Spell It Out, page 9
I was desperate to know if Thyme had read anything incriminating in the messages, but I would have to wait a whole lunch to find out. I only hoped Sabrina would drink some coffee and have to make another visit to the bathroom.
“I’m only having this salad for lunch and then I’m heading back to Tamworth,” Sabrina said. “You’ve got my number now, so call me or text me if you find out anything else.”
“Sure,” I said.
“It makes me quite nervous to think there could be a murderer at the Influenza Marketing Company,” she said.
I ate some baby spinach slathered with balsamic vinegar before speaking. “I’m pretty sure it has to be James, Lucy, or Bruce. I mean, who else could it be?”
“Mystical Maria,” she said. “The police asked me lots of questions about her. I wondered if they suspected she was the murderer. If I were you, I would pursue that line of questioning.”
Thyme shot me a look. I knew she suspected Sabrina. I was keen to hear what she had found out from Sabrina’s phone.
Chapter 13
I couldn’t wait for Sabrina to leave so we could find out about her emails. I felt guilty being party to Thyme looking through Sabrina’s emails, but then again, this was a murder investigation. As the police had disregarded Aurelius’s reaction to the mysterious child, then it didn’t seem they would track down the murderer. Someone had to do it. That’s what I told myself, anyway.
“Did you find out anything useful?” Ruprecht said as soon as we were back in the shop.
I flipped the sign to Closed. “I hope so! Sabrina went to the bathroom and left her phone on the table, and Thyme went through her emails and forwarded them to herself.”
Mint was shocked. “Thyme, you didn’t!”
“I didn’t think it through at the time.” Thyme’s tone was defensive.
“I hope you deleted the emails in her Sent folder,” Ruprecht said.
Thyme nodded. She pulled her phone from her jeans pocket and we crowded around her, jostling for positions. Ruprecht, Camino, Mint, and I looked over Thyme’s shoulder as she opened the first email.
“Perhaps I should look at them myself, and delete any that are private,” Thyme said.
Ruprecht nodded his approval. “That’s a good idea.”
I didn’t think it was such a good idea because I was burning with curiosity. The four of us stood to one side of the room while Thyme thumbed through the emails. A couple of times her eyebrows shot up. “What is it?” I asked her after the second time.
She shook her head. “Nothing relevant.”
Finally, she said, “Okay, I’ve been through all the ones I managed to send to myself, and most of them aren’t significant at all. They’re mostly emails complaining to her internet provider, and lots of work emails, and some to her best friend and her mother.”
“There are no emails to Aurelius?” I said, disappointed.
“No. I think she must’ve deleted all those, but I did find one to a woman called Annette, who seems to be her best friend, saying that Aurelius was awfully upset over a phone call. He told her it was personal, not business, and that it was quite private.”
“That’s not much to go on,” I said. “The phone call could have been about anything. Maybe he got some x-ray results back and found out he had arthritis, or something like that. It could be anything,” I said again.
“You’re right, Amelia,” Ruprecht said.
I held my breath, expecting him to say something philosophical, but he did not. To Thyme, he said, “Are there any more emails of that nature?”
She shook her head. “I couldn’t find any emails where she complained about him when she found out he was married, so I figure she deleted all mention of him. That one must have slipped through. There are lots of emails to this Annette person, but nothing that mentions Aurelius. There are some that allude to him, such as when Annette urges her to date again not let her past experience affect her, but that’s it.”
“I wonder if the phone call was tied into the whole child business,” I said. “Maybe one of his mistresses called him and told him she was pregnant, or maybe a long-lost child called.”
“I could understand a man like that being upset if he got one of his mistresses pregnant,” Thyme said, “but I can’t see why he would be upset to have a long-lost, illegitimate child. Surely he would be happy?”
“Who knows?” Camino said, speaking for the first time. “There could be all sorts of reasons as to why he didn’t want to acknowledge a child.”
“Like what?” I asked her.
She simply shrugged. Ruprecht looked as though he was about to say something, when someone knocked on the door.
It wasn’t the first time someone had knocked on the door when the Closed sign was on it. To my surprise, it wasn’t an angry customer but Mystical Maria. At once I opened the door.
“So sorry to interrupt when you’re closed,” she said, “I’m not here to buy cupcakes.”
“Come in.” I took her over to the others and introduced her to Ruprecht and Mint. “We’ve been discussing the case,” I told her. “Thyme and I have just had lunch with Sabrina Sanders. The police made her come to town today for questioning, but we didn’t really find out any information about her.” I was not about to say that we looked through her phone. I still felt guilty about that.
“I’ve been at the police station for the last hour, and they thoroughly grilled me about Aurelius Matters.” Her voice broke, and I was worried she was about to burst into tears.
“Come into the back room and I'll make you a cup of tea,” I said.
I ushered her into the back room, followed by all the others.
“How about I go and open the shop again?” Camino said. “If I get busy, I’ll press the buzzer.”
“Great idea, thanks,” I said to Camino. To Barb, I said, “How do you have your tea, Maria?” and then thought perhaps I shouldn’t have mentioned tea under the circumstances.
“Black with two sugars,” she said. “Amelia, you seem to believe me, but I’m sure the police don’t. Can you help me clear my name?”
“We’re working on it as hard as we can,” I told her. “I just don’t know what else to do. I told Detective Barrett about Aurelius’s reaction to the mention of a child, but he didn’t care at all. He completely disregarded the whole matter. I don’t know where to start.”
“I’m sure the police don’t have any evidence against you,” Ruprecht said to Barb. “They’re probably just trying to rattle you, to see if they can get anything out of you.”
“Well, they have certainly rattled me,” Barb said. “I’m quite shaken. What’s more, I had to take time off work to be questioned. How will that look to the school principal? And I’m sure the children will find out. It’s just a horrible situation to be in.”
“It sure is,” I said.
“And if that’s not bad enough, I have to give those people another tea leaf reading.”
Now I was thoroughly confused. “Wait a minute. You’re saying you have to give the people from the Influenza Marketing Company another tea leaf reading?” She nodded. “But why? I don’t understand. Didn’t the murderer send those tickets in the first place and pretend they were from the Gum Leaf Tea Company?”
She continued to nod. “The PR section at the marketing company thinks it’s bad publicity that their CEO was thrown out a window. They want to continue with the tea leaf reading so they can put some sort of a good slant on it and they’re sending a photographer.”
Ruprecht stroked his chin. “That is most peculiar.”
“You’re telling me!” Barb said. “I don’t think it’s going to be pleasant for anyone. I went along with it, because I thought it would be good publicity for me too.”
“I wonder why Sabrina didn’t tell us,” I said to Thyme.
“She probably didn’t know. I was speaking to the company on the phone just before I had to go in for police questioning. They want to do it soon too, tomorrow.” Barb dabbed her eyes with a tissue. “It will bring back all those awful memories.”
I set the cup of tea and a bowl of sugar in front of Barb, and she stirred in heaps of sugar. “That might work out for the best,” I said. “This could be a wonderful opportunity, Barb. If you read their tea leaves, would you know who the murderer is? Would you know more about the child?”
Barb’s jaw dropped open. “You know, I never even thought of that. Now I feel so silly. It’s obvious in hindsight.”
“Everything is clear with the benefit of hindsight,” Ruprecht began, but I moved to forestall him.
Thankfully, Maria spoke before Ruprecht could pontificate about hindsight. “It’s hard to say,” she said, rubbing her eyes. “I’m too emotionally attached to the outcome now, and that always clouds psychic ability.”
“Surely you’ll get some information and that’s more than we’ve got now,” I pointed out.
“Okay. It’s quite scary though, repeating it all.”
“At least they want you and Camino to come too,” she added. “Did I forget to mention that?”
“You did,” I said, “but that doesn’t matter. This is a good thing. Even if you can’t see anything in the tea leaves, perhaps someone will let something slip. After all, someone in that room is the murderer. Nothing surer.”
Chapter 14
The PR division at the Influenza Marketing Company wanted us to sit in the very same place we had sat the other day, although they didn’t want a vacant seat where Aurelius had been. I supposed they thought that was going a little too far.
I was feeling both nervous and excited. I was nervous that I would be in the same room as the murderer, but I was excited because I was sure I was a little closer to discovering the identity of said murderer.
I hoped Barb would see something in the tea leaves, but if she didn’t, we had agreed that she would mention a child again to see if she could get any reaction out of those present. She was also going to try to draw information out of them.
When Camino and I arrived at Mystical Maria’s office the following morning, an efficient looking woman with a folder clipboard was standing by the door. “You must be Amelia and Camino,” she said with a forced smile.
We said that we were.
“It’s so good of you to give up your time on a Saturday morning,” she said. “Still, I’m sure you have nothing better to do.”
“I should be running my shop,” I said dryly.
She seemed put out by that. Perhaps she thought I was going to ask for compensation. “You are under no obligation to attend, of course,” she said hastily, “but it would be such a help to the company.”
“Happy to help,” I said.
She waved us inside.
Talk about product placement! The room was filled with banners and posters or singing the praises of the Influenza Marketing Company. Several packets of Gum Leaf Tea sat in the middle of the table.
“That’s rather strange, isn’t it?” I said to Camino. “The victim was poisoned with tea and they’re going to photograph the Gum Leaf Tea Company’s leaves.”
The woman at the door who had yet to introduce herself clearly overheard, because she said, “It’s all a matter of positioning. It’s amazing what you can do with marketing.”
I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about, but I nodded.
Barb looked a little hassled. She was wearing a cape with stars and moons on it. “Interesting attire,” I said with a smile.
“They wanted me to wear this,” she said, none too pleased. “I feel like a bit of an idiot.”
“The deep blue colour suits you,” Camino said.
That seemed to placate her to some degree.
“Now remember, try to find out everything you can,” I whispered.
She nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll do my best.”
Bruce, Sabrina, Lucy, and James were talking to the photographer in the far corner of the room. When they saw us, they came over. Sabrina looked pleased to see us, but Lucy, less so. Bruce Gordon was fidgeting, while James appeared indifferent. “We meet again,” Sabrina said. “I never thought I’d be back in this room.”
“Me neither,” Lucy spat. She glared at Sabrina. I hadn’t noticed it before, but it seemed there was no love lost between the two of them. And that would make sense, given that they’d had an affair with the same man.
“All take your seats, and I’ll just pop out to make the tea now,” Maria said.
“Make sure it’s not drugged this time,” Lucy said snarkily.
The unnamed woman spoke up. “I bought it today from the local supermarket, just to be on the safe side.”
Still, I thought I wouldn’t be so hasty as to drink mine this time. I’d wait to see if it had any effects on the others. Camino clearly thought the same, because she elbowed me hard in the ribs.
I had a strange sense of déjà vu when Barb returned with a tray of tea cups. She placed one cup in front of each of us and then one in front of herself. For the first time, I wondered why she was drinking the tea. It was obvious that she wouldn’t give herself a reading. I had a moment of disquiet as I wondered if Maria herself could be the murderer. Why else would she drink tea at a tea leaf reading? I made a mental note to find out. After all, we hadn’t uncovered a link between her and the victim, but Ruprecht always said that just because you haven’t discovered something yet doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
“You all know the drill by now,” Maria said. “Drink your tea and then set your cup down. Don’t touch it again.”
The photographer stepped forward. “I want you all to pause with the tea cup just to your lips,” he said, “I want you all to have a happy yet metaphysical expression on your faces.”
“What utter nonsense!” Lucy snapped. “What’s a metaphysical expression? This is just ridiculous. I can’t believe I’ve been forced to do this.”
Bruce and James exchanged glances. I expected Lucy displayed such histrionics on a regular basis in the office. Sabrina did as she was asked, and sipped the tea.
“We need a photo of you two,” the photographer said.
“Why us?” I said. “We don’t work for the Influenza Marketing Company.”
The one with the clipboard hurried to intervene. “If you don’t mind, it would be a great help. We want to show that there are normal people here, too.”
Lucy made a choking sound while Sabrina chuckled.
“That’s the first I’ve been called normal in a long time,” I whispered to Camino, but I did as the woman asked. After the photographs were taken, the others sipped their tea. I only pretended to, and so did Camino.
Barb was watching people to see who finished first, and this time it was Bruce Gordon. She held out her hand for his cup, and he passed it to her. She turned it upside down three times, and then looked into it. “Oh yes, it seems you were athletic when you were younger. Is that right?”
He nodded. “I used to run marathons.”
“And you were prevented by injury,” Barb said. “There’s a problem with your left side.”
He raised his eyebrows. “That’s right. Did someone tell you that?” He shot a look at Sabrina and Lucy. Lucy ignored him, but Sabrina shrugged.
“And you enjoy domestic work such as cooking. You enjoy travelling, particularly to mountainous regions, perhaps northern India.”
“How did you know that?” Bruce looked around the room as if he expected the ghost of Aurelius to pop out and confront him at any minute.
“You will move from your present town by the end of the year, or at least be given the opportunity to do so,” Barb said. “It’s a good opportunity for you.”
“Where did you learn to read tea leaves?” Sabrina asked her.
“It’s a family thing,” Barb said. “My mother could read tea leaves, as could her mother and her mother before her. I come from a long line of tea leaf readers. Here, hand me your cup.”
Lucy handed over her cup in a reluctant manner.
Barb peered into the cup a long time before speaking. “Do you want to know anything in particular?”
Lucy shrugged. “I suppose I’d like to know about money,” she said after an interval.
“You have two choices before you,” Barb said. “One will lead you to a relationship, but the other will lead you to a different city. Whichever choice you make, it seems your finances will be about the same. However, a big decision is coming up, so pay careful attention to making the right choice.”
“You actually don’t have to give everyone a tea leaf reading,” the clipboard woman said. “We just need to take a photograph of each person while they’re having their tea leaves read.”
Barb and I exchanged glances. “This has taken up enough of my time, and my reputation is at stake,” Barb said firmly. “I will give everyone here a quick reading.”
The woman seemed taken aback. “All right, if you so wish.”
“May I have your cup?” Barb asked James Collins. On this occasion, she also peered into the cup for a lengthy interval before speaking. “You had a very difficult childhood,” she said. “Very difficult indeed. Your mother passed away after a long illness. Is that right?”
He, too, looked shocked. “Has someone told you this?”
Barb shook her head. “I won’t go on if it makes you uncomfortable.”
He appeared to be thinking it over but then said, “No. Please go on.”
“Can I have my cup read now?” Sabrina said.
I was a little annoyed. Barbara had only just started on James. Still, Barb turned her attention to Sabrina. “I see you’re very close to a child,” she said, and Camino elbowed me in the ribs again.
Sabrina was visibly taken aback. “That’s my nephew. My sister’s son. He’s only a year old. My sister lives in Tamworth too, not far from me, and I spend a lot of time with him.”
Lucy piped up. “What was that about a child? I remember now.” She shot Barb an accusing look. “Mystical Maria, you insisted that Aurelius had a child, and he insisted he didn’t. He seemed upset about it.”
