A Devious Lot (Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries Book 5) (10 page)

“Are you married?”

“Me? No. Not yet. I’m dating a great gal, though. Plan to ask her real soon.”

Molly ate more pie and sipped her coffee. He didn’t seem inclined to move, and she was happy to keep talking to him.

“What other things did they fight about?” she asked.

“Back in those days, stupid stuff I don’t even remember,” he said. “I always knew when they fought though, because they wouldn’t sit together on the bus.”

“What about the years since school, did they come home for visits?”

“Yeah, sure, they’d stop in here from time to time for a drink or a meal,” he said. “Tiffany always said she hated village life, but I think what she really hated was seeing Brenda Adair. I remember one time she told me she broke into hives every time they stayed with her at Channing Hall. I thought it was funny, her being allergic to Brenda.”

“They didn’t get along?”

“Never. Blame it on the snob factor,” he said. “Giles’s dad was stinking rich, his mom is an aristocrat wannabe, and Tiffany was never good enough for their precious son. Giles was a spoiled little boy who grew up to be a spoiled man. God knows why Tiff stayed with him all these years. At some point, you’d think the attraction would have worn thin.”

“What about Alice . . . was she really best friends with Tiffany?”

“Look, the sad truth is, the only person who thought they were friends was Alice. Tiffany was friendly to everyone. Alice got a little obsessed with her. This was before Giles moved into the village, then she got obsessed with him.”

“She had a crush on him?”

“Yeah, but he totally ignored her. I think she really got mad at Tiffany when she started dating him.”

“Where does Alice work?”

“She’s a waitress at the Bluebird Tearoom,” he said. “She’s lucky to have a job. She runs her big mouth too much, and gets nasty with customers. She’s prone to breaking things, too. The only reason she got a job there is because her cousin owns the place and feels sorry for her.”

A man and woman came through the door and sat at the bar. Troy moved away to serve them, and Molly finished her pie and coffee. She thought about Alice, her obsession with Tiffany and Giles, and the fact that she worked in a tearoom that might sell loose-leaf tea.

Chapter 9

“Look who showed up while you were gone,” Tessa said. Gingersnap was in her arms and purring up a storm. “She was yowling at the door.”

Molly set her purse on the kitchen table. She stroked Gingersnap’s fur and the cat closed her eyes. “I’m sure glad to see you,” she said. “I wonder where she’s been all this time.”

“Probably hiding in the woods,” Tessa said. “She had a lot of dirt on her fur and paws. I cleaned her up as best I could.”

“Matt said she’d come back. Speaking of Matt, where is he?”

“Upstairs, on the computer. He said he had some work emails he had to answer. Did you talk to Giles and Troy?”

“Bits & Pieces was closed, but I talked to Troy. I also met Alice Wilson. Do you know her?”

“Oh, dear, dear. Everyone in the village knows Alice,” Tessa said. “She’s such an odd girl. I was at the Bluebird one time with my very good friend Mrs. Anderson when she went into a rage because a customer complained about their tea.”

“Can you buy loose-leaf tea at the Bluebird?”

Tessa stared at her. “Yes, you can,” she said. “Do you think Alice had something to do with poisoning Tiffany’s tea?”

“I’m not accusing her of anything,” Molly said. “But Troy told me she was obsessed with Tiffany and Giles when they were growing up, and Alice herself told me she got mad at Tiffany not too long ago when she wouldn’t talk to her. I’ll let Boyle know. Also, Troy told me Tiffany was thinking about going back to London. Did she ever mention that to you?”

“No.” Tessa looked surprised. “I wonder if that’s why she went to London a few weeks ago. She asked me to feed Gingersnap.”

“Yow!”

Molly winced. “I think somebody’s hungry,” she said.

“I don’t have any food for her here,” Tessa said. “Would you mind running over to White Dove Cottage and getting it? It’s in the kitchen pantry. I have a key.” Tessa opened a drawer and took out a key chain with a red furry pompom on the end. “I forgot to return it to Tiffany.”

“Sure,” Molly said. “I’ll be right back.”

She went to the hall and put her jacket back on. When she put the key in the front door lock at White Dove Cottage, she felt a little like a cat burglar, if stealing cat food could be considered a crime. The police hadn’t taped any crime scene tape across the door, but inside there was tape crossed over the dining room entrance and fingerprint dust was everywhere. Molly wished she knew what items they had taken away, and hoped the food pantry wasn’t sealed off.

In the kitchen, there was no crime scene tape holding her back. Cupboards and drawers had been opened and rifled through, but Gingersnap’s bag of dry cat food and a box of treats were on a shelf in the pantry. She also found a recyclable bag she could use to haul her goodies home. Water and food dishes were on the floor, and as Molly packed them into the bag, she noticed a canister on the counter. It was tin with a retro starburst design reminiscent of the 1960s. She remembered Boyle had told her Tiffany stored her tea in a tin container and wondered if it was part of a set. She took the lid off and looked inside, not really expecting to find anything. She was surprised to see it was stuffed full of cat toys. Knowing Gingersnap would be happy to get her treasures back, she tipped the tin upside down over the bag and shook it. The last item to pop out wasn’t a toy mouse stuffed with catnip, but a small wooden jewelry box. The eye miniature was inside, safe and sound.

Molly was amazed to find it there. She tucked the box in her jacket pocket and carried the bag of cat toys, food, and bowls to the door. For a brief moment, she considered going upstairs and having a look around, but she couldn’t see the point. The police had done their work, even if they had missed the tin with the cat toys.

When she got back to Tessa’s, Gingersnap rubbed up against her legs as she scooped food into her bowl.

“Yow!”

“Yes, yes, it’s coming, be patient,” Molly said.

The bowl had hardly reached the floor when Gingersnap cleaned it out, took a few laps of water, and walked to the rug by the door, where she sat down and washed her face.

“Someone is happy,” Tessa said. “Thank you for getting her things.”

Molly showed her the jewelry box. “It was hidden at the bottom of her toy tin.”

Tessa looked surprised. “Why on earth would Tiffany put it there?”

“She had to be hiding it,” Molly said.

“From Giles?”

“Good question,” Molly said. “I better call Inspector Boyle.”

She sat down at the kitchen table and dialed. He answered on the first ring.

“Any luck with Giles or Troy?” he asked.

“Giles wasn’t at the shop, but I did talk to Troy,” Molly said. She told him about their conversation, and about meeting Alice.

“She works at the Bluebird Tearoom, how interesting,” he said. “I’ll have a look into her.”

“There’s something else,” Molly said. “I found the eye miniature.” She told him about the tin filled with toys. “Do you need it for evidence?”

He was silent a moment before he replied. “I’d rather Giles didn’t know it’s been found,” he said. “If I log it into evidence, it won’t be missing anymore. Why don’t you hold on to it for a while. Can you do that for me?”

“Sure, if that’s what you want,” Molly said. “Did I find out anything you didn’t already know?”

“I didn’t know Troy had asked Tiffany to the prom. That shows he was interested in her.”

“Yeah, a long time ago,” she said. “Did he tell you she was thinking about going back to London?”

“Yes, he did. I called Tiffany’s former employer this morning. Unfortunately, Giles had already gotten to her. She couldn’t stop crying about Tiffany, and I barely got a thing out of her. I know it’s a bit of an imposition, but would you mind going to see her in person?”

“You want me to go to London?”

“I’d cover your expenses.”

“Why not call her back after she’s had some time to calm down,” Molly suggested. “It would be cheaper.”

“They worked together eight years, and Giles and your aunt told me they were friends. I’d rather have it be a personal interview. I think she might feel more comfortable talking to you about Tiffany and her relationship with Giles than she would talking to me.”

“What about Detective Anderson, the female cop I gave my statement to? She said she was working with you.”

“She isn’t available right now. But I apologize. Perhaps you don’t have time. When are you leaving for America?”

“Actually, I’m not leaving. I’ve decided to stay a while longer, to be with Tessa.”

“Splendid,” he said, sounding pleased. “Shall I email you the address of the salon?”

Molly stared at her phone. Boyle looked so unassuming with his wrinkled clothes, thinning hair, and limping gait, but the man was as stubborn as a mule. “All right, send me the phone number, too,” Molly said. “I’ll make an appointment to get my bangs trimmed. Stylists are used to talking to people who are sitting in their chair. The familiar setting might keep her from freaking out when I mention Tiffany.”

“Brilliant,” he said.

“I’ll try to get an appointment and go on Friday,” Molly said. That was two days away. Matt would be going home the next day, and although she knew she could have gone with him to Heathrow and taken the train into the city, she was afraid of her own emotional state. She didn’t want to talk to Kara Malone on a day when her own heart was breaking.

“Very good,” Boyle said. “I look forward to hearing what you find out.”

Chapter 10

At five o’clock that evening, Molly drove to the village on her own. Tessa had talked to Brenda on the phone and learned that Giles was going to be manning the shop until eight o’clock. Molly didn’t want to miss an opportunity to talk to him. She walked into Bits & Pieces looking forward to seeing the antique store. But she was quickly disappointed. The shop was overloaded with furniture—beautifully detailed hutches, antique buffets, cupboards, and chairs, and display tables laden down with collectibles. Every square inch of floor and wall space was taken. Walking carefully so as not to bump into a table and knock something off it, Molly made her way around the store looking for Giles. She found him in a corner at the back, his neck bent over his cell phone, eyes glued to the screen. He didn’t seem aware she was there, until she cleared her throat and his head snapped back.

“Hello, Giles.”

His eyes took a moment to focus on her face. There was no welcoming smile. She was met by a frown, and the way his mouth dipped down made him look as unpleasant as his mother.

“I thought you were going home to America,” he said.

“I decided to stay on with Tessa a little while longer,” she said. “Matt’s going home tomorrow.”

“Oh? Sounds like there’s trouble in paradise,” he said in a nasty tone.

Molly had wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, he had every reason to be distressed that his ex-girlfriend was murdered, and his fiancée was missing. But there was something off-putting about his superior tone, neatly combed white-blond hair, and newly polished shoes. He looked too put together for a man on the brink of a breakdown. In that moment, with his eyes devoid of emotion, she decided she didn’t like Giles. She knew there were people in the world who were beautiful on the outside but ugly inside, and she suspected if he was cut, he’d bleed ugly.

“There’s no trouble between me and Matt,” she said. “The trouble appears to be here, in Marlow Crossing. Tiffany’s death is devastating.” He didn’t reply, and Molly looked for any sign that he was upset or struggling with his emotions. He looked as animated as a robot. “I heard Penelope’s gone, too,” she said. “Any word from her?”

Giles sighed. “The gossip mill in this village never ceases to amaze,” he said. “Did your aunt tell you that?”

“No. I heard it being talked about in the village,” Molly lied. She wasn’t about to tell him her “gossip mill” was Inspector Boyle. “Did her leaving have anything to do with Tiffany showing up at Channing Hall?”

“Penelope has every reason to be upset with Tiffany. Actually, we both do. She’s been harassing us for months. Penelope wasn’t pleased, because I didn’t try to stop her. I thought she’d give up if we ignored her. Paying her for the brooch was the last straw for Penelope. But I’m sure she’ll be back. She just needs a little time to cool off.”

“Does she know Tiffany’s dead?”

He put his phone in his pocket. “She turned off her phone. I haven’t been able to reach her.”

“So what was the big deal about the eye miniature?”

“Tiffany was keeping it to spite me,” he said.

“She wanted you to pay her for it. Did it ever occur to you that maybe she needed the money? She did give up a high-paying job in London to come here.”

“It wasn’t about money,” he said. “It was about getting back at me for breaking up with her.” He ran a hand through his blond hair and it hardly moved. It looked like he used hairspray. “I shouldn’t have given it to her in the first place. It was a stupid thing to do. She hated anything old.”

“Really? Then why did you give her an antique?”

“It was a last-ditch attempt to save our relationship,” he said. “Ever since I was young, I’ve dreamed about owning my own antique shop. Tiffany knew when my mother opened Bits & Pieces I wanted to help her run it one day. But she hated my dream, and wanted nothing to do with it. That’s why I broke up with her. I met Penelope, and she loves my dream.”

“Aren’t you worried Penelope might have had something to do with Tiffany’s death?”

Giles’s eyes narrowed. “How dare you say such a thing.”

“Innocent people don’t run.”

“She didn’t run, she went away to calm down and cool off, and it’s a coincidence it happened at the same time Tiffany died,” he said.

“It looks bad for her, Giles.”

“Why don’t you mind your own business? You don’t know me, or Penelope. You’re a stranger, and I resent you saying that about her. What do you want anyway?”