried to claim it. He kept pulling something out with his paw, while Tatania watched, a little exasperated.
She coughed for the third time. The house would need to be aired out before she could fully inspect it. She lept up and opened the door handle. Zeus followed her out to the clean Coronado air.
Chapter Six
A swish of cat tail woke Grace. She moved away from Jack. Tatania settled comfortably between them, stretching out her limbs. Grace didn’t see Zeus. He sometimes disappeared to visit the stray and feral cats from whence he came.
The phone rang. Grace climbed over Tatania and Jack to answer it.
She nudged Jack mid snore. She covered the top of the phone.
“It’s Larry. Why would the head of Pinkerton call you here?” She asked.
“He knows I have good taste.” Jack took the phone from her. Tatania snarled. She didn’t like someone else deciding when she woke up. That was her prerogative.
“I’ll meet you at the cafeteria,” Jack said, putting the phone down.
“Larry can’t handle the investigation. That dog loses its focus in a fight.” Jack flung his arms above his head.
“People are canceling reservations at the cafeteria. And they’re probably leaving Tent City early too. No one wants to eat in the cafeteria now. The news of the mysterious deaths probably went out on the wire. As lovely as Coronado looks, people dropping dead mysteriously can be off putting, Dear.” Grace looked out the window at the emptying cottages of Tent City. It was painful. Coronado felt like home now. She couldn’t bear to see people running away in fear from the merchants who made a living by selling products at the seaside resort.
“The best part?” Jack asked.
“Maybe later,” Grace said.
“That’s not what I meant. Larry wants to hire Wentworth and Brewster.” He smiled.
“But Pinkerton wouldn’t hire me because I was a woman when I wanted to be a Pinkerton Detective.”
“So now they’ll pay our agency rates instead. We’ll see how they like that.”
“Bees Knees.”
“Justice is sweet. Especially when it comes with a lot of money. Wentworth and Brewster have a case.” He raised an eyebrow.
“It meant everything to me when you quit Pinkerton because they wouldn’t hire me.” Grace kissed Jack’s neck.
“You repay me in so many ways.”
Chapter Seven
“Do you know how many men at Pinkerton want to screw you?” Jack asked.
“Figuratively or literally?”
“It will kill them to know that you’re being paid agency rates to solve these deaths.”
Olga, the Coronado Tent City Palmist, nodded in greeting. She walked along the cable car tracks to her cottage. Her cottage’s sign proclaimed: Your Hand is Your Destiny.
Tatania groomed her fluffy tail. Whatever was going on, the magical white cat could be counted on to maintain her impeccable appearance. She wound approvingly around the palmist, who instinctively brushed her black garments. Tatania never shed. Olga looked bemused.
Tent City’s Cafeteria was nearly empty. Even the pigeons hadn’t returned. It was as if they knew about the deaths. They kept circling in a group of about thirty above Tent City.
“All the food is going bad. I don’t know what to do.” Enrico wrung his hands.
Grace glanced at the San Diego Union newspaper. DEATHS AT CORONADO TENT CITY CAFETERIA. “Two people collapsed and quickly died while dining at Tent City Cafeteria yesterday morning. No one knows for certain if they had toast, eggs, bran muffins, or just cups of joe.” She didn’t feel eager to eat.
“It’s garbage. You can’t let it get you down. Grace and I will join you for breakfast. We’re waiting for Larry from Pinkerton,” Jack said.
Grace gulped. Jack touched her arm gently. She considered staying outside and never talking to him again. She felt bad for the manager though and followed him in and sat down and waited while he got their cups of joe and whole grain toast.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got a feeling. This wasn’t food poisoning,” Jack whispered.
“And if you’re wrong, we’ll know when we’re violently ill. Or dead. How reassuring, Jack.” Grace watched Zeus roll around on the seat next to her.
“Would I take a chance on anything happening to Tatania and Zeus?” Jack asked.
“When did Zeus become our cat?” He asked, rubbing his cheek.
“He chose us at Christmas. Isn’t he adorable?” She put a finger on his little pink nose. Zeus licked her finger. Grace stared at the jello tins with designs of roses, lions, and cats. How easy would it be to hide poison in jello? And why would anyone do that? The servers stood around and looked panicked. Jack was right. They should support these people who looked like they were afraid they could get fired any minute because Jack and her were the only customers.
Still, she’d let Jack eat first. The manager came back pushing a silver cart. He served Grace first and then, Jack — freshly scrambled eggs, strawberries, orange juice and cups of joe. He bowed slightly. “No charge.”
Now he had her. She wanted to help him too.
“I’m sorry. This must all be a shock,” Grace said softly.
“I don’t know what happened,” Enrico said.
“We are going to help you find out. Have you ever seen them in here before? Together?” Jack asked.
“I’ve never seen them together. She comes in all the time. She goes around to the tables and scoops up left overs. I felt sorry for her. She looked like she didn’t have any money. Americans leave so much food on the table. It just goes to waste. I didn’t want to embarrass her. So I never asked her about anything. I told my employees. Just look away. Don’t say anything to her. She never exactly stole anything. I mean she never took anything with a price on it. Sometimes she slipped salt and pepper shakers in her pockets.” He shrugged.
“Did you ever see anyone talk to her?” Grace asked, looking at a sign on the wall that sa
id: Drink Refreshing Coca Cola.
“No. It’s like she was invisible to people. We knew she was here. But the patrons didn’t notice her. Everyone is doing well financially. People are saying there aren’t going to be any more poor people in America. And here this lady can’t even afford food. Now I’m on my way to being poor in America myself. Without any customers —”
“—I lost all my money. And then, I met Jack and we founded a detective agency together. We’ll solve this for you. We’re sure no one has poisoned your food. It’s not your fault.” Grace sipped her cup of joe.
“I used a diluted chlorine mixture to clean out all the coffee equipment. I learned that in the Army.”
Jack nodded.
“My wife and sister are my cooks. I trust them both. I can’t imagine what happened. We liked Luke.” He touched his eyes with a napkin.
Grace touched his hand gently. “I never met Luke. I think I would have liked him.”
“We both love animals,” Jack explained.
“My wife gave him day old poppy seed bread for the birds. It was like the pigeons were his only family.”
Larry threw the door open, hands trembling, holding a silver flask. He scowled at Grace. Jack put his arm around her.
“My partner and I will go to the Coroner’s office. We’ll need that retainer in advance,” Jack said.
Larry handed him a check.
Jack shook his head.
“Make it out to Grace Wentworth.” He handed it back.
Larry frowned. Jack and Grace waited. Larry reluctantly reached for the check, crossed out Jack Brewster, and penned Grace Wentworth instead, frown increasing with each letter. He handed it back to Jack.
Jack gave the check to Grace. She slipped it in her wrist purse.
Tatania and Zeus kept leaping from table to table. No one else was in sight.
“Jack, that dreadful man wants us to fail. He doesn’t want anyone to solve these deaths if Pinkerton can’t. Especially not me.”
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