“I’ll tell you this much. I saw the red-head going into that skunk’s room that evening after class.”
It was obvious he still harbored resentment toward our teacher. I wondered if he was angry enough to kill her. At least he’d confessed to seeing Tippi in Annie’s room. I wasn’t the only one who’d been in there. She could have easily spiked her tea. But why was he hanging around to see who was coming and going?
“Thanks for your help George. I’ll pass this along to Detective Sams. I’m sure she’ll find it useful.” I hoped she would anyway.
I spotted Dee Dee getting off the elevator and hurrying our way. “Oh, Trixie, you wouldn’t believe the treasures they have here.” She turned to her companion and shot him a smile. “Daniel was kind enough to show me around.”
Dee Dee seemed to have a way with the men. Every time we went out of town she struck up a new friendship, and she still emailed a few of them. It took a while after Gary died for Dee to even think about dating, but once she took that first leap, her social calendar stayed full. I enjoyed seeing her have so much fun.
Dee Dee watched Daniel stride away. “Isn’t he a hottie tottie?” It didn’t matter he was bald and had a little pooch. She watched him giving a couple some directions, and gave him a princess wave when he turned back to us.
“All right, man magnet, get your head out of the clouds and come on down to earth. We have a murder to solve.” I couldn’t help but laugh and she joined right in. Sometimes you just had to laugh to keep from crying and this was one of those times.
“Let’s get back to the hotel and pick up Mama and Nana and take them out to lunch,” I said. “Did you notice any places that looked good on the way here?”
“The English Rose Tea Room is directly across from the Chattanooga Choo-Choo. Let’s try it.” The parking deck offered a little shelter from the wind, but it was still cold. We hurried and got into the car.
“Sounds good to me.” It was such a rush every time I turned the key to my P.T. Cruiser and it started on the first try. My prior car, a little red Jeep, ran on a prayer. After passing my six month probation period and working for Harv for a year, I’d felt secure enough to buy a decent vehicle. It still thrilled me to drive it. I only hoped I would have many more years of enjoying it, prison inmates don’t have much use for a vehicle.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
We called Mama and Nana to tell them we were on our way to pick them up for some lunch. When we arrived at the hotel I took the opportunity to grab the pictures for my Ghoston research. I wanted to confirm something that had been niggling at the back of my mind. We decided to bundle up and walk across the road to the tea room.
Dee Dee did a great job of picking a nice place. The English Rose Tea Room was enchanting. The delightful hostess seated us at a window table. A short history was printed on the front of the menu.
The English Rose was established in 1997 as an authentic British Tearoom, designed to bring timeless traditions of England to Chattanooga. The atmosphere, menu and staff reflect our British customs.
The Tearoom is in the foyer of the original Grand Hotel. The hotel was built in the 1890’s to accommodate passengers using the newly opened railroads to the South. This explains our location across from the Chattanooga Choo-Choo.
“Isn’t this charming, girls?” Dee Dee proudly asked.
“Yes, it is Dee,” Mama said. “Why don’t we get the Afternoon Tea? It sounds delicious. And it’ll be on me.”
“Aw, Mama, you don’t have to do that.” Dee Dee agreed with me and we bantered back and forth until we acquiesced. After all, Mama said we shouldn’t deprive her of a chance to give. You can’t argue with logic like that.
We told Mama and Nana about our adventure to the Sheraton Read House. Dee Dee couldn’t wait to share about her new friend Daniel and what she’d seen. Everyone laughed at Dee Dee’s tale of an argument they’d had over whether a chair was a Chippendale, until a maid overheard and showed them the Furniture Barn receipt. “I guess we were both a little twitter-pated,” she admitted. Dee Dee knew her antiques better than I’d memorized my liver spots, so I knew she was falling quickly for Daniel.
While we waited for our scones, I browsed through the pictures. I studied the one that kept popping up in the back of my mind. I was sure the young teenager in the picture was Tippi. She was standing between Bobby Lee Ghoston and his wife. The red hair and the long legs caught my eye just like they did the first time I met her at the writer’s workshop. Stunning.
I was eager to question her. Could an inheritance from Bobby Lee be a motive for murder? She did drive a fancy sports car. My mind was spinning with unanswered questions like a gerbil on a spinning wheel but getting nowhere.
“Hey, Trix, what’s going on in that head of yours?” Dee Dee’s question interrupted my thoughts. “You looked like you were a million miles away. Did you find something in those pictures?”
“Actually, I did, Dee Dee.” I handed her the picture. “See the young girl in the middle?” She nodded. “I believe that’s Tabitha, Tad’s daughter and Bobby Lee’s ward. Remember Tilly told us her story? The only thing is that she goes by Tippi now.”
“If she was raised by the Ghostons, and stood to inherit a lot of money, then that’s definitely a motive for murder,” Dee Dee said. “Sounds like something we need to follow up on.”
“Yeah, it does. I’m in!” Nana was sure she’d be invited along for the ride. I’d have to think quickly if I was going to get out of this. She saw right through me.
“Don’t even think about leaving me behind, Missy.” Nana crossed her arms as best she could with her cast.
I turned to Mama. “You might as well go with us.” Maybe she could help keep Nana occupied.
“Honey, if you don’t mind I’d like to go back to the hotel and take a nap. Now that I see Nana’s fine I’d like to rest up. I haven’t slept the last couple of nights worrying about y’all.”
Dee Dee came to the rescue as usual. “Don’t you worry about it Betty Jo. You go right ahead and rest and I’ll help Trixie keep an eye…”
I interrupted before she finished her sentence. I didn’t want Nana thinking Dee Dee was her babysitter. “Uh, that’s right, Mama. We’ll walk back to the hotel with you and get the car.”
We finished our lovely tea, then got Mama settled in our room and headed up the mountain where Tippi was staying. We used the GPS to find the address Dee Dee had “borrowed” from the detective’s desk. The house was gorgeous. It reminded me of a small mansion.
The brick home boasted two stories and a three car garage. Since land was scarce on the mountain, most of the homes had a small yard, but this home sat back from the road on at least two acres of land. It wasn’t the opulent house that surprised me as much as seeing two police cars parked in front.
CHAPTER THIRTY
“Dee, what do you think’s going on?”
“Looks like there’s been trouble at the homestead,” Nana said.
“I couldn’t have said it better, Nana.” Dee Dee unbuckled her seat-belt. She scooted up, sticking her head between me and Nana.
I pulled in the driveway behind the patrol cars. “My curiosity’s killing me.” Probably not the best choice of words, Dee Dee.
A poker-faced patrolman walked up to the car and motioned for me to roll down my window. “May I ask why you’re here?”
The officer’s nametag identified him as, Steve Smith. “Officer Smith, we’re here to visit Tippi Colston.”
“She’s not here,” he said.
I wondered how to broach the subject of finding out where she was when Nana piped up. “Well, where is she? We have an important business date with her and it can’t wait.”