A Devious Lot (Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries Book 5) (8 page)

“He does have a tendency to come across as being rather unemotional, but I honestly don’t know him well enough to say,” Tessa said. “Perhaps he’s in shock. I’m sure he must feel something . . . they were together such a long time.”

“He told me he wouldn’t be surprised if Tiffany killed herself,” Boyle said.

“I’m astounded,” Tessa said. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. I’ll grant you, Tiffany was always a little high-strung, but surely she wasn’t suicidal. Do you know how she died?”

“I’d rather not discuss that right now,” Boyle said. “Giles told me something else of interest. He said Tiffany was stalking him and Penelope. Did she tell you anything about that?”

“What? No. I had no idea. Was he sure?”

“He said she appeared in restaurants and shops when they were out together, and sometimes they’d find her walking behind them on the sidewalk, or following them in her car.”

Molly chimed in. “Did Giles file a police report?”

“No,” Boyle said. “He thought Tiffany would eventually give up and go back to London, so he didn’t do anything.”

Tessa sighed. “Tiffany was a beautiful young woman. She had a full life, with a successful career. She never should have given it up for Giles. He wasn’t worth it. How can he say such things about her?”

“Let’s talk about the tea at Channing Hall,” Boyle said. “What did you make of Tiffany’s arguing with Giles about buying the eye miniature?”

“She came in laughing, but there was hurt in her eyes,” Tessa said. “Giles has been very unkind to her. I believe she might have thought this was a way of making him pay for what he’d done to her.”

Molly asked, “Did you find the eye miniature, Inspector?”

“No,” Boyle said. “It appears to be missing.”

“Maybe she dropped it off someplace to get appraised,” Molly said. “Do you know if she made any stops on her way home?”

“We’ve requested her credit card receipts and cell phone records, so I should know something soon.” He turned back to Tessa. “Mrs. Paulson, can you tell me anything about Tiffany’s friends, old or new?”

“The only friend I know of in London is her former employer, Kara Malone,” Tessa said. “Her salon is called Mia Kara. As for friends in the village, she spoke a few times of Troy Stanton. They were at school together, and lived next door to each other growing up. He owns the Lion Head’s Pub. Tiffany ate most of her meals there.”

“We found a to-go container in her garbage can, for the fish sandwich she was eating. It was from the pub. What about Tiffany’s brother, William Hadley? Do you know him?”

“I never taught Will, but my husband, Jack, did. He thought very highly of him. I believe he’s much older than Tiffany. She told me he’s a professor at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane.”

“I spoke to him on the phone to let him know of his sister’s death,” Boyle said. “He told me the last time they talked was in the spring when she was still living in London. She didn’t tell him she’d moved.”

“How odd,” Tessa said.

Molly said, “She might not have bothered telling him if she didn’t plan on staying here long.”

“Will also told me Tiffany had issues,” Boyle said. “He said she had a tendency to put her own needs above others, and could be very stubborn. He told me she liked playing the martyr so others would feel sorry for her. Does that sound like the Tiffany you knew?”

Tessa nodded slowly. “I suppose so, now that I think about it,” she said. “She certainly garnered my sympathy, and no doubt there are others who took her side against Giles. But it wasn’t without merit, Inspector. Giles treated her badly. Did you know he broke up with her on the telephone? He didn’t even have the courtesy to do it to her face.”

“Oh? I didn’t realize,” he said.

“Tiffany had gone back to London after his father’s funeral,” Tessa said. “Giles was to follow shortly. He called her a few days later to tell her he was in love with someone else and wasn’t coming home.”

“I can see why you felt sorry for her,” Boyle said, making a note in his book. “I do thank you, Mrs. Paulson, for your time. That’s all the questions I have for you for now. I apologize again for the lateness of the hour.”

“Please, Inspector, do keep us informed,” Tessa said.

“Certainly,” he said. Molly and Tessa both stood, but Boyle remained seated. “Molly, I’d like a word with you, if you could stay a moment?”

“Sure,” Molly said, sitting back down.

Tessa left the room and Boyle waited until her footsteps had receded before he spoke.

“The coroner did complete the postmortem, and I know the cause of death,” he said. “I couldn’t tell your aunt. I could see she’d had a rough day of it and didn’t want to upset her any more than necessary. Perhaps you could tell her in the morning?”

“I’ll do that,” Molly said, but she knew she’d tell her before they went to bed that night. She wouldn’t risk Tessa waking up early and hearing it on the news, and from the look on Boyle’s face, she knew it wasn’t going to be good. “How did she die?” she asked.

“Tiffany was poisoned with hemlock.”

Molly stared at him. “Hemlock, as in the plant?”

“Indeed,” he said. “The lab results showed traces of it in her tea. There was a tin on her kitchen counter which she used to store her Darjeeling. It looks as if hemlock leaves were crushed into a fine powder and mixed into the loose tea leaves.”

Molly was astounded. “This is incredible,” she said. “Who would do such a thing?” He had no answer, and Molly rubbed her forehead. It had been a long day and it was catching up with her. “Please tell me she didn’t suffer,” she said. “Tell me it was a quick death.”

“The medical examiner informed me that the plant’s leaves are full of something called conium, and it’s lethal when ingested. A hundred milligrams, or about eight leaves, would be fatal. Symptoms occur within twenty minutes of ingestion. She also told me that given the fact Tiffany had enough conium in her body to kill her three times over, it’s possible it happened quickly.”

“I hate to ask, but what are the symptoms?”

Boyle’s face turned even more grim. “First, she would have experienced paralysis, then her respiratory system would have begun to fail, and all the while, her mind would be functioning.”

Molly cringed. “That’s why she fell off her chair. She was paralyzed and helpless. Poor Tiffany. She couldn’t even call for help.”

“She also had a contusion to her head,” he said. “The medical examiner is confident it occurred as a result of the fall, and she believes the blow could have knocked her out. Let’s hope she never knew what hit her.”

“Does hemlock even grow in England?”

“Yes, it’s fairly common. I found a
Daily Mail
article from 2011 that reported hemlock plants sprouting to record size. Warnings were issued to towns and cities all across England.”

“Did your forensic team find any signs of a break-in?”

“No, but the locks are old on the house. The back door can be easily opened with a credit card.”

“That’s not good,” Molly said. “I’ll have Matt check Tessa’s locks.” And their own, as soon as they got home to Vermont, she thought. “I’ve just remembered something,” she said. “Yesterday morning, Tessa took us into the village to meet her friends and do some shopping. We wanted to go to Bits & Pieces, but the door was locked. When I told Brenda, she insisted the shop was open and said the door sticks. The point is, Penelope was working at the shop by herself yesterday. You should ask her where she was around ten thirty. She certainly had enough reasons to hate Tiffany, especially if that stalking story is true. Maybe she broke into Tiffany’s cottage and poisoned her tea.”

“I would love to ask her,” he said, “but it seems Penelope is missing.”

Molly was stunned. “Missing? Since when?”

“Shortly after the party, she drove off,” he said. “Giles told me she was upset with him for giving into Tiffany about buying the brooch. She’s not answering her phone, and he has no idea where she’s gone. Her cell phone carrier can’t ping her location, so she’s either destroyed the phone or turned it off. I’ve alerted law enforcement to be on the lookout for her and her vehicle, and we’re monitoring her credit cards and bank accounts, but so far, nothing. It’s like she dropped off the face of the earth.”

“Does Giles realize how bad this looks for her?”

“I suppose he does. It could explain why he’s pushing a suicide angle. If Tiffany killed herself, Penelope couldn’t have done it.”

“Suicide makes no sense,” Molly said. “Why would she bother buying the sandwich at the pub, and eating it, if all she had to do was drink poisoned tea?”

“I agree, it makes little sense,” Boyle said. He leaned back in his chair. “I did a little checking up on you. I went to your magazine’s website and read your articles about the homicide investigations you were involved in. It’s apparent you have a talent for talking to people. Not everyone does, you know. In my line of business, it’s an essential tool. People are often uncomfortable around the police. Sometimes it’s easier for them to open up to an outsider.” He paused. “I wonder if you’d consider assisting me, by keeping your eyes and ears open, and perhaps talking to a few people.”

“Like who?”

“Giles, for one,” he said. “He became evasive when I tried to talk to him about his relationship with Tiffany. You might have better luck getting him to open up.” He glanced at his watch. “Oh, my, look at the time. I’ll be late getting home, and I do want to stop by the Lion’s Head Pub and talk to Troy Stanton.” He got up and buttoned his jacket. “I’ll text you later and let you know how it goes with Troy. He could be another person I’d like you to follow up with.”

Molly was slightly amused. She hadn’t agreed to do anything, and Inspector Boyle was already acting like she was on board. “I’m not sure I can help you,” she said. “Matt and I are flying home in a few days.”

“It shouldn’t take much time, probably only a day or two.”

He was persuasive, but Molly hesitated. If she said yes, she’d be getting involved in another murder investigation. She thought about asking Matt his opinion, but knew what he would say. He wouldn’t be thrilled, but he’d leave the decision up to her.

“Okay, I’ll do it,” she said. “But don’t expect too much.”

Chapter 6

Later that evening, Molly snuggled with Matt on the sofa as they watched a British comedy show. Tessa had gone to bed, and the volume on the TV was low. Her phone binged, and she looked at the screen.

“It’s a text from Boyle,” she said. She read the message. “He says he talked to Troy and he’d like me to talk to him again tomorrow.”

“I think I should go with you,” he said. “I don’t like the idea of you going alone.”

“I’ll only talk to them in a public place,” she said. “Giles at Bits & Pieces, and Troy at the Lion’s Head Pub. You don’t have to worry.”

“You know what I’m really worried about? Leaving Tessa in a few days. I hate leaving her here with a killer on the loose.”

“What can we do? Get her an alarm system?”

“Actually, now that you ask, I’ve got an idea. Or I should say, it’s more like a proposal.”

Molly grinned. “You proposed already, remember?” She fluttered her wedding ring at him. “Or did you forget we got married?”

“I haven’t forgotten.” He pulled her closer and she rested her head on his wide shoulder. “I’ve never been happier in my life,” he said.

“Me, too,” Molly said. “So what’s your proposal?”

“My proposal is that if Boyle doesn’t solve his case in a day or two, you stay here with Tessa and help him figure out who killed Tiffany.”

“What?” Molly sprang up. “You’d fly home without me?”

“I would stay if I could, but I have to get back to work,” he said. “You agree we shouldn’t leave Tessa alone. If you tell Swanson what’s going on, I’m sure he’ll give you time to write about a murder in the Cotswolds.”

Molly stared at him. “Are you crazy?” Carl Swanson was her boss in North Carolina. He was a moody chain smoker and the staff lived in fear of him. “I’m lucky he gave me time off to get married and go on my honeymoon!”

“Okay, then I’ll talk to him. He likes me.”

“Huh! That’s what you think,” Molly said. “He doesn’t like anybody. Why don’t we ask Tessa to come to Vermont with us?”

“She didn’t fly to our wedding because of her hip, and that was less than two weeks ago.”

“Right, I forgot,” Molly said. “Then let’s buy the alarm system. Or, we could pay for her to stay at the Cavendish. She loves that hotel.”

“The alarm isn’t a bad idea, but she’d still be on her own, and a hotel would be way too expensive. We could ask your mother to fly over to be with you. She’d enjoy spending time with Tessa, and she’s always been a great sounding board for you when you’re on a case.”

Molly sighed. “But it could take weeks, or months, to solve. And by then, Swanson might want to fire me.”

“Swanson’s obsessed with circulation, and he knows you’re the biggest draw. Offer to write some articles about antiquing in England while you’re snooping around for Boyle. Give it a few weeks, and if there’s no progress, maybe Tessa’s hip will feel well enough that she can fly home with you and your mom.”

Molly thought about it. “The airfare for Mom will be off-the-charts expensive at this late stage,” she said. “She won’t want to spend that kind of money, and don’t forget, there will be a penalty if I change my ticket.”

“We’ll pay for her ticket, and don’t worry about the penalty on yours.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I’ll return the rental car at the airport and that will save some money. Tessa won’t mind you driving her car.”

“Do you really think this is necessary?”

“I do,” he said. “Tessa needs you. Evidently, so does Boyle. And I know you, Molly. If you leave before Tiffany’s murder is solved, you’ll be sulking around the house when we get home regretting that you left. You found her body this morning. You’re already invested in the case. I’m not wild about us being apart, but I know how smart you are and what good instincts you have. You’ve caught other killers, so why not give it a shot and see if you can find the person who killed Tiffany?”