To her surprise, she and Dickce found Primrose Pace already in the parlor, standing at the fireplace and evidently examining the mantel. “Hello, Mrs. Pace. Mary Turner just went upstairs to look for you.”
The medium smiled. “She won’t find me there.” She gestured toward the mantel. “Isn’t this a beautiful piece? I don’t think I’ve seen one like it in any of the other antebellum homes I’ve visited.”
“Yes, it is beautiful,” An’gel said. “Mrs. Pace, Mary Turner is looking for you because Lieutenant Steinberg is on his way here with news of some kind.” She watched carefully to note the medium’s reaction to this announcement.
“Is he now?” Mrs. Pace murmured as she turned her attention back to the mantel. An’gel thought the woman’s back had stiffened slightly before she turned away. Otherwise Mrs. Pace didn’t seem affected by the news at all.
“I texted Mary Turner to let her know Mrs. Pace is here,” Dickce said.
“Good,” An’gel said. “We might as well be comfortable while we wait.” She chose one of the sofas and indicated that Dickce should join her. The one she selected afforded a good view of most of the room.
Benjy walked in with Endora on his shoulder and Peanut on a leash. Peanut immediately came to greet An’gel as if he hadn’t seen her in months, and she gave him the attention he craved. Benjy seated himself between Dickce and An’gel, and Endora immediately climbed down from his shoulder and into Dickce’s lap.
“Any luck?” An’gel asked, keeping her voice low. Mrs. Pace stood only about seven feet away.
“A little. Three articles.” Benjy matched his tone to An’gel’s. “Nothing conclusive. There’s no website, and that surprised me. Must use word of mouth.”
Mrs. Pace turned and stared at them, and An’gel felt uncomfortable. Had the woman heard them and figured out that they were talking about her? An’gel smiled in a friendly manner, and Mrs. Pace turned away again.
“Later,” she whispered to Benjy, who nodded to let her know he had heard.
Marcelline came into the room with Mary Turner. The housekeeper distanced herself from her employer, however, even though Mary Turner tried to get the woman to sit next to her. Marcelline shook her head and chose a nearby chair instead.
An’gel thought it a shame that the two women were on the outs with each other, but she thought Mary Turner was right to stand up for her husband. Marcelline was no doubt hurt, and An’gel hoped she would get over it. She understood the housekeeper’s protectiveness but thought the woman had gone too far. Clementine, her own housekeeper, was protective of her and Dickce but she never spoke to them the way Marcelline had talked to Henry Howard.
Protective. An’gel said the word several times in her mind. Marcelline always watched out for Mary Turner’s best interests. What if Marcelline had decided that getting rid of Nathan Gamble once and for all was in Mary Turner’s best interests? She wanted to discuss the idea with Dickce and Benjy and felt frustrated that she couldn’t do so right away. Depending on what Lieutenant Steinberg had to tell them, however, her new idea could be moot. She wished the man would get to Cliffwood and get it over with.
Henry Howard shepherded Serenity Foster and Truss Wilbanks into the parlor. An’gel was not surprised to note that Serenity’s face bore its evidently habitual scowl. Wilbanks, on the other hand, looked nervous to An’gel. The moment he seated himself on the other sofa, he pulled a handkerchief out of his inner jacket pocket and started mopping his brow. His skin tone was rather gray as well, An’gel decided. What was the man so afraid of?
Serenity Foster chose an armchair several feet away from the one Marcelline occupied. Henry Howard hovered near the parlor door, ready to admit the police when they arrived.
“Mrs. Pace, wouldn’t you like to sit down?” Mary Turner asked. “There’s room here by me, or I can bring another chair closer if you prefer.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Catlin,” the medium said. “I’m happy right where I am.” She had not strayed more than a foot or two from the north side of the fireplace, An’gel noted. Why wouldn’t she sit, though?
The doorbell rang, and An’gel immediately felt the level of tension in the room begin to rise. Even Peanut and Endora were quiet. She glanced at Mrs. Pace. The medium’s enigmatic expression interested her. The woman’s eyes appeared to rove from face to face. Was she getting vibrations, or whatever they were called, from people in the room? An’gel wondered.
An’gel could see the front door from where she sat, and she watched as Henry Howard admitted Lieutenant Steinberg and two other police officers, one of them female. Then several more people, also in uniform, came in behind them. An’gel began to worry. What was about to happen here?
Henry Howard escorted the lieutenant to the fireplace and then took the spot on the sofa next to his wife. Steinberg waited a moment before he spoke, letting his gaze wander over the assembled group much the same way Mrs. Pace had done not long before. An’gel was about ready to tell the man to get on with it when he finally spoke.
“I appreciate y’all’s patience as we have been investigating this case of a sudden death,” he began. “I know there’s probably been a lot of confusion and wondering what’s going on. I’d like to be able to set your minds at rest and tell you we’ve got an answer.” He paused. “Unfortunately, I can’t do that. We don’t have a definitive answer yet.”
Get to the point, An’gel thought. What answers do you have?
“I’m not at liberty to discuss all the details, pending the outcome of our investigation, you understand,” Steinberg said. “We’re still in the information-gathering stage, and I have more questions for some of you, those who were either family or close associates.”
An’gel glanced quickly at Truss Wilbanks. He had turned even grayer, if that were possible, and his hair was dark with perspiration. He was definitely frightened.
Steinberg reclaimed her attention as he continued. “I’ll need to talk to you separately, of course, and Mr. Catlin has suggested that we use the library again for that purpose. I would like for you all to remain in this room while I talk to those I’ve already mentioned.” His glance swept over An’gel, Benjy, and Dickce. “Even the ones who I don’t plan to question further today need to remain as well. My men will be examining the scene of the death more closely, and it will be easier if all of you stay here and out of the way. Are we clear on that?”
An’gel fought the temptation to say “Sir, yes, sir!” Instead she merely nodded, as did most of the others. Wilbanks still looked too scared even to nod. He stared like a hypnotized rabbit at Steinberg.
“I appreciate your cooperation in this matter,” Steinberg said. “I realize it’s getting on for lunchtime, and I plan to finish this round of questioning as soon as possible. I intend to be thorough, however, and so it might take a while. If anyone here has a medical condition that requires meals at certain times, or if you have medication you need to take, please inform the officer who will remain on duty in this room.” He paused. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, we’ll be getting on with our work.”
An’gel was thoroughly aggravated with the man. He hadn’t given them anything other than that the investigation was continuing. Why make a production out of a simple announcement like that? He could have done it with much less drama. She suspected that there was something more serious going on here, and she was going to challenge him to admit it.
She rose to her feet before Steinberg had taken two steps away from the fireplace. “Lieutenant, before you go, I have a question for you.”
Steinberg turned to face her, his expression steely. “Yes, Miss Ducote. What is it?”