Depth of Deception (A Titanic Murder Mystery) (15 page)

"
Well… y
ou were found floating in the North Atlantic but I can assure you that it is scientifically impossible for you to have been there for seventy years.
"

"
Please. Can I see Eddie?
"
Myra looked at Natalie
in
earnest. The look of anguish in Myra’s sapphire eyes was real. Tears cascaded down her cheeks.
"
Please, I need to know that he’s all right.
"

"
I’ll see what I can do,
"
Natalie whispered as she put her hand on top of Myra’s , trying to comfort her.
"
But I can’t make any promises.
"

April 4, 1982

Chapter
XVII

"
Mrs. Myra Hoffman please,
"
said Callum as he handed his business card to the butler at the front door.
"
She’s expecting me.
"

"
Wait here,
"
replied the butler, and left Callum standing on the welcome mat while he went in to announce him. Callum would never understand the eccentricities of the rich, especially that of ‘old money’, clinging to a way of life and rules that were rapidly fading. He looked at the Rolls Royce, Bentley and Jaguar on display beneath the covered car park adjoining the estate. He had admired them five years ago when he wandered the grounds investigating the ‘break and enter’ case and now as he gazed at them, he realized that they were parked in the exact same position as if no time had passed. Callum couldn’t help but wonder if the autos were ever enjoyed or if they were displayed there just for show.

"
Mrs. Hoffman will see you now,
"
announced the butler.

Upon entering the foyer, he handed his coat to the butler who, after hanging it on the iron coat rack, escorted Callum into the adjoining sitting room, which was filled with antiques. Every time he came to the Hoffman Estate it was like stepping into the past. Like at Ruthie’s home, there were several framed photos that had been taken over the years. In a rare colour Kodachrome photo, Callum recognized the familiar features of Edward Hoffman looking very young and dashing in a military uniform. Time had been good to Edward. His parents stood proudly on either side. In the photo it was clear that Mrs. Hoffman had Heterochromia, a condition where each eye was a different colour. Since seeing the photographs on Ruthie’s mantle, Callum had a new appreciation of colour photography.
Impressive for an early colour film to capture such detail,
he thought.

He heard the faint squeak of wheels as an
elderly woman entered the room,
pushed in a wheelchair by a private nurse of some sort. In one fluid motion, the nurse locked the wheels and adjusted the elderly woman’s oxygen tank next to her, acting more like an extension of the old woman’s consciousness than an individual person. In fact, the nurse gave no indication of being aware of Callum’s presence in the room.

Callum was surprised to see how much the old woman had aged in the last five years. If memory served, she was a centenarian. Very few people lived as long as she, and she was using her wealth to sustain her life. Callum recalled that Mrs. Hoffman had undergone cosmetic surgery at some point, but it now seemed
that time and gravity were fighting back, and the result was a ghastly, rubber-like grin that never seemed to fade. A thick pair of jewel-rimmed designer glasses confirmed and moreover, magnified her Heterochromia: her left eye was a deep brown and her right eye was a pale yellow-green hazel. Though grey roots were showing, the old woman had her hair dyed an unnatural shade of black, reminiscent of shoe polish. Her jewels and low décolletage did nothing but bring attention to her deeply wrinkled and age-spotted neck. Not at all flattering.

"
Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Mrs. Hoffman,
"
said Callum as soon as the nurse took her position near the door.
"
It’s good to see you again.
"

"
You said it was urgent,
"
puffed Mrs. Hoffman, gesturing for him to sit in the wood carved chair opposite her.
"
Would you care for some tea?
"

"
No, thank you. I won’t be long,
"
Callum replied with a smile as he took a seat. The chair was so old he was afraid that it wouldn’t hold him. It creaked ominously, so he quickly focused his mind on the matter at hand. He had just flown back to London from Glasgow in haste, as he did not want to waste any time.
Not to mention the fact that this woman was old and might croak at any moment.
"
Have you ever heard of a woman named
Loraine
Kramer?
"

"
Beastly woman!
"
replied Mrs. Hoffman without hesitation. She placed the oxygen mask over her face and stole a breath.
"
A charlatan who tried to pose as a child that was aboard the
Titanic
, saying that she had survived after all in order to claim some inheritance…
"

"
Yes I’m aware of all that,
"
interrupted Callum as he pulled his notepad from his satchel.
"
Does she know your son, Edward? Or would she have any reason to have ill feelings toward him?
"

"
Why do you ask?
"

Callum was not sure if he should burden her with what he had seen in
Loraine
Kramer’s room, considering the old woman’s health. He had tried to contact Edward in New York, but his office was closed for the weekend and he wasn’t responding to his paging service. Callum responded cautiously,
"
I have reason to believe she wishes harm to come to Edward.
"

"
Well that’s nothing new,
"
replied the old woman calmly.
"
My son Edward was the one who was able to disprove her claim. If it weren’t for Edward that woman might have gotten away with her flim-flam. She vowed she would have her revenge on him — if it took her a lifetime she would find a way to ruin him the way he’d ruined her.
"

"
When did she say this?
"

"
Let me think,
"
Mrs. Hoffman paused
for a moment.
"
Thirty years ago.
"

"
Did you say ‘thirty years’?
"

"
Aye, it was about 1950 or so,
"
replied Mrs. Hoffman.

Callum was momentarily distracted as he noticed a hint of a Scottish brogue in her usual American accent. Something he hadn’t noticed before. He looked at her intently and remarked,
"
You remind me of someone…. I can’t place. You have a hint of brogue in your accent. Out of curiosity, what is your maiden name?
"

"
My maiden name?
"
she repeated, taken aback.
"
Why do you ask?
"

"
It’s a hobby of mine. Dialects versus environment,
"
replied Callum.

"
A regular Henry Higgins,
"
scoffed Mrs. Hoffman as she sipped her tea ever so carefully. Callum smiled, realizing she had still not responded to his question. Would a hundred year old woman forget her own maiden name? Still, if Callum lived to be a hundred, he could only hope he would have as good a grasp of his faculties as Mrs. Hoffman did now.

"
Sloane,
"
she finally said, breaking the silence.

"
Sloane?
"
Callum repeated as he wrote it down in his book.
"
With an ‘e’ or without?
"

"
With,
"
replied Mrs. Hoffman.
"
Now what does that have to do with
Loraine
Kramer?
"

"
Nothing,
"
he replied and then added.
"
I’m afraid time has not healed her hatred toward your son, Edward. I was visiting her in Glasgow and saw something that made me concerned for your son’s safety.
"

"
Well, she is a devious woman,
"
added Mrs. Hoffman.
"
There is no depth to which she would
not
sink with her lies and deception for her own personal gain.
"

"
Do you know how I can get in touch with Edward?
"

"
I’m afraid I haven’t heard from him,
"
replied Mrs. Hoffman.
"
My husband is on his way back to England to oversee the final preparations of
Titanic
… The
Titan
’s maiden voyage… and it’s our wedding anniversary. Neither of us have heard from Edward since yesterday. You don’t suppose something could have happened to him?
"

"
I don’t know. But, I wouldn’t worry,
"
said Callum in a reassuring voice.
"
Loraine
Kramer was not living in luxury. I don’t think she’s in a position, financially, to orchestrate anything.
"

"
Don’t underestimate her, Mr. Toughill,
"
Mrs. Hoffman interjected quickly.
"
She’s the sort of woman who would sell everything she owns on a gamble.
"

"
Noted. I shall look into her further,
"
Callum was about to add her words into his notepad, when suddenly all the clock bells in the house started to chime. It startled him enough that he dropped his notepad. As he picked it up, he noticed his own shorthand notes from a few days prior. Reading them, he took a chance and asked,
"
Before I go, do you know whatever happened to Heather Langlea?
"

The sound of breaking porcelain was the response. Callum looked up to see the old woman had dropped her teacup and the nurse flew to her to make sure she hadn’t burned herself.

"
Who?
"
replied Mrs. Hoffman as if unaware that she had dropped her tea.

"
Heather Langlea,
"
replied Callum.
"
I had read from the passenger list of the
Titanic
that she was your accompanying servant aboard the
ship
.
"

"
Oh, her!
"
exclaimed Mrs. Hoffman as the name seemed to finally make sense.
"
Yes. That was such a long time ago.
"

"
Do you know what happened to her?
"

"
I believe she married,
"
replied Mrs. Hoffman in an annoyed tone.
"
She didn’t
give any notice, and I was forced to scramble to find a replacement. Needless to say, she didn’t get a letter of reference from me, nor did I keep tabs on her.
"

Callum jotted this into his notepad.

Mrs. Hoffman then leaned forward in her wheelchair slightly, allowing the nurse to hold her hand forward as if to stay her.
"
If you don’t mind. What is this all about?
"

"
Tying up loose ends so to speak,
"
replied Callum.
"
Initially I was investigating a lost piece of jewelry and it’s led me to an unsolved murder from almost a century ago.
"

"
What does that have to do with Heather Langlea or myself?
"

"
Before working for you, Miss Langlea was employed by the owner of that jewel. That owner was murdered. Agatha Gilcrest. Did you ever know her?
"

"
No. But I remember the incident. That was so long ago, even before Edward was born. How do you come to be investigating it now?
"

"
We’re investigating an insurance claim-slip for an item that may have been lost on the
Titanic
. That same piece of jewelry was taken the night Agatha Gilcrest was murdered.
"

"
How is that possible?
"
asked Mrs. Hoffman. Callum looked at her and blinked. Spurred by his silence, she continued,
"
I mean, if a murderer stole a piece of jewelry from their victim, why would they file a claim in writing for it? Would that not connect them to the crime? Not very smart.
"