Chapter Nineteen
I stepped out the door and pulled my jacket a little closer around my neck. Indian summer had retreated and now fall was going about its business most seriously. The trees were a beautiful array of golds, reds, oranges, and browns. October was close at hand and the whole world seemed to be preparing for the coming winter.
Will was waiting for me and came loping down the walk as I neared Maple House. We made small talk about the changing weather as we started off towards the Finney’s home. Before long, though, we fell into a companionable silence. Now that we’d wrapped up our first real case as a detective agency, we didn’t have anything to rehash or think through critically. After the way things had turned out, this was a nice respite.
We’d received word from Mrs. Weed that Mrs. Finney was much better and was asking for us to call. My heart was torn as we made our way to the older woman’s home. I was both very glad that she was feeling better and terribly sad for the betrayal of her son and his wife.
The unexpected shootout in the Finney’s home had been tragic. Lillian had taken a hit to the stomach and had endured a slow, painful death over the next day and a half. Jack Meriwether and two of his men had been wounded, though they were expected to recover. Their wounds had slowed them enough that the police had caught up with them easily and put them in jail.
The worst tragedy was that Melvin had come through the fight unscathed, but upon seeing the police, had turned his gun on himself. He’d known that his crimes had caught up to him and that he was likely to be hanged for his part in poisoning three people.
My heart ached for Mrs. Finney. Her son had betrayed her in so many ways. His greed had swallowed any love he had for anyone but himself. Now Mrs. Finney was left alone in her waning years with the full knowledge of what her son had done.
Even the very proper butler was decidedly less stiff now. I could only imagine the work it would take to clean up the mess. I gave him an understanding smile as he led us to the parlor, which he returned with a weary one of his own.
Mrs. Finney was sitting up with a small lap quilt covering her legs. Her cheeks were rosier and fuller than ever I’d seen them. Even her eyes seemed brighter, which led me to wondering if her confusion had been aided by the poison Lillian had been giving her.
I bent down and kissed her wrinkled cheek. “How are you today, Mrs. Finney?”
She reached for my hand and gave it a pat, unable to put into words the depth and complexity of how she felt.
I took the seat next to her while Will settled into an armchair nearby.
“You look much healthier today,” he announced.
Mrs. Finney smiled regretfully. “I began to feel better as soon as Mrs. Weed changed the tea leaves. Yes, she told me all about it. I don’t know how I can ever thank you enough for saving my life.”
“We’re a bit amazed at how everything turned out,” I admitted. “It feels as though the whole matter was a long string of lucky chances.”
“I would like to hear the entire story, if you have the time,” she asked.
Will took a deep breath and started back at the beginning. I chipped in details he forgot, but mostly sat back in wonderment at how the entire thing had unfolded. Starting with the letter from Mrs. Finney, we’d been on quite a ride. We’d solved two murders, prevented another, brought down an underground casino, and discovered where Mrs. Finney’s purloined knickknacks were going.
We owed debts of gratitude to so many people. Harrison had been instrumental in helping us understand the missing silver. Cal had suggested the poison. And several maids and a housekeeper had given us key information. I was beginning to understand just how vital servants were to solving crime.
Once Will came to the end of the tale, Mrs. Finney put a hand to her chest and blinked tears away. It was one thing to know that your daughter-in-law was slipping poison in your tea and stealing from you. It was an entirely different thing to know she’d done this before and that your son was just as involved.
I put my hand on hers. “I’m sorry for how things ended with Melvin. I wish we’d had a different result.”
She shook her head, eyes on her lap. “I had no idea that anything like this was happening. That’s the worst part: being taken completely by surprise. If only I’d had an inkling that something was wrong, it wouldn’t feel like such a betrayal.”
We spoke of other things for a time. Mrs. Finney asked about the police’s progress with the casino and we were able to tell her that for now, at least, it was closed. Though there was still much work to be done, the police were making good progress on the war on gambling in Brinkman.
She soon grew tired and Will and I made our excuses and took our leave with promises to visit again before long.
We pulled on our coats and hats and headed out into the brisk air. Once we’d reached the street I remembered to ask my partner how his sister and her husband were faring.
“Jane and the boys are moving back home. She and Ned are trying to rebuild their life.” Will sighed bleakly. “If he isn’t able to stop gambling, though, I don’t know what they’ll do. Marriage is built on trust and Ned’s managed to destroy that.”
I prayed that the couple would somehow be able to get back on steady ground, though I certainly understood Will’s concern.
The afternoon passed quietly. We’d had a few letters with requests for inquiries into various mysterious circumstances, though three were from Paula Dennis. I couldn’t help chuckling to myself at the look of chagrin on Will’s face as he read each letter.
“You could do far worse than Miss Dennis,” I reminded him. “Or are you planning on getting serious about… what’s the name of that girl you saw last week?”
“Ellen, and I’m not getting serious about anyone.” His fierce look quelled my teasing, though only for the moment.
I knew a secret about Will now. Even though he claimed he had no interest in Paula, he cared enough about her to fight Jimmy Wilson. Perhaps he wasn’t ready to admit it yet, but Paula meant a great deal to my partner. Having only recently acknowledged my own feelings, I was reluctant to press Will too much. Some things could only be brought to light over time.
I was very glad to see that Cal was at supper that night. His bandages were off, though the bruises were still in evidence. He also moved carefully, giving evidence that his ribs were still bothering him.
After supper, once we were all settled in the parlor with our after-dinner drinks, Father insisted that I tell them the whole story of the Finney’s case which then required adding the details of Meriwether’s murder. Having rehearsed it earlier with Will, I ran through the tale easily enough. Whenever I reached a particularly dangerous part, I studiously avoided looking at Cal. I had to pretend that he wasn’t in the room at all when I finally confessed that Will and I had visited the casino.
Father laughed as though the whole thing was a good joke when I arrived at the end. “That was a fine piece of detecting, eh, Cal?”
I dared a glance at the detective who was nodding and smiling as if he’d taken a bite of something sour. Of course, I’d known that he wouldn’t approve of the risks I’d taken. Still, it was disappointing not to have Cal patting me on the back for a job well done. I had, after all, solved yet another case that had eluded the police. It was sure to be a bit of a blow to his ego, but was it impossible for him to find any merit in my accomplishment?
“I’m very glad that we were able to close the case on Hugh Meriwether,” Cal said as though the words hurt him.
We? That was being rather generous, I grumbled to myself.
Father let out a hearty chuckle and said, “Looks like I’ll have to admit Rose to the force before long. She might look like her mother, but she’s a chip off the old block.” Father gave me a proud wink.
Cal swallowed and then leaned in and quietly added, “Congratulations on closing the case.”
Slightly mollified and feeling generous, I said, “We had a lot of help and rather good timing.”
“That’s often what good policing is all about,” Father boomed.
The men talked of politics and national news and I sipped my sherry and enjoyed looking at Cal without him knowing it. He was very handsome and it was a very pleasant way to pass a half hour.
“How was your visit with that nurse of yours?” Father asked, changing the subject.
My ears perked up. The progress of Cal’s health was of great interest to me.
However, the detective grinned a bit sheepishly and his ears turned red. “It was very nice. We sat in her parents’ front parlor.”
A stone dropped into my stomach. I felt the blood drain from my face.
“It’s about time you got around to courting again,” nodded Father. “There are days when I wished I’d taken the chance when it appeared.”
I excused myself and went into the hallway, my hands numb. Hearing footsteps from the back hallway, I ducked into Father’s darkened office and closed the door, leaning my forehead against it.
Cal was courting again? Only a few months ago he’d told me in no uncertain terms that he wasn’t interested in marriage. Did that mean that he just wasn’t interested in marrying me? Was this nurse the sort of woman he wanted to marry? Would I have to stand by, silently loving him, and watch Cal marry someone else?
Something squeezed my lungs and I gasped with the pain. What a cruel blow.
I allowed myself another full minute to stand under the waterfall of aching disappointment. Then I pulled my shoulders back, patted my hair, and walked back towards the parlor. I would just have to get over Calvin Lloyd. There was nothing else to be said about it.
As I took my seat and tried to smile as though nothing was wrong. I turned my mind towards the next big case for Lunceford & Edwards Investigation Agency. That would get my mind off of Cal. Heart throbbing painfully, I prayed that it would arrive soon.
Betting on Death Page 15
