“When you were little, you loved when I made tuna melts. It was one of those economical meals that didn’t take long to fix. In fact, that might have been the first thing I taught you to cook.”
“We made them in a toaster oven,” Daisy said with a laugh. “We toasted the bread, laid the cheese on the toast, and let it melt for a few seconds. Then we added the tuna and the top piece of toast. But I also made a mess. The tuna would fall off the grate down into the tray.”
“You can’t learn to cook without making a mess,” her mother said. “And you’ve turned into a fine cook.”
“I had a good teacher.”
“I think you learned more from your Aunt Iris than me,” her mother said honestly. “You and I didn’t spend enough time in the kitchen together.”
Daisy realized her mother still felt sad and guilty about that because she’d given a lot more attention to Camellia than to Daisy.
“You taught me about flowers and plants, though. We spent time in the garden together.”
Susie came to take their order. After they’d given it, Daisy noticed the men in the booth behind her had lowered their voices. Maybe they’d realized they were loud.
Suddenly, however, Lawrence who was sitting directly in back of Daisy, raised his voice again. With some heat, he said, “Troy should find a lawyer for the clinic who’s willing to settle fairly. Somehow Hiram turned into a shark of a lawyer and that’s not what the community needed.”
Daniel’s voice rose to match Lawrence’s. “Troy has every right to protect his business, and that’s what Hiram was going to do. When the clients signed their contracts, they must have read the clause that clearly stated outcomes weren’t guaranteed. You need to get off your high horse and remember that clinic is running a business.”
With that, Daisy heard shuffling behind her. She couldn’t help but look over her shoulder. Daniel was leaving the booth and striding down the aisle to the door. Lawrence stood too. Even from the side, Daisy could see that he was red in the face and angrier than she had ever seen him as he strode to the front of the diner.
Her mother asked, “Wasn’t that Lawrence Bishop, the teacher at the high school?”
“Yes, and the other man was Daniel Copeland.”
“The loan manager at the bank?” her mother asked. “I hear he’s a force to be reckoned with. Very strict about to whom he’ll give a loan and to whom he won’t.”
Daisy confided, “Lawrence isn’t usually that stirred up. But this isn’t a good time for him and his family. His daughter Piper and her husband Emory were clients of the Hope Clinic.”
“They were trying to have a baby?” her mom asked.
Daisy nodded.
“I don’t know what I think about having a baby that way,” her mother mused. “Too much involvement with the hands of man. But I’m certainly not judging a couple who want to bring a beautiful new life into the world. I suspect they’re very upset at what happened.”
“They are, and Lawrence is too on their behalf. On top of that, the police questioned Piper and Emory about Hiram Hershberger.”
“Gossip has been running rampant about that at the nursery. It’s all because of that TV crew and how they taped Emory Wagner Jr. arguing with the lawyer.”
Daisy hadn’t realized that Emory was a junior. But that made sense because many fathers and sons in the area had the same names.
“That’s true,” Daisy agreed. “If it weren’t for what the TV station televised, I don’t know if Piper and Emory would stand out for the police. There are many other couples who were affected.”
“I think the clinic should settle with them and not run this through the courts,” her mother offered.
“I don’t know what will happen. I heard Troy Richter’s out of the country. My guess is he doesn’t want to answer a lot of questions right now.” Daisy had been confiding more in her mother, and Rose seemed to appreciate that.
“He’ll have to answer questions eventually,” her mother said with an expression that Daisy had seen many times before. “Consequences follow actions.”
Her mother had repeated that phrase often over Daisy’s childhood. And she believed her mother was correct in that assessment. However, what Daisy was most worried about, at the moment, was Lawrence’s expression as he left. Who knew he could get that angry? Just how angry might he have been if he’d confronted Hiram?
* * *
When Vi entered the tea garden with a friend late in the day, Daisy remembered the conversation she’d had with her older daughter last night. After she’d spent time with Jonas and Felix, she’d stopped in at Vi’s where she’d peeked in on a sleeping Sammy. Vi had said, “There’s a woman in my mommy group, Ramona Lowell, who doesn’t have many complimentary things to say about the Hope Clinic.”
“What are her complaints against the clinic?” Daisy had asked.
During her pregnancy, Vi had foregone having her brown hair highlighted but now with her postpartum depression a distant memory, she cared about her appearance again. The highlights and natural makeup were part of her new persona. “I don’t know what her complaints are but that’s why I think you should talk to her. Ramona has one child and would have been going through in vitro to try and have another if this thing hadn’t happened at the clinic.”
“So Ramona is home with her child?”
“Most of the time. I think she transcribes manuscripts for a writer to bring in extra money.”
“Why don’t you bring her into the tea garden late in the day tomorrow? I’ll probably have lunch with your grandmother around one-thirty. Maybe if you come in around four?”
“I’ll see if she’s free,” Vi had said.
Apparently Ramona had been free. Vi had come inside first, her friend following her. They were talking and laughing so Daisy knew that’s who it was. Ramona was tall and slender with short blond hair in a pixie cut and long bangs. She was wearing jeans and a bateau-neck slouchy top in peach with three-quarter-length sleeves. Her nose turned up at the end and her mouth was wide with a smile.
Daisy waved Vi to the spillover tearoom where only a few guests still sat drinking tea and enjoying baked goods. Vi chose a table near the diamond-cut windows. The bay window looked out onto the street where Daisy noticed a courting buggy with a chestnut horse clopping by.
When she stopped at the table, Vi made introductions.
“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Ramona said right away. “We talk about a lot of things in the mommy group, and our own moms are certainly one of those things.”
“Uh oh.” Daisy held her hand over her heart. “I don’t think I want to know about those conversations.”
“All good,” Ramona assured her. “Vi told us how you helped her after the baby was born, finding all the right help for her. So many people don’t know anything about postpartum depression. I’m glad you did.”
“My aunt was the first person who clued me in,” Daisy explained. “After that I looked up everything I could find on it. I tried to hit it from all angles—a medical doctor, the mommy group, nutrition, and vitamins.”
“In my case it all worked together,” Vi agreed. “But I don’t know if I could have helped myself. That’s why the mommy group is so good. Everything we share helps all of us.”
“What can I get you to drink and eat?” Daisy asked.
“I saw on your sales board over the counter when I came in that orange pekoe is the special this month. Can I have orange pekoe tea unsweetened and iced?”
“Sure you can. How about scones, whoopie pies, or cookies? They’re on the house.”
Immediately Ramona shook her head. “No, I watch my carbs. But I did see cabbage sausage soup on your menu. Could I have a small cup of that?”
“Certainly. Vi, how about you?”
“The same iced tea and corn chowder for me.”
Daisy went to the kitchen herself and brought out what the young women had ordered. After she set a tray on the table, she spooned honey into her cup of
hot orange pekoe tea. As they ate and sipped, Daisy let the relaxed atmosphere continue at the table.
After she stirred her tea a second time, she commented, “Vi doesn’t usually tell me about specific conversations in your mommy group. But I have a friend whose daughter had her dreams smashed by what happened at the Hope Clinic. Does that ever come up in your conversations? I don’t want to know any confidences. But I’d like to understand in general how the clinic operates.”
“I’m not sure that’s something I should talk about,” Ramona said, a little shyly.
“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Daisy assured her.
“I haven’t mentioned this at our mommy group,” Vi said. “But my mom has helped the police department gather facts about their cases.”
“What kind of cases?” Ramona asked.
“Murder cases,” Vi said.
At first Ramona looked astonished, then she responded, “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“I am. When she talks to people, sometimes she can find out things the police can’t. I already told her that some folks weren’t pleased with the way the clinic operates.”
Ramona hesitated, but then she said, “I don’t think I’m talking out of school to tell you that the clinic’s success rate isn’t all that great. Not when you consider other clinics across the country. The Hope Clinic advertises that it’s one of the top clinics, but I looked up the others and that claim is not true.”
“Maybe they have a good PR department,” Daisy said, thinking about Camellia and her work. She’d often told Daisy that you could spin any fact to make it look better. Could that be true about the clinic? “I’m sure I can find easy documentation about that. Is there anything else?”
Ramona took a spoonful of her soup, wiped her mouth, and set down the spoon. “I haven’t had as much to do with the clinic as some. My husband and I just started the process. But not everyone at the clinic is committed to their work. Some of their people have a nonchalant attitude as if what they’re doing doesn’t matter or isn’t as important as it should be.”
“Do you have any specific names?”
Ramona studied Daisy but then shook her head. “I don’t think I want to give you those.”
Daisy could understand that. Her apron had a big daisy logo on it and two large pockets. In one pocket, she always carried coupons for the tea garden as well as some of her own business cards. They both came in handy. The other pocket held her order pad for extensive orders.
Now she slipped her hand behind her phone in her pocket and pulled out one of her business cards. She slid it across the table to Ramona. “There is my card. My cell number is on there too. If you feel there’s anything else you want to tell me, just give me a call.”
“You’re trying to find out who killed Hiram Hershberger?” Ramona asked.
“I’m not trying to find out. The police are. But I don’t think they have any good leads. There are so many suspects, and that friend I mentioned is one of them. So if I find anything out that I feel could lead them in a particular direction, I’ll consult with them and tell them.”
Ramona checked with Vi. “This isn’t something you’ve talked about in the mommy group.”
“That’s because, for the most part, I don’t want Mom involved in it. My sister Jazzi has an opposite outlook. Let’s just say she’s more adventurous than I am.”
Ramona gave Daisy a wink. “I have heard the name Jazzi brought up once or twice.”
Daisy laughed. “I just bet you have.”
* * *
That evening, Daisy, Jonas, and Jazzi enjoyed salmon kabobs on the grill. They sat on the patio at the picnic table talking about their day. Jonas had brought Felix over to meet Jazzi, and Jazzi seemed entranced by the dog. He even sat by her while they ate, maybe hoping to earn a tidbit from her plate. Even when she didn’t give it, he sat at her feet. Daisy had peeked under the table more than once and he’d seemed quite content.
After they’d finished dinner, however, he went around to Jonas’s side of the table and sat looking up at him as if he were waiting for something.
“What’s that about?” Daisy asked Jonas. “Does he think he’s going to get an apple dumpling for dessert?”
Jonas chuckled. “No. Last night after supper I took him outside to play fetch for a while. I think he’s asking me to do that.” Jonas took a ball from his pocket. “And I think he’s smart enough to know this was in my pocket.”
“I’ll play with him,” Jazzi said. “We can have a good run together.”
“You’re sure you don’t have something else you want to do?”
“Maybe I can work off the apple dumpling before I eat it,” Jazzi said, taking the ball from Jonas. She stood at the edge of the patio and called, “Come, Felix.”
Felix didn’t even hesitate to run to Jazzi. She led him deeper into the yard and then threw the ball for him to chase. He streaked after it, his tail flying. It didn’t take him long to find it and he ran back to her and dropped it at her feet.
“You’re good at this,” she said. “Let’s do it again.” She picked up the ball and tossed it in a different direction. Felix ran after it, through grass and dandelions, stopping only when he found it with his nose.
“I think they’re going to be friends,” Jonas said.
“I think so too. Are we going to have him meet Marjoram and Pepper tonight?”
Jonas shook his head. “I don’t think so. Let’s wait on that. I don’t want to overload him with too much excitement at one time.”
Even though they were sitting on the patio at the back of the house, Daisy could hear tires on gravel at the garage. Not long after, her phone made a ding-dong sound. That was the front-door camera app telling her she had a visitor.
After she peered at the screen, she said, “It’s Piper! I’ll go inside and see what she wants.”
Daisy went through the sliding glass doors off her kitchen, passed the dining room table into the living room and stood at the front door. When she opened it, Piper was looking down at her white espadrilles. She was wearing white slacks and a red T-shirt. Her hair was caught back in a ponytail.
Piper said, “I saw another car parked down there.” She waved toward the garage. “Am I intruding on something?”
“That’s Jonas’s SUV. He’s out back with Jazzi and his dog. He brought Felix over to explore the property and run out some energy.”
“I’m sorry I just dropped by,” Piper started again.
Daisy cut her off. “It’s fine, Piper. Come on in. We’re about to have apple dumplings and there are plenty.”
“I don’t usually eat desserts,” Piper said. “I wanted to talk to Jazzi if she’s here.”
That was a surprise. “You want to speak with Jazzi?”
“I do. I’d like to talk to her honestly about adoption. I’m trying to get a good sense of it, and I’d like to ask someone who was actually adopted. I thought about Jazzi. Do you think she’d mind talking to me?”
“I don’t think she’d mind. She’s quite open with her feelings about it, and with her search for her birth mother. Why don’t we go out and ask her?”
As they crossed through the kitchen, Daisy said, “I was talking to someone about the attitude of the nurses and the techs at the Hope Clinic. What did you think about them?”
Piper shrugged. “I didn’t think about them much, really. Some were cool. Some were business-like. Others were just busily efficient. I imagine you know how staff can be. Everybody has a different personality. They all wore smiles. Some techs meant their smiles, and some didn’t.”
“Did that effect how you felt about what you were doing?”
Again Piper shrugged. “No, not really. I like the doctor I was working with.” She looked pained as she blew out a breath. “Every time I talk about the clinic these days, my stomach forms knots.”
“Grief over what happened?” Daisy asked.
“I feel like crying most days. My dad and Emory are consulting
with a lawyer in Philadelphia about suing the individual responsible for the malfunction. That’s how they’re handling what happened. The two of them have concluded that in class action suits, it’s the lawyer who makes all the money. I don’t know if they’re taking my feelings into consideration at all.”
Daisy knew when a family was involved in grief and loss, each person handled it differently. “What are your feelings about a lawsuit?”
“I think we should go into mediation that will lead to a settlement. That’s the kind of lawyer I want to hire. But Emory and Dad are much more forceful about their opinions.”
Daisy remembered Lawrence and Daniel’s argument at Sarah Jane’s Diner. Lawrence had certainly been forceful then.
After Daisy and Piper exited the kitchen onto the patio, Daisy called Jazzi over. Daisy explained, “Piper has questions about adoption. Would you be willing to answer them?”
“Sure.” She looked at her mom. “Are you and Jonas going to stay out here?”
Daisy glanced at Jonas who was rubbing Felix’s head and scratching him around the ears. “Yes, we’ll stay out here and play with Felix.”
Jazzi said to Piper, “Why don’t we go into the living room and talk. I can tell you anything you want to know.”
After about fifteen minutes of playing with Felix, Daisy went inside and took the apple dumplings out of the oven where she’d kept them warm. Looking in on Jazzi and Piper, she pointed to the hot tray. Jazzi and Piper both shook their heads. She carried the dumplings outside to Jonas and set the tray on the table. She’d brought along a small pitcher of maple syrup to pour over them.
“Those look delicious,” Jonas said.
“I don’t make them very often, and I’m not sure why. Probably the calories. Somehow I tell myself if I have a small slice of apple pie, I’m not getting as many calories as I would in one of these.”
Jonas took a dog treat from the pouch on his belt because Felix was eyeing the dumplings. Jonas pointed to the dumplings. “Good for human. Not good for dog.” Then he held up the dog biscuit. “Good for dog. Not good for human. Sit.”
Felix sat and Jonas let him take the biscuit from his hand.
Murder with Orange Pekoe Tea Page 14
